Under Attack: Believer’s Warfare

My Mom warmed me about the days ahead. She advised me to know the word of God before I had to. She meant that the word would be removed or challenged. One day, I will have to defend it, it would be in my best interest to become one with it. I can say almost twenty years later, I can see everything she said manifest before me. The next attack will be on the church not necessarily via bombs and other forms of mass destruction.

Right now, the biggest allegiance and influence is the LGBTQIA+ Community. I have nothing against people’s personal and intimate choices. However, I know for sure that anything opposing that population is a direct threat to freedom, equality, human rights, nature and considered a form of bias or judgement. The body of Christ has been taking a stand and they will not compromise their values or conform. It is their right to be firm in their core values and Biblical principles.

It’s not about choosing a side but taking a stand. Everyone has the right to stand up for what they believe in, but the church is frowned upon when they do. Churches who don’t confirm to new ideologies and systems will be diametrically opposed. Thier views will be targeted and not tolerated. We are living in a society that encourages open minded behavior and that’s fine. We should all be open to everyone without discrimination. However, the glossaries of what discrimination is has transformed. Today, its blend in or stand out. The ones who fail to embrace the viewpoint of world will soon be ostracized.

There is no way that church, and state will ever see eye to eye. Politics often interferes will basic activities and community involvement creating red tape and gray areas for concession. Someone ends up compromising and when that occurs, there are repercussions. The Believers perspective does not align with the world because we are not of this world and will not conform. We are called to love without any form of nepotism or preference doesn’t say that our speech has to be symmetrical.

Before you get upset, uptight, enraged or irate. Please know that is not an attack on anyone. The point is that one group takes up precedence in this world and if we (the church) fail to embrace or accept certain lifestyles, there will be hell to pay. Yes, there are gay churches and ministry leaders everywhere and everyone has their unique voice. However, the concern is on reverse the discrimination. If a group disagrees, now they are failing to be inclusive and fail to embody Jesus’ love. That is not a mature response but a form of bullying. If everyone in a group decides to go to dinner and one person orders a burger while everyone else has chosen a healthier option, it’s not right for them to gang up on that person. That individual has their right, their choice because it’s their body. If were saying that everyone has the right to choose, then the church has a right to disagree. No debate has ever existed with both teams being “pro” everything. In life, everyone will not be on the same side. We don’t have to agree on everything however, respect should always be present.

Right now, there has been a sudden increase of Ministry leadership in the news. Many images and videos have gone viral. None of the content is inspiring or positive. Just vocal fools and fallen soldiers who made mistakes. What the world does not understand is that Christianity is a vast umbrella. It’s easy to claim and stand under whether its core values are upheld or taken seriously or not. Many use the label or identify as Christian who do not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Since Christianity is widely accepted and do not have specific identifiers it’s easy to claim. Other religious groups wear certain attire, colors or garments that are significant to their culture. Christianity is Kingdom, a culture of acceptance of everyone. So, you’ll see various races, socio-economic backgrounds, status and even attire. We are very much inclusive and not exclusive to a certain race, culture or any other label. When one opens their mouth or lives a certain lifestyle, that’s how we are identified. Unfortunately, we had some horrible brand ambassadors who failed at their one job. Some of the leaders we see, may not have been called by God but took it upon themselves to lead, affecting and infecting lives. Others are just people who “fell from grace”. They made mistakes. I thought it was human to error but when you’re a Christian nobody leaves room for your humanity and the possibility that were fallible beings.

The crazy thing about it is, when one falls from grace, it mars and can disfigure the image of everyone else associated. The world has an image of perfection of the church. If we really knew Christ or His word, we would know that He perfects us daily, not asks us to be perfect; there is a difference. He comes to enhance our lives so areas of trauma, weakness or delay he makes better it’s a form of perfection. There is an unrealistic expectancy of the life we live.

Christians are to be world leaders and real-life superheroes. Expressing Gods love, light, mankind a difference, expressing benevolence and taking a stand, when necessary, not to be punks. To spread the gospel and live Christ -centered focused on the essence of Christian living. There are many authentic Christians but the few who have distorted our image, degraded leadership and, desecrated the name of God are the stories and people who are the main focus. We have forgotten the whole and put a small group under a microscope and magnified it for the world to see.

However, there is coming a time when the real Believers will be needed and whose authenticity will be contagious. There is coming a time when the church will take back its rightful place and be the pillars that the community and society at large will respect. Things are being shaken back into place and sorted and sifted. There is coming a time when we will have to make a decision about who we serve so we can no longer confuse those observing and studying our lives. The distinction will be made. In the meantime, I ENCOURAGE all believers to endure during their assignments, stay grounded in God’s word and know who you are. Remember you are an heir to the throne of Heaven. You’re a child of God whom he loves and has a plan in the midst of evil plots. You are critical to the preservation of this planet and that will never change. Keep being the light, keep spreading the gospel, keep being love. Authenticity is that flashlight in the midst of a storm, the belly of a cave or in the darkest hour.