Reverend Ike Quotes

I meet no one but me.

The power of the mind is not only the greatest power in the universe but the only power in the universe.

In moments like this, my prosperity friends from all my years of research know me best. If poked and prodded they would probably agree with me that, while heaven is great, it is even better when it is enjoyed here on earth. Technically, this is all heresy. It's called an "overrealized eschatology," an exaggerated sense of what earth can reveal about the Kingdom of God. The famous Reverend Ike, pioneer of black televangelism, used to say it with a cheeky smile: "Don't wait for your pie in the sky by and by; have it now with ice cream and a cherry on top!" But I don't want ice cream, I want a world where there is no need for pediatric oncology, UNICEF, military budgets, or suicide rails on the top floors of tall buildings. The world would drip with mercy. Thy kingdom come, I pray and my heart aches. And my tongue trips over the rest. Thy will be done.

Use your mind not your behind.

There is really nothing else to understand except yourself. Knowing the truth about yourself sets you free. When you know your own divinity, you know that you are one with God.

Every once in a while in life, one experiences an epiphany so profound that nothing is the same after it happens. Life takes on a new layer of meaning and purpose, from which arises a new conviction. Inherent to the nature of epiphanies, it is an illumination that doesn’t simply teach you, but it causes you to become someone new.

My father’s M.O. was not “fight the man,” but “I am the man, and I will exert divine justice by creating my own reality.” And, of course, help others do the same.