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Pastor Davis
you're tuned into the Potter's House podcast where we are encouraged by powerful testimonies and life changing truth. Let's go quickly. Let's go to the word of God. 2nd Corinthians. 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 2nd Corinthians chapter 12. As customers, we already know we believe in standing for the Word of God. I want to go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 12. I want to read it from the NIV version. For some of you, it is a very familiar passage, scripture, but one of the Sometimes before God gives you a message, you have to walk through the message. I must tell you that this one was difficult for me, but I understand why it was difficult because God says, I'm laying the framework for you to be a platform for others to jump off of as you begin to dive into the Word of God. It is 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 starting at verse number 6. I'm reading it from the NIV. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain so no one will Think more of me than warranted by what I do or say, or because of the surprisingly great revelation. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a message of heaven to torment me. Three times I prayed with the Lord to take this away from me. But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Before we take our seats and before I tell you my topic, I want to find my topic around verse number seven. In verse number seven, he says, so I won't be conceited. So I won't be conceited. There was given to me a thorn. So I won't be conceited. There was given to me a thorn. I want to talk from the next few moments around this subject. The gift you didn't want. The gift you didn't want. As beautiful as the box is, as lovely as the bow is the gift you didn't want. You could take your seats. Let's go to work. Doctor James. I am growing more concerned. I am growing more concerned not just about the church. I am growing more concerned on how we're having a trend, on how we are delivering God's Word. I'm growing more concerned on how we dissect God's Word. I'm growing more concerned on how we're peeling back the layers and making God's Word simple. We're taking biblical depth and we're exchanging it for surface revelations. In this. In this digital generation, we're emphasizing viral moments when it comes to God's Word. We're taking catchy quotes if you name it and claim it. We're making emotional deliveries with no sound doctrine. I'm growing concerned. I'm growing concerned because we're taking a. The culture is beginning to shape the Bible instead of the Bible shaping the culture. I'm growing concerned because of the trends of what we're doing. We're not asking, what is God saying? We're asking, what can people tolerate? I'm. I'm growing more concerned because if the culture becomes the filter for scripture, then the truth becomes negotiable. I'm concerned because I'm going say it again. If the culture becomes the filter upon which the Scripture is discerned, then the truth becomes Negotiable. And the truth is non negotiable. I don't care how much it hurts your feelings. The truth is the truth. I'm concerned that, that we're making and transforming motivational and we're forgetting about transformation. Now, I am for motivation. I believe. I believe I am for motivation, but I am for motivation after transformation. We're not talking about transformation. And we're avoiding. We're avoiding cuss words like obedience. We're avoiding words like sacrifice. Oh, if I can really piggyback off brother Nix. We're avoiding words like the Holy Ghost. We just want to feel good, baby. But holiness is still okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's still. It's still right. It's still. I'm concerned that you're looking for a feel good message instead of get me right message. Being right is still getting right. I'm growing more concerned because the culture is beginning to shape with what the Bible really means. No, it means what it means. And it means what it said. And he said exactly what he mean. I will not convert. I will not take some toxic word to make you feel better. Oh God, to help me right here. I'm sorry, but I cannot. I cannot. I cannot convert the word of God to make you feel better. The Word is still the word. And if we're not careful, if we're not careful, we'll get mad at God for something he didn't even say. If we're not careful, we'll listen to the words. We'll listen to this digital age, and we'll think everything is supposed to be good. We'll think, when it's good, it's God. When it's bad, it's the devil. I'm so sorry to give you a public announcement. The same God that gives you a promise will be the same God that will give you a problem. Okay, I'm gonna say that again. The same God that gives you a promise will be the same God that will give you a problem. But if we're immature in our statements, if we're lazy in our interpretation, we'll look for an easy way out. And when we're supposed to be taking the hard way through, because it's in the through that you become. It's in the hard times where I learned I can still make it. It's in the hard times where I really learned how to pray. Oh, I wish I had about 10 people up in here that will tell the God the honest truth. You ain't get a real prayer Life until you start catching hell. You ain't really started praying about it until hell just felt like it rushed in your house. You didn't really figure. And we don't take time because we want to feel good. We go to TikTok and say, give me 30 seconds to feel good. You know, nowadays the preacher has to rush to give you a word so you can go home and do nothing. Pastor, I do. I gotta get prepared for tomorrow. Wait a minute. The word I'm gonna give you today is gonna prepare you for tomorrow. So why are you rushing a right now word that's gonna help you for your tomorrow situation? It is. It is. It is. It is me growing deeply concerned that we don't fully understand the context, that the same God, the same God that gives you a promise will turn around and give you a problem and sit back and see how you handled the problem. I have learned. I have learned this over the years. Premature. Immature Christians only praise God for the promise. Okay, okay, okay, Selah, I'm a hover right there for just one second. Immature Christians only praise God for the promise. But a mature saint that has walked with God, that has been with God, understands, Baby, the problem don't change my praise. I don't care if it's a problem or if it's a promise. My praise stays the same. So it doesn't matter. Come here. Whatsoever state that I'm in, I find myself to be content. See that that's why I counted on joy When I fall into diverse temptation. Baby, why you ain't lose your mind? Because I was praising God. That would have drove me crazy. Well, that would have drove you crazy. It drove me to praise. Sit down, please sit down. The people behind you can't see. Sit down, sit down. Sit down. Sit down, please sit down. The people behind you can't see. Sit down, please. It is where we find ourselves. It's where we find ourselves here as we dissect the word of God in Second Corinthians, chapter 12. But one thing I don't like to do is I don't like to start in the middle of a story without first telling you the beginning of the story. It's like catching the middle of a movie. And then. Tell me what happened. I ain't got time to stop and tell you what happened. You should have been here from the beginning. So let me start telling you from the beginning. It's funny here. Second Corinthians, chapter 12 is not the beginning of the story. So we begin to shout over the thorn and we begin to shout over I mystery, I'm made perfect. Stop. Stop. We gotta understand. How is Second Corinthians even written? Why is it written? What is the purpose of his written for? Because. See, it's written because. Titus now catches up with Paul in Macedonia. He says, check this out, Paul. This is the PD version. This is my converted version. He says, paul, remember that crazy mess that was happening in Corinthians? They changed. Catch this. Titus now tells him. He says, what has happened? He says, the Corinthians have repented. Okay? Not only have they repented, they have rejected the false teaching of the false apostles. So not only have they repented, not only have they rejected. The Bible. Says they want to reconcile. They want to reconcile. They want to get back together. So in First Corinthians, chapter, Second Corinthians, chapter one through seven, he talks about how joyful it is to be reconciled back to God. He says, God is not going to judge you. Come on back home. See, I think that's one of the problems with the church today. We don't just tell people to come back home without judging them. Okay, I want to hover right there for one second. You want people to come back home with conditions while you yourself have convenient amnesia of what God brought you out of. I wish you would shout me down right about here. I know you're dressed a little long now, but, baby, I can remember when. Okay, okay, okay. You. You might not have Hennessy right now. You might not be on the blue cap right now. You might not be drinking it right now, but I can remember. Oh, let me see if I can catch you. I can remember slits mode. Okay, okay. I can remember old English. See, some of you like old pastor, you going by generation right now. I can think of that. Jack, you used to drink. Yeah, yeah. Oh, they go to the club. Oh, you used to go to the juke joint. I mean, what. What's the difference? What's the difference? Oh, it's a different demon. Ain't no different demons. It's the same. The demon that tried to pervert you is trying to pervert this generation. But the problem is the church want people to come in, but you want them to come in with conditions. How dare you. Okay, I. Ooh, Lord, turn my discernment down right about here. Forget where he brought you from, what you were doing. I know you look good now. I know you have businesses. I know you own stuff. I know you have everything you need and everything your desire. But there was a time. There was. There was a Time. There was a time with your freaky. Said there was a time. Okay, okay, okay. No, don't. Oh. There was a time when the Holy Ghost wasn't sitting in your life like it should have been. And, you know, you were doing what you weren't supposed to do, but the Lord drew you in. So chapters one through seven, he's having a conversation with. Say, come on back home. I'm glad you're back. Reconciled in chapter eight and chapter nine, he began to say, now that you're back, let's talk about giving. Let's talk about giving. So now Paul is having a conversation with them about their giving, and he says, giving to the church of Jerusalem. So in other words, now that God has brought you back, you have an assignment. Okay, I'm going to pause right there for just one second. For those who think God brought you back to sit in the pews, you have missed the boat. God brought you back because there's an assignment on your life, which means God is now calling you to do something. He didn't bring you back just to do nothing. He didn't bring you back to sit in the pew. Well, Pastor, I can't. No, no, no. Ooh. Ministry is more than standing on this stage. Okay, okay. It's bigger than standing on this stage. It's bigger than what you think it is. And God is saying, come on. Come on back home. Now here's the paradigm shift, the pivot in chapters 10 through 13, there's this revelation that Paul gets. There's this revelation. And now, Cassius, the haters are hating on Paul. They're hating on him because they're saying he's not a real apostle. So now he has to defend himself. He has to defend who he is. I want to pause right there for somebody today. If you want to know you're really gifted, just know you're going to have some haters. Okay? Okay. As. As a. As a matter of fact, if you don't have haters, you're not that gifted. The more people don't like you, the more I'm convinced that God has placed something on my life. And what I'm not trying to do is trying to figure out why you don't like me. Because my anointing attracts attacks. Because of the oil that's on my life, it's gonna draw an attack. So, baby, bring your best shot. I know who I am and whose I am because of what's on my life. It depends. You gonna have to attack me. Okay, So now I said all that To Landon. Verse number six. Verse number six. Paul simply says, I ain't gotta boast. But if I wanted to boast, I could boast. Cause if I was boasting, it still would be the truth. But I won't say it because I know it'll be the truth. But it won't sound right to you. But here's the problem in the text. The problem in verse number six is Paul says, I'm not telling it because you think my identity is rooted in your validation. Who I am is not rooted in whether you validate me or not. And that's the problem with some of us today. We're waiting on the people to approve you are who you are. Let me tell you something. I can say what I want to say about Dr. Jill. She's still a doctor. I don't like Dr. Jill. She said you don't like me if you don't want to. I'm still a doctor. Look, watch this. My emotions toward her does not change the anointing on her life. When you walk and know who you are, baby, I don't need your validation. Because who I walk with, who I'm walking with, what God called me to do. And as a matter of fact, if you can't validate me, that speaks to the ignorance and the blindness that God has not revealed to you who I really am. Oh, I just set some single people free right about there, Pastor. Why I'm still single? Because they don't see you yet. They don't. They don't. They don't see you yet. But, but, but, but, but, but, but, but. We have an issue. Because we. We, lady. We. We want people that are gifted. We want gifted. So now we're taking gifting over character. We are elevating charisma over character. So because you have something to say because you have a following, that must mean you got something to say? No, that just means you have a following. That don't mean you have nothing to say, because we are now looking for validation from people. And let me help you. If the applause of people fuel you, their criticism will kill you. Oh, I'm. Oh, oh, oh. I'm gonna say that again. Nobody clap for me, baby. You ain't gotta clap for me. For me. As a matter of fact, let me tell you how good God blessed me. Good job, pd. God bless you. God bless you. Now, if you clap for me, God bless you. But just in case you don't, God gave me two hands that I can clap for my own self. And if I can't clap for myself. David said he encouraged himself in the. The text says David encouraged himself in the Lord, which says to me, there will be a season in my life where I'm isolated and I have nobody else to be around. But guess what? You know who gonna get me out the mud? Me. Because I can't depend on you. Just in case you can't show up, I need somebody who gonna always show up for me. Who is going to show up for me? Somebody shout me. It is. It's the understanding that Paul now is saying. What I want to do is I want you to. I don't want you to concentrate on an image. I want you to concentrate on intimacy. Stop worrying about the image and look at intimacy. Because intimacy bishop taught us a long time ago into me. See, there's a transparency that God wants to see and be involved with me. So if you think he's just the God that gives promise, he is also the God that gives problems. Because verse number seven says, because of the revelation. Okay, again, because of the revelation, I would be okay if I had done something wrong. I deserve this thorn. I was sinning. I deserve this thorn. I made a mistake. I deserve this thorn. I'm out of order. I deserve this thorn. But wait a minute. You giving me a thorn because of what you showed me. So you've given me a thorn because of a relationship. Okay, you missed it. You mean to tell me the closer I get to you, the more I want to be around you, the more I should expect to be uncomfortable? And I thought. I thought that was it. I thought, wait a minute. It's the revelation that got in the thorn. And then God says, read it again. He says, because of the revelation, he gave me a thorn because I might get conceited. Okay, pause. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, watch this church. He got the revelation, but. But he had not become conceited yet, so which means he was going to transform into something. So God gives you something from becoming what you could become just because you know God. Okay, let me come and get you. You are becoming something. And every now and then, God will give you a tool to keep you from becoming what you should not become, even though you haven't seen it in yourself yet. Okay, okay, okay. This is okay. Let me come and get you. Let me come and get you. If I took a poll right here in this church and online and I said, how many nice people you got in here? Pretty much everybody raised their hand. I'm nice. I'm nice. I'M good. I'll ask a parent. Are you nice and good? Pretty much. They'll raise their hand. You won't bother nobody. I don't bother nobody until they touch your kids. That atmosphere just shifted right. Right there. Which means there is something on the inside of you that you have not been introduced to yet. That said, if you touch something I love, I can become that. Oh, come here. The prophet Jay Z said this. I will do anything necessary for her, but don't make the necessary occurrence. Okay? You just. You just. There's something on the inside of me. Oh, I know. I'm preaching this gospel, but I do know there's something on the inside of Don, that if you touch something I love before I become that, you better start praying. You better stop, Father, in the name of Jesus. He's becoming. He's becoming. And the problem with some of us is we don't realize that God was protection. It wasn't punishment. It was protection. In the text, he says, so I don't become conceited. He said, I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. In other words, God says, I don't want you to get out of line. I don't want you to get out of line. So I'm going to make you uncomfortable. Okay? I don't. I don't want you. Watch this. You haven't been introduced to that side of you yet. And I'm gonna prevent you from becoming that. So I'm gonna give you a tool that's gonna humble you. The text says, I was given. I was given this. I didn't ask for it. And truth be told, if he had told me that I wanted, I probably would have told him no. Has God ever given you something, then you realize the cost of it, then you want to return the cinder? You can have this oil back. You can have this anointing back. You can have ministry back everything. I said, you can have all of this back, God. Because had I known the price, that you hid the price tag from me. You told me fair market value. I did not understand what fair market value was at the time, because here's why I didn't understand. The text says he gave me a thorn. One of the things still theologians argue about is, what was that thorn? What was it? What was what? What was it? I'm so glad they didn't put what the thorn was. I'm so glad. Which means it leaves room for anything that agitates you. He says, he gave me a thorn in my flesh. Some. Some argued that that thorn was. People. Move past that point real quick, really, really quick. Some said they thought that it may have been because of Paul's outside posture, because he didn't like the way he looked, because his stance of how he looked. They said he was aggravated. Some said they thought it was a piercing that was in his eye that aggravated him. Now, I don't know which one is true, if any of them is true, but the one thing I do know, the one thing I do know is the Bible says it came from a messenger of Satan. Catch this. God gave me the revelation. The message came from Satan, which means what's not in the documentation is that God had a conversation with Satan and said, I need you to give Paul a thorn. This almost sound like Job. Have you considered my servant Paul? Can you imagine? This is Israel at best. The devil saying, hey, I can't mess with Paul. That's your boy. I tried him before. I couldn't mess with him. He probably said, no, no, no, you could torment him this time. You could torment him. Why can't I torment him? Because I gave him a revelation. Well, what did you show him? I show him where you got kicked out of. Wait a minute. So that means Paul saw the glory of what the enemy got kicked out of. So now in my mind, now the enemy's really mad because the text says he came to torment me. In the King James Version, it says to buffet me. To buffet. The word buffet literally means to hit over and over and over again and over. In one translation, it says to hit in the ear over and over. And I thought about your face. What does the enemy hit you over and. Oh, in what you hear now, faith cometh by. He knows if he can punch you in your ear. And I don't mean this physically. I'm talking spiritually. If he can get you to say to yourself over and over, you can't make it, you can't make it. You can't make it. You can't. You're punching yourself over and over again. And here's what I found out, y'. All, in the writing of this text, it is present tense, which means this is happening continually over and over again, over and over again, over and over again. And verse number seven. Verse number seven happens over and over again. But I'm bothered, y', all, because it's happening so it can stay. And I almost had a shouting party in my office when the Lord showed me something I did not see before. He said, son, the enemy buffeted him over and over again. But he's still here. So. Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait, wait. He said, no matter how many times he hit him, he's still here. I said, prove it. He said, go to verse number eight. Verse number eight says, three times I prayed with the Lord. Wait a minute. He didn't say, I prayed to the Lord. He said, I prayed with him. The word with literally means in. In company of, which means the Lord is with him while he's praying. And he says, I prayed three times. Wait, wait, wait. Okay, okay. Juxtaposition. He prayed with the Lord three times.
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America's best network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance. US second half, 2025, four new lines and unlimited welcome and autopay. See verizon.com for details. Isn't this the same Lord that prayed in the garden of Gethsemane three times? Let this cup pass before me. Is it possible that the Lord is there as a testimony to Paul to say, I know you praying about this thing, but nevertheless it was never about our will, Paul, it's about his will. It's about what he wants us to do. And the text says he prayed about it three times. Okay, here's my first fight. Struggling with unanswered prayers. But my argument with Paul is that it's not that he didn't answer your prayers. It was that it wasn't the answer you wanted. It wasn't. And most of us, if we're honest with God, it wasn't that he didn't answer our prayers. It was he didn't give you the answer you wanted. God, can I do this? No. Okay. God, can I really, really, really, really do this? He said, I told you no the first time. But what you're really for, you're praying with your mind made up. That's as though. Watch this. As though you'll shape God. Answer like the culture shaping the scripture so you can manipulate a yes. When God ordained enough. Verse eight says, he says, I prayed about this thing. Three. I prayed about this three times. I pleaded, I pleaded to God. Do you know that word plead Literally means to pray without an image. To pray without concerning of your image. I'm not talking about today's church, but I can remember hearing about a time where you would pray. I don't care what I look like. I'm talking about a fervent prayer. I'm talking about makeup, running jacket about to fall off, shirttail all out, laying on the floor, prostate. God just helped me right about here. See, I'm talking about a good old fashioned prayer. Mother. I'm not talking about Father, in the name of Jesus. No, I'm talking about. Listen, God, I need you to move. I need you to move for my family. Family. I need you to move for my kids. I'm not going through all of that other stuff because the God that I serve is in here right now. And I know how to get a prayer through. I know how to anchor myself in the word of God. I'm not trying to be eloquent in my speech because I understand for the God that I, it is a fervent prayer. In other words, it is a prayer from the heart that he is praying. God, whatever you do, can you take this from me? Can you please take this from me? Because here's what's happening. Delayed answers challenge my trust. And most of us won't admit that, that the longer the delays, the more we find ourselves. Do I really trust God? Do I really believe what God is doing? Do I really understand anything he says? No, no, no, no. No, no. He said, watch this. What I want you to do, give me verse number nine. Verse number nine, he says, and here's where most of us find our shout. In verse number nine, he says, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient. Here's where we have to make sure we dissect the word of God. This is not the grace that you probably thinking about. See, the grace we used to is the grace that holds back what we deserve. Grace and mercy. This is not that grace. See, there's a difference between saving grace and sustaining grace. Okay, okay, okay. Most of the of us are saying, God, save me out of this. God, bring me out of this. He said, no, I'm not giving you the grace to bring you out. I'm giving the grace to keep you while you're in the midst of it. In other words, if I decide not to change it, you got enough fuel of grace on the inside of you that come hell or high water. Oh, I don't know who I'm preaching to today, but I hear the Holy Ghost saying, if I don't bring you out, I gave you grace to keep you while you're in it. This is sustaining grace. Pastor, what does sustaining grace look like? It looked like the three Hebrew boys caught in the middle of a fire. It looked like the three Hebrew boys caught in the middle of a fire. Fire. I got a question I want to ask you. Here's the difference between saving grace and sustaining grace. The text says they got tossed into the fire and they were bound. They got pushed into the fire. Bound. Grace pushed you into the fire. But the Bible says when they look in, they see four. Catch this. Walking around. Pastor Davis, my problem is not them walking around. My problem is why didn't they walk out? Because if I'm in the fire and I got loose in the fire, you say what you want to, I'm walking out the fire. But when the grace is in the fire and the grace is not outside the fire. Oh, now you know what I'm talking about. God will give you sustaining grace even in the midst of the fight. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace. Catch this. Because outside the fire, I was bound inside the fire, I'm loose. Outside the fire. People trying to push me in. Inside the fire, I got the presence of the Holy Ghost. So why would I walk outside the fire when you think the fire was killing you, when the fire was protecting you? Okay, I don't know who I'm talking to today, but God said the fire is meant to be protection, Sustaining grace versus saving Grace. Grace he held it back. Or grace he kept me. While I was saying, I told you the difference between mature and immature is how you handle what you're dealing with. And the enemy knows most of you are running from the fire. When God is in the fire, grace is in the fire. He says, my grace is sufficient. Yeah, for you. Catch this. He says it's for you. It's not for everybody else. Woo. Paul. I'm only talking to a grace that covers you. So tell people. Be careful when you trying to follow me into the fire. Because I know this grace is gonna keep me. But I don't know if this grace is gonna keep you. Because once I get in, I'm not coming out. Once I get in, God is gonna show me something. Once I get in, Somebody shout, I'm in it right now. I'm so glad you're in it. I'm so glad you are. Because he said my grace is sufficient. And oftentimes we think God's presence is the absence of problems. And oftentimes God's presence is what pulls the problem. He says, give me verse nine. He says, my grace is sufficient for you. Catch this. For my power is made perfect in weakness. Wait, wait right there. My power ownership is made perfect in your weakness. Now, I am not a baker. I can cook, but I'm not a real baker. But the only thing I do know is you need ingredients to make what you want to cook. He says my power is made perfect. We're not going to get to perfect. We want to get to made. Come on. He didn't say my power is perfect. He said it's made. Okay, okay. I'm gonna date myself. I'm gonna date myself right here. So my mother. My mother, I love her to death. See, y' all got these new machines right now. But I see my mother making that cake. She would take that strong arm, put that bow right arm right there and take this arm. Watch this. And she had a rhythm and she would whip it. And I thought, watch this. Turn it once or twice. That should be enough. Catch this. And I caught this revelation. I thought the mixture was done when you whipped it once or twice. Catch this. When you whooped it once or twice. She said, no, you have to whip it till it becomes consistent. Oh, I got you in my hand, baby. And you think God is whipping you to whoop you. He's trying to whip you to become consistent. And I can't let you out into the oven yet until my strength is made. God. Come here, Potter's house. Come here. In the hand of the potter. I can't use it yet. Cause I'm still making you. I can't use you yet. Cause I'm still. You're still not consistent. Wait a minute. I pride myself on being a barbarita. Verse nine says, wait a minute. My strength is made perfect in your weakness. So I gotta whip you until you become weak. The problem now is you too hard. You got too many lumps in the clay. Watch this, because if I put you in the oven now and you're not consistent, you're going to mess up the rise of the cake. He says, but I can't do it until you're weak. So my goal is to get you weak. Wait a minute. My strength only becomes perfect when I whooped you into weakness. And most of us are crying because God is making me weak. No, baby, I need him. Make me weak. Make me weak. Here's where most of us should have been shouting because he's making me weak. But his hand is still on me. He making me weak but I'm still in his arms. He's making me weak. And I still know his hand is making something out of me. He's making me weak. But I know in the end what he's gonna do. He's making me weak But I know though he's slay me. Yeah, okay, I gotta get out of here. I gotta get out. He says, my strength is made perfect in your weakness. Not in God's weakness, but in your weakness. So. Which means you own the weakness. Which means weakness is the vessel. So my power can get in a weak vessel which now becomes strong. Verse number 10 is critical. He says, that's why for Christ's sake, I delight and wait. Okay, okay. I'm about to shout right here. I'm about to shout right here. Sam. Somebody shout what's in the box?
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Pastor Davis
Somebody shout what's in the box? Because everyone looks at the gift. Everyone looks at the box. Everyone looks at the beauty of the bow and what you would assume because the beauty of the bow. As I was walking it into church this morning, I had a number of people stop me say, oh Pastor, thank you for thinking of me, and I laughed and a few of them said thank you for thinking of me and I laughed again. And somebody said, thank you for giving me a gift. I said, when the message is finished, I want you to make sure you find me at the church because of what you think is beautiful on the inside. Inside. Somebody shout what's in the box? What's in the box? Gonna make you what's in the bucket something you don't want. What's in the box is weakness. In verse number 10, he said, I'll give you weakness. And that's the thing. Most of us don't want to be weak because the word weakness literally means to make feeble. He says, but what's it? I am gifting you the ability to be weak. We don't want to shout over that. We want a new car in there. We want a new house in there. We want to take as a check in there. But what if I tell you what's in that box? Go make you for tomorrow. Somebody shout what's in the box. Wait A minute. It got to be something in here that's going to make my day happy. He goes, something in the box you might want in your life. Insults. Here's a gift for you. Insults past. I don't want to insult, because the word insult literally means to damage. So when. And the first one, he says, I'm weak, which means I'm feeble, I'm ill. And the next one, he says, you're gonna give me hardship and damage. Does that sound like a gift to you? You know why I don't sound like a gift? Gift? Because your perception is off. And if I reach to the box, somebody shout, what's in the box? Eventually, I'm going pull out something that's going to look like hardship, that's going to look like persecution, that's going to look like difficulties. Wait a minute. Put verse 10 on the screen. Verse 10 says, For I delight in weakness, insults, hardship, persecution, and difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. No, no, no, no, no. See, I knew the shout had changed right about there, Little Sam. So I knew it changed right there because we want to shout on strong without going in the box to become weak. So you want to be strong. My question is, what gift has he given you to make you weak? Okay, so wait a minute. Wait a minute. That's what's in the box. That's what's in the box, he says, but then I am strong, which I found out whoopings aren't comfortable. I found out I got a problem with whoopings. I got a problem with whoopings. I got a problem with whooping. And I believe I want to have church right about here. I'm going to tell you a story. This happened decades ago. My son, during his birth. This was a while ago. This is old school, Dr. Jill. It's old school. My son was born, and he didn't make a sound. He didn't cry and do nothing. And the doctor hit my son. Now he hit my son. I told y' all in the beginning, he hit my son. Doc, let me tell you what's going to happen in this room. You're about to be in the next room because you hit my son. And it startled me when he hit my son. I remember this decades ago. It startled me when he hit my son. And when I jumped up, he said, wait a minute. He said, wait a minute. Let me explain to you why I hit him. He says, your son is being birthed from one season to another, and he's not making a sound. He's not making a sound. Which means there's a possibility that ambiotic fluid is on his lungs and I need for him to make a sound for the new season he in. So this whooping is going to jar his lungs so he can open up his mouth to identify. He knows he's in a new season. Oh, I don't know who I'm talking to today, but every now and then, God will send eight. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new. Wait a minute. That wasn't my shout. I was shouting because of the new season, Dr. Baker. But the doctor told me something that I'll never forget for the rest of my life. He says the baby has Ambryonic fluids on his lungs. What I can't do is let him have the residue of last seasons going into a new season. So I need him to open up his mouth and get rid of the old stuff. And I don't know who I'm talking to today, but I heard the Lord say, I need you to open up your mouth and get rid of the old stuff. Yeah, he been whooping me. Yeah, he's been beating me. Yeah, he gave me a thorn. But, baby. Oh, my God. I don't know who I'm talking to today. But it may not be the gift you want, but it was the gift you needed it. I won't. I'm about to shout and run around this place like I done lost my mind. I want everybody. You feel like the Lord has been whooping you in this new season of your life. I need you to run to this altar and act like God just birthed you into a new season. As a matter of fact, the isle is the birthing canal. New season, New season. New season. New season. New season. New season. New season. New season. New season. New season, New season, New season, New season. You're in a new season. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Coming out the balcony. New season. Come on top of the balcony. New season. Yeah, you're in a new season. You're in a new season. You're in a new season. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah. As a matter of fact, this may Be weird. This may be awkward, but touch everybody you can and tell them. New season, new season, New New season, New season, New, New season, New season, New season, New new, new, new, new, new, New. Season. New. Everything New everything New, new, new season, new season, New season, New season, New season. Yeah. New season, new season. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I'm in a new season I'm in a new season I'm in a new season I'm in a new season I'm in a new season I'm in a new season I'm in a new season. I can't go back, I can't go back, I can't go back, I can't, I can't go back, I can't, I can't go back, No, no. It is the meaning of the last clause in verse 10, right about there he says, that's it right there. When I am weak, then I am strong. The doctor told me, and I'm prophesying to somebody in here. He says, let me tell you something. He can never go back to where he came from again. He can never go back. He can't catch this. He can't breathe the same way again. He need his lungs to breathe while in the ambionic fluid, he didn't need it to breathe. He was fed through the umbilical cord which carried the nurture that he need. But now that doesn't exist anymore. Now he got to breathe on his own. And some of you, God has cut people out of your life because you gotta breathe on your own. You gotta breathe on your own. Watch this. And the first thing the doctor said I was looking for was not a language. I was looking for a sound. Oh, let everything that has breath. Let everything that has breath. Let everything that have breath. I. I can breathe again, Pastor. I can breathe again. I can. He said this, and I'm saying it to you. He said his lungs didn't have to work ultimately where he came from, but where he's going, he's going to need it. And I want to prophesy to you in here and you online, where you're going, you going to need to breathe. And every time you think about breathing, you remember that everything that has breath. Praise the Lord. You were moving and you were coming from the aisles and were coming from the aisles and you were coming from and you were coming out of the balcony. And I promise you, as you were moving prophetically, it's like I saw birthing canals. It's like you were moving out of your chair. You were moving out of pull pit. You were moving out of pew, you were moving out of a womb into a new season of your life. And to everyone that's under the sound of my voice, I don't care if you're sitting in in the pews, I don't care if you're online. I don't care if you're in here. To everybody that's under the sound of my voice, I am believing, believing that the whooping you took, that the thorn you're dealing with, it wasn't a gift you wanted, but it was a gift you needed. Somebody shout, I needed that. I needed that. Somebody shot, I needed that. The thing about needing it, you don't know you need it while you go going through it. You don't know you need it until you came out of it. But I want to give you a prophetic unction that no matter what you're dealing with right now, the season is coming where God is going to make you strong. The season is coming where God is shifting the anointing. The season is coming where prosperity is going to hit your home. The season is coming where things are turning. Boy, you're good. So, Father, I pray today for everyone that's under the sound of my voice, for everyone that's listening to me pray, that's listen to me declare this word unto you. I am praying that it may not be the gift that they wanted. It may have been thorns, but God, it was for a reason. It's not even that it was for a reason. It is for a reason. And you may not have been able to walk through it yet, but God says it's going to be for a reason. Think it not strange concerning these fiery darts of the enemy because what the enemy meant for evil, God is turning it for the game. God, there's two or three things I want to do before we get ready to get out of here. I want you to grab a 50 seed if you're online. If you need to go back, get your phone, whatever you need to do. If you're here saying, pastor, I'll do it by the time I go back, make sure you do it by the time you get back. This is honoring the word of God. If you need to label for your while, that's fine too. But I want you to grab a 50 seat if you're online, grab. Grab a 50 seed. They did not ask me to do this. I just feel unction of the Holy Ghost. I just. I believe. I believe in sewing. I believe in systematic and I believe in spontaneous giving. When something like this happens, sometimes we need to sow into the ecosystem so God can change it in your favor. If you're here and you're saying, this is pastor, I'll do it when I get back. That's fine too, because I want you to stay in the moment. I don't want you to miss the moment of what's happening right here. I want you to give. Grab a 50 seed offering. I see my wife over there, she make sure we give it as well. Sooner or later, it's turning my favor. Sooner or later. While you're doing that, if you're saying, pastor, I don't know the Lord and the parts of my sins, I'm dealing with these thorns, but I don't know. I don't know Christ as my personal savior. And you heard me doing all this preaching and you said, listen, Pastor, I need to get my life right, right with God. Do me a favor. I know we're still giving and that's fine, but you can be giving of your soul as well. Do me a favor. Raise your hand if you want to give your life to Christ. Today I passed. I'm gonna raise my hand. I want to raise my hand because today I am declaring. I am giving my life to Christ today. I see your hand. I see your hand. Yeah. I see your hand. Yeah. All over the building. Raise your hand. I see your hand up there waving. I raise your hand. Raise your hand. I see it. And for those who are giving their life to Christ, I want this to be a corporate declaration. Wait, everyone, please repeat after me. Father, I believe you sent your son to die on the cross for my sins. And I believe that same power that got Jesus up from the grave now lives on the inside of me. That is it. As it relates to salvation. Now, what's more important, on top of that, you got to get connected to a church. You got to get connected to a Bible believing, teaching, preaching church. And I would like to submit our church as one of those churches. I would like to submit our church as one of those churches. So come on, everybody, we're standing. Everyone is standing. Everyone is standing. Everyone is standing. I want to do this all simultaneously at one time. If you would like to become a member of the Potter's house, immediately to my left, your right, my colleagues over there with their hands raised, we want to usher you in. If you want to become a member of the Potter's house. If you're online, we want you to type join. Type join, put join in the comment. Someone will reach out to you. But if you're in the house to my left, your right, my colleagues would be there to welcome you to the Potter's house also. Listen, if you're here and you've been dating us long enough, come on here. Stop playing. Stop playing. The anointing, lifting now. Stop playing. Stop playing. Come on and join us. We'll gladly welcome you here at the Potter's house. I am so thankful for the opportunity that I get to serve in here. I'm so thankful. After over a decade of being a senior pastor, I now get to help undergird a vision that I'm absolutely thankful for. Thank you for allowing me to say my Easter speech on today. I am grateful, Bishop Lady Jakes. We love you, PT Pastera. We love you, Pastor. Get well soon. Take your time, but get well soon. Pastor, everybody here love you. We're waiting on your return, but get well soon. Take your time. For those absolutely watch us across the world. We absolutely love you. We thank you for the time. If we're giving. If we're giving. Take your offering. Pass it to the left. Pass to the left. Pmt Serve the people of God as they're passing it to the left. We were giving a $50 seed offering planted into the church. Planted to what is given. Because this is the gift you didn't want. Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the opportunity to serve. We come against every plot plan of the enemy. Satan, the Lord rebukes you and the the blood of Jesus is against you. God. For those who gave their life to Christ on today, we thank you for them. God. For those who are joining the church, we thank you for them. For those who all across the world who thought it not robbery to join us today, we thank you God and pray that there was a word that was given that will change their life forever now. God, for everyone who heard the word on today, who understood it as the gift that they didn't want and now becomes the gift that they needed and God will forever give you all the praise, the glory and the honor. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. See you on Walk It Out Wednesday. It is the gift that you did not want. That's a wrap for today's episode of the Potter's House podcast. Subscribe for more.
Paige from Giggly Squad
Give.
Pastor Davis
Keep your fire lit and your faith immovable.
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Hi, it's Paige from Giggly Squad, and this episode is sponsored by Experian Boost Summer Glow Up Check Credit Glow Up. Even better, boost your credit scores instantly by getting credit for bills you're already paying your phone, utilities, rent and insurance. I wish dating kind of worked like that. Connect your bank account, add those on time payments to your Experian credit file, and your FICO score updates right away. You could instantly raise your FICO score by an average of 14 points with Experian Boost. Download the Experian app for free today. Results will vary. Users who received a boost improved their FICO score 8 from Experian by an average of 14 points. See appstore or experian.com for details.
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Episode Title: The Gift You Didn't Want
Speaker: Pastor Don Johnson
Date: May 17, 2026
In this impactful sermon, Pastor Don Johnson explores the concept of “the gift you didn’t want” using 2 Corinthians 12:6–10 as the foundation. Challenging the prevalent desire for comfort and motivation in the modern church, Pastor Johnson unpacks the paradox of divine gifts that come disguised as discomfort, weakness, insults, or hardships. Through vivid illustrations, biblical exegesis, and personal testimony, he urges listeners to recognize and embrace the “thorns” in their lives as crucial tools for spiritual growth and divine strength. This episode powerfully reframes suffering, weakness, and adversity as transformative, necessary components of mature faith.
Concern About Trends
Pastor Johnson begins by voicing concern about the modern church's tendency to replace biblical depth with "catchy" and "viral moments" focused on emotionalism, instead of sound doctrine and true transformation.
“We’re taking biblical depth and we’re exchanging it for surface revelations… The culture is beginning to shape the Bible instead of the Bible shaping the culture.” (05:01)
Truth Is Non-Negotiable
He warns against making scripture negotiable by filtering it through popular or cultural expectations.
“If the culture becomes the filter upon which the Scripture is discerned, then the truth becomes negotiable. And the truth is non-negotiable.” (06:25)
“If we’re immature in our statements, if we’re lazy in our interpretation, we’ll look for an easy way out when we’re supposed to be taking the hard way through, because it’s in the through that you become.” (12:02) “The same God that gives you a promise will be the same God that will give you a problem… But the problem don’t change my praise.” (13:50)
Background to the Passage
Pastor Johnson frames Paul’s writing: 1st and 2nd Corinthians address repentance, reconciliation, giving, and faithfulness amidst criticism.
“Chapters one through seven, he’s having a conversation: ‘Come on back home.’ … In chapters 10-13, there’s this revelation that Paul gets. And now, the haters are hating on Paul…he has to defend who he is.” (19:15)
Validation vs. Identity
Paul’s identity is not rooted in the applause or validation of people, a truth Pastor Johnson stresses for listeners.
“If the applause of people fuel you, their criticism will kill you… If you can’t validate me, that speaks to the ignorance and the blindness that God has not revealed to you who I really am.” (25:30)
“God gives you something from becoming what you could become just because you know God… Every now and then, God will give you a tool to keep you from becoming what you should not become.” (28:20)
“I’m so glad they didn’t put what the thorn was… Which means it leaves room for anything that agitates you.” (34:35)
“It’s not that he didn’t answer your prayers. It was that it wasn’t the answer you wanted… Most of us, if we’re honest, it wasn’t that he didn’t answer. It was He didn’t give you the answer you wanted.” (36:05)
“This is not the grace that holds back what we deserve… This is sustaining grace… He said no, I’m not giving you the grace to bring you out; I’m giving you the grace to keep you while you’re in it.” (38:00) “Outside the fire, I was bound; inside the fire, I’m loose. Outside the fire, people trying to push me in; inside the fire, I got the presence of the Holy Ghost.” (41:23)
“My strength only becomes perfect when I’ve whooped you into weakness… And most of us are crying because God is making me weak. No, baby, I need Him. Make me weak. But His hand is still on me.” (44:40)
“What if I tell you what’s in that box gonna make you for tomorrow?... What you find is hardship, persecution, and difficulties. Does that sound like a gift to you? Your perception is off.” (50:30)
“Every now and then, God will send a [whooping]… you’re in a new season. Because you can’t go back to where you came from… You gotta breathe on your own.” (56:30)
“It may not be the gift you want, but it was the gift you needed… You don’t know you need it while you’re going through it, you know you need it when you come out of it.” (62:11)
On Biblical Depth vs. Viral Moments
“The culture is beginning to shape the Bible instead of the Bible shaping the culture.” (05:01) “We want a feel-good message instead of a ‘get me right’ message. Being right is still getting right.” (08:24)
On the Role of Hardship
“The same God that gives you a promise will be the same God that will give you a problem.” (13:50)
On Identity and Validation
“If the applause of people fuel you, their criticism will kill you.” (25:40)
On the Thorn as a Gift
“Has God ever given you something, then you realized the cost of it, then you wanted to return to sender?” (31:15) “I’m so glad they didn’t put what the thorn was… leaves room for anything that agitates you.” (34:35)
On the Gift of Weakness
“What if I tell you what’s in that box going to make you for tomorrow? Weakness, hardships, insults, persecution, difficulties.” (50:30)
New Season Prophecy
“He can never go back to where he came from again… Some of you, God has cut people out of your life because you gotta breathe on your own.” (59:11)
Transforming Perception on Suffering
“It may not be the gift you wanted, but it was the gift you needed.” (62:11)
“It may not be the gift you wanted, but it was the gift you needed.” Pastor Johnson’s message is a clarion call to accept whatever God allows—weakness, hardships, or “thorns”—not with resentment but with expectation. These are not punishments, but the fertile soil for authentic spiritual strength and a true new season in God.