John K. Jenkins Sr - Maintaining Perspective in Difficult Times (01/24/2026)
Proper Perspective in Challenging Times
What I want to talk to you about today is perspective. Matter of fact, I’ve titled this message—listen carefully—Proper Perspective During Challenging Times. How many of y’all know we are in challenging times? Troubled seasons. These are troubled seasons, troubling, challenging moments.
And what God wants us to do is to face our troubling times with the proper perspective. If you don’t look at life and the challenges that you’re facing in life with the proper perspective, you will make bad decisions. You will get depressed, be discouraged. You’ll have a lot of drama.
So much of the Bible tries to give us the right perspective. It’s all through the Scriptures—all the stories that are told and the Scriptures that are mentioned. And I want to highlight with you just something Paul said to the church in Corinth.
This is his second letter to the Corinthian church—2 Corinthians chapter 4. He gives them some insights and some instructions regarding proper perspective. And I want you to try to get a hold of this because things are difficult today, but they’re going to get worse.
God Is Still God
Now let me say this to y’all real quick. There’s a couple things I want to say because I get going and I forget, so I got to say some stuff right up front. Ordinarily what I’m about to tell you, I would wait and give it to you at the end, but I might forget. So I’m recognizing that I can’t remember what I did five minutes ago, let alone…
Yeah. So I recognize and I know and believe that God has not stopped being God. He’s still God. He’s still God. He still loves you, cares about you, has a future. None of what we’re going through or will go through has caught God by surprise. Oo, that’s worthy of a shout right there.
It didn’t catch God by surprise. It’s not like all of a sudden this happened and He didn’t know about it. He knew about it. As a matter of fact, what I need everybody—especially you federal government employees—if you’re a federal government employee, raise your hand. Let me see all the federal… Okay.
Here’s what I need you to know and recognize: that God knew that you were going to face what you’re facing—if in fact you will be impacted by it—He knew it before you were born. I wish y’all knew the Scripture. Seems like I got to explain everything to y’all.
He already knew about it. He already knew about it. And here’s what I believe: I believe that God, since He knows what we will face, has already—even years ago—started orchestrating the events of your life so that when you reach this juncture in life, you would be well prepared for what you need to have. Can I get an amen right there, somebody?
I’m persuaded of that. I know that to be true—that everything in my life God has orchestrated and given me preparation for it. So I want to just right off the bat tell you that God has been orchestrating all these things.
As a matter of fact, I am persuaded that if you get terminated from any job—government job, private sector job, school job, county job, city job—it just means God got something better for you. Look, I think I got maybe 30% of y’all said amen on that point right there. Yeah.
It’s—I believe that. I’m persuaded of that. I’m convicted of that. All right.
Treasure in Earthen Vessels
So 2 Corinthians chapter 4. I want to read this. Paul the Apostle is writing to the church in Corinth. This is his second letter to them—his second epistle to them, second letter to them. And he says this to them.
This is the message here today: Proper Perspective During Challenging Times. Did y’all get that? «But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.» Stop, stick a pin right there.
Let me start off—let me just give you my points while I’m walking through here. I’m just going to preach through it. Amen. «We have this treasure in earthen vessels.» You know what that means? That means that God has placed a treasure in you.
It says, «We have this treasure in earthen vessels.» God has put a treasure in you. Some of y’all don’t realize is you have giftings and talents and calls and anointings and treasures that God has put in you.
And some of y’all don’t realize that. You think the devil—the devil has convinced you and made you believe that God could not possibly use you. That you have made enough mistakes, you’ve done enough errors, you’ve lied enough, you’ve gone to enough bad places, you’ve stole from enough people.
Uh, I can tell when I’m talking to y’all because y’all get real quiet on those sections right there. I am persuaded that God knew your drama, your shortcomings, but He still put the gift in you anyway. Somebody ought to say amen right there.
He still chose to use you anyway—even though you’re jacked up, even though you’re a liar, even though you’re a whoremonger, even though you’re an adulterer, even though you’re a fornicator. Because where you may have been is not where He plans to keep you. Somebody ought to shout amen today. Yeah.
You’re not going to stay wherever you have been. Whatever your journey might have looked like, you will not stay there. And so He put a treasure in you.
God’s Gifts Are Irrevocable
And here’s what I’m shouting about—boy, I haven’t said this all day. I should have said it at 8 and 10. God put a treasure inside of you, and once God puts a treasure in you, He never takes it away. Thank You, Lord.
The Scripture teaches that the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. Once God decides to give it to you, He doesn’t take it back. Oh, I wish I had a praying crowd there.
It’s irrevocable. He doesn’t change His mind. He doesn’t say, «I’m going to take it back from you.» He does not do that. Thank God that the God we serve is not an Indian giver. Amen.
He put a treasure in you. So I’m talking to a few of you here today that you just need—you need to know that you have a gift inside of you. You have a treasure. And God has trusted this treasure in you.
God has placed a treasure in us—verse 7, that’s what it says. He’s placed a treasure in us. He knew what challenges you would face, what trouble you would have. He knew what your circumstances would look like, but He chose to put it in you anyway. Amen.
But He also says in verse 7 that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Did y’all see that right there? Read that—say that: that the excellence of the power…
The power and the excellence of the power that comes isn’t because of you, right? It’s because of God. The power that God demonstrates through you is a working of His power, not your power. Amen.
You ain’t got no power. You a jacked-up joker. You couldn’t make anything happen. But somebody ought to thank God that in spite of me—here’s where I’m shouting—in spite of me, in spite of my shortcomings, in spite of my weaknesses, in spite of my failures, He still chose to put something in me and use me.
God Uses You Despite Weaknesses
Some of you have missed that point—that God has put something in you. There’s a gift and a calling inside of you. Everybody in here who’s gotten saved and received the Lord—He’s put something inside of you to use for His glory. He wants to use it.
And what I love about this verse—which is so profound and powerful—that the power is of God. It’s His. It’s His doing. He did it. He makes it happen. And y’all know when God does something, He do it right. Right? Yeah, He does it right.
And so He’s going to use you. And I’m giving God a shout and a praise about that. He not only put something in me, but thanks be to God, He also put His power—anointed me—to be able to use it.
And I look back over my life, and I recognize that I’m not the most anointed or gifted person in the world. I’m not the best preacher. Can’t sing, all that stuff. I’m not any of that.
But I thank God that there’s something in me that reaches people and changes lives. Look at your neighbor and say, «He wants to use you.» Go ahead, tell them: you’re gifted, you’re anointed. You have a call from God upon your life. You have an anointing on your life.
You have an assignment. You have a destiny. You have a call. You have something that God wants to use to make a difference in your life and in somebody else’s life.
If you don’t rise up and be what it is God called you to be, somebody might miss out on what they need to have because God has given the assignment to you to make a difference in their life.
He’s anointed you to share the gospel. He’s anointed you to mentor them. He’s anointed you to disciple them. He’s anointed you to make a difference in their life. Hallelujah. Amen, amen.
God’s anointing you. You’re called to do that. It’s your assignment. And God’s opening up doors and putting you in different places. And God is taking you different places and using you in places that you don’t even know, you don’t even realize. He’s doing it for you so that you can be an instrument of His glory.
We Are Not Defeated
Now, having said that, what’s the next point, Pastor? We are not defeated during our challenging times. Oh, y’all missed a great spot to say amen.
Let me tell you again: we are not defeated when we have challenging times. What does that mean? That means that God will not let the enemy conquer you, defeat you, frustrate you when you have difficult times.
And that’s important because a whole lot of us are frustrated, upset, mad. We get mad with God. We have this floating bitterness against God: why He let this happen to me, and why did this have to go on? And we get bitter toward God because we don’t recognize that God’s in control.
And that where you presently are or what you’re presently going through is not the end of the story. It’s not the end of the story. Look at me—tell it: it’s not the end of the story.
Yeah, you’re going through something right now. You might cry today. You might cry for a minute—only 60 seconds in it. Just a minute. I wish I knew the rest of the phrase. I don’t know the rest of it.
But oh, here it is—yeah, Willy Jolly. I was thinking to myself—I thought Jolly was here. So what is it? Only just a minute—only 60 seconds in it. Didn’t choose it, but it’s up to me to use it. I must suffer if I lose it. Give account if I abuse it. Just a tiny little minute, but our eternities are wrapped up in it.
Somebody say: whatever you’re going through, your eternity is wrapped up in it. Whatever’s causing you to cry—it’s okay. It’s going to help me get to my destiny is in it. My destiny is in it.
God’s going to use what I’m going through right now to help make me the person He wants and has anointed me to be. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. The enemy will not win. Hallelujah. Y’all got me.
We’re not defeated during those challenging times.
Hard Pressed But Not Crushed
And look what he says in verse 8. He says in verse 8: «We are hard-pressed on every side.» Somebody say, «On every side.» I’m hard-pressed.
That word hard-pressed means to be afflicted, oppressed. He says here: we are afflicted—everything going wrong on every side.
Here’s what—y’all ever been in life look like everything is going wrong? Car break down, appliances at the house break down, job ain’t going right, marriage ain’t going well, children giving you hell. Anybody ever had something breaking down on every side?
He says we are hard-pressed on every side, but then he says this: but we are not crushed. Oo, I feel a shout right there. I’m not crushed. I’m not crushed.
Tell your neighbor, «I’m not crushed.» I’m not going to—that word crushed means to be restricted. It means to be confined.
Yeah, I’m having trouble. I’m having these challenges. I’m in a place where I’m hard-pressed on every side, but I’m not crushed. I’m not in a place where I’m restricted. I can still do what I need to do.
You can still do what you need to do. Yeah, yeah. I got affliction, but I can still carry out the assignment that God has given to me to do. Amen.
Yeah, all hell is breaking loose. Everything is backwards and upside down and wrong, but it’s okay. I am coming out on the other side a better person. I’m going to be victorious when it’s all said and done.
Matter of fact, I know that there’s some people in this building right now—in this sanctuary—there’s some people watching online. Some of y’all watching me online—you can look back over your life and see some stuff you went through, and you didn’t stay where you were.
God moved you through those circumstances and brought you to a much better place. Somebody say: I was not confined. I was not crushed. Haven’t been put in a place where I can’t move forward. I guess I can—I can move forward.
Perplexed But Not in Despair
But hold up—I’m almost finished. Oh my gosh, it’s 8 minutes to—it’s 8 minutes to 1:00. I just started preaching, and my time is up. Oh, this the 12:00 service? That’s what y’all telling me? It’s a three-day weekend—you mean I can keep on preaching till Monday? They didn’t clap on that one. They didn’t clap on that one. All right.
We are hard-pressed on every side but not crushed. We are perplexed. Y’all know what the word perplexed means? It means to be at a loss for words—when I don’t understand why I’m going through what I’m going through.
That’s what perplex means—that I don’t know what to say. I don’t know why I’m going through this. I don’t know why God let this come in my life. We are perplexed.
Some of y’all been in that place. Hold up—some of y’all in that place right now. We are perplexed, but guess what he says: but we are not in despair.
Oh, y’all—excuse me. I feel a shout on me right here. What does that mean when it says that we are not in despair? It means we don’t go to a place of doubt. We don’t get to a place where we stop believing God.
Somebody say, «I still believe God.» Somebody say, «I’ve had enough experience. I’ve walked with God enough. I’ve been through enough hell that I know God’s going to work it out. I know I’m going to come out on the other side.»
I think I got some witnesses here today who know that to be the truth—that we serve a God who is—someway, somehow, in His time—He might not come when I want Him to, but when He shows up, it will be on time.
You can’t make me doubt Him. You can’t make me question Him. I know God’s got my back. I know God’s got me covered. I know He’s working it out.
We used to sing a song: «You can’t make me doubt Him.» Yeah, let me sing it for y’all for just a moment. This the—this is the crowd I sing at—the 12:00 crowd.
The song go like this: «You can’t make me doubt Him. You can’t make me doubt Him. You can’t make me doubt Him in my heart. Oh, you can’t make me doubt Him. I know too much about Him. You can’t make me doubt Him in my heart.»
If you don’t know that, that mean you a newbie—you just showed up. If you singing it, that mean you’ve been in church for a minute. And that’s one of those songs we used to sing all the time.
And you know what it did? It built some theology down in me to remind me: don’t question the God that we serve. I may not understand everything that I’m going through, but I know that God’s got my back.
Y’all high-five somebody and tell them, «God’s got my back.» I’m not in despair. I believe God. Hallelujah. I believe God.
I believe we serve a God who will answer our prayers. Now I’m preaching to somebody today because I know you wondering what’s going to happen, where we going to go, am I going to get fired from my job, am I going to survive. It’s okay.
God has not stopped being God. He will still take care of you. I don’t know how. I don’t know when. All I know is some way, somehow, He will work it out. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
I feel a shout down in my soul when I look back over my life at the times that I thought it couldn’t be worked out, and then God stepped in and said, «I’m still God. I haven’t forsaken my job.» He’s still God. Hallelujah. Hey, hey—He—Hallelujah. He’s still God. He’s still in control. He still has power. He still got your back.
Persecuted But Not Forsaken
Okay, sit down, y’all. Sit down, y’all. Make me—I still got three or four more things to say. It make me feel like I got to hurry up.
It says again in verse 9 that we’re persecuted. Somebody say, «Persecuted.» That word means to be pursued.
Somebody going to shout on this—I might not get past this point right here. I might have to end right here because somebody not gonna get past this point.
Persecuted means to be pursued. Here’s the deal: the devil is pursuing you. You know why? Because you got a treasure in you.
He knows if you ever get to your assignment, you will wreak havoc on his kingdom. And he trying to stop you.
Tell yourself, «You can’t stop me, devil. You can raise all the hell you want. You can’t stop me. My mind is made up. My heart is fixed. I’m going to the end. I will not quit.»
I might lose my job. My family might walk away. My spouse might get rid of me. My children might do all the wrong things. But when it’s all said and done, I’m going to do what God told me to do.
You know why? Because I’m not forsaken. He walks with me. He talks with me. He tells me that I am His own. He tells me I’m His own.
Somebody dab up somebody and say, «I’m not forsaken.» He has not abandoned me. That’s what it means. He says not forsaken. He has not abandoned me. He has not deserted me.
God has not deserted you. That’s the promise from the Word. I’m persecuted but not forsaken. He has not walked away from me.
Struck Down But Not Destroyed
And hold up—I’m struck down. That’s the next part of verse number 9. He says, but I’m not destroyed. Hallelujah.
I got thrown down—that’s what struck down means. I might have fallen down, but I am going to get back up. I’m still here. I’m still here.
I’m struck down but not destroyed. Struck down but I won’t lose. That—matter of fact, not destroyed means I won’t lose.
Oh my gosh. I will not lose. I’m a winner. Don’t y’all know I’m a winner? Tell your neighbor, «You’re a winner.» Tell them, «I’m a winner.» Say, «I’m a winner.»
I might not look like it, but I’m a winner. When I get to the end of the race, I’m going to win. When the fight is over, I’m going to win. When it’s all said and done, I’m going to win.
I might get knocked down for a minute, but I’m getting back up, and I won’t be destroyed. I’m going to win.
The Life of Jesus in Us
Okay, all right. Okay. Just one more thing I want to say. Can y’all sit down for just one more minute? Just let me close with this. I got to finish. It’s after 1:00.
I try to keep these things for one hour, but y’all keep standing and shouting and jumping, and that just makes me want to keep on preaching. I can’t stop when y’all standing and waving and hollering and screaming.
But I’m not destroyed. I will not lose. Okay, one more thing I got to tell y’all. Sit down. I got one more thing I got to tell you.
This is probably the most important thing. It says in verse—the question is: how do we face these challenges? How do we face difficult times, troubling times, challenging times?
I want you to know: these verses here give us the right perspective, right? But here’s one more thing I need to tell you that’s very important.
It’s in verse 10. He says, «Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.» The life of Jesus may be manifested in our bodies.
You know what that means? I’m glad you asked the question. God is—here’s what Paul is saying: you’re going to be victorious because Jesus is living in you.
As a matter of fact, it says the life of Jesus. Somebody say, «The life of Jesus.» Jesus—I don’t know if you know what it’s like to have the life of Jesus.
Some of y’all don’t. You’re religious, but you ain’t saved. You’re a church attendee, but you don’t have the life of Jesus.
When you have the life of Jesus living in you, He walks with you. He talks with you. When you have the life of Jesus, He starts answering prayers that you haven’t even asked Him for.
When you have the life of Jesus, He starts answering prayers that you haven’t discussed with anybody. You haven’t talked to anybody about it, but yet somebody will come up and give you the answer that you need—exactly what you needed to hear at that time.
Are y’all listening to me? That’s the life of Jesus. He wants to have His life in you. He wants His life to be vibrant in you.
And all He need you to do is humble yourself and say, «I need it.»
Invitation to Receive Jesus
Now, I’ve said what I’m about to say—I’ve said it a thousand times here at this church. Here the thousand and one time.
I grew up in this church. I was an usher. I sang in the Sunbeam Choir. I was the president of the United Voice Choir. I was a Sunday school teacher. I was a Sunday school student.
Deacon Walton used to tell me, «Sit down, John Jenkins.» When I became the pastor, I said, «Sit down, Deacon Walton.» He was already sitting down, but I felt good just saying it. Thank the Lord.
But I wasn’t saved. I was religious. I was in church every Sunday, but I didn’t have the life of Jesus.
He wants to have life with you—life. He wants to live through you, right? And it’s not an accident that you’re here today.
I’m coming to a close. I’m bringing my plane in for a landing. I’m landing.
He wants to have His life in you. Amen. And the most important thing you have to do is admit that you don’t have His life in you. You got to be able to confess it.
And so I was religious. So one Tuesday night in revival—in a revival in DC—I realized there was something missing in my life. And I came forward.
And I heard people talking—they were whispering, «He’s already a member of the church. Why is he going down there? He already been baptized. He singing in the choir. He usher.»
But that day I didn’t care what anybody else said. And my life got changed. He made Himself real to me.
And there’s somebody here today—you don’t have that real. You don’t have that life. God brought you here today because He wants you to have that life—the life of Jesus in you.
He wants to live in you. That’s how you can survive and make it through difficult times—is when the Savior is living in you.
And so I’m praying that there’s somebody here today that needs the life of Jesus—that they would have the humility to come up and say, «That’s me. I need to get right with God. I want that life.»
Let me invite you to just get on up and come down here real—just get up and come down here right now. If that’s you, don’t be ashamed.
We will not look down our nose at you. We will shout and give God the praise the moment you make a movement.
Unsaved—come right now. Or maybe you’re backsliding and you need to rededicate yourself to Him. Or maybe you’re not sure. Or maybe you’re unsure—you need salvation.
Or maybe you are saved, but you need a church home. Right now is the time.