Don’t Settle for Safe! With Sarah Jakes Roberts

Sarah Jakes Roberts is one of those people who has “been there and done that.” She has learned how to break destructive cycles to discover the best that life can offer someone who refuses to settle. Pregnant at 13, married at 19, divorced at 23, as well as being the daughter of T. D. Jakes, Sarah has amazing testimonials that are found in her two books, Lost and Found and Don’t Settle for Safe. In these books, she shares real stories about where life has taken her and the journey she’s gone through. In this podcast, Sarah and I will be discussing how God allows our past to create an amazing and abundant future for us.

On a “Simply” & “Joyful” side note…

I asked Sarah about what she does to simplify her life and she has a great response! She gives tips on creating a space where, as a mom, she doesn’t feel guilty for taking a minute for herself—such great advice. I know you’re going to love it!

In This Episode

In this episode, Sarah and I talk about how to not settle for safe (and why). Sarah’s story and testimony are amazing.

I just know you are going to be blown away by this episode with Sarah!

Highlights from This Show…

“No matter where you are, you need to know that you can’t be stuck in the pain from your past.” -Kristi Clover

• Sarah and her husband pastor a church in Los Angeles, which is nothing new as her father was T. D. Jakes, the pastor of Potter’s House. And yet, she says, even though she was raised in ministry, she needed to have her own journey to understand who God is for herself. Now she can share her story with people around the world about the victory that can exist after trials.
• Sarah talks about Lost and Found, her memoir. Growing up in the spotlight of a megachurch, with the attention and pressure that came along with her last name, put her in a place where she wondered who she really was.

“I had to ask Him [God], ‘is this a life that my insecurities created or is this the life that You have for me?’” -Sarah Jakes Roberts

“Even though Lost and Found is my memoir, Don’t Settle for Safe is … me helping other women to do the work that I was able to do. I didn’t want people to read my book and close it and say, ‘Wow, that’s good for her,’ because it’s not just good for me; it should be good news for them too … other women can be empowered to do the same.” -Sarah Jakes Roberts

• Sarah talks about the importance of “creating new wounds,” and how doing so helps break free from the prison of insecurity and to embrace new life and new dreams with the opportunity to share what she’s learned with others.

“I believe that behind every disappointment and every failure is an opportunity to learn, grow, become better and stronger … sometimes in order to do that, we have to risk creating new wounds so that we can really understand who we are.” -Sarah Jakes Roberts

• I ask Sarah what practical advice she has for people who are struggling with major challenges.

“Moving on is a process; we move on little by little.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

“I would say to the person who’s struggling to really recognize that God has a plan for your life, and His plan was to prosper you and not to harm you.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

“Sources of inspiration are not there to isolate you, they’re to reflect what’s there on the inside of you.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

“You don’t need to be validated by other people. You don’t need validated by getting a degree from this place, or having this amount of money in your bank account because your validation comes from God.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

“Unstoppable is about being unstoppable in our marriages, vulnerability and love and joy, unstoppable parents where we can protect the light that is inside of our children and help them continue to grow.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

• I ask Sarah how she discovered that comfort was not what she was looking for to put on as a bandaid. Sarah explains that she had tried to build her life on something that wasn’t realistic at all, and she’s come to find that the only way to achieve comfort is having complete trust and faith in God.

“Comfort comes from knowing that our destiny lies in God’s hand and not what happens in the world.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

• Sarah shares a part of her book with us about being aware of the danger of weeds growing when we’re supposed to guard our heart and cultivate fruits of the spirit.

“I had to realize that just because you have fruit in your garden doesn’t mean there aren’t weeds…you’re not living to your fullest potential.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

• Sarah talks about her experience going through a teen pregnancy while being so much in the spotlight with her family, not hiding it, and how she moved forward with that situation.

“You have to take a moment to forgive yourself…to embrace that girl who was lost and insecure, but also found a way to become a confident woman.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

• I ask Sarah if her children are in a similar situation like the one she herself grew up in, since Sarah and her husband are leaders at their church. I also ask if there are any practical things she’s done to keep them out of situations where they might make some bad choices. Sarah believes that there isn’t as much expectation in her kids’ environment to be angels and talks with them about how they feel at church. Sometimes her husband decides to stay home and have a family day instead of preach.

“We truly believe that our first ministry is in the home and what we do in the home overflows to what we do with our congregation.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

• I ask Sarah what she feels happens in people’s’ lives when they stop settling for safe.

“Sometimes the truth can make you uncomfortable… but that doesn’t mean we should hide the truth.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

“Life isn’t happening to you, you’re happening to life.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

• I ask Sarah how she deals with relationships that she has to say no to.

Words to Remember…

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:29)

Please Note…

— Be sure to grab your FREE copy of my book, Sanity Savers for Moms, by joining our Simply Joyful community. It’s a great way to keep in touch…and get subscriber only freebies like my book. Click HERE to get the book and join!

Connect with Sarah…

Sarah Jakes Roberts is a take-charge business-woman, writer and media personality who expertly balances career, ministry and family. Wife to an epic king, mom to intelligent children, daughter of remarkable parents, & proud sis to talented siblings.

You can check out Sarah’s books HERE on Amazon! You can find Sarah on her website at www.sarahjakesroberts.com.

(This podcast is by Kristi Clover. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)