Keep It Positive, Sweetie: The Fruit Is Not The Reward with Pastor Phillip Anthony Mitchell

Crystal Renee Hayslett (0:30)

I feel so comfortable because it's asking us to let go of something we've gotten used to. Faith can require surrender, discipline, patience, and the willingness to trust God when life doesn't make sense. Today, we're talking about what it really looks like to follow God fully, not just in what we believe, but in how we live.

Hey, sweeties, and welcome back to another episode of the Keep It Posit Sweetie Show. Today I am sitting down with Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell, founder and lead pastor of 2819 Church, a global community reaching thousands of disciples in person and online. And now, author with New York Times' best-selling book, Contend, Standing Boldly for Biblical Truth While Winning the War Within. Pastor Philip is known for preaching with conviction, but what I really wanted to understand today is what that conviction looks like in real life. We're talking about suffering well, surrender, marriage, and how to stay rooted in God when everything around you is telling you to depend on yourself. Kids, family, please give a very warm welcome to the lead pastor of 2819, and now, New York Times' best-selling author of his new book, Contend, Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell.

New York Times' best-selling author. Crazy. How you feeling?

Philip Anthony Mitchell (1:48)

I feel, well, first, thank you for having me on your platform.

Crystal Renee Hayslett (1:51)

I really appreciate that.

Philip Anthony Mitchell (1:53)

Oh, yeah. And I feel humble. I feel grateful.

I feel shocked.

It's a reminder to me that sometimes God is kind enough to allow dreams to come true. I remember it was about 22 years ago when God first saved me. I took a piece of green construction paper because I love books and I folded it in half. I drew a fake profile on the back and I put a fake title on the back. It was my first book, but it was nothing. Just a piece of paper folded in half and I tucked that paper away in the back of an old picture frame. I would never imagine that I would be here. I haven't done this project, so I feel very thankful, very grateful to God, very overwhelmed for what he's doing.

Crystal Renee Hayslett (2:40)

Yeah, well, we all, I can attest to everyone on my team, the excitement of when Kayla called and said, he's going to do it. Everybody, the threat, the chat just went crazy like, yes, yes, yes. And even today, all the chatter, like the lies that you have touched.

I know the people in this room have like just transformed due to your fire and unapologetic approach to the ministry and spreading the gospel. But we were so excited to have you. And nobody's ever like stood up before somebody came in, like not even like, it was just like, no, we got to revere this man of God, like the respect that we have for you. I saw it show when everybody like was just waiting at the door standing.

Philip Anthony Mitchell (3:25)

Shout out to your whole team.

Crystal Renee Hayslett (3:26)

I appreciate that. We're excited to have you here. Yes.

You have taken the world. I can't even say Atlanta. Now you've taken the world by storm. And this is something that I had shared with you personally when we had spoken on something else. And I told you, I said, you know, when you first came out, I was like, he doing too much. My soul was like not, I was like, it's just too much. But it was a testimony to where I was spiritually.

The enemy didn't want me to receive what you were saying. And as I got in my word and the Holy Spirit started to reveal things to me and change me, then I was like, wait a minute, this is some Flamin Yarn over here, I need that, you know? And so I watch your sermons online. I'm part of the Digital Disciple Group, DD.

Philip Anthony Mitchell (4:19)

D2 family, yeah.

Crystal Renee Hayslett (4:21)

Yes, and so I remember that, and I know there are probably so many other people in the beginning, it was like, this guy is so radical, he's on fire. And he's like confronting a lot of things that we haven't really heard confronted in the church. I want to know that urgency that you have when you're in the pulpit, is this something that you had your entire life, it just may have been geared towards a different area, or was this something that transpired once you completely surrendered to God?

Philip Anthony Mitchell (4:48)

Yeah, that's a really good question.

I've always been a passionate person, and I've always been a fiery individual, at least from high school until now.