Podcast Summary: The Potter's House Podcast

Episode: Get Out of Your Way | Sarah Jakes Roberts
Air Date: October 26, 2025
Host: The Potter’s House
Speaker: Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts (with contributions from Pastor T.D. Jakes)

Overview

This episode centers on persevering through challenging seasons and embracing God’s transformative process—even when it’s uncomfortable or sorrowful. Drawing on the biblical accounts of Jesus in Gethsemane (Matthew 26) and the garden of Eden, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts encourages listeners to “get out of your way.” The core message: the pathway to God’s promises involves a process of surrender, transformation, and learning dependence on God, especially when our own will conflicts with His. Both Sarah Jakes Roberts and Pastor T.D. Jakes speak candidly about struggle, sorrow, and the necessity of spiritual growth during hard times.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Garden of Gethsemane: Relatability and Process

(Start at 01:44)

• Pastor Sarah shares the humanity of Jesus in Matthew 26, emphasizing how Jesus' sorrow and struggle make him relatable to us.
• She notes that even Jesus needed support and had moments of agony and uncertainty.
• “If I can see myself in His humanity, then I can see myself grow in the space of divinity.” (Sarah, 04:37)
• The garden moment illustrates that we all face times when our capacity is tested, and like Jesus, we need to surrender to God's will repeatedly.

2. Social Media and the Value of Process

(08:00)

• Sarah observes a shift on social media from celebrating only outcomes to sharing the process.
• This cultural change helps dispel envy and reveals that the journey to the promise is challenging and nuanced.
• Citing fitness influencers and life milestones, she notes, “I don't really want it that bad ... I want whatever you can do in the 50 minutes I’m going to give you three days a week, while I eat these cookies.” (Sarah, 11:56)

3. Promise vs. Process

(13:59 - 24:40)

• Both speakers emphasize that no one walks into promises without first enduring a process—a journey often marked by loss, growth, and change.
• Quote: “The promise don't even feel like a promise by the time you get finished going through the process.” (T.D. Jakes, 14:08)
• The process forms who we need to become to handle the promise; God is with us in both.
• Key Point: “If you do the process right, the promise won't catch you by surprise because I stayed tight in the process.” (Sarah, 20:32)
• The enemy attacks us during the process, because the promise itself—once spoken by God—is guaranteed.

4. Transparency and Intergenerational Wisdom

(22:15)

• The Church must foster transparency about struggles so that those going through hardship do not feel alone or defective.
• “We need an intergenerational church. We need people who have gone ahead of us, and we need people who are coming up.” (T.D. Jakes, 22:44)
• Sharing the real story behind the "promise" inspires and strengthens others.

5. Scriptural Promises Require Process

(23:12)

• The promise of “no weapon formed against me shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17) is linked to serving God.
• Sometimes, hardships persist because we haven’t surrendered from pride, fear, or insecurity: “Some of them weapons formed against you’re prospering because you don’t serve God.” (Sarah, 24:40)
• Surrender and alignment with God’s will are prerequisites for seeing the promise.

6. Surviving the Process

(30:38 - 35:59)

• The key to surviving is not clinging to the promise, but staying connected to God in the process.
• “The process isn't producing the promise; it’s producing the version of you who can step into the promise.” (Sarah, 33:20)
• The process transforms you into someone who resembles the “Promise Keeper,” not just a recipient.

7. Uniqueness of the Personal Process

(37:01 - 38:23)

• Your process is unique; your oil (anointing) is produced in your process—others cannot imitate or shortcut what you’ve endured and learned.
• Competition is pointless because God is crafting something unique in each person.

8. The Garden as the Training Ground

(40:31 - 44:52)

• Drawing on Genesis, Sarah contends that the garden (before dominion) is where God cultivates character and dependence.
• “You can't have dominion without dependence.” (Sarah, 42:14)
• Even enemies in your "garden" are opportunities to learn spiritual authority.

9. Facing the Enemy: Surrender and Authority

(44:52 - 50:27)

• The devil seeks to disrupt the process. The battle is ultimately God’s; our role is to seek His strategy and not confront the enemy alone or from our own strength.
• “This is God’s enemy. The only reason why it became your enemy is because you’re trying to obey God.” (Sarah, 46:12)
• Worship, surrender, and seeking God’s direction are the weapons for victory, not striving in our own strength.

10. The Crushing and the Oil: Sorrow’s Role

(56:22 - 64:07)

• The parallel between the garden of Eden and Gethsemane: new seasons require fresh oil, which comes through crushing (suffering, surrender, grief).
• Grieving and wrestling with sorrow are not signs of spiritual failure; even Jesus grieved and wrestled with God’s will.
• “When God doesn’t change the situation, He has to change you in the situation.” (Sarah, 65:33)
• “There are some moments, and Jesus shows us, where He doesn’t deliver us in the way we anticipate … He changes us.” (Sarah, 65:32)

11. Endurance, Sorrow, and Temporary Seasons

(68:45 - 75:16)

• The congregation is called to support those enduring sorrow, not just to celebrate victories.
• “God, give them grace to endure the sorrow … capacity to endure … and when they receive this capacity, they will be a model, a testimony of what God can do in gardens.” (Sarah, 71:43)

12. Fresh Oil and Pruning

(72:39 - 75:27)

• In seasons that feel like “cutting away” (pruning), God is cultivating new fruitfulness and new identity.
• Listeners are encouraged to surrender grief and preferences, trusting that God’s way and timing will yield resurrection and solutions from places of former sorrow.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “The process isn’t producing the promise; it’s producing the version of you who can step into the promise.”
  — Sarah Jakes Roberts (33:20)

• “He wasn’t just the God of my promise. He was the God of my process.”
  — T.D. Jakes (15:04)

• “Surviving the process means that when it looks like the enemy is winning, I gotta draw closer to God.”
  — Sarah Jakes Roberts (53:38)

• “This is God’s enemy. The only reason why it became your enemy is because you’re trying to obey God.”
  — Sarah Jakes Roberts (46:12)

• “If I have to choose between my will and your will, at the end of the day, I did my will for a little bit. My will won’t do what your will will do.”
  — Sarah Jakes Roberts (61:31)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jesus in Gethsemane & Relatability: 01:44 – 08:00
• Social Media & The Process: 08:00 – 13:59
• Promise vs. Process: 13:59 – 24:40
• Transparency & Wisdom: 22:15 – 23:12
• Scriptural Promises & Serving God: 23:12 – 25:56
• Surviving the Process: 30:38 – 35:59
• Personal Process Uniqueness: 37:01 – 38:23
• The Garden & Character: 40:31 – 44:52
• Facing the Enemy: 44:52 – 50:27
• Crushing, Oil, and Sorrow: 56:22 – 64:07
• Endurance & Congregational Support: 68:45 – 75:16
• Fresh Oil & Pruning: 72:39 – 75:27

Final Takeaways

• God is with you not only in the promise, but every step of the process, especially when it hurts or is unclear.
• The goal of the process isn’t just to “get” the promise—it’s to become more like the Promise Keeper (God) through trust, surrender, and resilience.
• Sorrow and hardship are both temporary and transformative; they are not a detour, but often the very path God uses to bring new life and impact.
• Don’t isolate yourself or feel defective in the struggle—everyone goes through their own process, and your testimony can serve others.
• In adversity, seek God’s face, not just His gifts. Let worship, humility, and honest relationship with Him sustain and guide you.

This summary captures the heart, language, and flow of Sarah Jakes Roberts’ message, enriched by the spontaneous wisdom and affirmations from Pastor T.D. Jakes throughout. The episode’s encouragement is clear: Trust God in your process, embrace both sorrow and surrender, and let the garden you’re in produce fresh oil for the season ahead.