Are things changing like never before, or are we just more aware of it now?
A brother in Christ recently called me to ask how I felt about a particular phrase he’d used in a teaching. I won’t repeat the entirety of the conversation, or the phrase itself. That’s not the point. The point is in the phrasing of his question. He said, “As a woman, how did you feel when you heard me say that?”
Apparently, there was at least one woman (maybe more, I don’t know how many) who had taken some offense and sought to help him understand how this particular phrase could come across to women. It bears noting here that this was a gathering of believers.
Also should be noted that this particular phrase has political implications and was prefaced with the statement, “It takes a certain amount of spiritual maturity to hear the actual statement, not solely the political connections attached to it.”
So he called me to get my thoughts after the event ended. “As a woman, how did you feel…”
The first filter through which I hear, see, understand anything is that of my Christianity.
But here’s the thing – the whole point of this post and what I hope every believer will take into this election season – The first filter through which I hear, see, understand anything is not the filter of my womanhood. It’s the filter of my Christianity.
Before I’m a woman, I’m a Christian.
Before I’m a white woman, I’m a Christian.
Before I’m a worship leader, I’m a Christian.
Before I’m a sister… a friend… an employee…
Am I making myself clear?
Before I’m parent’s daughter, I’m a daughter of God.
As Christians, we are not our own. We were bought at a price. Therefore, authority no longer rests on us or our opinions. The authority is solely on what God says about the matter. And our job is to honor Him in all we do.
We were bought at a price. Therefore, authority no longer rests on us or our opinions. The authority is solely on what God says about the matter.
That means that our personal beliefs or convictions about a candidate, a policy, or the people on the other side of an issue might be offended by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We exist to bring glory to God, to worship in spirit and in truth.
But sometimes, the truth hurts.
We get very attached to our feelings. And honestly, the political ads of late only serve to stir our emotions further. Friend, we’re being played. And as sons and daughters of God, we absolutely must consult our Father before we take any action or cast any ballot. We can’t be led by our emotions.
It’s so hard because so often we associate a move of God with something we can feel. Our hearts race. We get hot. We get chills. We cry. That’s how we know the Spirit is moving. But if those things don’t happen, is the Spirit still? Is He ever?
Is the Holy spirit ever not moving?
No. He is the God who never sleeps or slumbers. He is also the God who created emotion, therefore He is not confined by it. In other words, our feelings are really bad indicators of God’s direction. Better to consult His word.
Let’s not complicate things, as we tend to do. He didn’t give us life then leave us with a thumbs up and best wishes. He gave us scripture. The word became flesh and saved our lives, and now it is leatherbound on your coffee table. Now it’s a free app available on the very phone from which you are reading this. Yet we would rather develop our opinions from our own sensitivities.
The truth hurts and the gospel offends. And before we get all up in arms at the fact that our opinions don’t matter, let’s see what Jesus has to say about the matter:
The word became flesh and saved our lives, and now it is leatherbound on your coffee table.
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