Tim Timberlake - Pregnancy Brain (01/03/2026)
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Summary:
Declaring 2021 a «Genesis year» of new beginnings, the preacher uses the story of Sarah’s miraculous pregnancy in old age (Genesis 18 & 21) to illustrate «pregnancy brain"—focusing so intently on what God has placed inside you that you forget past limitations and pain. He encourages the congregation to forget 2020's struggles, embrace God’s promises with expectant faith, and «push» through contractions of difficulty to deliver purpose, success from sorrow, and divine blessings in this season of spiritual delivery.
Declaring 2021 a Genesis Year
To see what God has in store for us this year, I’m calling this year 2021 a Genesis year because I believe this is the beginning of something great. Genesis chapter 1, verse 1 starts by saying, «In the beginning, God.» I love that because it lets us know that even from the beginning, God was there. God went before creation, and He’s gone before us. No matter what season of life you may be going into, you can rest assured that God has already gone ahead of you, amen.
And even when you were in 2020, God had gone ahead and entered your 2021. So we are grateful that this year is a Genesis year. How many of you have your faith out there for something big this year? Something big, something bigger than what you experienced and saw last year, 2020? I want us to charge this atmospheric expectation for this year because I’m believing God is going to do some great and mighty things in and through us. As we kick off this year, the first Sunday of 2021, I want to unpack a message that God has placed on my heart.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 21:1-7
So we’re going to go to Genesis chapter 21, verse 1. I’ll read the scripture, we’ll pray, and then we’ll start to unpack it. The word of the Lord says, «The Lord came back to visit Sarah as He said He would, and He kept His promise to her. At exactly the time God said it would happen, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Abraham named his son Isaac, and Abraham did what God commanded and circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old. Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. Sarah said, 'God has made me happy, and everyone who hears about this will be happy with me. No one thought that I, Sarah, would be able to have Abraham’s child, but I have given Abraham a son.' Even though he said I didn’t, I want to unpack a message today entitled 'Pregnancy Brain.' Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You, God, that You are so kind to us. You’ve allowed us to cross over into a new year, and God, we are declaring and decreeing this is a new season. But God, we also declare and decree that this is not our year; this is Your year. You can do whatever You want to do in it. We promise to give You the glory, honor, and praise in Jesus' name, amen.
Introduction to „Pregnancy Brain“
At the top of your notes, I just want you to jot down „Pregnancy Brain.“ If you’re watching online, put that in the chat: „Pregnancy Brain.“ Pregnancy brain is a real thing; most men have no idea what in the world I’m talking about, but women who have been pregnant before understand that it’s a real thing. I remember when Jen was pregnant with Max, and after the first trimester, she began to forget little things. We were playing a game—I’m very competitive— and we were playing a partnership card game against two other people. In this game, we were talking a little trash, and I was playing against my mom. Right in the middle of the game, Jen forgets how to play. This doesn’t work out great for someone who talks a lot of trash because now my partner has forgotten the rules of the game. I’m kicking her under the table, and I’m like, „Hey, get it together! What are we doing right now? We are not looking like a united front; we look unequally yoked right now. What is going on? Help your boy out!“ She’s like, „I don’t remember.“ She starts talking across the table about how she’s forgotten how to play the game.
Now, if you play with me, one of the things I don’t want to hear is how you have forgotten how to play the game we are currently in the middle of playing. It doesn’t look good; it’s not the best showing from a victory standpoint. She’s saying, „I don’t really know how to play; do I play this card?“ I said, „Lord have mercy, Jesus! What in the world are we even doing at this table?“ She says, „I have completely forgotten.“ She had pregnancy brain. There were other little things she would do, and she would say, „Hey, did I do this?“ I’d say, „Girl, you just did that! What is going on?“ Then we started doing a little research and found out pregnancy brain is a real thing. Pregnancy brain is when all of the energy and cognitive juices flow towards producing what you are carrying, but it causes you to forget what was in your past.
Sarah’s Transition
We find Sarah here in Genesis chapter 21 with pregnancy brain. She has forgotten what her condition was and has now stepped into her calling. Isn’t it crazy how sometimes people will hold you to how they met you? I like this passage of scripture because it allows us to parachute into the life of Sarah based on her condition. When we are first introduced to Sarah, it says that she was a barren woman—not just barren, but barren in her old age. So much so that when the word of the Lord came to Abraham that Sarah would be with child, she is listening, she’s eavesdropping; she’s tuning in to what God tells Abraham and starts to laugh in disbelief. Let’s see what the scripture says in Genesis chapter 18, verse 10. It says, „Then one of them said, 'I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son.' Sarah was listening to the conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old.“ I want you to understand when the Bible describes your age—you are old! They were very old, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself. As you continue to read this passage of scripture and unpack it in your own personal study time, you will see that Abraham also laughed. There are two laughs going on in this passage of scripture: one laugh was coming from belief; the other laugh was coming from doubt.
Have you ever heard something from God so big that you laughed with sarcasm? Has God ever introduced you to a promise so much larger than you that you chuckled within yourself? You kind of chuckled in disbelief, thinking, „There’s no way this is possible.“ This is where Sarah is. It says that Sarah laughed within herself: „How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my husband is so old?“ They want you to know how old Abraham is; they’ve said it three times. He’s old! The Lord said to Abraham, „Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Can an old woman like me have a baby? ' Is anything too hard for the Lord?“ I want you to just land right there for a second. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Is there anything too hard for your God? The reality is you may be facing a challenging circumstance and test right now, but I want you to understand this: There is nothing too hard for God.
Look at what happens to Sarah. It says that in chapter 18 she laughs and chuckles within herself, and God asks Abraham why she laughed. In chapter 21, we see Sarah saying, „It is true, and everyone that reads this will be happy for me.“ What transitioned between her not believing and her actually conceiving? Something happened called pregnancy brain. She forgot what happened in her past because of what she was carrying. I came to ask you this morning: Is it quite possible that you can forget what happened in your 2020 because of what you’re carrying in your 2021? See, when my energy, my spirit, my mind is focused on what I’m carrying, it allows me to forget what I’ve been through.
We find Sarah laughing in chapter 21 differently than how she laughed in chapter 18 because she’s now moved from her condition to her calling. Let me challenge you with this: In 2021, you will no longer be known for your condition; you’ll be known for what God called you to do. You’ll no longer be known for what has been holding you back; you’ll only be known for what you’re running into. You’ll no longer be known for what you can’t do; you’ll now be known for what God called you to do. Is there anybody grateful that what you’re going into is greater than what you’ve come out of? I’m telling you, you’re not basing your life off your condition; you’re basing it off your calling. Some things are good for you to forget because it’s greater to have your eyes focused on where God is taking you.
God Visits and Changes Things
The scripture says in Genesis chapter 21 again, „Then the Lord came back to visit Sarah.“ I just want us to back in right there for a second because I believe in 2021, God is going to visit you. I believe in 2021, God is going to visit your situation and your circumstance. I believe right now, in your homes and wherever you may be watching me from, the presence of God is about to visit you. When God shows up, things have to change. When God shows up, things have to switch. When God shows up, what was lost is now found, and He brings you into a season where you’re no longer lacking what it is that you had to release, but you’re stepping into something that God desires for you to grab. Are you able to forget what it was that you left behind to run into what it is that God is calling you to? Sarah no longer remembered that she was barren; she is now thinking only about what she carries.
I came to tell you right now, no matter if you’re a woman or a man, you are carrying something because God always leaves seed where He believes He desires to push something through. There’s seed in you that God is birthing for this season and time. Can you forget what it is that you’ve been through and grab hold of what you’re pregnant with? Because the reality is you’re pregnant. I know it sounds crazy; I know you didn’t anticipate it; I know you didn’t expect it. But God has left something in you that He desires to bring to life this year. In order for you to push out the expectation and the anticipation, you have to forget what was 2020 and step into what is 2021. Do you have the capacity to forget what it was that you have been through to step into what it is God is calling you to?
Sarah transitions from chapter 18 to chapter 21. She laughed from doubt, and then in chapter 21, she’s laughing from expectation. I believe this year, 2021, you will laugh with expectation. In 2020, you laughed in doubt that it wasn’t possible. In 2021, you laugh with expectation because you know God is able. I love the passage of scripture that says, „And God came to visit Sarah just as He said He would.“ I’m telling you God is going to visit you just as He said He would. God is going to show up in your circumstance just as He said He would. God is going to show up in your testing, in your trial just as He said He would. God is going to do only what He could do because He said that He would. Is there anybody grateful that God is who He said He is and He will do what He said He’s going to do?
Stages of Spiritual Pregnancy
I want to talk to some people that have pregnancy brain. You may not be able to see what it is that you are pregnant with, but you know what you’ve left behind. As Jen was pregnant, in the beginning, we couldn’t tell besides her being sick. You can always tell when you’re carrying something not based on how it looks, but based on the feelings changing. See, every season that God ushers you into, He desires for the atmosphere to change, and He desires for the feeling to change. See, in the first trimester, most of the time there’s some morning sickness. In the second trimester, you start to feel a little bit better; I know for her at least, she started to get more energy, and she began to feel good because the baby was producing nutrients and vitamins for her body as well as for his. The third trimester, her walk started to change; she got a little wobble on her. When you’re pregnant and carrying something, your walk should change. This year, 2021, you shouldn’t be walking the same way you walked in 2020. You’re a little bit farther along in what you’re expecting God to do. Your walk should change.
As she got a little bit closer, her cravings started to change. She began to crave things she had never craved before. When you get close to delivering what God has placed on the inside of you, your cravings start to change. You start to crave out things that He has placed on the inside of you to crave. See, in this new year of 2021, those who are carrying what God desires for you to carry, your hunger is going to change. Your thirst is going to change. Your cravings are going to change because you’re carrying something of significance.
See, when you’re carrying something, you crave something. I don’t know who I’m talking to right now, but I believe because you’re carrying something, your craving is changing. Has your appetite changed since you stepped into 2021? Do you have your eyes set on something bigger than what you had your eyes set on in 2020? I’m telling you, if you can see it, you can run into it, and you have to see it before anyone else does because you know what it is that you’re carrying. We knew what we were carrying before anyone knew that we were carrying. Sometimes you have to call those things that be not as though they were until you see them happen. You can’t go by what it looks like because the reality is what was happening around Sarah looked the exact same, but what was happening inside of Sarah was completely different.
God did not change their age to change their circumstance. God did not change their place to change their circumstance. God did not change their body to change their circumstance. See, when God speaks a word, it has to come to pass because He’s spoken. Does God tell the birds how to fly? He puts it in their DNA. Does God tell the fish how to swim? He puts it in their DNA. I’m telling you, God has ingrained in your DNA what it takes to carry what it is that He’s placed on the inside of you. I know you may not feel pregnant yet; I know you may not look pregnant yet; I know you may not be going through the stages of what you think is pregnancy yet, but you are pregnant, and you are carrying purpose. It’s your season to push out what God has placed on the inside of you. Is there anybody grateful that you’re no longer in a season of waiting, but you’re now in a season of delivery? 2020 is your year to deliver what God has placed on the inside of you. You’re pregnant with purpose! Just as Sarah laughed with expectation, this is your year to laugh with expectation and laugh at everything that the enemy told you that you could not do, and begin to worship God for what He said He will do. See, worship is prophecy that what you thought could not happen will happen. When I worship, it’s me prophesying to the enemy that what you said is impossible is, in fact, possible.
See, my worship is a prophecy to my circumstance that no matter what it may look like, it’s changing. My worship is a declaration to the test, to the trial, and to the tribulation that I may be faced with, that no matter what it may look like, it is in fact changing because of who God is.
Key Points
Sarah began to laugh with expectation. If you’re taking notes, I want you to write this down: Number one, you can’t judge what’s in you by what’s around you. You can’t judge what’s in you by what’s around you. If Sarah and Abraham had judged what was in them based on what was around them, they would have limited what God desired to do by their age. I’m telling you, no matter how young you are, no matter how old you are, God has placed something on the inside of you to push out this year, 2021. Guess what? You no longer have to wait for it to happen. You no longer have to guess if it’s going to happen. You no longer have to ponder if it’s going to happen; it’s going to happen because God said it is! You cannot judge what’s in you by what surrounds you. Don’t limit God by what surrounds you!
You’ve got to have pregnancy brain and put your faith on the fact that there’s something in you. Point number two is this: You can draw in the negative with your doubt or you can draw in God’s blessing with your faith. You can draw in the negative in this new year with your doubt or you can draw in the blessing with your faith. You’re always left with two options: to retreat and doubt or to charge forward in faith. I’m a firm believer that God has not called you into this new year to be the same; He’s called you into this new year so that you can see change from the inside out. This is only the beginning of what God desires for you to see. Not only have you stepped into a new year, but you’ve stepped into a new you. See, Sarah had to believe beyond her body that God was able to do what He said He would do. If you limit God to your circumstance, you’ll be left with your circumstance. If you sink your faith in the possibility that God is able to do it, you will see God do the unthinkable in an impossible situation.
This is what I believe: God is about to bring success out of your sorrow. I’ll say it again because I want you to hear that: God is about to bring success out of your sorrow. The word of God says that Sarah said, „Everybody that reads this will be happy for me.“ There’s success that’s going to come out of your sorrow. I know you may be in a challenging season right now, but success is going to come out of your sorrow. I know you may be in pain right now, but success is coming out of your sorrow. I know you may be going through a difficult moment right now, but success is coming out of your sorrow!
I’m a firm believer that what you’re carrying is greater than the pain you’re going to go through to get it out of you. If you can get through the labor pains, if you can get through the delivery pains, when you hold the blessing, it will take away the memory of the pain it took to get it here. I’m telling you, success is about to come out of your sorrow. Is there anybody grateful listening to me right now that the pain you are enduring is nothing compared to the blessing you’re about to hold? Success is about to come out of your sorrow!
Forgetting the Past (Philippians 3:13–14)
Listen to this scripture in Philippians chapter 3, verse 13. It says, „No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it yet.“ You may not have achieved what God has called you to achieve; you may not have seen what it is that you are carrying yet; you may not have delivered what God has placed on the inside of you yet. But I love this passage of scripture; it says, „But I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.“ In order for me to look forward to what lies ahead, I’ve got to have pregnancy brain. I have to forget some of the things I’ve been through. I have to forget some of the things that challenged me, and I have to forget some of the tests and the trials that I had to overcome to pursue some of the things that God has in front of me.
Look at what the scripture continues to say in verse 14: „I press towards the mark; I press on; and I reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize, which is God.“ I forget those things that are behind me. Sarah had to forget how barren she was; she had to forget how old she was; she had to forget all the challenges that her physical body may have had to go through to receive something so big spiritually that it manifested in her physical body. You have to forget those things that are behind you and grab hold of what God has in front of you. I press! And I came to tell you right now, you’re in your pressing and pushing season. You’re in your pressing and pushing season. And I know it’s painful; I know this year feels just like last year did, but you’re in your pressing and pushing season. You’re carrying something!
Stages of Delivery
In the first stage of delivery, you start to have contractions, and contractions are painful, but the contractions are an indicator that what you’re carrying is on the way. I know you’re in pain; I know you’re in pain, but your sorrows are going to produce success. I know you’re going through a difficult moment right now, and 2021 may look a lot like 2020, but you’re carrying something. Your sorrow is going to produce success. The first stage of delivery is contractions, and you start to feel things tense; you start to feel pressure. But pressure is a sign that the release is about to happen. I can remember when contractions started hitting Jen. She started groaning; we would walk down the hallway of the hospital from the waiting room, and every now and again, she would stop, put her hand on the wall, and groan a little bit. I’d say, „You okay?“ She’d say, „Yeah, I’m okay.“ I’d say, „You can do it.“ She kept on walking a few more feet, then she’d grab a hold of the wall again, and she’d stop and put her hands on her stomach and groan again. I’m telling you, in this season of contractions, it’s okay to groan. In this season of contractions, it’s okay to release a sound. As a matter of fact, the word of God says in Romans chapter 8, verse 22: „We know that the whole earth and the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we await eagerly.“
See, when you are waiting eagerly, you should be groaning because of the contractions that are happening on your spirit. You understand where you are is not where God designs for you to stay, and so He’s pushing something out of you greater than what you currently see. Every once in a while, she would stop, she would groan, and I would say, „You got this, ” and she would keep on walking down that hall. We would keep on going from the waiting room to the hallway and from the hallway to the waiting room. Some of you have been doing that in life; you’ve been going from the waiting room to the hallway and from the hallway to the waiting room. I’m curious to know, is there anybody in this place that says, „Even if I got to wait in the waiting room, and even if I’ve got to walk in the hallway, I’m going to praise God until the door opens? I’m going to praise God until what’s in me is pushed out of me. I’m going to praise God until what I’m carrying is released. I don’t care how long I’ve got to wait; I don’t care how long I’ve got to walk. God, I believe there’s something greater on the inside of me than what I’ve seen before. I believe there’s something greater on the other side than what I pushed out before!“
Is there anybody expecting God to deliver something big, something great, something mighty? Come on! Why don’t you give God 20 seconds of real praise? Come on! Throw those hands up, open up your mouth, and say, „God, I’m expecting!“
See, when you get close to delivery, things get tense, and pressure happens. You start to feel pain differently because you’re producing. I came to tell you this is a season of producing. I feel that prophetically right now in the name of Jesus! This is a season of producing. I know it’s painful, but this is a season of producing. I know it’s messy, but this is a season of producing. I know you’re going through some challenging times, but it’s a season of producing. I come to tell you that eyes have not seen nor ears have heard all He has in store for you. But this is the thing that you’ve got to continue to do: you have to continue to press and continue to push because the enemy would have you believe this year will be no different than your last. I’m telling you, you’re carrying something!
I want to prophesy in your life and your family: you’re carrying something! You’re pregnant with something, and this is your season to deliver what God has placed on the inside of you. You’re carrying something! I declare and decree over you listening to me right now: your 2021 will be different than your 2020, not because your circumstance changed but because you changed! Your expectations changed; your anticipations changed; your hope changed; your faith changed! You’ve got your faith grounded and rooted a little bit deeper than you had last year. You’re not waiting on things to change before you change; you’re expecting something!
The second phase of delivery is the pushing phase. See, the contractions are an indicator that you’re about to push. Oh, and I came to tell you today: you’re about to push! I came to tell you today that what is in you is greater than what’s before you. You’re about to push! I came to tell you that everything that has been holding you back could not stop you from this moment right here. You are about to push! There’s not a devil in hell that can stop what God is going to deliver through you in 2021! You’re about to push!
Right now, wherever you are, I want you to put that in the chat: „Push!“ If you’re in this auditorium, I want you to say it: „It’s my season to push!“ You’ve got to push. You’ve got to press; you’ve got to lean in. This is your season to push! Yes, it’s going to cost you some blood, some sweat, some tears, but the push is worth it! The contractions are painful; the push is a little bit more painful. But then you enter into the third phase, which is delivery. If you can get through the push, you can deliver just as Sarah did in her old age. She got through the delivery, and she pushed out what it was that God had promised.
I’m telling you if you can get through the push, if you can get through the delivery, you’ll hold what it is that God has promised you. This is your season to behold! Your season to carry, your season to look at. When you see what you’ve been carrying, it will be worth the pain, and it will be worth the push.
I said when you see what it is that you’ve been carrying, it will be worth the pain, and it will be worth the push. There’s not a mother in this room that would tell you the push wasn’t worth it because after you deliver, you see what it is that has been taking shape and taking form on the inside of you during the season you had to carry it. The press, the push, the delivery will be worth it! I’m telling you the greater the purpose you carry, the easier it is for you to forget what it was that you had to go through to get it here. In 2021, it’s your year to push out what it is that you’ve been carrying.
Closing Prayer and Declaration
I want you to lift those hands toward heaven right now, and I want you to think about what it is that God desires for you to carry. What is it that you’re pushing out? What is it that you’re delivering? What is it that you are anticipating and expecting? I want you to hear me when I say this: you’re going to deliver it this year! You’re going to see it this year! You’re going to hold it this year! You’re going to look at it in the face this year, whatever it may be! I’m telling you, this is the year that it comes to pass! This is the year of delivery, and it cannot be otherwise. I said it again: it cannot be otherwise!
I declare and decree it cannot be otherwise! So right now, I want you to seal what it is that you’re carrying with prayer. Right now, wherever you may be around the world, wherever you may be watching me from, I just want you to pray over what it is that you’re carrying. God, I thank You that I’m carrying something great. God, I thank You that I’m carrying something costly. I thank You that I’m carrying something valuable! Come on! Thank Him for what it is that you’re carrying! Open up your mouth and thank Him for what it is that you are carrying.
You have to press through the pain; you have to press through what it is that you are going through so you can experience the joy of seeing what it is that you carry. Now, Lord Jesus, I thank You for placing in us something greater than what surrounds us. Father, we declare and decree that no matter what we feel like, no matter what it looks like, we are carrying something that’s greater than what we currently see. Father, we say nothing else will do! Nothing else can do what You can do! We just want You, God! We say, „You are enough!“ We just want You and nothing else! Nothing else will do! Only You can give us what it is that we’re carrying—we just want You! Nothing else can do what You have done; only You can do what You can do!
And so, God, we thank You for what it is that You’ve placed on the inside of us. God, we lift our hands, and we open up our mouths, and God, we say we just want You! God, we just want You! God, we just want You!