Times have been challenging the last few weeks. We have seen sickness, protests, riots, injustices and even death. We have heard the chants of #BlackLivesMatter once again in our streets. Some of you are afraid and some are annoyed. Some don’t understand, while others are trying to gain understanding. Questions have continued to rise, and answers seem scattered and far-and-few in between. But what does this mean? How should we respond? Should we acknowledge the pain or will giving voice to the pain put our families or friends in uncomfortable positions, making you the “bad guy”?
We understand that life is not easy to navigate right now. Here are some ways we think you should be responding as a Christian:
- Pray for open eyes
As a Christian, we never want to be blind to what God is trying to show us. It is important that we see things through the eyes of God. If you haven’t already, we would encourage you to pray for God to open your eyes so that you may see past the deception and begin to see reality. That you can see past the anger and begin to rationalize what is happening and the next steps you should take.
The Bible says, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Prayer is the key to change. But this passage gives us more insight into what accompanies this prayer. We must humble ourselves, acknowledge and turn from our wicked ways and truly seek God’s face in order to see the changes that we are requesting.
- Take a step back to see the full picture
Sometimes you just have to take a full step back in order to see the bigger picture. If we, as Christians, only focus on the things right in front of us, we will never be able to be a part of the change. We will continue to remain suppressed and stuck in places where we will never get free.
Once God has granted you with clear eyes, it’s time to start looking at the bigger picture. Pray for revelations and for your part in the journey. It won’t always be simple, but it will make a world of difference—not only to your life, but to the lives of those around you.
- Diffuse fleshly anger and move with righteous fury
The Bible warns us multiple times about the danger of fleshly anger. “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly” (Proverbs 14:29). Anger can cause us to do some pretty reckless things. Think back to a time someone said something that made you mad, and, in the heat of the argument, you experienced word vomit and told them all of your instantaneous thoughts. How many of you regretted some of the hurtful things you said? I’m sure many of you reading this have gone through this before, and we also are sure you hated having to go back and apologize…we did too!
Righteous fury (our version of righteous anger) has a different set of consequences. Usually this form of anger is well thought out and has been justified due to actions made against a person. We see a perfect example of righteous anger in the Bible when Jesus enters the temple and sees that it has been taken over by tax collectors (Matthew 21:12-13). In this particular passage of scripture we see Jesus being a straight G and flipping tables over. Why? Because the disrespect that was pouring out of the temple was so unrighteous and corrupt, that He needed to get their attention. Lets find that same anger (fury) and use it to bring change, to gain attention and to make our voice heard.
- Hold on for the… “but”
It’s very easy for us to lose hope and to lose faith. It is a scary time. It’s a time that is full of unknowns and full of doubt. For those who are waiting for an answer from the Lord, just know that He has not abandoned you! God is still the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). With that knowledge, we want you to wait for the “but.” No…that’s not a typo. We said what we said, haha!
In every situation, when God is involved, there is always a “was” and then there is a “but.” Here’s an example: “We once were slaves to sin, BUT God!!!!!” If that doesn’t have you shouting and running around your house, then we don’t know what will. Always wait on the “but” because it is coming, and when it comes, trust us when we say, it’s gonna be big!
- Speak life into the situation
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words”(Proverbs 18:21)…need we say more? Start speaking life over this situation and watch how God shows up and shows out! We already knows who holds the victory, so why wouldnt you speak what we already know to be true?
- Spread the love of Christ to all
When we understand that we are NOT fighting people, but principalities, powers and rulers of darkness, then we begin to understand why the love of Christ is so important…we remember why we needed Jesus and what His sacrifice meant. The Gospel is the message of peace. It is the message of hope. It is the reminder that this is NOT our home.
While it doesn’t mean we can ignore the issues that are continuing to happen in our community, it is the ONLY thing that can change hearts. Before Christ, we were all sinners, but we were bought with a price. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit and truly begin to understand the sacrifice Jesus made for us, we begin to see all of the people around us as unique and special individuals who also need/have received the love of Christ.
The Gospel saves. The Gospel heals. The Gospel awakens. The Gospel defeats the lies of the enemy. The Gospel transforms. The Gospel is the truth that sets us free from the chains of bondage. We as Christians don’t get a choice; our duty is to spread the Gospel. Our call is to plant seeds or water the seeds that will bring our brothers and sisters back to Christ—To give God’s children hope in times of despair, strength in a time of weakness, peace in a time of chaos and love in a time of hate.
We know this is a long post, but we pray that you got something from this. Don’t dismiss your brothers and sisters who are hurting. Don’t turn your back and ignore them. Instead, follow the steps and you can begin to make a difference, not only for the people of this world, but for the Kingdom of God!
To end this post, we have one question we want to leave you with:
After we have moved on from this point of protesting, this point of refusing to listen, this point of turning a blind eye; what do we do next?
We can’t do any of these forever—it is not sustainable, and life will not be able to continue. So, we ask each of you, what is your next move? What are you going to do to bring lasting and psoitive change to something that is CLEARLY an issue? Do you stand, do you drop to your knees and pray, do you hold a conversation, do you work to change the system? What is your next step?
Please Note: We do not endorse or support any uses of violence or hatred in order to make a point , whether the point is right or wrong. We uphold the principles of God’s Word and strive to love all of the children made in His image and likeness.