Girls Gone Bible - Winning the War Within w/ Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell

Episode Date: June 19, 2026

hiii GGB :) our favorite is back. this episode is for anyone fighting battles no one else can see. the overthinking. the spiraling. the fear. the temptation. the stuff you keep trying to handle on your own. Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell came on and truly preached in the most needed way. Winning the War Within is such a reminder that you don't have to win the battle by yourself, you just have to bring it to God. we loveeeee you Jesus loves you more. Ang & Ari ORDER OUR BOOK! You can order our new book "Out of the Wilderness 31 Devotions to Walk with God Through Your Hardest Seasons" at https://www.girlsgonebible.com/book JOIN US ON GGB+ 🥹❤ https://ggb.supportingcast.fm  COME SEE US ON TOUR: Tickets for our tour are now on sale. Go to https://www.GirlsGoneBible.com/tour WE LOVE YOU AND CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOU!  Thanks to our sponsors for this episode. Richmont Graduate University https://www.richmont.edu Mint Mobile https://www.mintmobile.com/ggb Avocado Green Mattress https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/ggb Shopify https://www.shopify.com/ggb Glorify https://www.glorify-app.com/ggb Active Skin Repair https://www.activeskinrepair.com Grand Canyon University https://www.gcu.edu Olive & June https://www.oliveandjune.com/ggb IQBAR Text GGB to 64000

This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack hydration and coffee sponsor. IQ Bar Protein bars, IQ Mix, Hydration Mixes, and IQ Joe mushroom coffees are the delicious, low sugar, brain and body fuel you need to win your day. And honestly, some days we're so busy doing life that we look up and realize that all we've had is coffee. And that's why we love IQ Bar. Their plant protein bars are such a smart snack because they are packed with protein, fiber, and have no added sugar. And we love that all of their products are made with clean and cream. that support both your body and your mind. And if you're someone who needs help drinking water,

the IQ mix hydration sticks are amazing. Plus the IQ Joe mushroom coffee has become one of our favorite ways to start the morning with sustained energy and mental clarity. With over 20,000 five-star reviews and counting, more people than ever are fueling their busy lifestyles with IQ bars, brain and body boosting bars, hydration mixes, and mushroom coffees. Their ultimate sampler pack includes all three.

And honestly, IQ bar has become part of our routine. We love grabbing an IQ bar when we're on the go. Their lemon blueberry bar is my current hyperfixation. And right now, IQ bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ bar products, including the ultimate sampler pack, plus free shipping. To get your 20% off, text GGB to 64,000. Text GGB to 64,000. That's GGB to 64,000.

Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. If you've ever walked through depression, heartbreak, anxiety, or trauma, you know how powerful it is when someone helps you find hope and healing. Today, nearly one in four adults experience a mental illness each year, and among young adults, that number rises to one in three. The need for compassionate counselors and trauma-informed ministry leaders has never been greater. And that's why we're so excited to tell you about Richmond Graduate University. Richmond equips future counselors and ministry leaders with the skills and compassion to help others heal and grow. Richmond specializes

in richmond specializes richmond specializes in integrating clinical mental health counseling and spiritual formation advancing god's work of healing restoration and transformation in the lives of individuals churches and communities whether you're called to become a licensed counselor or ministry leader richmond offers master's degrees in counseling ministry a doctor of ministry degree and specialized certificates designed to equip you for work in these fields. If God is calling you into counseling or ministry, Richmond can help you take the next step. Apply for the fall semester by July 1st and use our promo code GGB to waive the $50 application fee. To learn more and apply, visit to learn more

and apply, visit richmond.edu. You have the power to change lives through your career. Healing starts here. All right, guys. We are so excited today. We feel so honored because we have someone extremely special that has blessed us for a second time on Girls Gone Bible. A man who has genuinely changed my life, someone who's completely transformed the trajectory of my faith. 2019 is my church, and every Sunday I encounter the Lord on my floor as a digital disciple, and it has completely changed me as a woman. Pastor Philip Mitchell. And thank you for having me.

Your obedience. Your purity, your urgency, your deep love for people. I just said to your team that when I see you, I truly see Jesus. Wow. And I appreciate that. You are as real as they come. And because of that, you are saving me. millions of people across the world. And we love you and we are so honored to have you here today.

I love y'all. Y'all are my sisters. And I'm deeply honored to be here. Thank you for your kind words. I could say the same about you. You know, every time I'm in your presence, I feel the spirit of God and I feel the love of God. And even like Angie and I was just talking off, that you ladies, you are the real deal, right? You are the real deal. You live this. you suffer well you're serious about christ you love god's people and so i could say all the same things about you all and i love you with all my heart thank you for having me on the podcast again thank you pastor philip just letting everyone know we don't have tissues but i got it ready because you guys remember last time we pastor philip walks in the door i mean i i i took like an hour to do

my makeup this second he walks in we're bawling our eyes out he's praying for us so we just want everyone to know that this is not a man who walks into a room and says, hey, guys, here I am. No, he walks in and says, hey, there you are and here's Jesus and let me pray for you. So someone who intentionally walks in and like wants to know what's going on with us. And let's be honest, you meet so many people in the space who don't see the person in front of them. When it's like a ministry context, you walk in and you're like, okay, cool, let's do the job. Let's do the thing. No, you walked in and you said, hey, you guys are people before we're doing ministry. So thank you for being who you are.

Seriously. Absolutely. It's so funny. Every time I'll watch your sermon and we'll do a podcast, you always know when I watch you because I start flipping out on everybody. I'm like, I don't know what you want me to say. Time is running out. And Andrew will look at me and be like, you just watch.

Did you just watch Passen Fill up? I'm like, yeah, I did. Just relax. Come on. We'll be in an Uber. And now he's like, I don't know about you, but time's running out. So what's up? She's like, leave that to Pastor Phil.

I'm like, fine. But it is, though. No, it is. But it is, right? Yeah. It is. And we could laugh about it now, but it is. Yeah.

Right? And I say that a lot because I want believers to know that we don't have all the time. Yeah. We think we have. Right. I, you know, when I am acutely aware of the events that are happening right now in the world, both in our nation and outside of our nation. Yeah.

In the Middle East. Yeah. I'm looking at things that's happening with China and Russia. Yeah. I'm looking at how all these things are running parallel to biblical prophecy. Yeah. And there's just this burning sense in my heart when I kneel to pray. that God is like sending warnings,

warnings trying to awaken his bar, his waking his children to realize that we are probably living in the last seconds of the church age. Wow. And I just think people need to know that so we can take our walk more serious, but also take our call to spread the gospel and multiply disciples more serious.

So even when, like for example, Ari, when you and I was talking, off camera. And Angie and I was talking about this too, how you ladies are going to continue your tour, right? And how you and I was just talking about, you could care less about a podcast. It's more than a podcast for you. It's more than a podcast for you ladies. You want to be with God's people. You want to be in the room. You want to teach and preach and wrap them in your arms. You want to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. You want to look them in their eyes when they're shedding tears, right?

And you're talking like this, but that burden that is in you is that end-time burden that we need that goes beyond a studio, goes beyond moments like this, that we have to get the gospel to God's people. Yeah. As many people as possible. So when I even think about you ladies,

extending your tour to be with God's people, I think that even is the Holy Spirit, guiding you ladies to do that, right? We need to be out there in the highways and byways, making Jesus known. compelling as many people as possible to come into the kingdom. If we're not doing that, I don't even know what we're doing. I feel like if we're not about that life right now,

I feel like we're not about anything, right? So just when I think about the extension of your tour and, you know, me saying that time is running out, I just think through multiple voices that Christ is raised up in this hour is trying to sound an alarm, both in our nation and around the world. that now is the hour for us to be serious about the things of the kingdom. 100%.

When we were preparing, and we've put so much prayer into this, like you are, it's so hard because, first of all, the point of this episode today with you is we want to know what the spirit is saying. We want to know what God wears heart is, what the warning is, what the encouragement is, what the exhortation is. as we were praying earlier, I was just praying that Lord, like, let there be an exhortation today for the body, just like the disciples did in the letters to the churches. Like, please speak today in a way that guides people because he's moving and we need to know

where he's going. But then there's also so much that's on your life specifically. Like, it is undeniable. There's a move of God happening through you that is translated beyond. your city beyond your church and beyond America. Like all over the world, people are getting saved off of your sermons, off of your teaching, off of your preaching.

And so you probably hate this term, but like you are the man of the hour. There's something so significant on your life right now. And we honor what God is doing through you. I, first I just want to ask one question that's like burning on my heart. You have such a sense, a sense of urgency and you're serious about the things of God.

Yeah. And the joy of the Lord is our strength. So I imagine, like, you have to experience joy, right? Yeah, I do. You do. I experience joy off the platform. Off the platform. Outside of podcast rooms.

I experience the most joy when I'm alone with the Lord in my prayer room. I experience the most joy when I'm alone with my wife and my children. my family. When I'm with them, I experience a tremendous amount of joy. I love watching movies with my kids, taking walks with my wife, riding bikes with my sons. I experience a tremendous amount of joy. I'm off the camera when I'm with my family.

But for me, when I'm on a platform, it's life or death. Yeah. When I'm ministering to people, it is life or death. The joy of the Lord is in there. but it takes a backseat to the call in those moments to make Jesus know. I feel that any time we are speaking, whether you ladies are on tour in the room, or I'm preaching at Sunday morning at 2019 at our gatherings or wherever I'm traveling in America around the world,

I feel like that can be the last time somebody may hear the gospel who's sitting in that room, right? That may be the last time that somebody hears the progress. of God's word. There's been testimony, stories of people who have left our gatherings and did not make it home. There was a brother in our church who left a gathering with a group of believers and jumped on a motorcycle to go home and he did not make it home. A few months ago, there was a family coming from another city to our gathering. And that young man, he was in his 20s. He lost his. his life that week. And he was planning to be in the gathering of 2019. And so life is,

life is fragile. Yeah. And it is held in the palm of God's hands. And no one knows what day will be their last. I never know what Sunday will be my last. I never know what podcasts would be my last. All right. And since I never know what Sunday will be my last or what podcasts would be my last or what conference would be my last. If that is my last, I want to make sure that the scriptures were properly proclaimed, that Christ was exalted, that the audience heard the truth,

and that I represented God well in that moment, right? And so if any Sunday's my last or any podcast, my last, they said, well, that was Philip Anthony Mitchell's last preaching. That was his last interview. was Christ exalted? Did we get around to any kind of gospel conversations? Was there, was there fidelity to the scriptures? Yeah.

Was it properly exegeted and not Isogited? So for me, it's that serious. And that's not to say that we can't have humor and satire and proclamation, but I'm just not wired that way, right? for me it is life or death every time I stand to minister and so people may not see what appears to be like joy in those moments but I experience a lot of joy outside of those moments but for me those moments are they are life or death that's what they feel like for me I feel like I feel like even moments now where you know millions may watch this podcast or

moments where I may be traveling or on the Sunday that is coming. I feel like those moments for me, I feel like I'm on the front line of warfare. I'm on the front line of battle. Yeah. And I feel like for me it's just not time to play around. Right. So there is joy, right?

There is joy. It's just off the platform. Yeah. It's in the secret place and it's with my family. And it's with the people that are, I love when I'm spending time with them. Absolutely. This podcast is sponsored by active skin repair, a skin health brand that helps your skin

heal using natural non-toxic medical grade ingredients. What makes active skin repair different is that it uses the same proprietary formulation trusted in hospitals. The key ingredient is hypochloric acid, a molecule your body naturally produces. When applied to the skin, it works by mimicking your immune response to cleanse, soothe irritation, reduce inflammation, and support healing. Active skin repair can be used for just about everything. Cut, scrapes, burns, sunburns, rashes, acne, eczema, rosacea, you name it. It's safe, non-toxic, and gentle enough for all skin types, all ages, and anywhere on the body or face.

But what we love is that they've expanded beyond just healing sprays. Their hydrating serum for body and face is incredibly lightweight and packed with hyluronic acid to deeply hydrate and plump the skin, leaving you with that healthy, dewy glow. It's made with a hearty cream. It's made High quality ingredients sourced from Italy and is EWG approved, so you know it's both effective and clean with no heaviness or irritation. And you actually want to wear it every day. It's super sheer, hydrating, and layers perfectly under makeup while still protecting your skin. Trusted by over a million customers and clinicians with thousands of five-star reviews,

active skin repair is simple, clean skin care you can feel good about, safe enough for everyone in your family, from the youngest to the oldest. To learn more and get 20% off your order, visit active skin repair.com. use code GGB. You can also find active skin repair on Amazon and at your local CVS. Guys, we're so excited to tell you about our sponsor, avocado green mattress. Their certified organic mattresses are specifically designed to relieve pressure points, support your body the way it needs, and help you actually get the deep, restorative sleep you've been missing. Every mattress is made with thoughtfully sourced materials and built with

real care, so you get incredible sleep night after night. Listen, one thing about us, we love a good nap. Like if there were spiritual gifts for sleeping, we'd both be in the running. But seriously, when I invest in something for my home, I want it to last. And I love that avocado focuses on real materials and thoughtful craftsmanship. Their mattresses are supportive, comfortable, and feel intentionally made, not mass-produced, which makes it feel like such a worthwhile investment. And honestly, we spend a third of our life sleeping. Why are we out here sleeping on something that feels like a college futon?

No thank you. And what I love most is that their products are made with real, certified organic materials that don't just feel better, they provide incredible support, breathability, and durability. And because they're made to last, it's also one of the most sustainable choices you can make. Avocado products are made, not manufactured, and thoughtfully crafted with real materials to deliver lasting comfort and support. Go to avocadogreenmatress.com slash GGB to check out their mattresses and furniture sale. That's avocado greenmatress.com slash GGB. Avocado green mattress.com slash GGB. Starting something new is terrifying. I think sometimes people

look at GGB and forget that there was a day when it was just an idea. We had so many what ifs. What if no one listens? What if people think we're crazy? What if we fail? But one thing we've learned is that fear doesn't mean you're not called. Sometimes you just have to take a leap and trust that God will meet you there. And if you're building something, a business, a brand, a dream, you need the right tools around you. And that's why we love Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform. behind millions of businesses around the world, from brands just getting started to some of the biggest names out there. And honestly, they make it so easy. Whether you're creating your first website, launching products, trying to market your business, or figuring out inventory and

analytics, Shopify puts everything in one place. Get started with your own design studio. With hundreds of ready-to-use templates, Shopify helps you build a beautiful online store that matches your brand style. They even have AI tools that can help with product descriptions and enhancing product photography. And if you've ever thought what if nobody knows about my brand, Shopify helps you find your customers with easy to run email and social media campaigns. And what if I get stuck? Shopify is always around to share advice with their award-winning 24-7 customer service. And best yet, Shopify is your commerce expert with world-class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping to processing returns and beyond. It's time to turn those what-ifs into

with Shopify today. Sign up for. for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash GGB. Go to Shopify.com slash GGB. That's Shopify.com slash GGB. Yeah. Can you tell people, I just, you just have a fire that it doesn't burn out. Yeah. And a purity, I was just talking to your team.

And one thing they said is you just, you make sure that they burn with purity. Yeah. Can you talk about just keeping that fire with the Lord? Lord and the purity of the heart. So that's, yeah. I think, I think in our humanity, we all experience seasons of drift. I think we are prone to wander. It's in our fallen nature.

I think we all go through hard times and challenges and trials that extinguish our fire from time to time. And push us into places where we feel cold. maybe distant from God, right? And I say that as a preference to what I want to say to encourage the people who are watching who may be in a place right now where they feel far away from God or their fire has waned to some degree,

I want to level set and say it happens to all of us, right? I'm sure it happens to you ladies. It happens to me. There are times when I feel like my fire may burn a little dim and it has to be reignited. I think for me, when the Spirit of God was poured out on 120 disciples on the day of Pentecost, the Lord poured out his spirit. He manifested himself in tongues of fire.

It was the first thing that the Holy Spirit touched in men was their mouth. I said something like tongues of fire appeared in the room over them and it rested on all of them 120. and they begin to prophesy and speak in other tongues or other languages. And when I think about that, the first thing that Holy Spirit touched on men, when he was poured out on their Pentecost, was their mouths, and the mouth is connected to the heart. And so if we read the text carefully, we understand that God, he set those 120 on fire.

And I think it's God's will for his people to be on fire. I don't think it's God's will for us to be lukewarm, and I don't think it's God's will for us to be distant. from him, I think it's his will for us to be on fire, even if it is a quiet fire. There is a fire that is voracious and loud that bears the name of Philip Anthony Mitchell, but then there is a fire of a old woman that sits in the back of a church and nobody knows her name. And she's not famous and she doesn't have a global platform.

She doesn't have a global podcast. But when she kneels to pray, demons tremble, right? And when she goes into a prayer closet, she shifts atmospheres. And so it's not about a platform in the name. It's just how intimate are you are with Christ. The fire is symbolic of how close you are to Christ. If God is a consuming fire, then how do we get close to him and not be burned? If God is a consuming fire, I don't see how we can be intimate with him and not be burned.

And so when we talk about fire, it's really how intimate are we are with Christ. I think the more we read and the more we pray, the more we consecrate, the more we fast, the more we distance ourselves from iniquity and sin, the more we pursue

holiness and purity of the heart, the more we grow on fire. And when that fire is cold, we have to go back to the source. The source is Jesus himself. Yeah. Right? It is me going back into the secret place and being honest, say, hands. Yeah, this is, this is,

It's all right. You're right. So to me, it's me going back to the secret place and saying, Lord, I am in a dry place, right? It's me going back to the secret place and saying, Lord,

I have drifted away from you and being honest. It's me getting around community who's on fire and being able to tell them that I've drifted from the Lord. Can you pray for me? It's me putting myself in gatherings where people on fire. It's me watching across. across the camera, uh, 2019 where people are fire. It's, it's me acknowledging, um, when I am in a place where I know how far away from God and, and doing the necessary things to throw wood back on that

fight. For the community, through the scriptures, through prayer, through fasting, through all this, through purity, I think God desires for us to be on fire. And when we say God desires for us to be on fire, what we're saying is God desires for us to be very, very intimate. Yeah. That's such a great distinction because I think so many people can hear being on fire as being bold and being the loudest one in the room and being the biggest one in the room and that's not the case. We didn't even plan on going in this direction, but really quickly, you talk about suffering a lot. We talk about suffering a lot. I went through a season within the past few months of my life where it's been difficult. And the fire that I feel when I'm on. top of the world, it wasn't there. So what do I do when I don't feel as on fire, when I don't feel like I love Jesus as much as I did before,

when I feel like my problems and my pain are bigger than Jesus. It's just the truth. It's not the truth, but it feels like it's the truth in the moment. And during that season, my main focus was staying faithful when I was vulnerable. Staying faithful when I was frail. Can you talk to people about discipline when you're suffering and just like how you can be disciplined in a way that doesn't lead to being religious

but being disciplined in a way that leads you back to the fire? Yeah, that's really good. I think it's important for us to level set and say to allow those who are listening to understand that that is normal, right? I think we should normalize suffering and pain and the outgrowth of that that make us sometimes draw away from God. That is not abnormal.

And I think there is grace in the scriptures for that. When I read the Psalms, I love the Psalms because my mother, specifically my mother and my father, when I was young, they would, I would say force me to read the Psalms, even though I wasn't a believer. And that seed was in me. So when I get saved, I would come back to the Psalms often. And one of the things I love about the Psalms is that the Psalms, the largest book that we have preserved for us in the scriptures, it gives us the full array of all human emotion, right?

So in the Psalms, we see everything from radical joy to radical sadness, right? We see the human emotions from being on mountaintops and being in valleys. And so when we read the Psalms, we see the full, full array of all human emotions on the spectrum from the far right to the far left. And the fact that it is in there and the fact that the Psalms were written by David and Moses and other men inspired by the Holy Spirit, it gives us permission. Watch this, to feel. Yeah. Right. It gives us permission to be broken.

It gives us permission to cry, to weep, to mourn, and to even. question God in moments like God, why do you feel so far away from me? It gives us permission to watch us to be humans who God understands. I love when the scripture says that we were made from dust and our frailties, right? And I say that because what the enemy does sometimes when we go through seasons like what you're gone through and what you are going through, when we go through seasons like that, the temptation would be for the enemy to make us feel so condemned for our feelings and make us feel that God has mad at us for our feelings.

But we have to remember that he is a loving father. He's the same person that not only aspired the Psalms through those writers, but invites us to come back to him in those times where we feel broken, right? And so I want to first respond by just saying to the person who's watching, I want to normalize pain. I want to normalize suffering. I want to normalize the human things we go through that almost creates distance between us and God. I want to say to somebody

watching those things are normal and they should not condemn themselves when they feel that way, right? God gives us grace to feel and has given us emotions to feel. So that's number one. But number two,

I think that we need to have a better hermeneutic and theology of suffering. I think in the West, we treat suffering like failure. Right. Exactly. Like a disease. And because we hide behind veneers of false perfection, because of our platforms and our acclaim and our fame,

we have people who move around the body of Christ and look at them and where they are and we think they have no problems, they have no issues. I think that does people a disservice. I think one of the most beautiful things we can do for the body of Christ, especially when you're a person who has influence, is pull back the curtain every now and then and let them see your humanity. Let them see that you can be vulnerable.

Let them see that you're going through suffering. Let them see you're going through pain. So they have hope that even the people we call our heroes, they are suffering too. Everybody's dealing with something, right? And this is why I teach our church that we have to learn to live well, but we also have to learn to suffer well. And we have to have a good theology of suffering.

suffering is part of the Christian experience. Let me say this again. Suffering is part of the Christian experience. There is no walk with Jesus without suffering. And there is a beauty in suffering. And the beauty in suffering is when we are suffering for righteousness and when we are suffering because we're in the will of God, then in those moments, even through pain and through tears,

we can whisper in our broken and say, Lord, thank you, that you have allowed me to suffer with you and to identify with your suffering, that I get to step into suffering with you. And as we step into suffering with him, we are brought closer to him in our suffering. We are shaped in our character because of our suffering. Our faith is strengthened because our suffering.

We identify with Christ in our suffering. There is something beautiful in suffering. that unites us with Jesus in such a way that just being on mountaintops will never do. Right. And I think when we teach it that way, we can learn to wipe tears from our eyes while thanking them at the same time.

Yeah. That God, although I'm in pain right now and suffering right now, I know that you are with me in this and that you are shaping something in me as a result of this and that you will walk with me all the way through this valley until we meet the base of the next mountaintop

that we will climb together. And so if we try to eliminate that from our story, then we will pull out of the pages, even though what I'm about to say sounds counterintuitive. We would rip out of the pages of our story some of the best chapters if we don't allow suffering to be a part of our story and embrace it as sons and daughters.

We have to, yeah, we have to. And extract from it, all of the good things that come out of suffering. And I believe because of the scriptures that there's some suffering, it is God's gift to us. You remember the Apostle Paul, when he's sitting in a prison cell,

he penned several letters to the churches in the prison cell. One of them was the letter he wrote to the church at Philippi, which was the first church planted on the continent of Europe. and he's sitting in a Roman prison cell. He writes this letter to the church at Philippi. And around the back half of chapter one, he says he talks about suffering being a gift that's granted to us from God.

He connects suffering and granted. Like who says that in the same sentence, right? Who uses the word suffering and granted in the same sentence? And so when we see sometimes suffering like a gift from God, sometimes we have to look past the pain and say, God, what are you trying to do in me as you are allowing me to go through this suffering? Like he's working something in you right now, Angie,

as you're going through your season of suffering. I won't talk about it on camera. You and I talked about it off camera, but what you're going through right now, God has allowed that, right? And he's allowed that for some good in your life. And for you, Ari, some of the things that you go, through in your own suffering, like God allows that for some good in your life. And to the brothers

and sisters watching who are suffering now, not suffering for foolishness. Yeah. That separate that, right? Not, not suffering for iniquity because of rebellion and disobedience and sin. I'm not talking about, there's a type of suffering people go through because of disobedience. And there's a type of suffering people go through because of rebellion and pride and inequity. So I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about a suffering that we go through for righteousness and a suffering we endure because God grants it to us. God, what are you doing in me in this? What can I learn?

Always. How is it shaping me to be a better man and a better woman? I'm suffering right now, right? I'm suffering in my body, right? I'm suffering from social persecution, right? I'm suffering from death threats on my life. I'm suffering from, there's all command of things right now in my life that I'm suffering from.

And in it all, the Lord does not completely remove it. Yeah. But he's gracious in it. There is fruit in it. There is, there is, there is, there is lessons being learned in it, right? And in it, it keeps us on our knees, right? The Lord would never create a life for us that makes him unnecessary. Yeah.

Even our your most favorite preacher, the platform that we covered, we think if we get there, we have a big staff, or we get to the bag, or if we finally get married, or if we get the fill in the blank, I'll be suffer free. You will never create a life for us that makes them necessary. So you will always leave a little bit of suffering in our life. and it's for our good and as for his glory. Do you feel like you being sick going through your health issues has changed your faith?

How do you look at God as healer? Has that changed at all? And how does that look for you? What does that look like right now? Right now I am dealing with a mysterious medical condition. I'm seeing a specialist.

I'm believing God for my healing. I was in a jam, you know. I posted, you know, when I was laid up in a medical bed. And I did that because I want people to see that my life is not perfect. And that I'm suffering with the brothers and sisters in. And at the same time, the Sunday after I was in that medical bed, I'm preaching that Sunday, Acts chapter 2. about the coming of the spirit,

and the Holy Spirit hijacks two of our gatherings. You know, I preach three times on a Sunday, and he just pours out his spirit, God, in a mighty way upon us, in our last gathering. I feel the Spirit of God instruct me to just preach healing to the people, doing an altar call for healing. And I'm doing an altar call for healing while I'm sick in my own body. I'm believing God for healing while I'm sick in my own body, right?

like the doctors are trying to rule out prostate cancer and they're trying to rule out kidney disease and they're trying to rule out all these other things. And I have 100% faith as I'm doing that altar call that God is healing people in the room while I'm sick in my own body. While people are standing at the altar and while they're coming down from the risers

and while they're bawling their eyes out with their face on the altar, There is nothing in me. There's not even an ounce of doubt in me in that moment that God is healing people in the room. Both he's healing physical bodies. He's healing minds who've been battling with all kind of mental trauma. He's healing hearts that have been battling with emotional trauma. And there is not even an ounce of doubt in my heart in that moment.

So good. That God is healing people in that moment and healing people across the camera. Not even a smidget of doubt is in me while I'm sick in my own body. right because I believe that that I don't have to be healed to preach healing yes I can preach healing because it's a biblical thing to preach because it's who he is I can preach healing because that's who he is yeah that's right I can preach healing because Christ is a healer that's right even while I'm carrying sickness in my own body I can still preach because my sickness does not change his character yeah and my sickness does not change his nature that's right

And my sickness does not change the truth about God's word, right? There is nothing that you and I are going through that changes the truth of Scripture. That is so good. And there is nothing that you and I are going through that changes the character of who he is, right? So it does not matter if I'm sick in my body. I can still preach healing because he is a healer. I can preach healing because the scripted teaches us. These signs and wonders will follow those who believe they will lay hands on the sick and the sick shall recover.

right the scripture teaches us about the power of prayers the prayers the prayers of the righteous availeth much right and so me battling my own medical issue does not negate me from having faith for healing for brothers and sisters and at the same time while i'm laying hands on a sister or brother i'm laying hands on myself right and so i'm not going to not believe christ as a healer or his ability to heal because I'm battling my own medical issues. My, I don't want to say condition, my temporary circumstance. Yes. It's not negate the goodness of Christ and his character and his nature and his word.

As I'm talking to you right now, I believe I will be and I believe I am right now. In Jesus. Healed in Jesus' name. Yep. I believe that and I'm not worried. It's not going to hinder me. not only doing God's work, but believing for healing for other people. This episode is brought to you by Glorify, the number one Christian daily devotional app.

One of the greatest ways to stay connected to God throughout the day is this app, Glorify. And let's be real, some days you're opening Instagram before you open your Bible. And we love that with Glorify, you can just grab your phone and immediately be brought back to what actually matters. You'll love starting your mornings with the Bible passage of the day in the daily devotional. And on those days when life feels so overwhelming, you can put on one of their guided meditations or worship playlist and just sit with the Lord for a few minutes. And honestly, one of our favorite things is ending the day with their sleep meditations. There's something so peaceful about falling asleep with your heart and mind fixed on Jesus. Whether you've been walking with the Lord for years or you're just beginning to explore your faith, Glorify has something for you.

Listeners to GGB can get full access to Glorify for just 2999 for the entire year. That's Glorify's lowest price ever. When you download the glorify app now at glorify dash app.com slash GGB, feel closer to God this year with glorify. Get full access all year for 2999 at glorify dash app.com slash GGB. That's glorify dash app.com slash GGB. You guys know one thing about us. We love being girls.

Like there's just something about having your nails done that makes you feel like you can conquer the world. Suddenly your coffee tastes better. You're texting with more confidence. It just changes. things. And honestly, I don't always want to sit in a salon for two hours, try to find parking, and spend a small fortune every couple of weeks. And that's why we've been loving olive in June. Everything you need for a salon quality manicure is in one box, with salon grade tools designed

just for DIY. You can customize it with your choice of six polishes, the polish doesn't chip, and last seven days or more, and each manicure breaks down to just $2. And can we talk about the pressons? They look so real. They're non-damaging, and you can literally have a manny in less than 10 minutes, which is amazing for the girls who are busy but still want to feel cute. You guys, Avery Wood's new collection of pressons is gorgeous. Honestly, we just love being able to have beautiful nails whenever we want on our own time. Visit olive and june.com slash ggb for 20% off your first system. That's O-L-I-V-E-A-N-D-J-U-N-E dot com slash G-GB for 20% off your first system.

Girls Gone Bible is proud to be sponsored by Grand Canyon University, an affordable, private, non-profit Christian University based in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. They say higher education is outdated, irrelevant. GCU doesn't settle for the status quo. They shatter it. Grand Canyon University is one of the largest universities in the country. At GCU, academically rigorous, industry-driven programs are built to move at the speed of relevance, with practical skills, career readiness, and opportunity for every learner.

As of December 2025, GCU offered 380 programs overall, including 150,000. degree programs, 180 emphasis and 56 certificate programs. GCU believes education shouldn't be a privilege, but an affordable path forward for all. Grounded in Christian truth, GCU works to empower the next generation to lead with integrity, serve with purpose and help transform their communities, building a future that matters. GCU is purpose-driven education. Take action. Find your purpose at GCU, private, Christian, affordable, non-profit.

Visit gCU. to learn more. It's not. But pray for me. We're asking everyone to join in. Can everybody be praying for him? Pray for me. And can I just take a moment to just thank

everybody who, right? If you're watching this podcast and you have any knowledge of my post that I made or my temporary momentary affliction and you have prayed for me can I just say to your audience thank you thank them for anybody who has prayed for me I appreciate that so much it means everything to

me oh you are so loved and cherished and thank you Jesus for your life you are um we want to ask a couple of questions I really want to ask you if there is like a problem that you made to God. And these are like very intimate questions. So if there's anything you don't want to share, that's totally fine. Is there anything in your walk with Jesus, like a promise that you made, that you kept, that you never broke, that has, you believe potentially is one of the reasons why the Lord has trusted you so much in this season.

Wow. You know, the Holy Spirit told me you were going to ask me that today? Oh. You know, this morning when I was getting ready to come here, I was getting dressed. the Holy Spirit told me that someone, one of you two would ask me this question. And I don't even know why, right?

But the Holy Spirit told me one of you would ask me this question. So I could testify. Two promises I've made to God. When I was two years or so into my walk with Christ, I was a new believer. And I had an epic failure in my life. I heard a lot of people in that season. hurt my family, I heard church members.

I had an epic failure in my life. And after that failure, I was in a back room of a church facility and I was staring at a podium. And I was looked at that podium and I said, man, Lord, I walked with you for two and a half years. I guess that's it. I'm done, right? There's no bouncing back from my mistake. and I guess the two and a half years that I walk with you

and the one, two times I got a chance to preach, it was good while it lasted. And I was staring at that podium when I said that, thinking to myself that my time serving Jesus in ministry was over. And I walked away from like ministry, thinking I would just be a lay person all my life. Yeah. And two years after that, I was in Bible college, and they asked me to preach a chapel.

And I had not been behind a pulpit or done any kind of ministry for like two solid years. I was like Peter, who felt like I dishonored the Lord. And I walked away from the Lord like Peter did, like he went back to being a fisherman. But the Lord, he met me and he restored me. when they came and asked me to preach chapel, when I thought I was unusable. And I fasted for a week, and I studied the text. And before I got up to preach that chapel,

I made a promise to God that if he would anoint me again to preach, I would be faithful in my proclamation until he called me home. That was in 2009, that was almost two decades ago. that I made that promise to the Lord if he would anoint me to preach again. I would be faithful in my proclamation. And I would honor, I would honor him every time I stood on a platform to proclaim his word. I've kept that promise to him for almost 20 years. Kept that promise to him for almost 20 years.

By God's grace, I, uh, I intend to keep that promise to him. Yeah. until he calls me home. Right. So, like I even said to our church during our acts, one and two series, I said that in my whole ministry and my whole life is a second chance. And I intend to make good with my second chance. That is one promise I made to the Lord.

That if he would give me this grace, I intend to keep that promise. And the Holy Spirit told me you would ask me that. That's so great. I just need to get that off my chest. I've never talked about that on a podcast. Thank you, Jesus. Did you have a second one that you wanted to? Yes.

A second promise I made to God was when we changed the name of our church from victory to 2019. In January 23 and 183 disciples in our church. I'm preaching in an empty high school auditorium. to 183 disciples and there are seats everywhere you can come an hour late and still get a seat I made a promise to God

that I will be faithful to preach to whomever you put in front of me whether the room is full or the room is empty I will not bend in the scriptures and I made that promise to him and I intend to keep that one too

with his strength until he calls me home those are two promises I made to God. And if he would continue to give me grace, I intend to keep those promises. So I will be faithful in my preaching and Stuart in the anointing he's entrusted to me and I will not be afraid to preach the truth.

Whether it fills up a room or clears it out, I will not be handcuffed by the approval of people. Come on. I'm not going to give an account to them. I'm going to give an account to the one who gave me a second chance. I'm going to give an account to the one who has poured out his spirit on 2819. That's right. That's the one I'm going to give an account to, right?

I'm not going to try to protect a platform I did not build. Oh. Wow. By trying to appease people that are not going to be the judge I stand before. I'm not going to do that. So I'm content to be misunderstood. I'm content to be persecuted. I'm content to get death threats.

I'm content to be lied on. I'm content to be called a demon, a false prophet, all the things. I'm content to suffer all of that for the name of Christ. When in silent, I know, I know that I'm doing everything I can to be faithful to the one who gave me a second chance. even if people don't understand who I am, what I am, what I preach, or my movements, even if they don't understand that,

I'm content to be faithful to the one that gave me a second chance. So yes, that's a long answer to say I have made two promises to God. That's the best answer. And I intend to keep them. Praise Jesus. If it cost me my life.

Unreal. I can't believe the Lord showed you that this morning that we were going to ask that. Yeah, he did. He did. That's no lie. He did. I'm as sure as there's a God above, the Holy Spirit told me one of you two was going to ask me that question and I need to be prepared to testify.

Wow, Lord. We wanted to ask, has there been a moment through all of this where you've been more afraid than you've been excited? And what did Jesus do with that fear? I've never been afraid of death threats and I've gotten those I've wore a vest on my podcast tour

with my brother Tim I've never been afraid of people coming in my DMs you know saying you know they're gonna get me in all this other stuff I've never been afraid of opposition from false religions

you know we have you know it's not unknown that there is a camp out there that really hates me and they try to show up at our gatherings and make a big display of themselves on Sundays it's like they have no platform without me, right? I think if you're really men and women of God, have your own platform without trying to tear somebody else down, right?

Like, why do you have to show up at our church? You know, it's like you're trying to just get content, right? It's like, y'all don't even exist without, like, showing up at our church. Wait, that is so crazy. And I'm going to use that in the future for people who are, yeah. They have to use your platform to build their own. You know, it's like, if you're really of God, just do God's work.

Wow. Why you got to keep showing up at 2019, right? So stuff, I'm not afraid of that. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of threats and people showing. I'm not afraid of any of that stuff. I'm not afraid of men. Yeah.

The one time I have been afraid of God in all of this is moments when I have felt maybe like pride creep up into my heart. Or I feel like arrogance may have crept up into my heart. Right. And I feel like, yeah, that's in there. Yeah. I feel that. Maybe I said or did something that was characteristic of being prideful or arrogant or thinking more highly of myself than the art.

Or because of God's blessing in my life, my team, I probably work with the most dynamic group of human beings anywhere. I have a dynamic staff. When I think about God's favor on our church, the favor I experience in my personal life, my travels, the doors that have opened, the rooms I've sat in, the people have met, the handshakes, the relationships I have that I would never talk about on camera, right?

When I take inventory of all those things, if you're not careful, those things can, they can almost, for a person who's not grounded, almost make you think that this is for you. And that Jesus has done all of that solely for you. And he's poured out all that favor for you. And all of that is for you.

And then in a moment, self-reliance can emerge and pride can emerge and arrogance can emerge. And when that emerges in my heart every now and then, that is when I feel the most afraid. Yeah. Right? Not because of men, not because of threat. not because of people trying to show up with knives or guns

or not because of false people trying to show up or not because I got to wear bulletproof vests on tour. Those things, though, I'm not afraid of men. What makes me more afraid is when things creep up in my heart that might separate me from God. That's when I'm most afraid. That's when I'm most afraid, and that's when I have to go back to the prayer room

and hang myself on the cross again and say, God, crucify this in me again and take this out of me again. And that's when I have to remind myself that all of this that has happened in my life over the last couple years, Jesus has done this for himself. Yeah. I'm just, I just get to steward. I just get to be a part.

But he's done the platform he's given me, he's done that for himself, that his name could be proclaimed. What he's done in our church, he's done that for himself. That souls can be saved and harvested. What he's, what he's done in my life, he's done that for himself, not for me. I am the donkey that Jesus is riding on. Like, you remember, I took my church through Matthew for, for two. three years. Yeah. Three years. And in the end of Matthew, there is that scene when Jesus is riding in to Jerusalem on the donkey, fulfilling biblical prophecy. And the scripture tells us the people are

screaming Hosanna and they're laying branches on the floor as he's riding into Jerusalem, right? Now, could you imagine if that donkey could talk? So you're like, wow, they're laying branches on the floor for me. They're screaming Hosanna for me. Like, imagine, imagine if that donkey could talk, right, and we could hear him in his prideful state saying, wow, look at all these people throwing branches on the floor for me. Look at how they're shouting Hosanna for me, right? Look at how they are hailing and giving me praise for me and forgetting that the person that they're talking to, the person that they're throwing the branches for is not you.

It's for the person on top of you, right? And it's the same thing for all of us, right? We are just the donkeys that Jesus is riding on, right? And so I tell like some of the young men around me, like even our worship leader, his name is Trey. You know, he wrote a song right now. Our camp wrote a song. He wrote a song and the team came around him and added pieces to the song. Call for Christ alone.

That has gone out to the whole world. Unreal. Right. And he and I was having a private conversation. And I said to him, I said to him, I said to him, I said to him, I said to him, and let's I said, listen, man, I'm going to come in and talk to your team about the temptation for pride and arrogance and all this other stuff. But I said to him in private first, your influence is going to grow and the influence of the team is going to grow on everything. And I told him, eat the fruit.

Stay away from the glory. When God blesses 2819 worship and if he blesses the songs that we write, remember God is not doing that for you. He's doing that for him. And we just get to be a part of that. as stewards, right? Because if you really want to, he could just strip us off this platform right now, right? And so, and so, again, that is a long answer to the question.

When I'm most afraid is not because of men. Yeah. When I'm most afraid is when I feel like things have crept up in my heart. That is an insult to God and an insult to the cross of Christ. When those things creep up in my heart, that's when I'm most afraid, right? And that's why, you know, like there's a, I made an announcement about my very first book that's coming out in October of this year called contend. And there's a chapter in that book when I talk about contending inwardly on the inside, right? I wrote the book based on a message that I preached in London about Jude.

I preached a message in London when we did our 2019 crusade in London. I preached a message from the letter of Jude. And the book is around that message from Jude. And there's a chapter in the book that talks about contending on the inside. And it's for everybody who is struggling on inside with, like, shame, depression, regret, feelings of betrayal, loss, all the things that come up on the inside that choke the faith out of us. Whereas like you're going to church but you feel dead on the inside. You're coming around brothers and sisters

but you feel dead on the inside. You're trying to open your Bible but you don't even feel like reading. You want to pray but you feel like God is not going to listen to me and I pray. We all know what this feels like when you feel like or there's some person who feels like God is disappointed with me right now

or he's angry with me right now or I've really messed up. God can't use me. And we know what it is to wrestle with those feelings on the inside. So there's a whole chapter I write in a book about contending for the faith on the inside, right? And so when I'm talking to you right now about the thing I fear most, that's me contending on the inside. That's me fighting for the faith on the inside against that which separates me from God. Pride, arrogance, thinking this is all about me, self-exaltation,

all those things, not only do they separate us from God, but they give him no incentive to keep pouring, our favor. So as God look at you, so, oh, you think this is about you. All right. Let me turn off the force of the favor long enough to show you that you cannot do any of this in your own strength. This is my doing, right? So look at your podcast. Like you have a global podcast. You ladies, you travel the country, you travel the world, teaching, preaching, laying hands, believe in God for healing, right? You have over a million people following you on your platform. Over a million people. That's a massive platform. Less than 1% of all

Instagram followers who ever have a million people follow them on a program. Less than 1%. I think it's like 1.4, maybe less than 2%. Right. What's sitting on your life right now like, y'all are my sisters. Y'all know I love y'all, right? What's sitting on your lives right now is

divine favor, right? Whether people don't understand or why these two girls, Why them? I saw somebody one time try to try to persec you all. So, oh, girls go on Bible.

Like, they, they, they took a name that was like a name from like something sexual and tried to make it into something godly and they try to persecute you. I'm looking at this like, and I was about to get in the comments. I'm from the street. We need.

Listen, I'm from, I'm from the street. And so I've been telling my team there's a part of me that's still not like, fully sanctified. Like, the Lord is still working. So I was, I was, I read some. try to say something about y'all about why you hijack like a pornography name and try to make it into a and I was about to I was about to get in the comments and just correct the ignorant person let me say it like

that right I was about to let them have it on your behalf right but then I think about okay they're mocking something that God's hand is on and he's poured out his favor on and it's been a blessing to the whole generation right it is it is undeniable that God's favor is on your lives I know that God's favor is on my life. But when we start thinking it's about us, there's nothing for him to just switch that off just a little bit. Oh, my gosh. And say, okay, let's see how y'all can do this in your own strength

without my favor. Try that for three months and see how well you do, right? And so... It's so true. Yeah. That's what I'm afraid of most. those things that that creep up in me that

are insult to the cross. We literally just had an episode where we talked about something that's been on my heart so much over the last few months. I think like tell me your opinion on this, but I think like especially when you come from the world and then you get saved and you adopt

all of this like beautiful Christian language where you're, it's so easy to emotional and spiritually bypass and what's really going on underneath and we like put on this Christian mask where we speak Christian knees and it's just like it's this thing that we all do most of us do like I will admit

I spent a few years like obtaining all this knowledge and thinking that I'm this person when really there was so much going on underneath that I was able to just completely avoid because I got to live this Christian life and have this Christian mask and the

second your life bottoms out the second you hit a bump in the road and the mask can't cover anymore. It can't cover what's really going on underneath. I realized, I think the last few months of my life, I've been made so aware of like this performative Christianity where we say the right, like we say the right things. And like it is encouraging at times.

Biblical truth is important. And there are like these amazing encouraging things that you can say. But when we use that as a cover and a mask, rather than like really addressing what's going on underneath. I've realized, like, this external picture that we put out of what we want people to see, that's not life with Jesus.

No, it's not. Life with Jesus is everything you just talked about. Those everyday woe was me moments where you're just made so aware of how much you missed the mark, how far you are from really being like the sun. And, like, that's what the Christian life is. It's all about those moments,

everything you just talked about. You know what's so powerful about that. Can we be honest? Yeah. Just completely transparent. Yeah, please. So before this podcast started, when you and I were on the couch over there, and, you know, we would just had a moment for you to just cry and be vulnerable, right?

And you asked your hand, you had like, how are you really doing in this particular area? And you just told me, right? I think about that because you mentioned that now on the podcast when you said, you know, you're going through a very difficult season. Do you all remember when the Apostle Paul said, You know, I boast all the more in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ can be displayed in me, right? Here's a man who was educated, well-off financially, well-connected, famous.

You wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. He has divine revelation not given to any other human being. I mean, if somebody had a right to boast, it would have been that man, or to keep a veneer of perfection, like, oh, it would have been that man. But that man writes, yet I boast all the more in my weaknesses, the power of Christ may be displayed in me. I glory in my sufferings.

That the power of Christ may be displayed in me. You would think, like, man, Paul, you're the great apostle Paul. You was trained at the feet of Gamalil. You were a Pharisee of Pharisees, a Jew of Jews, right? Like, man, you, Paul would be that man but such a huge first century platform to keep a veneer going, keep a mask. But every time we bump into one of his letters,

we see him talking about him being a jar with issues on the inside. We bump into him in the back half of Roman 7, and he's talking about his wrestle with sin. The thing I want to do, I don't do. And what I don't want to do, I do. We bump into him in Corinthians, talking about his persecutions and his sufferings

and even being pushed to the point of despair. And we keep bumping to him in these letters where he's just talking about his issues. We bump into him when he's in the book of Acts when he's shipwreck at sea for almost a year. We keep just bumping into a man that has every reason to keep a mask on, but life would not allow that for him.

Not only did life not allow that for him, his writings did not allow that for him. He tells us a lot about his sufferings. He did not. I keep a veneer. And I just pray we learn something from the Apostle Paul, right? I don't know anyone personally that has a platform like Paul. Yeah.

I don't know anyone personally that had revelation like Paul. And I don't know anyone person that has written anything like Paul. Like I don't have a seminary degree, but I read a lot of theological books. I'm a ghetto theologian, right? Like I'm a hood theologian, right? Like I don't have a seminary degree. I want one. I went to seminary and I had.

to drop out the first semester because of family. Yeah. I would like to go back. Totally. I would like to go back. Listen. I would. Yeah, I pray for me.

I would like to go back, right? I'm a ghetto theologian. But when you think about probably the most robust theological document ever recorded in history did not come from a seminary school, came from Paul when he wrote the book of Romans to a church he had not planted or visited. Yeah. Right. When you think about a man that has that kind of platform, revelation, writing skills,

man, if there's anybody that could have kept a veneer of like, man, I got this, I'm perfect. Like, it could have been that due Paul, but no, we don't see that in him. Just see a man that keeps talking about his problems and his issues and his sufferings in a trial. And although he does not mention it, right, although he does not tell us in details, he does even confess his wrestle with sin. Like the man confess his own wrestle with sin. but sin. I think we just read past that so fast.

The thing I don't want to do, I do. What I should be doing, I don't do. He talks about this wrestle with sin and who's going to deliver me. Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ. And so I just think

the veneer is fake perfection in this life trying to look perfect. That's fake. Christian life is suffering, trials, tribulation, hardships. And I think there is even a strength in letting people see a little bit of vulnerability and letting them know that I'm going through something too. And I can still be faithful to Jesus while I'm going through it.

I think that shows a measure of strength and a false from the air of perfection. You feel what I'm saying? Yeah, 100%. What you said earlier was everything of, like, I can preach that the Lord is good even when my situation is in. I can preach that he's good even when I feel like he's not. Yeah. Because it's not about my feelings. I'm just,

you spoke to something a second ago about persecution and that little bit of, you know, unsanctified, whatever in you that wants to say something back at times. Pop off. You don't pop off all the time. I'm from Boston. You know how to pop off, Ari. No, I want to. Ari from the hood.

Listen, every time you're saying you're getting death threats, I'm like. Ari's from Boston. She's from the hood. Do you know about the Boston streets. I sure do. Oh, she does. Murder pan. Yeah, it's Madapan.

Matapan, murder pan. Murder pan. Yeah, exactly. So I, and I want to read this the way that it's written. Criticism in a season like this is rarely only disagreement, right? It's often spiritual. How do you tell the difference between an attack that you should ignore? a wound that needs healing

and a correction the spirit is actually using. So I think no one is above critique. Yeah. Right. No one. No one alive except for Christ himself. No one is above critique.

And yet to avoid critique is to do nothing. Wow. And to not be seen and not be heard. So if you're living faithfully for Christ, it could be a high school student, a single mom, a business professional, an athlete. I have relationship with athletes who are trying to live faithful for Christ in the NBA, in the NFL, whatever the case may be. I have relationships with people in the entertainment industry who have come to faith

and trying to live faithful for Christ in a very dark industry. And so, the scriptedity, no one who tries to live for Christ, they're not going to escape this life without some measure of critique and persecution. It's not going to happen. Jesus said, if they hated me, they will hate you too. If they call me a devil, they will call you a devil too. So let's just first establish there is no being faithful to Christ without critique and persecution. Okay, good.

But when we hear it, we have to have enough humility and discernment to separate them into categories. So there are critiques that are valid. There is validity in those critiques. And if we are humble, we listen to them. we internalize them we take them to prayer and we try to use them to become better men and better women

to shape our character there is critique that I think is righteous and we should listen to I have been critiqued about things I said you know what this person is right and I need to take this to Jesus and prayer and I need to work this into my life

and I need to change in this area so there are some critiques I do listen to right I may not respond in the comments but I may have listened like you know what this person is right right There is a type of critique that is born out of the fallen, broken nature of other human beings, jealousy. Yeah. Covetousness.

Mm-hmm. Right? People jealous of your platform. Covetous of your platform. They want to be in your seat, but they're not. So the only way they can feel good about themselves is to tear you down so they could prop themselves up. So there's a type of critique that's born out of the fallen nature, man. And it's really not critique.

It's critique that hides behind the... guise of critique, but it's really the sin of slander. It's the sin of slander that hides behind the guise of critique. We call it righteous critique, but it's really the sin of slander. And that is unholy before the Lord. That is ungodly, right? And then there is a type of critique that I think is just highly satanic in which persecutions and things are being said about servants of God. that are a direct influence of Satan himself using an unsaved mouth to speak lies about servants of God in an attempt to diminish that person's credibility

in the world so that they would not listen to that person. So we even see this in the life of Jesus. When the Lord is being persecuted by the Pharisees, he calls them sons of Satan. What were they doing? They were jealous, the scripture tells us, They were jealous of him. And Jesus calls him Son of Satan.

So at least they fit two of those narratives. There's jealousy in their heart because his ministry is outshining theirs in their mind. So there's jealousy in their hearts so they're continuously to antagonize him with their mouths. But they're also sons of the devil. So Satan is working through them. Watch, an attempt to discredit the ministry of Christ

so that less people will stop listening to Christ. Right? And this is why Jesus said to the Pharisees that they shut the doors of the kingdom in people's faces. Wow. And the interpretation of that text is that because of their constant maligning of his ministry,

they're causing people to turn away from listening to Jesus shutting the doors of the kingdom. The same thing is happening right now. Yeah. There are people that will say evil things about you and evil things about me that is completely satanic. And what the devil's doing is hijacking.

is hijacking an unsaved mouth to speak evil about Ari, evil about Angie, evil about Philip, and then unsuspecting people listen to that. They read that. They're watching a YouTube video. They're reading a post.

Oh, Angie's like this. Ari's like this. Philip is like this, right? He's a demon. He's a devil. She's a this. And the unsuspecting person who don't have the sermon

will listen to that because it's well packaged. And you know what they do? I'm not watching their podcast no more. Mm-hmm. I'm not streaming 29. I'm not turning no more. I'm not turning no more.

And because the wrong voice got into their ears, into their heart, they're deceived by the devil, they turn away from the voice that God has raised up, and then the doors of the kingdom get shut in their face. They go away into lies and delusions, distant from biblical truth. And that is what the devil's doing right now.

There are voices that God has raised up in these last days, like yours, like yours raised up in the last days. And the enemy would try to work through jealous women, jealous men, pawns of the devil, to say, X about Angie,

X about Ari, X about Philip, X about whoever, just trying to pick off as many people as possible from listening, right, from listening,

so that they wander into now, false doctrines, they start listening to people that God did not raise up. It's happening right now in America, especially in our country. And it is worse because of the proliferation of social media has given a platform to fools and a platform to demonic voices.

Can you imagine we live in an era where people call real men and women of God false prophets? Maybe because of a mistake they made on a platform or something you don't agree about this person that false prophets. I've heard, I saw somebody call me, I said, I'm full of a demon. Yeah, see, that's the stuff that makes it unscientified part of me come out. Come on.

Come on, Ann. Like, I suppose somebody, somebody call me a demon. That is? Give me their number. I'll be very numb. A demon, this is crazy. That's, this is wild. But you know what?

They call Jesus a demon. Yeah. Oh, yeah. They said, oh, these miracles he do, he does that by the power of Satan. Yeah. So you think that's the God in the body. Men call them a false prophet and a demon. Yeah.

What chance do we have? Yeah. We just got to be faithful in the midst of all that nest and pray for people to have more discernment. Well, because I was going to ask you, the Bible says, do not judge for you won't be judged, but then it says judge, judge righteously. And so I want to know how you balance that in your sermons and in everyday life with loved ones, because that's something that I even struggled with. Yeah. I think for me, when the scripture says, do not judge lest you be judged. is meaning we should not condemn men unjustly, condemn men, right?

And we have to make sure that we remember that we, too, ourselves, have a sinful nature. So that's why he talks about the toothpick that you've seen somebody else's eye, but you don't see the telephone pole sticking out your own eye. So there has to be... What version is that? That's the P-A-M version. Is it a toothpick? That's the P-A-M version.

That's a good version. That's the P-A-M version. We see the toothpick in everybody else's eye, but we don't see the telephone pole sticking out our own eye. So it's in that context, Jesus says, do not judge. Yeah. Right. That is, let's remember when we are accessing,

obviously we are assessing other people. Let's remember that we two are sinful creatures. But there is a righteous judgment in which we're speaking out against evil and things that are front to the gospel and things that are front to the kingdom. And I think those are righteous judgments. And I think we have to speak and things like that. Yeah.

Right. So there's a difference. Yeah. I, we are really big on accountability. Accountability is huge. I want to ask you, who are the people who can still tell you no? Do you have any people in your life who can still tell you no? Lena.

Lena, huh? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. in this order, God. Yeah. Lena. Come on.

God. Lena. You're not going to believe this next one, but my children. Love. My children, they rebuke me. My children rebuke me. My children. The elders in our church.

My staff. Yeah. And my mom. and family members who I know have my best interests at heart. And brothers, I have brothers in my life, lateral relationships, men of God, who I know have my best interests at heart. They can tell me no. They can say, don't go there.

They can say pray about that. They can say, you shouldn't have said that from the pulpit. They can say you should apologize. That category of people, I just said, they can tell me no. They can rebuke me, and I will listen. What do you do with... That was a good one. Nobody's ever asked me that before.

Do you... Can I say... And Lena would be the first person and tell me no. My wife is not impressed with me at all. See, I love that. She's not impressed with me. She's not impressed with...

She's not impressed with... I know. She's not impressed with no famous person. Lena's the most unimpressed person with all this stuff. She's not impressed with none of that. Lena wasn't even following me on my own podcast.

I love her. Somebody on our staff had to say, You know, hey, Ms. Lena, you're not even following your husband. Like, you should follow his podcast. Like, she's not impressed with anything. So good. She's just so strong.

She's strong. She's pure. She's wise. She's godly. She's holy. She's unimpressed. She's gorgeous. She is beautiful.

She just keeps me grounded. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How do you, I just have a question. Shout out, Lena. Shout out, Lena. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a huge thing, probably in America mostly, right? Like you go, even in like other denominations, like you look at like Greek Orthodox or Catholicism, like the man of God famous preacher, it's not really a thing.

It's typically in like non-denominational Protestant streams where you see like this man of God complex where a man of God they become the pinnacle. And at times in many people's eyes like can replace Jesus. How do you in your life, is this a conversation? Is this a thought for you of moving away from the man of God complex of like... I've struggled with that because, like, it's not uncommon that there are a lot of people who attack my name of my ministry and use the word idolize around my name. Yeah. So you all people idolize you. And it always bothers me when I hear that.

I hate to hear that. Right. And it makes me sick. in my heart. And there was a time when I just was, I was in denial. I was saying, no, that, that's not true. And, but I actually met a sister in the faith who said she had idolized me. And, and I was shocked when she said that. And I, from that day, would pray aggressively. that if there is any form of idolization, it would become just admiration.

I think there is admiration that some people wrongly mistake as idolization. And some people just use the word idolize just to discredit my ministry. Yeah. But where it is maybe legitimate, what I've tried to do is I always pray that God would keep me on the ground

in my heart, he would keep me humble and that in my proclamation, my life, I would do everything I can to exalt the person of Christ. So if you listen to me, preach, you hear me say things a lot like I encourage people to read the scriptures for themselves. So they're not just dependent on my sermon.

I want them to go read the Bible for themselves. I would do everything I can to make Christ the center of all of my proclamation and not myself. Like there's people no studio right now, travel with me, they'll tell you, like, if I'm walking off a platform, I finish proclaiming, I walk straight off a platform, and I try to leave that building right away. I don't hang out. Wow. You know, for people to laud praise on me. I'm off the platform and I'm gone. I'm in the van.

I'm out of there. So I try to do everything I can to just stay away from glory. Glory. Yeah. And I would say, too, your vulnerability and your honesty about your brokenness and your flaws and your weaknesses. Like, I feel like every time you get on the platform, you're like, you, you begin with your own frailty and weakness. And I just feel like that's probably what breaks the idolization too, right? I would hope so. Yeah. Because I am frail. Yeah. And I am weak. And what people don't see is before I walk up on a platform, I'm behind that blacker. And, man, my head is, is on the stairs. And I'm asking God for strength before I walk out there. I still, every time I go to preach,

I still feel weak. I still feel sometimes insecure. I still feel ill-equipped. I'm not, man, I... So comforting to hear. I am... Yeah. I don't have a cape.

I am a very normal... I am a dude from the street that God saved and just chose to use. Who's still trying to figure it out. Right? I don't have a... cape. I don't have a cape. I'm just a dude from the street that God saved who's just trying his best to be faithful and I'm still trying to figure it out. Right. I don't have all the answers.

I don't have it figured out. Right. And so I just do my best to try to exalt the person of Christ so that I am not the person that is exalted. Right. And I don't know what else I can do. but do my best to exalt the person of Christ. I want you to speak about the men. And I want to say this in such a way where I don't offend men. But I'm seeing so many women struggle right now with men and finding a partner and someone that is strong, a strong man of God that can lead, but also that is tender. Yeah. And so can you just speak to the men that on how to be strong and tender in a world where it emasculates masculinity?

I think this is one of the biggest issues of our generation. And I think it's a strategic plan of the enemy to rob men of biblical masculinity and to just remove men from the lives. of children and forms, homes and family. I think it is strategic of the enemy. Yeah. When I was a school teacher, I taught middle school for about four years, maybe about 75% to 80% of the students lived in homes without their fathers.

Yeah. And as I began to study these psychological damage of that, there was this correlation between the absenteeism of fathers and men. and a lot of human brokenness in adults. And I think that's strategic. And so I want to say I think a lot of it is spiritual warfare against men. And there's a lot of men right now who are suffering, who are going through our silent sufferers and doing everything they can,

trying to be husbands, trying to be good fathers and there are men out there who are just struggling and don't know what to do. I want to say at the very top that I think a lot of it is a systematic spiritual attack against men and to ruin the biblical masculinity of man. So I think it is spiritual. That's number one. Number two, I think we have to create safe spaces

for men to confess and to be honest about what they're struggling with without them feeling like they're going to be judged or condemned or persecuted. So men have to have community where they can be their authentic selves and find voices that would speak life into them and speak to the person that God has called them to be.

So that's number two. And then the third thing, I think men has to be rebuked, right? I think we have the first. Number one, notice, I think it's spiritual attack. Number two, there has to be a comfort for men who are hurting and suffering. But number three, there has to be a rebuke for men that just don't want to take accountability and responsibility. That's great.

We have to be challenged. We have to be confronted. We have to be rebuked. We have to be encouraged to stop being boys, care about our wives, our girlfriends, our sons, our daughters. We have to start to understand how our decisions affect the lives of our children, our wives, our girlfriends, our family, our community. We have to stop pointing the finger.

and blaming everybody for what we're going through, that there is a category of men who we just have to say, you know what, enough is enough. We have to own our mess. I teach my two sons that real men take accountability and that real men know how to apologize and real men just own their crap. This is what I tell my sons.

Can I just speak frankly? I tell my sons, Malacca and Josiah, I said, don't make excuses. I said, we don't allow that in this house. Own your crap, is what I say to them. You didn't take out the, trash, own that. You got into a beef of one of your sisters and you were wrong, own that.

You dropped the ball or something your mother and I told you to do, own that. So I teach my sons, don't make excuses. It makes me allergic. I hate to hear men, just making excuses and, you know, just own your crap. So good. Take it to God. Repent, cry. Let the father

love when you like a son or like the father you did not have. Own your crap and just have a desire to say, you know what? I want to be a man of character. I want to be a man of integrity. I want to be a holy man. I want to be a pure man.

I want to be close to Jesus. I want to have a biblical. Like, just have a desire for those things that men are not taught in the street and not taught coming up through school. Like, just have a desire for the things that make you a better man on the inside first. Yeah.

That just becomes much easier for it to be a better man outside to the people who are all around you. It's like men in our nature, we have a desire for everything that you can touch. We want cars and money and fame and status, but we want all of that that helps

men in their insecurity, stroke their egos and all those things. But we need to tell more men to desire to things that are intangible that will make them better men. That is so good. And even I think radical accountability would offset most of the issues with men.

I think it's ownership. It's accountability. It is. It is. I just think it's those three things. I think it is spiritual in nature. What is happening to men. There's a category of men that need to be comforted.

They need to find places where they confess and find love and find comfort and healing and all the things. And then there's a category of man that just needs to be confronted. Yeah. Bro, enough is enough. Enough. Come on now. So good. You have too many people depending on you.

Let's make a pivot. Praise Jesus. And we need it. We need more godly men in this generation. I mean, I'm seeing women have kids on their own. And we're seeing too many single women who love God who are believing for godly husbands. Yes. We need godly men in this hour, right?

I think all the ladies can say amen to that. Amen. We need godly men. And if we had more time, I would want to ask you, how as a leader do you disciple a congregation of men into being masculine? Okay, we'll do a part three. Pastor Philips, thank you. A P.A.M. Part three. By the way, I love the P.A.M. version of the Bible.

You should write a whole, we'll talk. We'll talk. Thank you so much. Pastor Philip. Man, thank you all. Can you just tell us a little bit about the book? Tell us about contend. Yes, so we made an announcement about the book.

I have a book coming out in October. October 13th, is that correct? October 13th. Right. I think October 13. That's right. The book drops October 13th. I believe if the date doesn't change, the book is called contend. Yeah.

It's about the message of Jude. And I'm not right. I didn't write this book. The book is not, it has not been written to get to a bag, right? God has been very kind to me. The book was written to awaken the body of Christ to the hour that we are in, the times that we're living in and the need for the bride to contend. for the faith in this hour, both in culture and in our hearts.

And so it is meant to help the believer to strengthen themselves in conviction. And on the inside, it'll lead them back to the scriptures. It'll lead them back to Christ. It'll put a fire up under the reader. That is my prayer. And it comes out October. It's available right now for pre-order on Amazon. So they can go look up, you know, Philip Anthony Mitchell content.

It's available for pre-order. order and I just pray that it'll be a blessing to the body of Christ. Yeah. It's the version of me that people don't see. I love to write. I've kept a journal for like 20-something years. Wow. Right. And although I'm a very urban dude, I write. I have depth on the inside. Oh, we know. Yeah, so I poured it out in my writing. I can't wait to read this. It leaks out on my on my feeds. Yeah. Right. Right. And so this is, this is the next iteration of my ministry and I hope that it could be. be a blessing to some people. Oh, it will be.

Thank you all for allowing me to talk about that. Oh my gosh. Yeah, I kind of flocke want to have a whole episode where we just talk about the book, but we'll talk about that later. Yes. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. We bless what Jesus is doing in you through you. Thank you for us. And what he's doing in y'all. Thank you. We love you. We love you.

We love you. We love you. We love you so much. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. he turned his face towards you and give you peace. Shalom, shalom. We love you guys so much.