Podcast Summary: "I Didn't Know This Was In Me"

Podcast: Change Church Podcast
Host: Pastor Dharius Daniels
Date: October 20, 2025

Episode Overview

Pastor Dharius Daniels launches a new sermon series titled Detox, part of the yearlong “Goaded” series focusing exclusively on the Gospels. This message—“I Didn’t Know This Was In Me”—sets the stage for spiritual self-examination, challenging believers to recognize and remove subtle but spiritually toxic beliefs or traditions that may have infiltrated their faith. Drawing parallels between physical detox and spiritual deliverance, Pastor Daniels urges listeners to confront the “bad stuff that got to us through good stuff” and embrace authentic deliverance as core to discipleship, not just for the obviously afflicted, but for every follower of Jesus.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction: The Detox Series and Challenging Traditions (03:00–05:00)

• Pastor Daniels explains that Detox was inspired by the earlier sermon “The Burden of Bad Religion” (May 2025), feeling led to continue exploring spiritual toxicity.
• Emphasizes his aim isn’t to insult church traditions but to challenge beliefs for deeper growth:

  “Don’t confuse me challenging you to revisit what you’ve assumed to be true about a thing… with me insulting the spiritual tradition that God may have used to get you this far.” (03:02–03:05)

2. The Analogy of Physical Detox and Body Recomposition (05:01–07:37)

• Shares personal story of working with a trainer who insisted on a month-long detox before pursuing fitness goals:

  “‘Darius, sometimes toxins, which are bad things, are distributed to you in food, which is good things... The bad things got to you because the bad things were in good things.’” (06:22–06:35)

• Draws parallel to spiritual life: toxins can “get in” through otherwise good religious experiences or teaching.

3. The Need for a Biblical Theology of Deliverance (07:37–13:36)

• Defines theology of deliverance: Understanding deliverance from God's viewpoint is central to Jesus' ministry.

  “Deliverance, family, is primary to the ministry of Jesus.” (08:33) “Every time he set someone free, he wasn’t doing something strange, he was doing something standard. Because deliverance is a part of discipleship.” (09:33–09:39)

• Warns against reducing deliverance to only the “immoral” or visibly troubled:

  “Everybody who wants to be discipled is a person that has to be delivered. Spiritual liberation is necessary for sanctification. I cannot look like him without being liberated by Him.” (10:01–10:09)

4. Repression vs. True Deliverance (10:31–14:17)

• Critiques a false substitute: Repression (denial and coping, not true transformation).

  “Repression is a theological imposter of deliverance. It’s denial disguised as deliverance. It’s suppression disguised as sanctification.” (11:07)

• Calls out faith practices that focus on symptom management instead of root causes; challenges “Christianity of coping” when the Bible speaks of conquering:

  “It’s when I adopt and accept a Christianity of coping, when the Bible speaks to conquering.” (11:29)

5. Expand the Scope: Deliverance for All, Not Some (14:17–17:58)

• Cautions against associating deliverance only with those who struggle with “immoral” behaviors:

  “Deliverance is a divine act of liberation from any spiritual, emotional, or relational toxic influence that limits your likeness to Christ.” (15:07–15:32)

• Delivers pointed, relatable examples:

  “Maybe you don’t need detox from an addiction, but we need to detox you from that attitude. You need deliverance too.” (16:40)

6. Focusing on Self, Not Diagnosing Others (17:05–17:58)

• Encourages self-examination over judgment of others:

  “Is there anybody in this building? Your testimony is, this is my season to mind my business. I got me and God got some stuff we need to figure out and work out... Study to be quiet and mind your business.” (17:13–17:58)

7. Biblical Case Study: Mark 8 and the Yeast Metaphor (17:58–40:20)

• Unpacks Mark 8 where Jesus warns of “the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
  • Yeast represents subtle, invasive infectious attitudes or beliefs embedded in otherwise good religious “bread.”
  • Warns listeners not to “throw out the bread,” but recognize and address the yeast.
• Explains the context: disciples frustrated by lack of bread miss the lesson about spiritual contamination.

  “He says, you’re talking about the bread. I need you to watch out for yeast. You’re a follower of me, but I still need you to watch out for yeast.” (39:18–39:23) “The bread is a good thing. The yeast is a bad thing, but the bad thing has been delivered to you in a good thing.” (40:20)

8. Three Spiritual Toxins to Detox (40:25–50:04)

a. Legalistic Spirituality (The Yeast of the Pharisees)

• Mistakes acceptance by God as earned by performance/obedience instead of received as evidence of relationship.

“Legalism confuses obedience as the means of acceptance rather than evidence of acceptance.” (41:45)

• Results in performative, joyless, uncertain faith.

“You left the prison of the world, and you checked into the prison of religion. You didn’t get free. You changed prisons.” (42:02)

• Encourages grace-based, relational obedience:

  “I’m keeping the commandments because I love you. Not to make you love me.” (45:33)

b. Narcissistic Spirituality (The Yeast of Herod)

• Redefines God’s purpose around self-glorification:

“The creator becomes the servant, the king becomes the consultant… Many people are worshiping a God they made, not the one that made them.” (47:13–47:25)

• Shows up as spiritual exploitation and manipulation in the church:

“Spiritual exploitation was clothed in Christian language called submission. Deal with it. Abuse is tolerated and you call it honor.” (48:54–49:02)

• Condemns transactional “give-to-get” faith.

c. Spiritual Syncretism (50:04–53:49)

• Blending of truly Christian faith with incompatible beliefs or worldviews (e.g., astrology or Greco-Roman spiritualities).

“Syncretism doesn’t ask you to abandon Jesus, it just asks you to add him to what doesn’t belong… The problem isn’t that God isn’t enough, the problem is you’ve never given him the chance to be enough because you keep adding what didn’t belong.” (51:56)

• Points out common Christian compromises:

“You cannot tell me as a Christian…that the destiny of my personality is tied to the month I was born in. I am made in the image and likeness of God.” (52:45)

• Critiques dating culture as an example:

“Instead of the first question you ask be ‘Do you love Jesus?’ you asking ‘What’s your sign?’ The cross.” (53:18–53:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On spiritual self-examination:

  “Everybody needs detox from something. And if we would stop trying to diagnose what everybody else needs detox from, then maybe God will show you what you need detox from.” (17:05–17:13)

• On grace and tradition:

  “I want you to give me grace because there are going to have to be some things I expose using scripture, not opinion… allow me to challenge the way you see a thing without you feeling like I’m coming for you.” (51:57)

• On performative faith:

  “You tap dancer to be accepted. So you’re living for instead of living from.” (42:02)

• On spiritual manipulation:

  “I shouldn’t do spiritual stick ups. I could teach you what the word says and then between you and God, you decide what you’re going to do… That is not generosity, that is greed and the spirit of mammon.” (50:16–50:46)

• On letting go of arguments:

  “If I win this argument, what do I win? … I can love you as an image bearer of God and not have a high view of your opinion and perspective. Sometimes you ought to feel weird if certain people are agreeing with you.” (34:34)

Important Timestamps

• Challenging spiritual traditions: 03:02–03:05
• Physical detox analogy: 05:01–06:35
• Theology of deliverance: 07:37–09:33
• Repression vs. deliverance: 11:07–11:29
• Detoxing for all: 15:07–17:58
• Mark 8 context and yeast analogy: 17:58–40:20
• Legalistic spirituality: 40:25–45:58
• Narcissistic spirituality: 46:17–50:04
• Spiritual syncretism: 50:04–53:49
• Closing challenge and next steps: 51:57–54:32

Conclusion

Pastor Daniels powerfully frames spiritual “detox” as essential, not exceptional, for all believers, warning against complacency, performative spirituality, religious pride, and dangerous compromises. The call is not to abandon the good in tradition, but to soberly examine and extract the hidden “yeast” that subtly undermines Christlikeness. The series promises to gently, yet courageously, confront these issues, inviting listeners to embrace a deeper, freer walk with Jesus.

If you’re ready for spiritual detox, this is a must-listen episode—and the series promises to guide you toward freedom, authenticity, and transformative faith.