Podcast Summary

ONE | A Potter's House Church
Episode: The Big Win - Dr. Anita Phillips
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Dr. Anita Phillips (Guest Speaker)
Pastors: Touré Roberts & Sarah Jakes Roberts

Overview:

This episode, "(The) Big Win" features a vibrant and revelatory message by Dr. Anita Phillips centered on the theme of victory through consent—specifically, the life-changing power of saying "yes" to God. Drawing from the Christmas story, Dr. Phillips explores how the "big win," the true victory of the Gospel, is unlocked when individuals respond to divine invitations—not just for personal gain, but for generational, communal, and kingdom impact. Through engaging storytelling, biblical exposition, and personal reflection, Dr. Phillips challenges listeners to reconsider what it means to win spiritually and how simple, humble agreements with God open the door to extraordinary outcomes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Consent: The Victory in 'Yes'

• Dr. Phillips opens by reading Luke 1, reframing the nativity story as a narrative about consent:

  “Today my name is Mary. Are you ready to carry something that can only be yours? … All you need for the big win is yes.” [03:00-06:00]

• She explains that Mary’s victory wasn’t achieved by striving or combat, but by her willingness to say “yes” to God (Luke 1:38).
• This “yes” is the doorway to generational blessings promised long before Mary’s time, tracing back to Genesis.

2. Impossible Possibilities and Testimony

• Cites Mary, a virgin, and Elizabeth, an elderly woman, both miraculously conceiving:

  “We already got two situations here that are completely impossible. But with God, all things are possible.” [09:30]

• Advocates sharing the full testimony: telling both the victories and the struggles (including the ones shrouded in shame), so others can be encouraged.

  “Stop hiding your testimony … You not telling your story means somebody else's baby doesn’t get to leap. Don’t be selfish.” [11:40]

3. Biology & Theology—The Generational Perspective

• Dr. Phillips highlights the literal, biological detail that every woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have, connecting this to the “seed” passed down through generations (Luke 1, Galatians 4).
• She clarifies the doctrine of Immaculate Conception and emphasizes Jesus’ human vulnerability:

  “If [Jesus] did not have a body that was susceptible to what our bodies are susceptible to, then he would not have won our victory because he won a four hour fight.” [16:00–21:00]

• Jesus’ need for both divine paternity and human maternity underscores his qualification to save.

4. Collective & Communal Victory

• Shifts focus from individual to kingdom-level victories:

  “Some victories are bigger than us … We can be willing to suffer what we think might be a personal loss if we have the opportunity to participate in a kingdom movement that will actually shift the world.” [24:00]

• Encourages listeners to dedicate time to intercede for strangers, the city, and broader needs, proposing, “Take one day a week in 2026 … just pray for anybody but yourself.” [27:20]

5. Joseph’s 'Yes': Protection & Support

• Joseph’s consent and protection of Mary is equally vital:

  “It was Mary's yes to receive … But the yes to protect is just as powerful as the yes to carry.” [33:30]

• Dr. Phillips applies this principle to broader relationships—marriage, friendship, community:

  “Will you say yes whether you're the main character or not? Yes, to protect. That yes matters because we must be willing to protect something that got started somewhere besides me.”

6. Making Space in the Margins

• The innkeeper’s small ‘yes’—making space in the manger—teaches about spiritual hospitality and capacity:

  “Some of you need to say yes to making space in your life for God ... The efforts you’re putting into protecting yourself is still fear bound.” [36:40-40:00]

• Dr. Phillips challenges over-protectiveness of personal peace, advocating instead for an expansion of capacity through God.

7. Long Obedience: The Wise Men's Yes

• The wise men model “long obedience” as they followed the star, altered their plans, and covered Jesus, even at risk to themselves ([Matthew 2]).

  “Are you willing to go the long way to cover what God has placed on this earth for you? Yes to carrying, yes to protecting, yes to making space, yes to playing the long game. The big win depends on your yes.” [42:20]

8. The Ultimate 'Yes': Christ’s Humility

• The deepest yes comes from Jesus himself:

  “He made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant … and became obedient even to the point of death … His yes was humility.” [45:00]

• Jesus’ decision to embrace vulnerability, submit to misunderstanding and suffering, and refuse pride accomplishes the biggest win—exaltation by God and the way of salvation.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:30 | Dr. Anita | “Are you ready to carry something that can only be yours? Are you ready to say yes?” | | 11:40 | Dr. Anita | “Stop hiding your testimony … you not telling your story means somebody else's baby doesn’t get to leap.”| | 24:00 | Dr. Anita | “Can you open up your thought process? Can you stop allowing your daily pain to narrow your focus only to who is in the mirror?”| | 27:20 | Dr. Anita | “Take one day a week in 2026 … just pray for anybody but yourself. See what happens to you.”| | 33:30 | Dr. Anita | “But the yes to protect is just as powerful as the yes to carry.” | | 36:40 | Dr. Anita | “Some of you need to say yes to making space in your life for God. … The efforts you’re putting into protecting yourself is still fear bound.”| | 42:20 | Dr. Anita | “Yes to carrying, yes to protecting, yes to making space, yes to playing the long game. The big win depends on your yes.”| | 45:00 | Dr. Anita | “His yes was humility. … The yes that will come against your pride … is the yes that will change everything.”| | 47:00 | Dr. Anita | “The most important thing you can do in your entire life is to say yes to God. And the next most important thing you can do is to say yes again.”|

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:54-06:00] — The story of Mary, the Annunciation, and the invitation to say “yes”
• [11:40-14:40] — The importance of testimony and generational impact
• [16:00-21:00] — Jesus’ human nature and salvation’s requirements
• [24:00-28:00] — Elevating victory to the communal and kingdom level
• [32:00-34:00] — Joseph’s story and the yes to protect
• [36:40-41:00] — Making space—capacity, empathy, and spiritual hospitality
• [42:20-44:00] — Wise men, long obedience, and the cost of the big win
• [45:00-47:00] — Jesus: the humble “yes” and the ultimate example

Tone and Style

Dr. Phillips’ delivery is passionate, energetic, and empathetic. She uses humor, candid personal reflection, and vivid storytelling to clarify profound theological insights. The tone is inviting and motivating, urging listeners toward introspection and action, anchored in scripture and lived experience.

Conclusion

The “big win” in the Christian life is not about individual striving, battling, or achievement, but about the courage to say “yes” to God's invitations—yes to carrying, yes to protecting, yes to making room, yes to obeying even when it’s long and hard, and yes to humility, as exemplified by Mary, Joseph, the innkeeper, the wise men, and, above all, Jesus himself. Dr. Phillips urges listeners to renew their yes, embracing surrendered victory that will impact not only themselves, but generations to come.