Live from Washington DC | Night 2 | Street Preachers Podcast Tour | Philip Anthony Mitchell and Tim Timberlake

Summary

Street Preachers Podcast
Live from Washington DC | Night 2 | Street Preachers Podcast Tour
Hosts: Philip Anthony Mitchell & Tim Timberlake
Date: November 11, 2025

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Episode Overview

This passionate episode, recorded live in Washington DC, focuses on finding joy in the midst of suffering. Hosts Philip Anthony Mitchell and Tim Timberlake draw from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, unpacking how believers can have authentic, resilient joy even during deep hardship. They challenge American cultural norms that link joy to circumstances and possessions, emphasizing the power of God’s sovereignty, character, and ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Real stories, audience engagement, and candid vulnerability make this a raw and hope-filled call to “live well and suffer well.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Joy in Suffering — Paul’s Example

• Context from Philippians 1: Paul writes about rejoicing while imprisoned, uncertain of his future (02:12).
• Mitchell:
  • “Sometimes the Lord will answer your prayers in a way you did not plan for.” (02:47)
  • Paul repeatedly mentions joy in his letter from prison—a profound contrast to today’s view that joy requires favorable circumstances (03:18).
• Timberlake:
  • “Worship is changing and transforming us even now… what we’re discussing is going to break off a cast that is holding us back from stepping into everything that Jesus desires for us here and now.” (00:32)

2. The Ubiquity of Suffering

• Suffering transcends ethnicity, age, and class—everyone experiences hardship (04:14).
• In the Western church, there’s “a false doctrine that makes you think you will create utopia down here,” but true joy is learned through adversity (04:24).

3. God's Sovereignty and Purpose in Pain

• For those “inside the will of God,” suffering is allowed by God for a reason.
• Mitchell: “If you are inside the will of God, then you must also trust in the sovereignty of God… whatever he’s allowing you to go through… it will turn out for your good.” (06:03)
• Referencing Romans 8:28: “All things work together for the good of those who love him.” (06:05)

4. What Suffering Produces: Character, Faith, Perspective

• Character: Deep, sustaining character is shaped in the crucible of hardship, not in ease or abundance (08:03).
  • “Character opens up doors for you… will put you in rooms and keep you there.” (08:10)
• Faith: True faith is forged not on mountaintops but in valleys of struggle (12:06).
  • “That faith don’t come from just hanging out on mountaintops. That faith come from walking through valleys.” (12:17)
• Context: When Christ is your context, no suffering can destroy your joy (14:04).
  • “Scripture teaches us in his presence there is fullness of joy.” (14:09)
• Perspective: Spiritual maturity allows believers to look back and thank God for seasons of delay or pain (09:40).

5. American Theology Versus Biblical Joy

• The hosts challenge listeners to abandon the “American theology” that ties joy to possessions or success (19:15).
• Mitchell: “If joy has to be contingent upon circumstances, then you have bought into a Western version of joy that is not biblical.” (21:14)
• “If Christ becomes your ultimate reward, then you will know a type of joy that nothing in this life will ever be able to rob you of.” (21:26)
• Paul’s radical valuation of Christ: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (22:41)

6. Endurance and Trust in the Midst of Loss

• Illustrations from Job: “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” even when stripped of everything (32:13).
• God sometimes “brags” on believers by allowing tests, trusting they will remain faithful through adversity (34:07).
• Real-life examples: Tim and Phil share their own stories of loss, perseverance, and God’s shaping of their character (36:26).

7. Joy as an Indestructible, Spiritual Resource

• Timberlake: “Joy is not the absence of pain. It’s the evidence of his presence.” (17:47)
• God sometimes doesn’t deliver us out of trials, but gives us joy in their midst (18:45).
• “If God changes our circumstance without changing us, we’ll take the bricks from the old season and build the same home in a new season.” (19:03)

8. Faithfulness through Pain Yields Fruit

• The fruit of pain: humility, deeper dependence, and a lasting joy that is untouched by circumstance (44:12).
• Happiness and joy are distinct: happiness depends on happenings, but joy is rooted in the presence of the Holy Spirit (44:25).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Joy in Prison

• “Whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. And in that, I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.” — Reading Philippians 1:18 (01:47)

The Danger of Conditional Joy

• “If by the grace of God tonight, the spirit of God could convince you that what you really need more than anything… is him… Then you get to the point where you can say, ‘If you don’t do another thing… will Christ be enough?’” — Mitchell (23:35)

Faith Born in the Valley

• “That faith don’t come from just hanging out on mountaintops. That faith come from walking through valleys.” — Mitchell (12:17)

God’s Brag and Our Endurance

• “Some of you don’t even realize what you’re going through is God bragging on you.” — Mitchell (34:07)

Redefining Joy

• “Joy is not the absence of pain. It’s the evidence of his presence.” — Timberlake (17:47)

Christ Is the Highest Reward

• “If Christ becomes your ultimate reward, then you will know a type of joy that nothing in this life will ever be able to rob you of.” — Mitchell (21:26)

Endurance as Testimony

• “Come out on the other side… know how to live well and suffer well and come out on the other side and not die in the middle of what you’re going through, not give up your faith, not give up hope…” — Mitchell (36:26)

Trust Without Clarity

• “You have to learn to trust him even when you cannot trace him.” — Mitchell (39:35)

Testimony of Vulnerability

• “The Lord called me to the pastoral ministry. I ran from that for four years because I’m from the street, right? And I assume God can’t use people like me…” — Mitchell (44:44)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Theme Introduction & Recap (00:32 – 02:12)
• Paul’s Joy in Chains / Why Rejoice in Suffering? (02:12 – 05:17)
• Sovereignty and God’s Purpose in Suffering (05:17 – 08:04)
• Character and Faith Formed in Pain (08:04 – 12:06)
• Cost and Crushing Precede Anointing (13:03 – 14:09)
• Rebuking American Conditional Joy (19:15 – 22:41)
• Ultimate Reward: Christ Above All (22:41 – 24:52)
• The Story of Job and God’s Trust (32:00 – 36:26)
• Personal Testimonies & Ministry Cost (36:26 – 44:44)
• Joy Despite Tears and Trials (47:05 – 48:16)

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Conclusion & Final Encouragement

• Believers are called to a joy that transcends circumstance, anchored in Christ, built through suffering, and matured by God’s sovereignty.
• Final charge: “If you tap into what we’ve shared with you tonight… if you tap into Paul’s revelation in Philippians, I’m telling you you can shed tears and still have joy. There is nothing you are going through in this room that you cannot have joy in.” (47:05)
• Prayer for those suffering: “A fresh anointing over you… renewed strength, renewed grace. Some of you, you just need your fire back... God sees you. He knows. He cares.” (49:07, 50:01)

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Tone:
Bold, unfiltered, and pastoral—with frank challenges to contemporary Christianity and a deep-rooted hope in the Gospel.

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For Listeners:
This episode offers a vibrant, convicting journey into a biblical theology of joy, daring listeners to seek Christ above comfort and inviting them to a faith that stands, sings, and rejoices—no matter what comes.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the Street Preachers podcast with Tim Timberlake and Philip Anthony Mitchell.

[B]

This episode is powered by Overflow Co and the Museum of the Bible. What's going on, street team?

[C]

We are here for night two in.

[B]

The D.C. dMV area. Any D.C. dMV street team in the house. Make some noise. I see right here on the front row, we got a Baltimore street team. They got their shirts on. Oh, my goodness.

[D]

Goodness.

[A]

Well, shout out to the street team right here in the front row.

[B]

Be more.

[A]

Be more street team. Yeah.

[B]

I gotta ask y'. All, Do y' all say to you, say, do you feel? Man, I love my Baltimore street team family. What an honor and privilege it is to be here, not just in your presence, but in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We just had an incredible time of worship. And I truly believe that that worship is changing and transforming us even now. And I believe what we're discussing is going to break off of us a cast that is holding us back from stepping into everything that Jesus desires for us here and now. And so night one. Last night, we talked about sorrow and we talked about suffering. And tonight we're going to talk about joy in suffering. And we want to go to the text that we were in last night, Philippians, chapter one. And so if you're listening or you're watching, I encourage you right now. Get your word, grab your pen, grab your notepad. Let's get into the word of God and read what scripture says to us. This is Paul writing us and allowing us to see from a perspective that is uncommon, how one that is contrast to our cultural and societal norms today. And I want us to look at what he says in verse 18. And this scripture says what then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. And in that, I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.

[C]

For I know that through your prayers.

[B]

And the help of the spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance. Bro, let me ask you this right from the very beginning. Why is it that Paul is encouraging us to rejoice while he is enshackled to a prison guard?

[A]

Yeah. I think it's important for everybody in the room to understand the context in which my brother Tim is reading from.

[B]

Right.

[A]

We're reading from a letter written in the first century by a man who was sitting in a Roman prison. When he wrote this letter, Paul had dreamed of going to the church in Rome, and he thought he would go there as a free man to preach But God sent him there as a prisoner, chained to a guard, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because sometimes the Lord will answer your prayers in a way you did not plan for. And if you read the rest of the letter, you will see words in there that eludes to the fact that.

[D]

He'S not sure if he's going to.

[A]

Get out of this prison cell. In fact, he says, I'm already preparing to be poured out as a drink offering. And so Paul is in this prison cell not knowing if he's going to escape. And yet 16 times in the letter of Philippians, he mentions joy or rejoicing. How can somebody have joy in such a terrible circumstance?

[D]

This is applicable to all of us because I don't think I've ever met.

[A]

A person, whether wealthy or poor, no matter the ethnicity, who has not dealt with problems in life.

[D]

We can even take a survey right now.

[A]

Let's. Let's take a survey. If there's anybody in the room tonight dealing with either a trouble, a hardship, a problem, or something that has brought.

[D]

Tears to you in this season, lift your hands.

[A]

All right, all right. So there are white people in the room and black people in the room.

[D]

And Asian people in the room and.

[A]

Brown people in the room and young.

[D]

People in the room and old people in the room. But there is one thing we all.

[A]

Have in common, and that is suffering.

[B]

Come on.

[D]

Trials and tribulations. And in the Western church, there is a false doctrine that makes you think you will create utopia down here, and you will not. And that though your heart is longing for utopia down here, it will not find it. And so the letter of Philippians is a very powerful letter because it forces us to lean into joy in the midst of our suffering. That does not mean we don't cry. It does not mean that we don't lean into our emotions. It does not mean we don't feel pain and frustration and hardship. But there is a joy, this sense of confidence that God is with you in everything that you're going through that can allow you to endure suffering than differently than the way the unbeliever will endure suffering. Does that make sense to you? And so when we get to this text, when Paul says, yes, I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers that the help of the spirit.

[A]

Of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance.

[D]

He's talking with a type of confidence that begins in the beginning of the letter. And I want to say this to.

[A]

You because this is very important.

[D]

Listen to me carefully. For those of you who are inside the will of God, watch the word inside. So I'm not talking about rebellious believers.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

I'm not talking about your disobedience. I'm talking about for those of you inside the will of God. Paul starts this letter with a powerful word, a powerful concept of sovereignty.

[A]

Listen to me.

[D]

Sovereignty. And if you're inside the will of God and suffering, then God is allowing that to happen for a reason and for a purpose.

[A]

Right.

[D]

Paul said he can rejoice because he believes that what he's going through will turn out for his good.

[B]

Yes.

[D]

And the same thing applies to you and I, that whatever you're going through tonight, whatever hardship, whatever trial, whatever pain, whatever circumstance, if you are inside the will of God, then you must also trust in the sovereignty of God. And if you trust in the sovereignty of God, then you must believe that whatever he's allowing you to go through, some way, somehow, it will work out for your good, it will turn out for your good. You got to believe that he's working in you while you're in it. Come on, repeat. He's working in you while you're in it. He's working for you while you're in it. He's working on your behalf while you're in it. And it will turn out for your good some way, somehow. This is why he also said to the church in Rome one that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purpose, who love him. He did not say all things feel good or all things even look good, but all things will work out for the good in some way, somehow. Paul, chained to a guard in prison, not knowing if he's going to escape, believes that what he's going through is.

[A]

Going to work out for his good.

[D]

I mean, it emboldened the men and women in the city.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

It helped the spread of the gospel in this city. It helped the gospel reach the upper echelon of roaming the city. And so, just right here in the onset, we just want to encourage those of you who are suffering, who are.

[A]

Dealing with hardships and trial, who are going through that. If you're in the will of God and suffering, then God is going to work that out for your good some way somehow.

[B]

Right.

[D]

And, and, and before you get American.

[A]

Army and you start prophet lying about.

[D]

Some material thing that's going to come out of your suffering, let's talk about the things that's more valuable than the things you can touch that comes out of suffering. Let me just talk to you about some things that comes out of suffering that's far more valuable than anything you can touch. Intangible things that's extremely powerful, like character. Come on.

[C]

Say it again.

[D]

God shapes character in the midst of suffering. And that is far more valuable than money.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Cars, houses, platforms and stages. Character opens up doors for you. It grants you favor from God and men. It'll put you in rooms and keep you there. And oftentimes what God is shaping in some of you's character. There are some of you, I feel the spirit of God. There are some of you who've been praying and asking God for things that he fully intends to give you prayer, but he can't give it to you in the state you're in right now.

[E]

Because if he released it to you.

[D]

Right now, you would ruin it and.

[E]

You will lose it. So some of your hardship right now is the shaping of character for the.

[D]

Thing he wants to bring into your life in another season.

[B]

Come on.

[D]

Listen, when I think about what Tim and I are stewarding right now, the scale of our ministries, the scope of our ministries, the amount of staff that we have, our travels in the United States, outside the United States, I'm going to be fully transformed.

[B]

Spirit.

[D]

If I would been sitting in this seat five years ago, I would have dropped this bag.

[B]

Come on.

[E]

I would not have the character to.

[D]

Sustain what God has entrusted to us in this season. From. From. From the budgets he has entrusted to us, to the people he has entrusted to us, to the influences. Listen to me. Seven years ago, if God would have did in my life what he's done in this season, I would have fumbled this bag. Watch. And then you become mature when you look back over your shoulder and say, God, hold up. You know what?

[E]

Thank you. This is what mature. We'll get to that in the text. This is what mature believers do. They look over their shoulder and they realize, lord, I was praying to get.

[D]

Out, but you left me in there.

[E]

You perfected my character while I was in that pain and hardship. That season lasted for a long time.

[D]

But you were preparing me to steward what I'm handling right now.

[B]

Come on.

[D]

Like some of you, you praying for a spouse, but you're not ready yet. Come on. You praying for a seven figure business, but you're not ready yet.

[A]

And.

[D]

And maybe instead of asking God to get you out of your trouble, maybe the more mature prayer is, God, can you work in me?

[B]

Come on, Phil.

[D]

What?

[A]

You need to work in me in.

[D]

The midst of my trouble. Character comes out of trouble.

[A]

Can I get him one more.

[B]

One more, baby.

[A]

Somebody said, take my time.

[D]

No, don't tell Tim and I that. Don't tell me.

[A]

Take my time.

[D]

Because we always got more message than minutes.

[A]

One more. I mean, I could give you a lot, but just two. That's. That's important.

[D]

Somebody said three.

[C]

Let's give them two here.

[A]

I'll give them two.

[E]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Listen, they.

[B]

They here now.

[A]

Seven. You know, one of the greatest gifts that I've gotten from my hardship, because, you know, in verse 29, Paul says, for it has been granted to you that you will suffer. So some of your suffering has been given to you as a gift.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

Some of the hardships and trials you've been through and are going through, God has given to you as a gift. And one of the greatest things that.

[D]

Comes out of that is not only.

[A]

Character, because you're going to need that, but faith.

[B]

Come on.

[A]

I've learned to trust God more for the things he's delivered me from and brought me through.

[D]

I mean, I. I feel like we got faith right now. To move mountains.

[A]

Yes. To lay hands on the sick and.

[D]

Believe they will be healed.

[A]

Yes.

[D]

To look a wall in the face and believe God can remove that wall. To speak to a mountain until it be removed. That faith don't come from just hanging out on mountaintops. That faith come from walking through valleys.

[A]

Come on.

[D]

That faith come from prouds and tribulations and hardship. And so I just want to stir up somebody in you right now. You have no idea what God is about to do in the next season of your life. And the package you're going to need is more than money and more is you're going to need character. You're going to need faith. You're going to need intangible things that are produced in suffering that can come no other way. There are some things that God will not get to you no other way. Except he break you in one season to bless you in another. Like, some of y' all be like, I gotta get churchy for a second, bro.

[A]

Churchy, bro.

[D]

We here, some of y' all churchy people. Be always. I'm believing God for an anointing.

[E]

I want to be anointed.

[A]

I've been to Israel.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I've been to the olive grove. And they got these big stone apparatuses where they take olives, crush them, and they got to roll them with a big stone because there must be a crushing, a breaking, a bruising. Like somebody will be jealous of people who got anointed but you don't want.

[D]

To pay the price for what God.

[A]

Is trying to do for you.

[B]

Preach.

[A]

So this is for someone in this room. You have no idea what's on the.

[D]

Other side of your committed.

[A]

Yes.

[D]

And that you can't even believe that the hell you're going through right now.

[A]

Is actually preparation for the anointing and the grace and the assignment that God is going to have you walk in in a future season. If that's for you, just shout Amen.

[B]

Come on. So, character, faith.

[A]

Give me another one.

[B]

Context. What I mean by that is, when Christ is your context, suffering cannot pull out of your character anything that is contrary to him. Scripture teaches us in his presence there is fullness of joy. One of the greatest indicators for me of an individual that has not been in the presence of God is the lack of joy. So one of the greatest outbreaks in America and around the world of revival will be in the face of adversity. I still have joy. In the middle of a government shutdown, I still have joy. In the middle of my body wrecked with pain, I still have joy. In the middle of financial turmoil and chaos, I still have joy. How does it feel for the enemy to know that he threw his best shot and it has not removed or wiped the smile off of your face? I remember one time growing up, Phil, I got in a. I got in a fight. I was. I was a brawler growing up. I was an angry kid. I got in this fight with this kid was bigger than me, and he punched me square in the face. Bam. Nose started bleeding. And I looked at him and I smiled.

[A]

You're a better man than me.

[C]

I whipped on him.

[D]

Now, I would have swung back, but.

[B]

When I smile, it did something to him because he knew I hit him with my best shot and it still didn't phase him. How proud does it make your heavenly Father, to know that the enemy threw his best shot and you still smile in the face of adversity. You still got your joy.

[C]

You still have the ability to lift.

[B]

Your hands in the middle of the.

[C]

Worst season of pain in your life and say, God, it is to you. I look because you are my help.

[B]

And I know where my help comes from. My help comes from the Lord. Me and my wife was talking about this last night. She is one of the greatest stewards of joy in the midst of the greatest pain I've ever seen in my life. And one of the things that we discuss and we talk about is if we're going to laugh about it later, we're going to laugh about it now. I'm not going to allow the enemy to rob me of my joy, to rob me of my happiness. That's too much power to give the enemy.

[C]

Who are we to relinquish power to.

[B]

Someone who does not have have power over us?

[C]

The only way that he gets it.

[B]

Is if you give it to him.

[C]

Let me just say this for a second.

[B]

I'm tired of seeing sad Christians who.

[C]

Don'T understand the joy of the Lord is your strength. It is your strength. And the reason we act feeble and weak is because we don't know where our strength comes from. When you get a glimpse of who your father actually is and what he desires for your life, no matter what's happening around you, you know who's at work on the inside of you. And that in and of itself should put a fresh battery pack in your back so that you can run on and see what the end will be. So let me just give you this.

[B]

For a second because I have this written down. And you know what makes me and Phil so unique is that Phil gives such deep revelation, unpacks context for the scripture. He calls me a certified gem dropper. And so it would be crazy for us not to do what God has called and mandated us to do. I want to give you this because I believe it serves context to the scripture. That is, this joy is not the absence of pain. It's the evidence of his presence.

[C]

So notice scripture and this passage of reading doesn't say that God delivered Paul out of shackles. It doesn't say he released him from prison. It doesn't say he released him from the bondage and being tied to this prison guard. It says that even, even yet while.

[B]

He was still in chained and shackled, he rejoiced.

[C]

So sometimes God doesn't deliver you out.

[B]

Of what it is you're going through. He delivers joy to you in the midst of it.

[C]

And we have to get out of the habit of wanting God to change.

[B]

Our circumstance before he changes us.

[C]

Because if God changes our circumstance without changing us, will take the bricks from the old season and build the same home in a new season that we.

[B]

Walked out of in yesterday.

[A]

Now let's do some work. Okay? And one of the work I want to do right now is I want to dismantle in your mind and in your heart an American theology that robs you of joy.

[B]

Come on.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And this is not going to feel good what I'm about to say. You're not going to throw a Towel at me and say, preach, preacher, you're not going to throw an offering on the platform.

[D]

But I cannot let you walk out this room with the strongholds that have.

[A]

Been built up in your mind.

[D]

Some of you been in church so long, when you hear strongholds, you start yelling at the sky, which we have.

[A]

Not read the text properly.

[D]

Strongholds are faulty thought patterns that are built up in your mind.

[A]

Is why Jesus teaches us through the.

[D]

Apostle Paul that we have to cast.

[A]

Them down and replace them with the word of God.

[D]

Now, I want to do some work.

[A]

And it's going to be uncomfortable work.

[D]

I want to take a scalpel and I want to cut into your heart.

[A]

To rob you of or extract from your heart, American theology that robs you of joy, okay? And you'll find it right here in the letter Philippians.

[D]

So it's all there. You could go check behind us. Don't just believe what we say. Go read behind us. Now, listen to me carefully. In this country, because we live in a nation that is so wealthy and.

[A]

So prosperous, we have an American theology.

[D]

That attaches joy to things you can.

[A]

Touch or circumstances that are favorable. Come on, Phil.

[D]

And we almost don't have joy unless we're in a circumstance that is favorable. So for us, things must feel good for us to have joy, or things must look good for us to have.

[A]

Joy, or things must sound good for.

[D]

Us to have joy. But I want to.

[A]

I want to pull out a knife right here for just a moment, and I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay?

[D]

If joy has to be contingent upon circumstances, then you have bought into a.

[A]

Western version of joy that is not biblical. Come on. Right?

[D]

And one of the most valuable things that you will have in your toolbox to help you always have joy, hear me, is when you have a perspective and a hope that goes even beyond this life. And when your ultimate reward is not the thing you want to touch, but when your ultimate reward is Christ himself. Yes, if Christ becomes your ultimate reward, then you will know a type of joy that nothing in this life will ever be able to rob you of. See, but in this country, and I've learned this personally in this country, because we have an abundance of so many things. I'm telling you, for too many of us, Christ is not your ultimate rule. He is not the thing you want most. He is not the thing our heart desires most. And so we read words like chapter three, verse eight, when Paul says, indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ. But this is not an American prayer. Right now, in this room, this is not your prayer. We do church and conferences and podcasts and devotionals, but in all of that, Christ is not the one you really want. We want to use him to get to the thing that you're asking him for so he's no more than a butler or a genie to find. Fill in your vision board. Come on, Phil. And unless he gives you your vision board, you don't have joy. I'm telling you tonight, here is the scalpel in your heart. If by the grace of God tonight, some way, somehow. Dang it. I feel the spirit of God. If some way, somehow, by the grace of God tonight, the spirit of God could convince you that what you really need more than anything.

[A]

Say it again. It's him. And then you get to the point.

[D]

Where you could say, if you don't do another thing.

[A]

Yes.

[D]

If you don't get the husband you want. Come on. If you don't get the wife that.

[A]

You want, if your ministry doesn't grow to the size that you want it.

[D]

To grow, if you don't climb the corporate ladder, if you don't heal your body now until you get to glory, like, if you don't get to fill in the blank, will Christ be enough? And if you can't get there.

[A]

You.

[D]

Will have a false joy, a placebo, a fake joy that all the devil got to do is touch something that your heart is attached to and your whole life will fall apart.

[A]

Right.

[D]

Because I just want to remind y', all, we talked about this in our live podcast. Like, the devil don't really need your car. He's not coming to live in your house.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

He's not coming to work at your job. He doesn't want your husband. He just touches the things that your heart is attached to, because what he's really after is your faith. But if Christ is your ultimate reward and he can't take that from you, then. Listen. Then you could lose things and still maintain joy.

[E]

You can lose things and still maintain joy. Listen, you can lose things that you.

[D]

Thought would keep you happy and still maintain joy. If I could, I would jump off this platform and grab you by your shoulders and shake you, and I would.

[E]

Tattoo to your heart a burning desire for Christ above everything else. Could you really say with all confidence, for Christ, all things is counted as loss for the sake of knowing Christ? I mean, Paul is so attached to him. He's struggling between wanting to leave this.

[D]

Life to go be with him and struggling to stay.

[E]

Do you love him that much?

[D]

We was on tour earlier today in the Museum of the Bible and we was going through the section where it was teaching about the Old Testament and how he called Abraham and then the twelve sons. And we walking through that whole exhibit. And I came back to my hotel room. I didn't even tell you this, bro. I came back to my hotel room.

[A]

And I laid out a towel in the bathroom. I got a roller toilet paper and.

[D]

I put my Bible on the floor.

[A]

And I got down on my hands and knees in the bathroom. And I was remembering those images when we saw how God birthed the nation of Israel and how Christ came from his lineage. And I thought to myself, lord, you grafted me into that story. You. You saved a knucklehead from Queens who was far away from you, who could.

[D]

Have died at any time before I was saved.

[A]

I could have died and been eternally lost.

[D]

I could have been burning in flame and fire. You chose to keep me alive long enough to pull me into the kingdom. And I bowed my head down on the floor with tears falling from my eyes. And for the space of a half an hour, I just thank God for my salvation. I thank God that my name was recorded in the book of life. I thank God that I was engraved on the palm of his hand. I thank God that I was filled.

[E]

With his Holy Spirit. I thank God for salvation. I thank God for Christ. Not for my house, not for my car, not for my platform, not for my bank account, not for wife and children. I just thank God for him. And my heart was exploding with all this joy. In the middle of all the hell happening in my life right now, I felt this explosion of joy.

[D]

And when I just set my gaze upon Christ, I said, I got you.

[E]

And nothing I'm going to through in.

[D]

This life is going to take you away from me.

[E]

What can the devil do to a person that's gangster like that?

[B]

Nothing.

[E]

That said, what I have is so protected, the devil can't even take that away from me, man. You'll be thugged out in the spirit when Christ is your highest reward.

[B]

Come on.

[E]

Now, I want to throw this microphone at you, man. You will be stronger in the spirit when Christ is your highest reward. When your heart's. When the apex of your heart's desire is intimacy with Christ. To know him, to love him, to behold him, to gaze upon him, to walk with him, to hear him.

[D]

When.

[E]

That is your heart.

[D]

When that is your heart's desire, man, you will be a dangerous woman and a dangerous man. You will be unstoppable. I mean, not even the fear of.

[A]

Death will be able to hold you down.

[B]

Man.

[E]

See, watch.

[D]

And that's. That's not sexy.

[B]

It's not popular.

[D]

It's not popular. Nobody going to call me to come preach at their conference to say that. Yeah, but that's why American Christians are so weak. Yeah, and that's why we anemic.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

And that's why if the wind just blow, we completely crumble. One thing shift in our life, man. We think that we lost our salvation and God is not with us. And. And the devil be over there just laughing at you. All I did was put a flat tire in your car. And look at you. You can't even praise no more. Some of you get a flat tire and you'll be posting, the devil's been attacking me all day. If all it takes is a flat tire to sink you. Say that again, my sister. Say it louder. What's your name? What's your name? Nisha. You about to come up here and preach the rest of this, Nisha. I mean, if all it takes is a flat tire to sink you.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Say that again.

[A]

I'm.

[B]

What?

[A]

I'm not right?

[D]

The scriptures are right.

[B]

Come on.

[A]

Right?

[D]

He said, well, man, how could y' all talk to us like this? Like, we came here to be inspired.

[E]

Like prophylie to us, Philip. Prophylie, Tim. We tell us that God is going to bless us tomorrow 100 fold, a thousand fold. Bring me a thousand dollars right now and lay it on the sin. We're going to pray over your seed and you're going to be wealthy tomorrow. That's what y' all came for.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Oh, man. Say that again. Nah. The 50 line, 100 line, a thousand line. Bring your seed. Lay it at Tim and I's feet. We're gonna pray. You're gonna be a millionaire tomorrow. If we start talking like that, y' all be running around the room and shouting and throwing your towels, and I don't know how to do it. Do your little church dance right there in the corner, and y' all be be shouting tambourines.

[E]

Tambourines.

[D]

That's American. That's what y' all want to hear. But that's why. That's why you weak. You be strong in a moment and can't endure during the week. Come on.

[E]

You go through trouble and don't know how to come out on the other Side, you have battles that don't know how to fight.

[D]

In those battles, you don't even know what your weapons are in your battles. It's crazy, yo. I be having these dudes be, like, hating on me. You want my seat so bad, but you can't handle the warfare I endure.

[B]

Come on.

[D]

And what we talking about? What Tim and I are talking about tonight will make you strong, durable. It'll give you strength. It'll change your perspective. And this is important because life is a conveyor belt of problems.

[B]

Yes.

[D]

And trials and tribulations. So there's no season coming for you where you're not going to be dealing with something. But if you get this lesson tonight, the next thing you go through, you'll face it differently than the way you deal with it right now. Does that make sense to you?

[A]

Man?

[B]

Why are you preaching? I'm reminded of Job.

[D]

They don't want Job.

[A]

Dang. No, don't. Don't go there.

[B]

They go get Jobs.

[D]

No, don't.

[A]

They don't.

[D]

Don't go there, bro. They don't want. They don't want Job.

[E]

No, they don't want.

[D]

They don't want Job. They love the ending of Job. They don't.

[A]

They don't.

[B]

They don't.

[D]

They love the double blessing at the end.

[B]

Oh, they love the double portion. That's what they want. But listen, without context, that there was even an enemy, without understanding that there was even a devil, everything stripped and removed away from him. Family, wife, dies, Everything that he loved, stripped away from him. Listen to what Job says without context, that there was an enemy. The good Lord giveth. The good Lord take it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. What kind of perspective do you have to have to think, even if everything I love is stripped away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

[C]

Even with balls all over my body, the inability to walk, the inability to.

[D]

To.

[C]

To run, even in pain. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I just lost my family. I just lost my wife. I just lost my things. Blessed be the name of the Lord. What kind of perspective do you have.

[B]

To have to say, blessed be the name of the Lord when nothing around you is a reflection of the blessing of God, but what's at work on the inside of you?

[D]

Can we. Can we go deep over just a second?

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

Some of y', all, I'm about to help you right now. Right? So Tim brought up Job.

[D]

You know, some of you.

[A]

God is so proud of you is why you're going through hell.

[B]

No, wait.

[D]

There's A There's a word in the Psalms that says silah. It means pause and meditate on that. So I want to say to you, selah.

[A]

Okay, watch some of you. God is so proud of you is why you're going through hell. Preach. I don't understand. The scripture tells us Job was such a righteous man. God was so proud of him. He goes and he taps the devil. He said, have you considered my servant, my servant Job?

[D]

Go ahead and and just let hell come to his life in the season. I bet you he won't curse me, though. I bet you in the middle of hell, he still show up in church and lift his hands, though. I bet you in the middle of hell he'll still come and praise me, though. I bet you in the middle of hell, he'll come to the podcast tour and sing, though. I bet you in the middle of.

[E]

Hell he'll worship me, though, like, have.

[D]

You considered my strength, Servant? Fill in your name. Some of you don't even realize what you're going through is God bragging on you? Go ahead and watch. Watch how go ahead and inflict this one right here. Watch how she come out on the other side with her testimony still intact. Watch how he come out on the other side with his testimony still intact. Some of you don't even realize what you're going through is just God being bragging on you, trying to show the devil this is mine right here. I'mma take you off your leash for just a season. Go ahead, take away their job, get them the flat tire, let somebody betray them. Watch how they still show up bloody, bruise and hurting, but still crawl into my presence, still giving me praise. I'm telling you right now, don't disappoint your father in the middle of what you're going through. I want to throw this mic, man.

[E]

Don't disappoint your father in the middle of what doing you're going through, man. He bragging on some of y' all from heaven right now. That's why you're going through what you're going through, because he know you can handle that. And I want to say to you, watch. Come out on the other side, somebody shout, come out, man. You got to come out on the other side. You got to know how to live well and suffer well and come out on the other side and not die in the middle of what you're going through, not give up your faith in the middle of what you're going through, not give up hope in the middle of what you're going through not give up your testimony in the middle of.

[A]

What you're going to do.

[E]

You got.

[D]

Man, listen to me, man. I remember during COVID bro, During COVID where we lost our church, our staff, our building, our budget. I was in the gym staring at the window, and I remember standing at the window in the gym and had no hope for tomorrow, no hope for ministry. I thought to myself, man, this is it. Eight years in, I said, m, this is the best that God has to offer. We've lost everything. And I remember going home telling my.

[A]

Wife, I think, you know, I think we've lost. I think it's done, it's over. The preacher now. And my wife said, thank God for a godly wife, right? If you got a godly spouse, you better honor them. And my wife said to me, she.

[D]

Said, honey, she said, but if you give up now, you won't see what.

[A]

God will do with the rest of your life if you push through what you're going through right now.

[D]

And when that happened, none of y'.

[A]

All knew my name. If I didn't come out on the other side, if I didn't persevere through my suffering, I'm not here tonight talking to you.

[D]

I wonder what's ahead of you if.

[A]

You would push through the trouble you're in right now.

[D]

Like, on the other side of that is a better marriage.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

A better relationship with your teenager.

[B]

A.

[D]

Better man, a better woman, a better business, a better ministry. There was something greater on the other side of what you're going through, but you just have to go through.

[A]

Yes.

[D]

And come out on the other side. Job did get double for his trouble.

[A]

But the whole time, God was bragging on him. And I'm telling y' all tonight, some of y', all, God is bragging on you. And don't disappoint him.

[D]

Like, that's why in Philippians, he will go on to say, do everything without.

[A]

Complaining and without grumbling.

[D]

Like, don't grumble and complain. Rejoice, praise, worship, cry. And even when you're mad at God, just cry, but still praise him and push all the way through and see what God would do with your life when you come out on the other side. Does that make sense to you?

[B]

When I hear you talk about that, a word comes to mind. Trust. And we often say we trust God, and we have songs about us trusting God. But how many of us can say with sincerity that God trusts us?

[A]

Can I add. Can I add a word to trust? Add it, and I think you have to learn to trust him when you cannot trace him.

[B]

Certified gym dropper.

[D]

Let me.

[A]

Let me repeat that to you.

[D]

You have to learn to trust him.

[A]

Even when you cannot trace him. The interpretation of that is. Even when it seems confusing, like, why are you allowing this? Trust him. Watch this word. Anyway.

[B]

Anyway. Yeah. And it's one thing for God to trust you with blessings.

[A]

Can he trust you? That's what's powerful when you said that, Tim.

[B]

One thing for him to trust you with blessings. Something completely for him to trust you with pain.

[A]

Yeah. And suffering.

[B]

He trusted Job.

[A]

Trusted Job.

[B]

He trusted that Job would not turn his back on him.

[A]

He trusted you the last two years of the hell you went through.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

You've been through hell the last two years.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

I mean, public persecution. I mean, lies, lawsuits. You've been through hell in the last two years. And God has trusted you. He's trusted us with all that pain. But. But you know what I saw in you through all of that character on display. Because sometimes when people go through hell, what God actually puts on display is the character of the man or woman. Your character and Jen's character has been on display those last two years.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You got staff in here right now that rock with you because they see you walk through fire and come out.

[D]

On the other side.

[A]

And what we saw in you in those last two years, you've been through that hell. You've been through. Most men couldn't survive what you've been through. They would have quit and ran the other way. But what God put on display is character. That's why even when you and I connected, I knew, like, yo, you and I could rock.

[D]

Because I. I was telling. I was telling people.

[A]

In our last DC meeting, I made.

[D]

A covenant with God not to have any intimate relationships with any men that don't have character.

[A]

Yeah, they got to.

[D]

They got to love Christ with all their heart. They got to love their wife. Yes. Their children. They got to be submitted to this word. Watch this. They got to have integrity in the dark. They got to want to do right when nobody's watching. Because I know what it is to get burned by people who have bad character. And I made a covenant not to have an intimate relationship with any men that don't have character. Not what you see on the stage, but who they are off the platform. How to get down in the dark when nobody can't see. And what God did, man, was put your character on such display.

[A]

I knew I can trust a Tim Timberlake.

[B]

And what y' all see right now is a Man that God can trust. Let's just talk about this for a second because it needs to be spoken about. People look at the 40,000 plus that access for prayer. And people look at what God is doing through 2819. But what people don't see is the turmoil, the testing, the trials, the tribulations, the spiritual, mental, emotional, physical warfare to the point where, for both of us, we talked about this earlier today. This is not what we want. I think some people think they want this. This is not what we want. This is not what we asked for. My wife is sitting right there. If I'm lying, her face cannot hide it. I never prayed for this. Neither did I. I asked God to choose someone else.

[A]

So did I.

[B]

And no matter how far I ran, how fast I. I could not outrun him. And so where there is promise, hear me. There is also pain. Where there is sacrifice, hear me. There is also suffering. But where there is suffering, there is also joy. If you lean into the word of God and he becomes more than enough for you. So what is the fruit of pain? The fruit of pain is humility.

[C]

And when you operate in steward humility.

[B]

Well, you understand the significance of joy. And in this westernized culture, we have confused joy with happiness. And we want to be happy.

[C]

But happiness revolves around the happenings. And when things are happening, I'm happy. When things are not happening, I'm sad. And joy has nothing to do with happiness.

[B]

It has everything to do with the spirit that is at work on the inside of you.

[A]

I want to testify that the Lord called me to the pastoral ministry. I ran from that for four years because I'm from the street, right? And I. I assume God can't use people like me. I felt insecure and unworthy. I wanted to be an attorney. I got a degree in criminal justice and political science. I was headed to law school, and the Lord slammed that door shut. Four years ran from this call, right?

[D]

And even now, at.

[A]

All of the.

[D]

Fanfare and all that God is doing.

[A]

And travels and all the things, this is a cross that we carry.

[D]

This is not.

[A]

It's not glory for me.

[D]

For us, it's not glory.

[A]

We suffering for what we're doing right now. We paying a heavy price for what.

[D]

We'Re doing right now. And how many y' all are paying a price for what God is trying to do in you?

[A]

Cost.

[D]

And man, tonight, like every place Tim and I travel, the Lord will put a different thing on our heart. And we don't know why. But for. For you tonight, D.C. the Lord put.

[A]

Joy in suffering in our hearts for you.

[D]

And there is a lot of hell in this room and a lot of pain in this room and a lot of challenges in this room. There's marital challenges and financial challenges and hardships and trials and frustrations. And maybe nothing we said tonight sounds sexy or you may not even write it on a mirror. You may not even post it on a page. But, man, if you tap into what we've shared with you tonight, if you tap into Paul's revelation in Philippians, I'm.

[A]

Telling you.

[D]

You can. You can shed tears and still have joy. You could be going through hardship and still have joy. I see you, my sister, right there with the glasses on, you nodding your head. You feel what I'm saying to you. You can lose a job and still have joy. You can be betrayed and still have joy. You could get a doctor's report and still have joy. There is nothing you are going through in this room that you cannot have joy in. When you know that Christ is with you, you are engraved on the palm of his hands. If he is your highest reward, the enemy can't take that from you. If you know the sovereignty of God, you can trust that anything you're going through, he is allowing it for. For a reason, for a purpose. He is working in you for your good and through you for your good. He's gonna bring about good in the midst of your circumstance. He knows how to bring about beauty from ashes. He is strengthening you and building you and fortifying you and perfecting your character and your faith and giving you hope. And those tears you've been showing shedding, they are not wasted tears.

[E]

He's caught every single one of them. He's put them in his bottle. He knows. He sees. He cares about that marriage, about your home, about your finance, about your. Everything you care about. He cares about. You're not gonna escape this life without hardship or suffering or trials. That's not gonna happen. So since that's not gonna happen, we gotta know how to endorse it differently since we're not going to get out of it.

[D]

And right now, in this moment, we want to pray a special prayer right now.

[E]

I want to pray a special prayer right now.

[D]

And if this ain't for you, then.

[E]

Stay where you are. But it's going to require a step of faith. And I want to pray.

[D]

And Tim and I are going to.

[E]

Pray a fresh anointing over you. Renewed strength, renewed grace. Some of you, you just need your fire back. You just need some tenacity, some Grit. You just need to believe that God is with you and what you're going through. Even if he don't change the circumstance right now, you just need strength to keep going through. You need to believe that. And if I'm talking to you, I.

[D]

Just want you to stand to your feet. Go up, my sister. He's catching those tears right there in that gray sweater. I see you, my brother, in the top with your hands raised. I see you. I see y'. All. I see you.

[E]

But more than us, God sees you. He knows I need you to hear me tonight. He knows. He sees. He cares. And we will not allow you to walk out this room feeling defeated. Like greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. Your testimony is that God is with you. He's going to bring you out. You are stronger than what you're going through.

[A]

If you're watching this podcast from wherever you are across the country or around the world, I want to thank you for tuning into the Street Preachers podcast. We pray that you have received, you have been ministered to, convicted, challenged, changed. Our prayer for you is that Christ would be your highest reward, that you would desire him more than anything else in this life, that you would maintain joy in your sufferings and that you will know how to live well and suffer well for the cause of Christ. We want you to know that God is with you. He's for you and he's not against you. And just like the brothers and sisters here in our nation's capital has been ministered to by the Holy Spirit, we trust that you watching across that camera, that you too have been ministered to by the presence of the Holy Spirit, not by two men, but by God Himself. And if this podcast has been a blessing to you, Tim and I ask you to do just these simple things. Pray for us. Share this podcast with somebody if it's been a blessing to you and join us next week. We'll be coming to you live from the state of North Carolina, Charlotte, in the Raleigh Durham area. Until them Street Team, we want you to know we love you, we pray for you and we bless you. We'll see you on the next episode of the Street Preachers Podcast.

[B]

We pray you were blessed by this content. In this episode, we want to thank our street team for following us on this journey. Want to ask that you continue to share like, subscribe as we endeavor to continue to bring you the word of God.