Chosen by God

Summary

Street Preachers – “Chosen by God” (June 9, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt, unfiltered episode, hosts Phillip Anthony Mitchell and Tim Timberlake continue their deep dive into 1 Peter, focusing on the assurance that believers are “chosen by God." Through personal stories, scriptural insights, and honest struggles, they address the pain of rejection, the struggle for identity in a turbulent culture, and the transformative power of grace and peace gifted through Jesus’ blood. Listeners are encouraged to find their identity and security not in societal affirmation but in God's intentional love and calling, concluding with a powerful prayer for grace, peace, and breakthrough.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Context of 1 Peter and Being “Chosen” (00:00–03:59)

• Scripture Basis: 1 Peter 1:1–2; Peter writes to believers living as exiles—persecuted, pressured, and marginalized.
• Three Pillars Identified:
  • Chosen by the Father
  • Sanctified by the Spirit
  • Sprinkled by the Blood of Jesus
• The hosts stress the timely relevance of the text for modern believers feeling tension with today's culture.

Phil (00:38):
"Believers under tension and pressure from the external culture around us... this text is timely. We believe... it's speaking to the times that we're in."

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2. Wrestling with Being “Chosen” and God as Father (03:38–06:00)

• Many Christians struggle to believe they are chosen due to past trauma, insecurity, and rejection.
• Analogy of Adoption: God intentionally choosing us despite our past and flaws, akin to picking a specific child in an orphanage.
• The doctrine of divine selection is explored—the idea that no one is in the Kingdom by accident.

Phil (03:38):
"It’s almost as if, you know, going into the orphanage and saying, I want this one right here... if you’re in the kingdom, you’re not in the kingdom by accident."

Tim (04:01):
"Intentional. To be chosen with great intentionality, to be chosen for really such a time as this... it’s humbling to know that God would choose me—because I know me. And certain days, I wouldn’t choose me."

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3. Affirmation, Identity & Cultural Pressures (06:00–10:02)

• Society’s rejection versus God’s acceptance: Human labels don’t define us; God’s call supersedes all.
• Constantly seeking affirmation (via social media, culture, or status) yields shifting, unstable identities.
• The danger of letting culture dictate identity: "If culture shifts, your identity shifts." (10:02)

Memorable Quote (05:22):
Tim: "When our conviction comes from the Father, because he has chosen us, no one else has the authority to label us something different than what the Father has called us."

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4. Sprinkling of Blood – The Power and Foreshadow (07:26–13:07)

• Biblical Reference: Exodus 24—sprinkling blood over the doorposts as a symbol of God’s protection and covenant.
• Phil and Tim tie the idea of being “sprinkled by the blood” to spiritual covering, cleansing, and security apart from cultural affirmation.
• The blood of Jesus is presented as the ultimate identifier and anchor for believers’ identity.

Tim (08:15):
"Doctors can tell a lot about what’s happening inside our body by the blood... If the blood of a human is that powerful, how much more powerful is the blood of Jesus?"

Phil (10:02):
"As opposed to having an identity that’s anchored in the word of God. Something that’s immovable, that cannot be shaken. The scripture talks about we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken."

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5. Grace and Peace Multiplied—Anchor in Trials (10:56–18:57)

• Peter's prayer for grace and peace is discussed as critical remedies for seasons of trial, persecution, and inner turmoil.
• Encouragement to receive grace for self—forgiveness and letting go of past mistakes—and peace that transcends understanding.

Phil (11:02):
"We just need an increase in grace. Even right now... we pray for an increase of grace and peace."

Phil (17:29):
"Grace comes in like an anchor and peace comes in like an anchor, and it stabilizes the soul in the middle of trial and tribulation."

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6. Stewarding Grace and Peace in Chaotic Times (19:10–22:07)

• How to access grace and peace in a divisive, fear-inducing world?
• Both hosts share personal practices: retreating to prayer closets, shutting out the world’s noise, pouring out hearts before God.
• Re-emphasizing that grace/peace are available at all times; the issue is often forgetting to draw from that well.

Phil (19:45):
"Grace and peace is not a hard search... in these troubled times, we don’t go back to the well that will never run dry."

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7. Battling the Past and Receiving Grace (22:07–29:03)

• A candid discussion about lingering memories of the past, guilt, and the process of “forgetting what is behind” (Philippians 3:13–14).
• The story of Paul (formerly Saul)—the persecutor of Christians—transformed by grace and called to lead.
• Tim gives a heartfelt reminder to listeners struggling with feeling unworthy of grace.

Tim (27:15):
"Who am I to combat what Jesus has given me? Are we stronger and more powerful than Jesus? Absolutely not... I want to encourage you to rest in the grace that only Jesus can give. Scripture teaches us his grace is sufficient for you."

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8. Receiving Peace & Trusting God Amid Anxiety (29:03–31:57)

• Addressing those struggling with anxiety, sleeplessness, and fear of the future.
• Faith and fear both require believing in something unseen; choosing faith opens doors for unexplainable peace.
• Peace is a gift—does not come from understanding circumstances, but from trusting Jesus.

Tim (29:52):
"Both faith and fear require you to believe in something that you cannot see. You have to choose faith... to steward the peace that Jesus can give, you have to give up the right to understand."

Tim (31:31):
"When you know where your help comes from... keep your eyes fixed on him and receive the peace that only he can give."

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9. Trust and the Nature of God (31:57–36:07)

• Trust is the soil peace grows in; God’s character, not circumstances, sustains trust and security.
• Phil shares a recent health scare and the challenge of keeping faith and peace in the midst of alarming news.
• The call is to anchor trust in God’s unchanging nature (“His character does not change and circumstances do not change his character.”)

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10. Prayer for Listeners—Increase of Grace and Peace (36:07–38:53)

• Both hosts lead a powerful, extended prayer, asking God to grant supernatural strength, freedom from self-condemnation and unforgiveness, and a torrent of grace and peace for everyone struggling through trials.
• Phil (38:14): "Peace, be still and know that he is God. We pray a flood of peace... over our brothers and our sisters. And we ask this right now in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."

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11. Phil’s New Book Announcement: “Contend” (39:05–42:25)

• Tim encourages listeners to support Phil’s first book, "Contend"—born from his teaching in Jude, focused on fighting for the faith in today's world.
• Phil humbly shares his journey toward publishing and invites listeners to pray for the project and, if led, to pre-order.

Phil (39:25):
"It is a book that was written from a message I've preached through Jude. It is a message about contending for the faith and the culture and contending for the faith on the inside of you... I’ve waited 22 years for this moment."

Tim (41:11):
"I’m telling you right now, it’s going to be a bestseller... we need that message to contend."

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “You wanted to be chosen first... to be chosen by God, to be chosen with great intentionality, to be chosen for such a time as this, in a culture that needs representatives of the gospel—it’s humbling.” —Tim (04:32–05:00)
• “If you live by the approval of people, you die by their rejection.” —Phil (09:21)
• “The blood of Jesus... covers us, that covers our sin, that covers our sicknesses, that covers our illness.” —Tim (08:35)
• “When trust increases, you know what follows? Peace.” —Phil (31:57)
• “Grace comes in like an anchor and peace comes in like an anchor, and it stabilizes the soul in the middle of trial and tribulation.” —Phil (17:29)
• “Who am I to combat what Jesus has given me?... I want to encourage you to rest in the grace that only Jesus can give. His grace is sufficient for you.” —Tim (27:15–28:29)
• “To steward the peace that Jesus gives, you have to give up the right to understand.” —Tim (29:52)
• “Peace is found in the heart of the brother or sister... who trust in God.” —Phil (31:57)
• Prayer for Listeners:
  Phil (38:14): "Peace, be still and know that he is God. We pray a flood of peace..."

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00: Episode open, recap, and context of 1 Peter
• 03:38: Deep dive on being “chosen by God,” personal adoption analogies
• 07:26: Significance of being sprinkled by the blood—Old and New Testament perspectives
• 10:56: Peter’s prayer—need for multiplied grace and peace in suffering
• 19:10: Stewarding grace and peace in a chaotic society
• 22:07: Overcoming the past and receiving grace; story of Paul’s transformation
• 29:03: Addressing anxiety, faith, and the supernatural nature of peace
• 36:07: United prayer for grace and peace for listeners
• 39:05: Book announcement: “Contend” by Philip Anthony Mitchell

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Takeaway Themes

• Identity: True, unshakable identity comes from being chosen by God—not by fleeting cultural affirmation.
• Grace: Freely given, not earned; believers must embrace it, especially when self-condemned.
• Peace: Supernatural peace is accessible in the chaos, but it follows trust in God’s unchanging character.
• Perseverance: Every season of hardship or anxiety is met by God’s inexhaustible grace and peace—ask for it, receive it, and give yourself permission to move forward.

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For listeners—whether struggling with belonging or battling inner storms—this episode is a timely, passionate reminder that your selection was not an accident, your identity is secure by the blood of Christ, and there is always more grace and peace available for every trial and every day.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Tim]

What's going on, street team? We're back for another incredible episode, walking through the Word of God. Last episode, we got into some heat.

[Phil]

Phil.

[Tim]

Yeah, we got into First Peter was absolutely incredible. Verses one through two.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

We're going to continue to walk down this text, man.

[Phil]

Yeah, man. We're continuing to walk this text. And we said that the text is timely.

[Tim]

Absolutely right.

[Phil]

The text is timely. We believe that this text we're walking through right now is speaking to the times that we're in. Believers under tension and pressure from the external culture around us. And, man, I really felt the spirit of God in our last episode. And trust that as you watched our last episode, which was episode one of season two, that you was encouraged, you were edified, you were strengthened, you were blessed. Yeah, man, this is just so much heat. It is in First Peter.

[Tim]

And to give kind of a brief overview, First Peter, chapter one, verses one through two. Peter is walking us through what it means to be in exile, what it means to be in a world, but not of this world.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

And he breaks down three things as we continue to walk through the text. He reminds us that we are chosen by the Father.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

He reminds us that we are sanctified by the Spirit. And he reminds us that we are sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ, which is taking us back to Exodus, chapter 24.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

When Moses commanded them to sprinkle blood over the doorpost.

[Phil]

So let's. Let's. Let's talk about this for just a second. Chosen by the Father, Right? Chosen by the Father. I think there are a lot of believers, and I'm going to include myself here because of brokenness from the past, or maybe our childhood traumas, or maybe some of us have been abandoned by parents or wrestle with deep insecurities who struggle to identify with God as someone who has been chosen by him, struggle to see him as a father. And yet Peter says to the believers, then the Spirit of God says the same thing to the believers now. That we were chosen by the Father, that our selection and our drawing into the kingdom was not by accident. Right. That God saw you even while you was his enemy, when you were just an object of his wrath, and you were far away from him when you were in rebellion and sin or even attending church and still not saved. You were still the object of God's wrath. And yet God chose you. Speaks of a form of adoption of sorts, where he had his eye upon you and decided to, through the power of the Holy Spirit, woo you to Himself through the conviction of the Holy Spirit and bring you into the kingdom of light. And I think it does something in the heart of the believer when they understand the power of the fact that you were chosen. You were selected. Right. It's almost as if, you know, going into the orphanage and saying, I want this one right here. And it's a difficult thing for a lot of believers to wrap their minds around that they were chosen because sometimes our insecurities causes us to not want to accept that, or our past traumas will eclipse the truth of the fact that we have been chosen by God. That is, if you're in the kingdom, you're not in the kingdom by accident. Right. Unpack that a little bit. When you hear the word chosen, what. What comes up in your heart when you hear that?

[Tim]

Intentional.

[Phil]

Intentional. Yeah.

[Tim]

You know, we. We both have been in situations, whether it was growing up in school and, you know, the playground. It can be a very, you know, dangerous. Dangerous place to.

[Phil]

Wow.

[Tim]

You know, and depending on what you're playing. I remember playing pickup basketball. You didn't want to be chosen last.

[Phil]

No, you did not.

[Tim]

You know, to be chosen last, man, you was absolute trash. You know what I'm saying? So you. You wanted.

[Phil]

You remember we used to shoot for captain?

[Tim]

Absolutely, captain. He needed to be first. I got him. I got him.

[Phil]

Right. And you'd be hanging around like, man,

[Tim]

why don't nobody tell you why. Nobody want to pick me up. You wanted to be chosen first. And so to. Chosen by God. To be chosen with great intentionality, to be chosen for really such a time as this, in a time in a culture, in a society that needs representatives of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it's humbling to know that God would choose me.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

Because I know me.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

And that certain days, I wouldn't choose me.

[Phil]

I wouldn't choose me on most days.

[Tim]

And God, he still chooses us. And as you know, we read this, if our identity comes from culture, then our conviction disappears under pressure.

[Phil]

It does.

[Tim]

But when our conviction comes from the Father, because he has chosen us, no one else has the authority to label us something different than what the Father has called us.

[Phil]

And I think that's even important when. When people are dealing with rejection, rejection from family members, parents, people in their communities, There are people who battle with rejection, and we see the outgrowths of that feeling of rejection. And it's very important to know that regardless of who man rejects, if God has chosen you, you got to hang on to them.

[Tim]

Come on.

[Phil]

Right. You got to hang on to the fact that you was chosen, you was born into the kingdom intentionally by God. And so that way, feelings of brokenness or misplaced emotions does not rob us of the theological truth that my calling and my election was sure, and it was not by accident, but God was very intentional when he came and found. He was intentional when he found me in a bathroom at 24 years of age. He was very intentional about that. He was intentional when he found you. He was intentional when he allowed you to survive the streets and take a bullet to your side and live right. He was. He was intentional about when we both was in the streets. You think all that time we always out there in the streets, walling out. We had Christian parents, godly parents, but the. Our. Our environments had a hole in us. And yet all that time, God had his eye on you, and he had his eye on you, our brother and sister. And so I think it's so important to remember that if you're in the kingdom, that was not by accident. And that even when your insecurities make that difficult for you to believe, we gotta allow the word of God to be stronger than our emotions. Right. And then he goes on to talk about the sprinkling of blood. Yeah. Come on, Old Testament, man. Come on, Old Testament. Yeah. Talk to us about that sprinkling of blood, Tim. It was a foreshadow, something coming.

[Tim]

Yeah. I think that phrase,

[Phil]

what.

[Tim]

He would immediately remind the Jewish listeners of what they knew.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

And what their parents had told them.

[Phil]

Because he's writing to a predominantly Jewish writing.

[Tim]

It's a predominantly Jewish audience that is being persecuted, who's being really abandoned by certain people groups because of their belief in Jesus. And he's telling them, you no longer have to find your identity in Rome because you've been sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ. There's something powerful about blood. Doctors can tell a lot about what's happening inside of our body.

[Phil]

Come on.

[Tim]

By the blood.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

That they. That they get from us. They can tell exactly where issues lie. They can tell exactly if our sugar's too high, cholesterol is too high. All of that can be determined by your blood, by the blood.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

And so if the blood of a human is that powerful.

[Phil]

Come on, man.

[Tim]

How much more powerful is the blood of Jesus? That covers us, that covers our sin, that covers our sicknesses, that covers our illness. And so to be sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ to the listener would have been both encouraging and convicting. For them to hear and understand, no longer do I have to be Affirmed by Babylon. No longer do I have to be affirmed by Rome. I have already been covered by Jesus.

[Phil]

And then, and then that will now translate to the times that we're living in. For a lot of us who are trying to find affirmation in the culture.

[Tim]

Yes.

[Phil]

And trying to find affirmation in the world system, trying to find affirmation from social media, you know, is why we run to them comments so quickly.

[Tim]

Right.

[Phil]

Or because it's like dopamine, it's like, it's like a hit. Right. We are searching for affirmation from the opinions and the words of people. And you know, if you, if we live by that, we will also die by that. We will die by their rejection. If you live by the approval of people, you die by the rejection. And so the same thing applies now. This is modern day Babylon, Rome, in a sense, he was, he was writing to people, was under pressure in Rome. So then we convert that now to our culture, to people who are trying to find affirmation. Everything outside of the kingdom and outside of Christ. And when that happens in the ground, ground is always shifting. The goal post, it moves. Right. If culture shifts, your identity shifts.

[Tim]

Yeah.

[Phil]

If something shifts in society, your identity shifts. As opposed to having an identity that's anchored in the word of God. Something that's immovable, that cannot be shaken. The scripture talks about we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Right. And so we have been sprinkled by the blood, washed, bought, redeemed, put back in right. Relationship with the Father. And that when he sees you, even when you make your worst mistakes on your worst days, the days when you're persecuting yourself because you fell short somewhere, the Father sees you through the blood of the Son. And when he sees you, he sees you in right standing with him because of the blood of the Son. So sprinkled by the blood, he prays a prayer over them. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Don't we need that right now? Yes, more grace.

[Tim]

Absolutely.

[Phil]

More peace.

[Tim]

More peace.

[Phil]

I think we need that right now. Some people need to give themselves grace.

[Tim]

Absolutely.

[Phil]

You know, we just need an increase in grace. You know, I. Even right now, right now, at the beginning of episode two of season two, we just pray for like an increase of grace and peace. So I feel like somebody needs that. Tim ON THE Street Team Increase of grace Grace. God's unmerited strength and help coming to you to do everything he has called you to do. There is grace to do it outside of his will. It's in our Own strength inside of his will. May there be an increase of grace to everybody right now who feels weary, tired, frustrated. May there be an increase of grace to you. God's unmerited help and strength coming upon you to do what he's called you to do, and an increase of peace. Increase of peace. Peace in your mind and peace in your heart. A peace that does not shift with trials and tribulations, but a peace that is anchored in truth. And not even the trials and tribulations could rob you of that. And going back to grace again. Grace for yourself, for the one who's constantly condemning yourself and persecuting yourself. Here it is grace to let yourself go. Come on. Here it is grace to forgive yourself. Grace to move on from a season or mistake that has had you bound. May someone right now find grace for yourself to move on. And a type of peace. Here we go again. Peace that says, I'm gonna make it through what I'm going through. Like hell is breaking out. But I have an assurance, Right? So he prays this for them. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. And he's praying that to him, to people being put to death for the faith.

[Tim]

Yeah.

[Phil]

You see what I'm saying?

[Tim]

Absolutely.

[Phil]

Grace and peace.

[Tim]

And don't forget who you are.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

You know, I think one of the most profound revelations about being sprinkled by the blood of Jesus. You can identify somebody by the blood.

[Phil]

Yeah. You can.

[Tim]

You can identify who they are based upon their blood.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

And as sons and daughters, we can identify who we are based upon the blood that covers us.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

In a season, in a time where we need it. We got war happening right now in Iran.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

We got Hanter virus. We got Ebola, you know, breaking out, and all these different things happening in this particular day and time. And people are losing their minds. People are losing their identities. People are losing hope because they have not remembered who they are covered by.

[Phil]

By. Yeah.

[Tim]

When you remember whose blood covers you, when you remember who's whose shadow you un. You operate under, there is a confidence and an understanding and a knowing that although things around you may be chaotic, although all hell may be breaking out around you, what God is developing on the inside of you cannot be shaken by the things of this world.

[Phil]

Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Identity. How blood gives us identity.

[Tim]

Identity.

[Phil]

In the veins of my children are my blood.

[Tim]

Yes.

[Phil]

Shout out Malachi, Israel, Abigail and Josiah. In their veins is my blood. And beyond my last name. Right. Like they have my DNA.

[Tim]

That's right.

[Phil]

And it helps them to Identify, they say, that is my father. Right. And I love how blood creates identity. Right. And I think it's so important when we talk about that, Tim, because if our identity is in the wrong things, especially things that are movable, socioeconomic status, titles, positions, all the things, then if those things shift, I lose myself in the process.

[Tim]

Right.

[Phil]

As opposed to if the identity is in the blood, then those things can shift. And I could still say I'm a son and daughter. That's first High God as an exile.

[Tim]

Yep.

[Phil]

And so I think. I think identity is so important and that we need to find identity in the things that God has said about us. And knowing that we're not searching for identity, it's not out here somewhere. It's right here.

[Tim]

That's right.

[Phil]

Right. It's not out there somewhere we're searching for. No, it's out there. Even when Jesus said things like, you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, if you're in the kingdom, your identity was already chosen for you. Right. It's like if you're in the world, you can choose whatever identity you want, you can identify as you want, you can have whatever pronoun you want, you could do whatever you want. But inside the kingdom, our identity has been spoken for.

[Tim]

That's right.

[Phil]

Light. He says words like light, salt, peculiar, you know, sojourn, like those that identity would have been chosen for a son, daughter, all of these different words in the scriptures that come to shape the identity of the believer. We have to start to believe in those. And so it's already been chosen for us, and we just have to know them, believe in them, let it drop from the mind to the heart and then walk them out. Right. And so the blood sprinkled, and he prayed that grace and peace be multiplied to you. And when you're going through difficulty, we need an increase of grace. Like, you got to follow the text right again. Peter is praying for believers being persecuted under the. One of the most vicious emperors in Roman history, next to Domitian, I mean, Nero. And under that fierce persecution, he's praying for them, for increase of grace, increase of peace. It is a sign to the reader that in times of trouble, we need this to increase. When trouble comes into our life, we need grace to increase. We need peace to increase. We need God's strength to increase. In times of trouble, we want to feel the strength of God. We want to feel the peace of God. In etro, it almost anchors the soul. Right. It's like a ship.

[Tim]

Yeah.

[Phil]

You know it's like a ship. You've been on a cruise.

[Tim]

Absolutely right.

[Phil]

I've been on a cruise. You know, when it docks, or if it's out in the ocean and lets down anchor off the shore of an island, I mean, you might feel that boat rock a little bit. Right. But it's not going to drift away.

[Tim]

That's right.

[Phil]

And I think sometimes when we're going through hardships and trials, grace comes in like an anchor and peace comes in like an anchor, and it stabilizes the soul in the middle of trial and tribulation. I mean, if we're just going to stick to the text in context, he's praying for the increase of something that the believers need, that you and I need in the midst of trouble. So I want to say to someone right now who's just going through, right. We're praying that this will increase right now in your life right now, as Tim and I are talking to you right now, for every person on our street team right now who's going through something that has weighed you down, Tim and I, right now, right now in this moment, we pray for a flood, a wave of God's grace to hit you right where you are. You'll feel supernatural strength saying, I will get through this and for peace to come to you. And says, you hear the father whispering to you, my son, my daughter, you're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. I know that this has bruised you. It has wounded you. I know that you have had a few sleepless nights. I know the report that you got, may grace and peace increase in the middle of what you're going through. It is a prayer for what we need in the middle of trials and tribulations. It's almost like people don't think about us. Like, it's like medicine for seasons when we feel sickness, not. I'm not talking about physical sickness, I'm talking about social sickness.

[Tim]

Absolutely right.

[Phil]

It's just a reminder to us when we're going through, when we're shedding tears, here are two things we should be praying for when we're going through. Because Peter's praying, this. This is something we should be praying for. We're going through an increase in grace, increase in peace.

[Tim]

So let me ask you this. In the climate that we're in right now, yeah. Everything going on, it's chaos, chaos.

[Phil]

The.

[Tim]

The world is breaking at the scenes. When we look at what's happening here in America, there's political unrest, there's division, There is all these things Happening that would infuse fear.

[Phil]

The country is toxic right now. Yes. Yeah.

[Tim]

Very much so.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

How do you steward grace and peace in times where it's hard to find it?

[Phil]

Yeah. I think we have to remember first off that grace and peace is not a hard search, that if I'm a believer, I have access to an unmerited supply of grace and peace. I think the trouble is that in these troubled times, we don't go back to the well that will never run dry. Right. And for me. Let me just speak for me personally. I mean, practical handles you and I, leading ministries, churches, families, drama, all of that. We deal with our own stuff. And I think for me, from a practical standpoint, I'm going to close the door and go into my secret place, and I'm going to meet with the Lord in my secret place. And I think there I will wring out my heart from sin, I will shed my tears, and I will lay prostrate at the feet of the Lord, and I'll cry out to him for what I know he's not limited in. He's not limited in grace. He's not limited in peace. He says to you, my peace I give to you. Right. And so I go in there, Tim, and you know what's not in there? The noise of the world is not in there. The noise of CNN and Fox News is not in there. The noise of media is not in there. The noise of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and all the things. The noise of that stuff is not in there for me. What's in there for me is the presence of the Lord and the Scriptures, my honesty and my tears. And I turn off the noise of the world. And in that moment, you tap into grace. You tap into peace. You feel it coming to you like a flood. And then I get up from those moments and I walk out my prayer room like, yeah, I got the grace to make it through what I'm going through right now. And although this area right here is not pretty, I got peace and I trust God. So for me, that's where it is. For me, I'm gonna go tap into that well. And that's how, from a practical standpoint, you like what Tim was saying, his question to me. That's how, for me, at least, that's how I find grace and peace in my difficult seasons. I'm gonna run back to my secret place. What about for you, man?

[Tim]

Sometimes I feel so undeserving of grace. You know, I.

[Phil]

Especially if you make a mistake telling you, or you just Think about who you are, who. What you used to be.

[Tim]

I think. I think about not just who I used to be, what I used to do.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

One of the things that we can't shake are the memories of the past. You know what I'm saying? So. So in this season, I am no longer who I used to be, but my mind, bro. My mind relives moments, it relives seasons, and I'm like, dang it, man.

[Phil]

You know what's so powerful about the Word of God, though, Tim? When you just said, like, there's things that you. You remember. What's so powerful about the Word is that the more of the Word we have in us, the more the Holy Spirit could bring things to our attention when we have feelings.

[Tim]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Phil]

Even as you said that, you know, it was the first thing the Holy Spirit brought back to my memory when. When Paul said to the church at Philippi, this one thing I do, man, and in Greek, it's a continual present tense. So it's like I keep doing.

[Tim]

That's right.

[Phil]

There's one thing I keep doing. And he says, forgetting, right? Forgetting what is behind.

[Tim]

Yeah.

[Phil]

And. And pressing on to what is ahead. And, you know, I used to read past that for years and think it was just like a. A nice platitude until, you know, now I studied the text with such depth. I'm like. I want to call myself like a ghetto theologian. Hood, theology, hood. Seminary degree. No, But I'm a pictorial person, right? I'm a pictorial. So when I'm studying for messages and sermons, I can see myself in the text. I can envision the times in Rome. I can envision, you know, like when I was walking my church through Acts 1 and 2. I can envision. I can see the disciples in the room, and it's just candle lit. I could hear them praying. I could see the clothes and tongues of fire light up the room. So I'm a pictorial person. So when I'm reading, I can see that, right? So when Paul says this one thing I do, I forget what is behind, right? I would. I would read past that and not think about what does he have to forget, right? And I think to my mind, right, I've been in the street, but I've never taken a life. But I know people who have taken lives, right? I know shooters who have taken lives. And I know the weight of guilt that has sat on them because of that. Like, it just be, now you got some people to take a life. And, you know, the heart is so numb to humanity. They don't feel it.

[Tim]

They don't feel it.

[Phil]

I've known people who have taken lives and they wrestle with guilt. It's like they almost be, like, traumatized. And then we think about the apostle Paul, man who was holding the garments of those who stoned.

[Tim]

The first Martyr Acts chapter seven.

[Phil]

And I've seen on YouTube, people being stoned is a brutal thing to watch a person being stolen. Almost your heart breaks to watch a brick hit a person in the head. Yeah. In your face. You watch a eye come out.

[Tim]

Yeah.

[Phil]

A jaw get rearranged. Like seeing people being stoned. I don't even know why they record this on YouTube, but I stumbled on a YouTube video watching a man get. So they had buried him neck deep. Yeah, they buried him neck deep. And they buried him neck. And they just start pummeling with stones. And just seen his face just getting battered. And it was so I wept. I had to turn off of it. And I think we read this and that's how Peter. I'm sorry Stephen died. Yeah, but who's standing there, right? Saul, who become Paul. So he sees this and he's consenting. And then we know that he would also go on to persecute the church unto death. I mean, he's responsible for the loss of life of followers of Jesus. Right. So now when he's converted and now he is. He is now a preacher of the way. He's a preacher of the very thing he persecuted. When you think he lays down in bed at night, right? He's laid down in bed at night. You don't think he remembers Stephen's face?

[Tim]

Absolutely right.

[Phil]

You don't think he remembers the face of families he destroyed, people he dragged off, the prison, lives he ruined? And you don't think there was times when that tormented him in his mind, but he had to forget. And I think there's times when the memory is a blessing and the time when the memory is a pummeling. And those times when the memories are pummeling, like you was talking about, man, when you like, dang, I don't deserve grace. Because I'd be like, lord, I don't deserve grace. But then you have to forget, right? And it's, do me a favor, Tim, there's somebody watching right now. I feel this in my spirit that you need to, like, encourage them who is, like, handcuffed to the past. Yeah, there's somebody watching right now. They, like, they feel unworthy of grace. Like. Like, nah, like, nah, I can't receive grace. What would you say to that person,

[Tim]

man, I would say, I understand. Number one.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

Number two, as Phil was talking about Acts, chapter seven and the life of the first martyr, Stefan, he's martyred. Saul is watching him, and he's suffering. Saul murders other believers. But there's a revelation in that someone is watching how we suffer in this season, and it is shaping their salvation. Right. Saul watched the suffering of other believers, and it shaped his salvation. It shaped him as a follower of Jesus Christ. And so if you are like me, in seasons of your life where you battle with this grace that Jesus so generously gives us, because you know who you are, you know what's in your heart, you know the thoughts that you think, I want to remind you of this. This is something I have to remind myself on a daily basis. Who am I to combat what Jesus has given me? Are we stronger and more powerful than Jesus? Absolutely not. Are we more knowledgeable than Jesus? Absolutely not. So there's clearly something that he knows about you that you don't know about yourself. And so I want to encourage you to rest in the grace that only Jesus can give. Scripture teaches us his grace is sufficient for you. So no matter what it is that you think you're unworthy to receive grace in, I want to remind you, his grace is sufficient for you. No matter how dark, how bleak, how dire your past is, his grace is sufficient for you. And as long as you have breath in your lungs, grace will find you.

[Phil]

Come on. And. And Tim, there's another person watching right now who feels like they're wrestling with anxiety. Anxiety. I'm just saying what I feel in my spirit. Somebody's watching their wrestling with anxiety. They're in a season that's making them worried about what's going to happen next. Yep. They're dealing with traumas and trying to figure out, okay, God, where are you? He also prayed about peace. Speak to the person right now who's wrestling with anxiety, worry, worry, anxiety, fear. And just. They haven't been sleeping. Well. Let me take that back. They've slept, but they have not rested. Right. And they need peace. What would you say to the person right now who just needs peace, too?

[Tim]

I would say both faith and fear require you to believe in something that you cannot see. You have to choose faith. And when you choose faith, you receive a peace that surpasses all of your natural understanding, which means in order for you to steward the peace that Jesus can give, you have to give up the right to understand. There's some things that Jesus has given me and graced me with and. And some things he's infused peace into my life with that I don't naturally understand. I just have to receive them and I can't logic my way into receiving something spiritual.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

And this peace that Jesus gives, it is a gift.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

And we would be fools to deny a gift from the person that has saved us or desires to save us and work that. And so I would just encourage you receive the gift. Don't try to process it separate from him, process it in prayer. Thank him for it. Because the Spirit of God flows towards honor. And we all need peace. Especially in today's day and age. We need an abundance of peace that clothes our mind, that refreshes our soul, that revives our spirit. Man. If we can receive that. I'm telling you, you may not understand how things are going to work out. You may not know when things are going to work out, but you have peace along the way. Come on. This journ of walking it out with Jesus. And so don't stop here. Come on, keep going. Scripture teaches us in Psalms, I look to the hills, from whence cometh my house, cometh my help.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

Because my help comes. Comes from the Lord.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

When you know where your help comes from.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Tim]

You don't have to look to the left and to the right. Keep your eyes fixed on him and receive the peace that only he can give. Men and women can't give you the peace that surpasses understanding. Your job won't give you peace that surpasses your understanding. Your family won't give you peace that surpasses understanding. The answers won't be found in them. The answers will be found in Him. So rely on him, depend on him, and he will continue to direct your path and order your steps.

[Phil]

And I want to encourage somebody on the heels of what Tim said, trust also to increase his peace. It is hard to have peace when you don't trust. And I think the more you learn to trust God, peace follows trust. And it may be a situation where you just don't know. Maybe you're dealing with the. The unknowns of the circumstance that you're in or believing for something that you haven't seen yet. But I want to encourage you to trust God. And that trust should not be predicated upon our circumstance, but that trust should be predicated upon his character and upon his word. His character does not change and circumstances does not change his character. It is publicly known that I was battling with a medical condition for months. I had posted about it. I was Jammed up in a medical bed. And I want to thank all those across the country and around the world and my brother Tim and others who prayed for me. And for a moment, my mind was when the doctors were telling me what, what this could be. You know, in your humanity, you, it can trigger worry and fear and you start thinking about, is my home in order? And God forbid, it is the worst thing the doctor said, like, and, and why am I going there? Yeah, you know, why am I, why am I going there? No, no, I'm going to trust God. And even in the middle of that, that, that window of struggle, I, I still did Altar calls at 2019 for healing while I was dealing with a medical issue in my own body, because my medical condition did not change God's character. Come on, he is a healer, right? And so when we, when we remember his character and when we remember his word, trust grows in our heart, in him, because he cannot lie, right? And because this is forever settled in heaven, it cannot change. And so as trust increases, you know what follows? That, that peace. Peace is found in the heart of the brother or sister, the man or woman who trust in God. And this is what Peter prayed over. A church that was dealing with immense trials, tribulations, hardships, difficulties, sorrows, loss and death. Yeah. Is what he was dealing with. So I want to take a moment right now as we land in the plan on this episode to do exactly what Peter did for the people in the first century. Tim and I want to come together and do that right now. I want to do that right now for somebody's watching. We want to pray an increase of grace and peace. So eternal God and ever wise Father God. We just acknowledge that in our humanity and our frailty and in this fallen world that we're in, we are dealing with a myriad of disappointments and hardships and trials and loss and confusion and battles in the home, in the mind, in the heart, in the job, in the culture, on social media. God, you know, all your children right now who are just wrestling with anxiety and worry and fear and doctor's reports and joblessness and all the things that life has thrown at them and the enemy is thrown at them. But yet right now, in the middle of life, while life is lifeing, Tim and I want to agree right now for all of our brothers and sisters, that there would be a be a surge increase, God of grace. I pray there would be a supernatural grace and strength right now to the brother and the sister who needs to feel the wind of your strength blowing into their Sails right now.

[Guest or Prayer Leader]

Yes, we pray. Spirit of the living God, you would, you would breathe into their circumstance right now this, this supernatural grace that. That gives them strength to just believe in the middle of their circumstance.

[Phil]

They are not abandoned.

[Guest or Prayer Leader]

Yes, but they will have what they

[Phil]

need in their hands.

[Guest or Prayer Leader]

And in their hands that is weak, a strength, God, to continue to fight, to continue to press forward, to continue to just believe against all things. They would believe what your word has said because it has not changed. And they will believe in your character. So we pray right now, Tim and I, for increase of grace for the one who is weak and grace for the one who is self condemned. That they would have grace to forgive themselves or grace to forgive someone that they're holding and unforgiveness. We pray for a release of grace right now. For strength and grace. God to let themselves go and grace to let somebody else go. We pray grace. A flood of grace will would, would. Would come into their lives like a torrent right now. In the name of Jesus, right now across this camera. They just feel the supernatural supply of grace coming across this camera right now, directly to where they are and hearing our voice right now. If they can't see our faces across the audio, grace coming to them right now. And Father, we pray for increase of peace.

[Tim]

Yes, God.

[Guest or Prayer Leader]

Hey. In the middle of their circumstance. Peace that destroys anxiety, that quiets fear. Peace God that drives out worry. Peace that confuses the devil who has

[Phil]

thrown his best shot and will not rob us of praise and joy and rest in the middle of a circumstance, Peace that passeth all understand of peace that makes other people confused. I pray right now for a flood of peace.

[Guest or Prayer Leader]

I say to someone right now, peace,

[Phil]

be still and know that he is God. We pray a flood of peace over them right now, Lord, as Peter prayed, for those who are suffering and those who are worried and those who have anxiety and those who are battling and those who are dealing with life as it was, lifing on levels we have never seen in America, at least not yet. We pray increase of grace and peace over our brothers and our sisters. And we ask this right now in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[Tim]

Before we land the plane, Phil, I don't think it's any better way to close it out out by telling them a book just went on pre order.

[Phil]

Come on, man, I wasn't even going to go there.

[Tim]

I know you wasn't, but that's what your brother's here for.

[Phil]

Come on.

[Tim]

Listen, I Need y' all to go pre order 37 copies of my brother's up and coming book. Phil, just give us a little snapshot of the premise of the book and why it's important.

[Phil]

Yeah. I think in the life of the Christian, there are moments that mark us. And in my life, I was marked. I know I was marked in Jerusalem, but I was also marked in the nation of Turkey. As I was marked there. A message was born in my heart that I began to preach in America from June, which I feel like is a neglected letter, but a timely message for the hour that we're in. As I began to preach that message in America, I felt the Holy Spirit led me down a path of saying, put this in a literary form. And so my up and coming book is called Contend. Come on. It is a book that was written from a message I've preached through Jude. It is a message about contending for the faith and the culture and contending for the faith on the inside of you. I'm not a self promoter. I. I struggle at this, but it would be a huge blessing to me if you would. You would pray that God will bless this project and that if you would be so inclined. It's available right now for pre order wherever books are available online, Amazon and all the things. The name of the book is called Contend, right under my name, Philip Anthony Mitchell. The book would be released everywhere books are sold on October 13th. And if you would, you know, pray and be so inclined, it would mean a lot to me to support my first book project. Yeah, I've waited 22 years. Yeah, I've waited 22 years for this moment. And, man, thank you, bro.

[Tim]

No, man, y' all go.

[Phil]

I wasn't gonna say anything.

[Tim]

No, no, y' all go pre order the book. I'm telling you right now, it is going to be a bestseller. And you want to have this resource to go back to to encourage your spirit, man, to edify you in seasons like this. But we need that message to contend. And I'm so grateful that you pinned this book because I know it's going to be a great encouragement, not just to the body of Christ, but to people that pick it up, that don't know Christ yet. That and people that are looking for hope, people that are looking for wisdom, and. And people that are searching. You know, we. We live in a world where people are searching for answers, and oftentimes they find them in the wrong resource. I'm thankful that you provided accurate depiction of the grace of Jesus Christ through that brought and So I need the street team to go out and get as many as you can on pre order. Come on man, because launch day you won't be able to find these books, I'm telling you. So go pre order it, support my brother. It's going to be a life changing, world altering message that I know is going to help shape your relationship with Jesus Christ in a significant and a supernatural way.

[Phil]

Thank you bro. Yeah man. So man, if you've enjoyed this episode of the Street Preachers Podcast, do Tim and I a favor. Pray for us. Us like Comment Subscribe Share Send this to somebody who you think it can be a blessing to them street. Tim, we love you. We appreciate you. Thank you for being on this journey with Tim and I. We'll see you in the next episode of the Street Preachers Podcast. Go in peace.