Apologies for sending this late - I was under the weather for a bit over the weekend and on Monday. But I am getting back to full strength bit by bit.
Welcome to the August 9th edition of Faith & Life Lessons.
You will see this email full of tidbits from my week. My goal is simple. I hope that from how I live my life, you can find a thing or two that helps you as you try to live a life that matters. I am always trying to do one thing - make Christ-focused decisions in love, work, and life. And this was my week.
The Story Of My Week
Someone asked me a question about racism. She wanted to know if I even thought it would end.
I have lived a bit in my life so I know that the answer to that question is a tricky one.
I went a direct route with a little curve on the side in my answer.
"I don't think racism will ever end but I believe we can continue to fight to make sure that legislation that support racism are taken down"
Racism exists because people want to treat anyone different from them less than them. And this is not a white-vs-black matter.
Even in my home country where we are all black, some people are treated differently because of the tribe they come from.
Racism is like any other sin. Human action does not eliminate it. Only a complete transformation through Jesus Christ does that. But we can eliminate the legislation that makes it legal to practice racism.
It's like the sin of murder - you can eliminate people's desire to do it but you can put in place legislation that makes it an illegal action when people do it.
And that is what I believe is the most we can achieve through activism.
The other aspect of changing hearts and minds is a miracle that God can do.
Even in the church, racism is practiced.
A part of me believes that if we can kick it out of the church, it would be easier to kick it out of our communities.
When the church fails to be the light to the world, how great the darkness the world faces
I can only continue to be the light to the world around me.
Things I Learnt
1-The Forgotten Believers Authority: The biggest benefit of reading a book can give you is the transformation of your mind and the courage to live out what you have just read.
I get that inspiration now and again when I read spiritual books. It excites me when I hear of others who do the same.
I was listening to Pastor Bankie when he talked about his experience some years back after reading Kenneth Hagins' book "The Believers' Authority"
The book opened his eyes to the authority that the Christian had to change some of the events happening around him or her.
After reading the book, he was in a place where someone was saying blasphemous things about the church. He didn't know what he could do to stop him. He said he walked out of the room and prayed that the blasphemous spirit should stop.
When he went back in, the guy had stopped saying blasphemous things and saying that was in keeping with correct Christian teaching. And the guy was not even a believer
Another time, he said he was staying in a room that had neighbors who were always having constant fights and arguments.
After enduing the non-stop disturbance, he prayed that there would be peace. And as it happened, for the next 2 weeks, there was not a single argument or fight from the once-noisy-neighbors.
It reminded me how I spend so much time trying to talk people out of certain actions or decisions instead of just praying
Sometimes, prayer is the real work we should do to change situations and minds
2-We Can't Stop Fighting for our Marriages: I read a post from an author I follow. He announced that he and his wife were divorcing.
It was painful to read and it put a little tingle of fear in my hear for marriage - my marriage.
The very next day, I saw a post from a pastor I follow. He was celebrating 32 years of marriage to his wife.
The post renewed hope in the fact that marriage can go the distance if both partners keep working at it every day.
And that is what I recommitted to
Postscript
May the peace of God give you calmness in the middle of all you have to face in this week (Amen)
Tata,
Tola
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