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Feeble Evangelical Efforts at Educating Away Racism

Guest Writer: Dr. David D. Daniels

The silence about institutionalized racism from White Evangelicals is deafening and deadly. These pro-life followers of Christ would seemingly be at the forefront of the protest against racial injustice and the campaigns to eradicate racism, but they aren’t. For the most part, they stun us with their silence.
In “Untangling the White Evangelical Mind,” Mark Matlock identifies “ignorance” about race as the reason for the silence around race among these conservative Christians. According to him, “this ignorance entails whites believing they know more than they do about Black people’s plight and the United States’ racial realities. Therefore, their ignorance hinders them from critically hearing the topic of racism.”
So, is white ignorance about racism why, for nearly 45 long years, the White Evangelical movement has vociferously and vigilantly campaigned against the senseless killing of innocent unborn and yet been deafening silence on the senseless killing of innocent Black people? So, is white ignorance about racism why the senseless killing of innocent Black people warrants no righteous indignation or even quick mention in the prayers or sermons of White Evangelicals? So, is white ignorance about racism why their pro-life movement skips over the senseless killing of innocent Black people as a topic worthy of denouncement and efforts to end this injustice? In practice, does the silence of the White Evangelical movement implicitly legitimate pro-death policies targeting Black lives?
When Black Evangelicals and other conservative Black Christians explain to White Evangelicals the contradiction of being pro-life about the unborn and pro-death about Black lives, white ignorance is the cause of their inconsistency being incomprehensible? When White Evangelicals are told how race mars and kills Black people, are they, then, incapable of recognizing how race defines, privileges, and benefits them because of their ignorance about how race serves them? Is white ignorance or the lack of education regarding racism really the problem? For those who advocate the “education solution” to racism, it is.
For “education solution” proponents, reading books about race, racism, anti-racism, and white supremacy dispels ignorance. For them, White Evangelicals can read their way out of their complicity with racism into being in solidarity with anti-racism. Book sales related to publications on race shot up exponentially in June of 2020. Yet, the percentage of White Evangelicals committed to struggling against systemic racism has not. Reading alone is insufficient in confronting racism.
Others in the “education solution” camp propose interracial “friendships.” Like Matlock, they believe that interracial relationships will foster changes in attitudes about race where debates about the travesty of racism fail. While interracial relationships might change micro-aggressive anti-black behavior in some converts to the reality of racism, do these converts join the ranks of those engaging in the dismantling of racial structures and erecting structures of racial justice? If not, interracial relationships alone are inadequate in confronting racism.
What role can Christian education offer pastors and principals, you may ask? It can do a lot it appears. Christian education can introduce congregations to the “sin of racism.” Racism is more than a violation of the civil rights laws, a drain on the economy, a waste of human talents, and a crime against humanity; racism is a sin against God. For Christians who take the Bible and their faith seriously, this should shock them out of complacency about and complicity with racism. Anti-Black micro- and macro-aggression is to be denounced publicly from trafficking in racial stereotypes to racial bias in policing and hiring to racial disparities because racism is understood as a sin. White Evangelicals are known for denouncing sin, except, historically, the sin of racism. Unfortunately, they do not denounce racism today in any substantive terms.
So, why has the “education solution” proven to be ineffective? Most likely, it is because “education alone” must be joined with other approaches. For Christians to depend on education in reading about race, hearing about race through interracial relationships, or learning about racism as sin from sermons or Sunday School underestimates racism’s gravity and pervasiveness. Racism being sin shows that sin fails to be educated away. It is a heresy to teach that the sin of racism can be educated away.
Just recall for a moment that the police killing of George Floyd on 25 May, 2020 ignited the current outrage about racism. A best-selling book, an award-winning televised interview, a mesmerizing viral sermon, a paradigm-shifting set of congressional hearings, or a renowned educational curriculum on race was the cause. A death sparked these current protests. The death of George Floyd sparked this particular national reckoning about race. Along with Breonna Taylor and others’ death, his death opened many eyes about the American racial reality. Black people had to be killed before some White Evangelicals “realized” that racial injustice existed in the United States.
Since this is the case, the “education solution” is obviously inadequate. Yet, it is immoral for White Evangelicals only to begin to realize that the system of racism is deadly after police blatantly kill Black people. For the sake of the gospel, White Evangelicals must find a better way to break their silence about structural racism and enter into solidarity with anti-racism without needing the shedding of more Black blood. Education can not be their sole strategy. So, which multi-facet and multi-dimensional approaches might they borrow or develop to break the silence about race, dismantle the system racism, and institutionalize racial justice?
We welcome solution based responses from you, the reader, that can begin to move the country forward in a positive way.

 

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Creating Space for Grace

 

“If you make yourself the main character in the story,

then you’ll evaluate everything that happens by its effect on you

not the affected.”

 

As Christians grapples with the issue of race, it has become apparent that many don’t perceive reality the same. Most are operating under different beliefs and stimuli which come from experiences, something heard, or something read. Facts and truth have differing definitions.  When we interpret through the lens of our self-centered view, the actions of others often make no sense, and frustrate, hurt or infuriate us. But can you see that it can cause problems, inhibit understanding and empathy. 

What you believe about a person or event will determine how you label them. The labels you use will allow you to project valence and dictate your actions to engage or disengage.

As used in psychology, valence means the intrinsic attractiveness (positive valence) or averseness (negative valence) of an event, object, or situation. It is typically easier to use the “other” as a projective object. Efforts, by Blacks, to change their conditions are labeled as social justice, Marxism, critical race theory, cancel culture, or progressive Christianity. Push back or disagreement by Whites is labeled as fragility, racism, privilege, or conservatism. Somehow, Christianity has settled into cultural norms rather than setting the standards for cultural norms based on God’s Word.  We abandon Kingdom conversation of unity for cultural dialogue that divides. America is becoming more and more multiracial, warranting a broader recognition of those who do not fit into a society’s clear-cut notions of race.

Language matters and there is a confusion of the slogan Black Lives Matter – a plea to secure the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans, especially historically wronged Blacks, with the organization called Black Lives Matter – which has a specific and stated agenda. Maybe a new slogan should be created to separate the movement from the organization. These three words are dissected ad nauseum. We have to unravel the narratives taught in some churches today that assume this movement of Biblical justice being worked out within society is about property and jealousy. Those that oppose the movement use “Thou shall not steal or covet” as the defense to ignore reality. Let’s be clear, the movement is about how you got it, not that you have it. Others say using the word “Black” as the presupposition ignores the transcendent God-ordained meaning of life – The Imago Dei. Some pastors are asking to whom and in what way does it matter? I’ve even heard pastors say that the phrase assigns guilt based on ethnicity which isn’t Biblical. We are all imperfect sinner who moves in faith.  These are brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s stop throwing other Christians under the bus from the pulpit. A mist in the pulpit can become a fog in the pews. Let’s not forget Sunday’s became and still is the most segregated day of the week.

These pastors cap off their messaging by labeling it ALL as Communism or Marxism. Using the old playbook, going back to the ’50’s and ’60’s, labeling any principle that attempts to obtain a level playing field for all. M.L. King was viewed as a Communist for calling out the situation people faced. The reality was that King’s view of Communism was that it was fundamentally incompatible with Christianity. The central issue King was calling out was the defense of the gulf between superfluous wealth and abject poverty.

As Christians, we cannot ignore or excuse the past sins. We must confront them, repent for them, and find ways to correct the actions that may allow them to continue. If you see God’s image in you as more valuable than the image of God in those different from you, you have lifted yourself to be better than the other person. That is about “have no other idols before God” and “thou shall not bear false witness”.  God’s summarized the commandments because we tend to prioritize to fit our needs – “Love God and to Love your neighbor.” One cannot say “I love God” but hates their neighbor or has nothing to do with their neighbor. Because God is love, we are able to love. Love pleases the Lord and makes one worthy of the Lord’s saving grace. From God’s love, mercy and compassion follow.

My prayer is that when our strength is fading in a world of moral decline, self-interest, and cultural confusion that integrity will shine as a light upon a hill.  Only by coming together across geography, race, class, denomination, age, across all the differences that really do NOT matter, will we be able to listen to each other. It’s only by embracing one another in a spirit of love and collaboration that we create space to grow in grace together.

 

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Pulling Down Strongholds – Part II

 

We are now in the early phase of a medical and economic disruption unmatched in most of our lifetimes. It has crashed economies, broken health-care systems, filled hospitals, emptied public spaces, separated people from their workplaces and their friends. This fast-spreading virus is prompting some economists to even predict a U.S. recession. This current need for social distancing is high-stakes and non-negotiable. Social Distancing, a term that epidemiologists are using to refer to a conscious effort to reduce close contact between people and hopefully stymie community transmission of the virus. We are in a grey area now with much contemplation on how we go about daily life. We’re all participants in the world’s largest natural experiment in behavior change.

 

Psychologists sometimes describe the barrier to behavior change as the conflict between wants and should. This can be described as strongholds. We know we should choose the side salad, but we want the basket of fries. We know we should shelter in place but we’re bored and want to get out. We know the Bible instructs us that we should love our neighbor, but we want to think of ourselves as different than them. When we consider our susceptibility, we fall victim to the illusion of invulnerability.

 

I’m reminded of the rich ruler in Mark 10:17 – 27 who thought he was doing everything right but was so consumed with his money that Heaven had became a distant dream. One of his problems was that he considered himself to be faultless concerning the Law. Stronghold! With surgical precision, Jesus simply touched on the one issue that exposed the greed the ruler did not even suspect he had. He should have listened to Jesus but he wanted to keep his money. He was not willing to make the change and follow the Lord if that meant he must share his wealth with others. He broke two commandments – he did not love his neighbor as himself, and he did not love the Lord with all his heart. He had made an idol of his wealth, and he loved it more than God. Stronghold! The rich ruler needed the Savior, and the financial fears the world is showing today demonstrates so do we.

 

Allow me to ponder with you that maybe. . . just maybe God is trying to show us that our dependence needs to be on him and not on our finances. I’m not saying God sent Covid-19 but maybe. . . just maybe since our finances have become our strongholds, He’s allowing us to see that finances can’t save us. Freewill individualism, the belief that people are expected to survive on their own. Maybe. . . just maybe the coronavirus outbreak will shock us into understanding just how much damage financial strongholds have inflicted upon American society. In Deuteronomy 15. God says, if you followed the Law, as you claim to do, there wouldn’t be any needy people among you. But there are, because of your unfaithfulness. In other words, Jesus makes it plain that we can (should) solve this problem at any time we want.

 

I read a post that gives us something to think about, “In three short months, just like He did with the plagues of Egypt, God has taken away everything we worship. God said you want to worship athletes; I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship musicians; I will shut down Civic Centers.  You want to worship actors; I will shut down theaters. You want to worship money; I will shut down the economy and collapse the stock market. You don’t want to go to church and worship Me, I will make it where you can’t go to church. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Maybe we don’t need a vaccine. Maybe we need to take this time of isolation from the distractions of the world and have a personal revival where we focus on the ONLY thing in the world that really matters. JESUS!” 

 

The future is uncertain, the economy is in turmoil, but God is still on the throne breaking strongholds. As we approach Easter, maybe . . . just maybe we reflect on the greatest “should” ever, the uncommon love of the Cross.

 

God, we come to you with our lamentations, our worries and our fears. Wrap them in the mantle of your love. Fill us with peace so that we may share it with the world. Let us exult daily in your glory as we look forward to the resurrection.

 

In Jesus name we pray. Amen
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Can We Just Talk?

 

Dr. I. David Byrd, December 1, 2019
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone.”                 Col 4:6
Civility dies when you give up the right to have dialogue without trying to destroy the other person. The starting point for repairing our fractured country is how we interact with others.

 

First, our conversation should be an instrument of grace even to those who we don’t think deserve it. Paul uses the word “grace”, which most often refers to unmerited favor for those who are ill-deserving. Paul anticipating our sinful nature qualified this phrase with “always”.

 

Second, our conversations should be seasoned with “salt ”. Salt makes meat acceptable to the discerning palate and is a preservative that draws out bad organisms that can cause meat to decay. Once salt loses its chemical properties it is of no value. If the “flavor” of our conversation is saltless we are useless to God, of no value in bringing out people’s best tendencies and preventing their worse.

 

  • Deliberately seek to influence the people in your life by showing them the unconditional love of Christ through good deeds (Matthew 5:13)
  • Demonstrate the counterculture to language that demeans, degrades, divides and leads to societal moral decay. (Mark 9:50)
  • Witness to unbelievers being well prepared and focused on building others up according to their individual needs with purity of motive. (Col 4:6)

 

What a privilege God has given us to be in dialogue with others. Use it for God’s glory. It’s the evidence of the call upon our lives.

 

Father,
Your Word tells us we are to be a people set upon a hill; bringing light to the darkness of this world. Help us to live out the grace you provided to us. To not withhold conversation from anyone You put in our path.

 

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

 

Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link  myTime with God
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Stay In Peace, Not In Pieces

Dr. I. David Byrd October 15, 2019

 

Because of Peter’s decision to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, all of humankind has the opportunity to live in relationship with our Lord and Savior. Our common identity in Christ can lead to the healing of our divided and sinful nation. “He made no distinction between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9).

 

In The Book of Acts, F. Bruce provides a poignant summary for believer to contemplate:
“Like the early church, If believers today do their part to reach out to all who are lost, church congregations will eventually be compromised of people from different racial and cultural backgrounds. When this happens, we most often see our propensity to label and categorize. We are most comfortable with those who are just like us. Clearly, at the root of these tendencies is the ugly sin of prejudice. The more we understand the gospel and embrace God’s version of the body of Christ, the more we begin to transcend these differences. More than merely getting along, we will be able to honestly and authentically say from our hearts that we love each other.”

 

Are you in a mindset to be used to accomplish God’s purpose in someone whose experiences differ from your own?

 

Father God,

 

Throughout your Word you declare, define and demonstrate love. I admit it’s hard to sometimes love people I feel are different or don’t deserve my love. However, I can’t truly love you if I can’t love those you love. So today, I repent and ask you to renew my heart and mind so I may witness to the world through my actions as well as my words.

 

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

 

Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link  myTime with God

 

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Faith On Trial

 

Dr. I. David Byrd October 1, 2019

 

Our study picks us with Peter having seen the possibility of the presence of God in a culture not his own. He was willing to set aside his communities presuppositions, prejudices and pride to live out his calling. The Jews wanted the Gentiles to acculturate into their way of life before they would accept them and they believed this was necessary before they could be saved (Acts 11:2). The Jews prioritized certain beliefs in the Law of Moses and felt they could judge and legislate who was saved by application of those selected laws. Peter must give an account for his actions!

 

In Acts 15, the Jews met at the Council of Jerusalem to discuss this question of those they considered different, the “other”. The Jews were determined to show Peter the law was on their side and he was wrong for focusing on “those other” people, especially Gentiles. Scripture says they “argued forcefully”. My study revealed this meant they had serious theological differences, debate, discord and disunion. Sounds similar to the infighting of the Church today?

 

Nevertheless, Peter put the law in its proper perspective. The law identifies all our sins and points us to Christ (Gal 3:19 – 29). Peter knew we are saved only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not forceful application of laws upon individuals. Peter also knew that Jesus had given two commandments to clarify the Law of Moses and guide the interpretation of it in our actions. In Matthew 22: 37 – 39 Jesus commanded us,

 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

If you love everyone as you love yourself; your beliefs about them, how you label them and how you treat them will always be guided by Godly intentions.

 

Today we continue to question who is “us” and who is “them”. Like the Jews in Acts, we still use the Word of God to divide and define people by lifting up certain commandments to support theology based on secular criteria. Remember, Peter faced men who believed in the Resurrection of Jesus (i.e. they were saved) but felt the commandments they determined to be most relevant were the ones that mattered most. But Peter depended on scripture to settle the controversy not what would benefit him most. Avoid unfruitful arguments; focus on loving people. Remember, we can’t save anyone. Salvation is only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

 

In our next session I will bring home the message of our series, Walking the Talk. We will look at the impact of our witness when people are watching our actions more than they are listening to our words.

 

Father God,

 

We are surrounded by a fragmented culture, focused more on separation than salvation, we need you. Help create in us a clean heart and don’t allow us to focus on the “Great Commission” at the expense of your “Great Commandments”. We desire to live on the right side of your Word so that our lives more than our words will be the witness to those that need to know You.

 

In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 

 

 

Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link  myTime with God

 

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Do You Understand What You’re Reading?

Dr. I. David Byrd, August 15, 2019

“God will not give us the Holy Spirit to enable us to gain celebrity or to procure a name or to live an easy, self-controlled life. The Spirit’s passion is the glory of the Lord Jesus, and can make His abode [only] with those who are willing to be at one with Him in this”.
F.B. Meyer

 

Reading the Word is not only beneficial to our walk; it can benefit others. As the number of readers of The Journey increases, so do the types of follow-up questions. I am realizing some have limited context for what we are talking about. I now am more conscious of the importance of you and I taking time to teach those around us. People are expecting us to use our platforms to make the Word plain to them; not to tell them how great we are or creating thirst traps as a way of gaining attention or validation. Our goal should be to reflect Him through us. Charles Koller explains it, “Not as a pipe through which the truth flows out to others, but as a living embodiment of the truth to which we seek to win others”. Witnessing does not depend on flashy rhetoric or heart wrenching stories. The spirit does the convicting and convincing. We are merely the tool. So, “study to show ourselves approved”.

 

When we don’t take the time to teach the Bible to others we dilute the complexity, historicity, and beauty of its story, and the readers can miss significant facets of the Good News about Jesus. I’m reminded of the story of Philip joining the Ethiopian high official in Acts 8 as a perfect example for us to model:

 

27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch,
a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, 
who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 
28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 
29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 
30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked,
“Do you understand what you are reading?” 
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”
And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

 

Philip didn’t wait for him to come to church. Philip joined the Ethiopian where he was. The Ethiopian official needed someone to relationally unfold Isaiah 53:7-8 to him in a way that made sense.

 

So here are the two challenges this passage confronts us with. First, we must be willing to step into some elses “chariot” and sit alongside people who can’t make sense of life, much less the Bible. Second, we must study God’s Word diligently and learn from good teachers about His whole counsel, so that when we do have opportunities with those seeking to understand, we can engage them with the whole story instead of leaving them with a presentation. We can only teach others what we’ve learned ourselves; so consider studying a book or two of the Bible.

 

You never know who God may put in your path to share the Good News. When your opportunity comes, just like Philip, be prepared.

 

Father God,
Prepare us to share your Word with others. Unless we study, we won’t be ready. It’s not always easy to dedicate time to studying; and yes I know this is an excuse. Help me to do better. I want and need to represent you well.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 

 

Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link  myTime with God

 

 

 

 

 

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Wait. . . Isn’t It About Me?

 

Dr. I. David Byrd July 15, 2019

 

Thomas Adamson of Paris AP Wire reported that:
The billionaire French donors who publicly proclaimed they would give hundreds of millions to rebuild Notre Dame have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to church and business officials. These wealthy donors want their money to go toward long-lasting, immortalizing structures and not on the ephemeral but equally vital tasks of cleaning and securing a site that poses real health risks for Parisians.

 

The same desire for personal recognition and popularity can play out in a believer when we put the focus on ourselves and not on God. As we continue to spotlight our promises to Him, let’s focus on the attention engineering of your social media posts. Do they reflect Him or do they reflect you? We’ve become obsessed with people seeing where we are, what we’re doing, what we’re wearing or what we’re eating. And even when we help or service others our post can say look at what I’m doing.

 

In Jeremiah 9:23 God says, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches.” God says, there is only one thing in life worth bragging about: “Do you know Me?” Because if you can’t talk about that, then it doesn’t matter how much money is in your account, what degrees are on your wall, what great trips you are able to take or what position you have in your company. The mindset of “he with the most toys wins!” has to be seen for the fallacy it is. See, the knowledge of God affects everything about you. God says, “If you are going to brag, brag that you know Me.”

 

But God doesn’t tell you the truth about yourself and then leave you where you are. Like a good doctor, He tells you you’re sick so you will get the proper treatment. The proper treatment for the sin of self focus is salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. He provides forgiveness for our sins by His death on the cross. If Jesus had focused on popularity, He would not have gone to the cross on our behalf. You can never know God until you are properly related to Him through a relationship with Jesus. If you have never come to Jesus in repentance and faith, today would be a great day to do so.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link  myTime with God
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When Promises Are Broken

Dr. I. David Byrd July 1, 2019

 

“If a man makes a promise to the LORD or says he will do something special, he must keep his promise. He must do what he said”

Numbers 30:2(NCV)

We have spent the first six months of 2019 unpacking the many promises of God. We’ve seen the grace and mercy He provides to us day by day. We’ve seen that we can depend on His promises. We’ve search scripture to confirm His promises. Yet, doubt, disappointment or disillusion creep in when we think He has not fulfilled His promise to us. This month we pause, turn the spotlight, flip the script, reframe the focus to explore the promises we have made to God and ask, “Can He depend on the promises we have made to Him?”

When you give your word, you’re putting your honor on the line. You’re implying that others can trust you because you have integrity. Have you ever considered how God hears the fulfillment of your promises to Him –

I’m willing to offer a belief in you generally, but without specifics attached to it. If what you are asking is too hard for me to do, you’ll understand if I avoid it. I will sacrifice for others as long as it does not affect my own self-interest as I face life’s daily events. I studied your Word and used my intellect to discern all that was right and wrong with it. Besides, it was written by imperfect men. I ignore the parts that don’t make sense or make me uncomfortable. I’ll proclaim my allegiance to you by judging people on the parts that don’t inconvenience me. I’m willing to love those who are like me but as your Word says, I’m required to love my neighbor not those others. I’m not a minister so, at my own discretion, I will tell others about the Good News. I asked you to alleviate that situation and you told me “your grace is sufficient”; I know you understand that’s not quite going to cut it. 

 

Sound crazy? Before you too quickly dismiss this and while you may not audibly say these things to God, have you not conveyed these words to Him by your words and actions? God expects all true believers to be His emissaries. One day we will all have to stand before the Creator and answer the question, did we take Him at His Word and keep our promise?

 

The most basic promise of most believers is to serve Him. Serving is the obligation to love Him. John 14:15 defines loving Him as keeping His commandments. There is a direct link between His commandments and His promises. They are our reward for a life of faith, belief, and devotion. When we prioritize, pick or choose which commandment to focus on, we open the door for the enemy to get into our heads. My friend says, “If the enemy can cause us to doubt one promise from God to us, then over time that will cascade into uncountable other questions creeping into our heads and causing more doubt.”

Today I pose a set of questions that will allow you to unpack how well you have kept your promises to Him. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or your favorite beverage. Find a quiet space to work through them. You can choose how honest to be with yourself in your answers. This is between you and God. These questions are not designed to challenge you from my own perspective. It is the Word of God, the Word that Christ committed to His Church, and the Word that we are commissioned to defend and proclaim. The Word that can keep the Church strong and pure if we believe it and obey it. We convey our promises to Him by our actions and our deeds. Our actions should seek to please God, not have God please us. Special thanks to Chuck Bengochea and Tim Donoho for allowing me to integrate some of their questions with my own:

 

1. What real sacrifices have you made for Christ? The operative word is sacrifices. Not what have you done for Christ, but what have you truly sacrificed. Webster defines sacrifice as, “forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim”

 

2. What pain have you suffered for God? List 3 examples

 

3. List three significant gifts that you have given to God that forced you to change your lifestyle for at least three months.

 

4. If you knew you were going to die soon, what legacy would you leave behind that would benefit the body of Christ?

 

5. Have you ever been so hungry for the Word of God that you couldn’t sleep until you had meditated on it for a while?

 

6. What does it look like to “Seek God with all of your heart”? What changes would you have to make?

 

7. Do you know God well enough that He could brag on you if He wanted to? What would He say?

 

8. Learning to fully surrender to God is a journey; being willing to release your families, your financial future, and your health can be very difficult. Where are you on that journey? What do you still hold onto tightly and why? What do you think would be the outcome if you fully released that part of your life to God?

These are brutal questions for some. For others, these will be the most difficult questions that we have to answer in demonstrating your promise to God. Some of you simply won’t attempt to answer because the spaces for answers might be blank. I pray your first response will be to drop to your knees and join me in asking God to forgive us for not offering him our best.

Processing your answers will set you on a journey. You will find or awaken a depth of faith that wasn’t previously present. It is not too late to fulfill your promise to God; start today working on doing what His Word asks you to do and watch the blessings of the Lord come. E-mail me the challenges, roadblocks, and detours you experience on this journey so that I may pray with you and encourage you as you engage, discern and make conscious choices as you walk out your destiny.

 

Father God,

 Forgive me for not always holding up my side of this covenant relationship. Use me as Your tool, not for my own purpose, but for Yours. Inspire me each day to seek out how I might truly be a worthy servant to You. Give me the opportunity to share my faith in You with others in both my words and actions. And give me the courage to do it boldly, without fear of what the results might be, knowing that it is solely under Your providence what the outcome will be.

 In Jesus name we pray, Amen

 

 

 

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Tune Out The Distractions, Tune In to your Destiny

 

Dr. I. David Byrd. June 15, 2019

 

“There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind, that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.”

John Wooden

 

Dr. Travis Bradberry writes, “Regardless of the magnitude of the decision, our brains make it hard for us to keep the perspective we need to make good choices”.Problems in life come mostly as a result of bad choices. Look back and think deeply about a bad choice that seemed like the best choice at the time for whatever reason. The reason it seemed like the best choice was because of a lack of knowledge. At the beginning of June, we learned that Jesus provides wisdom and knowledge to those who love Him and keep His commandments. That’s reassuring because bad choices can dress themselves up as the best choices. Then they take you where you didn’t mean to go; cost more than you wanted to pay, and stay longer than you intended for them to stay. Therefore, it’s important that today we unpack this concept a little more so that you can tune out the distractions that give bad choices space in your life.

 

Every day we make a constant stream of decisions. Most are mundane, such as what to eat or in what order to tackle tasks. Others are more difficult, such as choosing between two job offers or whether to cut a toxic person out of your life. Then others, aren’t momentous in themselves, but can lead to tragedies: A person chooses to ride with a friend who has been drinking, resulting in a serious accident. Meeting a co-worker for drinks after work that leads to an affair. The young lady who decides to participate in shots at a party, resulting in her letting down her inhibitions. She ends up pregnant or with a venereal disease. Checkmate!

On our own, we don’t have the power to live Godly lives or make Godly decisions. We have to be willing to obey the wisdom God gives us and God’s wisdom comes to us through Scriptures. When making a decision in faith God provides an opportunity to stop us if we are wrong. He can close or open doors as He leads those who are willing to be led. No, “When God closes one door, He opens another” is not in the Bible, but be encouraged knowing that God is with you, no matter the position of the door of your situation. The Bible says,

 

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13)

 

He also expects spiritual brothers and sisters to be accountability partners. There’s no shame in getting help. We are the body of Christ. Building each other up is what we’re called to do. When you find yourself in a tight spot, share your situation with trusted friends who also believe in God’s power. But, choose your prayer partners carefully; the influence of friends is powerful enough to trump facts. The opinions of others really matter. The Bible provides examples of trusting friendships. God gave Daniel the wisdom to interpret the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar. A wrong interpretation would have led to death. When God granted Daniel the wisdom to interpret the king’s dream, it launched Daniel’s long career as a political leader, trusted advisor, and well-known prophet. However, he first prayed with his friends. He prayed with them that God’s will be done through the decision made. Prayer was more effective than panic. Panic confirms your hopelessness; prayer confirms your hope in God.

 

On the other hand, Lot ignored his uncle Abram (not yet Abraham) and chooses to settle in Sodom. The Bible says in Genesis 13:8, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, . . . because we are brothers”. Nevertheless, Lot did what Lot wanted to do. He never considered the spiritual implications of moving his family to Sodom. The pull of the world looked too good to him. Ultimately, he lost everything and ended up living in a cave. He and his family paid the consequences for his bad decisions. (Remember the Butterfly Effect). See, no one is immune from the lure of the world’s choices, not even believers. Lot was a man of faith. 2 Peter 2:8 says, “Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day”. Be careful of letting your bad choices seem sexier than they really are. Choices can have eternal implications. Daniel exhibited faith, Lot exhibited self-interest.

 

Faith in Jesus Christ is based on trust in Jesus Christ. James 2:14-17 teaches that faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it will die away. A life of faith leads to a better knowledge of God, self-control, patient endurance and godliness. These actions do not come automatically; they require hard work. They are not optional; all of them are our responsibility and must be a continual part of our growth process. Matthew 6:33 teaches us to, “seek first the kingdom of God”.Seek the Lord and wait for Him until He gives you instructions. Many in the Bible made their decisions without first seeking God’s wisdom and experienced unfavorable outcomes. The scripture continues, “then all things will be added unto you”. Right outcomes are the result of God-centered decisions. The only way we can keep his Word is to grow in His knowledge. That’s why Peter prayed that they would, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

 

When we ask in faith, God gives us the wisdom we need at that particular moment. We can confidently claim the promise, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5). A doubtful mind is not completely convinced that God’s way is the best way; so the better you know Jesus the better you will be able to discern right from wrong. Even mature believers will have their faith challenged. We will always need to draw closer to him. Pray to make wise, God-centered, not self-centered decisions in difficult circumstances. Then match your persistence in prayer with gratitude when your requests are answered. God gives wisdom freely to all who ask.

 

Again I ask, who’s informing your decision-making process?

 

Dear Heavenly Father, 

 

Lord, you are my strength and my shield; in You my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give You thanks. For I know that my decisions will turn out for my deliverance through your Holy Spirit and according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, so Christ will be magnified in my every decision. 

 

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.