WEDNESDAY'S WORD - PRESCIENCE - Sadell Bradley -4/29/2020

"The prescience of the founding fathers continues to astonish me. They were freedom fighters. They made America. They gave us this magical country. They were also slave owners - which is confusing to their legacy. How could such brilliant men have only secured freedom for themselves, but not their wives or their slaves?" - Andy Dunn - American Businessman   PRESCIENCE (pronounced 'preSHeans) is the fact of knowing something before it takes place or exists; foreknowledge. Some people would pronounce it 'pre-science' which is actually a good way to think about this word. Science is the intellectual and practical activity that studies, observes, and experiments with the structure or behavior of someone or something that exists. Prescience is the ability to know about something BEFORE it exists and can be studied. It is a divine element found in the spiritual gift of prophecy.     Romans 8:28 is a very familiar passage of Scripture. Before that verse, Paul speaks about our adoption as sons and daughters of God the Father. He discusses the fact that the earth is groaning and experiencing labor pains waiting for the revealing of the Sons of God. Did you know that world is waiting for us to show up? Though we experience suffering in the present; as we obediently walk in the ways of God and represent Christ in the earth, we can look forward to a future in Heaven with unspeakable glory. Paul reassures us that even when we're weak, in pain, or frustrated with life, the Holy Spirit will compensate for our weakness and intercede for us with groans that are too deep for words. We may not know what to pray, but He searches what's in our hearts. He knows the mind of the Father and will pray and make moves for us according to the will of God.        28And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.      Prescience, this idea of God 'knowing us beforehand,' is best explained by the prophet's call in Jeremiah 1:5. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations"  God's foreknowledge applies both to people and to situations. Have you experienced the phenomenon of knowing what someone will do or say without interfering with their right or choice to do or say it, or knowing that something will take place  without meddling in the inevitable train of events? I have. Theologian Gleason Archer describes foreknowledge as, "God pre-knowing all choices - and doing so without predetermining    (requiring) them."  It is comforting to know that I am a person whom God knew beforehand, in a situation that God knew about beforehand. The circumstance might not feel good right now, but He is working everything together for my good because He loves me!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - BAND-AID -Sadell Bradley - 04/22/2020

   

"Whether it's mending a failing company, fighting corruption, tackling disease, or rebuilding a marriage, the hardest problems defy just add-water remedies. Indeed, slapping on a Band-Aid when surgery is needed usually just makes things worse." -Carl Honore - Canadian Journalist

 

I'm a solution-oriented person. I don't like to put Band-Aids on heart surgery. That just leaves space for greater problems to resurface. Are we willing to see beyond the superficial and get to the root of knotty problems and address them the hard way? Sometimes counseling is necessary when we're blocked and can't go deep enough or haven't had sufficient life experience to come to peace with our past or handle our present. Most of us didn't grow up learning how to handle finances. It's hard to go cold turkey on spending or incorporate the discipline necessary to avoid debt, or save enough for emergencies. We haven't learned how to do the hard work now to not suffer consequences later. Yes, as a pastor, I want to help people; to give them enough food for days/weeks. Some don't comprehend that I really want to offer folks a way out of negative cycles, if people are willing to take it. That's why our approaches address root causes and not just symptoms.    

 

A Band-Aid is an adhesive bandage with a gauze pad in the center, used to cover minor wounds. Figuratively, it's a makeshift or temporary solution like the economic ones we're experiencing now. It seems obvious that a $1200 stimulus check that might come within 3 months, doesn't solve anything for a person who has been laid off and whose rent or mortgage due is $1200 per month. The census tells us that 90% of small businesses in America are single owner, mom and pop establishments that make just $50k-60k per year and don't employ anyone. So giving millions of dollars to moguls whose businesses make 100's of millions and have 50-500 employees but not to these lifestyle business owners, puts a lot of folks into immediate crisis.  40% of Americans don't have $400 for an emergency. They couldn't stockpile extra groceries if they wanted to unless they borrow for them. People were already living paycheck to paycheck. So the problem is much deeper than toilet paper handouts and grocery store gift-card giveaways. There are predictions of a great recession, homes lost, and more people unemployed and displaced.   

 

I've been asking God for prophetic answers like He gave Joseph to store grain when famine was coming to Egypt (Gen. 41). These solutions ensured that the nation he was leading and his family were secure. The best land was set aside for Israel in Goshen, which means to draw near, to cultivate. God is drawing us for preparation: to break up the soil of our hearts, and give us new territory to develop. In this season, we'll have to garner favor and new friendships and apply ourselves to improve in our areas of weakness. I believe there is a place of safety for Christ-followers as we put off presumption, and repent, seek the LORD, hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, and obey the Word of God."We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer." (Prov. 16:1)

 

The next waves of the effects of this pandemic, as we begin to re-enter society, are going to be in areas like personal finance/economics, devastated relationships, educational disparities, and mental-health (grief, depression, PTSD, anxiety, fear). Some will try to seize this moment of crisis and use it for their own gain. The virus might surge again. The recovery may  take years for some. We'll need wisdom, patience, and a plan. In cities across the Nation, pastoral leaders will not just be focused on their churches, but their Cities. Like Jeremiah, we'll, "seek the peace (prosperity/welfare) of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." (Jer. 29:7) Let's pray for more than Band-Aids; let's ask God for solutions.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - OVERAWED - 4/15/2020 -Sadell Bradley

"We are sometimes so overawed by flamboyance and machismo that we forget to ask ourselves how we treat others." -Vikrant Massey - Indian Actor   Being in quarantine leaves a lot of time for prayer and self-reflection. Having to move your church's launch team from a planned Easter Sunday opening in a new facility to online platforms within a matter of days is daunting. We have less of everything: time, planning, personnel, money and experience. How we can offer a quality worship experience?  I HATE video and the LORD was also asking me to sing. Though I love to sing, it has always had emotional ups and downs when I have to do it publicly, as I'm definitely not the best at it. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit spoke, "You cannot be intimidated."     I've been intimidated and bullied...a lot. I've not had much affirmation. A year before my mother died, she heard my aunt give me a compliment and reflected back to me that she, at 90, realized she hadn't really complimented me. It was both a sting and relieving, and made her saying, "You are a good kid," as she was declining, all the more valuable. The Holy Spirit was speaking beyond church changes or singing. These were root issues.    As an African-American woman, it's important not to be intimidated in rooms. In my 20's four men from different generations called me intimidating for four different reasons: because of my education, my looks, my spirituality, and my boldness to speak up without fear. I had to realize that because they perceived me as a strong woman, they were intimidated...even if I was not intimidating. I looked up the definition of intimidated and it said to frighten or OVERAWE someone. I'd never heard the word OVERAWE - to restrain or subdue by awe (reverential respect mixed fear or wonder); to impress someone so much that they become silent or inhibited.     I realized I have often been intimidated and overawed. I've been restrained and subdued, silenced and inhibited. I used to call it the 'Taming of the Shrew' syndrome (Shakespeare). One definition of shrew is an 'aggressively assertive woman.' Because I've experienced so much backlash just for being... I've attempted to counter it by becoming invisible and shying away from spotlights. I've never understood why I've always been fought while standing still. I've also made unhealthy comparisons to others, perceiving their abilities/resources as so much better and more worthy than my own...which has brought me to silence. It's a stunning revelation.   The obvious Biblical reference is how the spies of the children of Israel went into the land of promise and brought back a bad report. They said their enemies were huge and their cities were strong and fortified, "We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them, we felt like grasshoppers, and that's what they thought, too!" (Numbers 13:33) The way they assessed their situation, their adversaries and their own view of themselves, brought the people to tears. They lost heart because of the intimidation and overawe of their leaders. These overawed spies, Moses, and most of the Israelites did not enter into what God had promised a result. That's why the Holy Spirit is saying, "You cannot be intimidated," or overawed."

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SANITY - Sadell Bradley 04/08/2020

"I maintain my sanity by keeping my distance." -Luis Miguel -Mexican Musician   After several weeks of quarantine and negative news and social media, even the most stable of us are checking our SANITY - sound mental health; the ability to think and behave in a normal and rational manner. For some, weeks in the house with your family might seem to be driving you INSANE - a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; a state of extreme annoyance or distraction. We're even seeing insane actions and policies that are extremely foolish, irrational and illogical.   Insanity comes from anxiety, while sanity corresponds with the absence of fear. In 1 Samuel 21, David is fleeing from his father-in-law Saul, who is trying to kill him. He runs to Ahimelech the priest and asks for bread. He gives Him the The Bread of God's Presence out of the Tabernacle. He also gives him the sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom David defeated as a young man. David then flees to the city of Gad and encounters king Achish and his officers who are threatened by David because of his notable exploits in war. The officers said, "Isn't this the one about whom the people danced and sang, "Saul has killed his thousands, but David has killed ten thousands?" (vs.11) David, afraid of what king Achish might do, pretended to be insane and the king let him go. It's crazy when the person or thing you're afraid of is really afraid of you. You don't realize it, so in your own fear, you act out of character.        Paul told his protege Timothy to stir up the gift of God within him because God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim. 1:6-7) He reminded Timothy of the faith that was in him that had been passed to him by his mother and grandmother, and of his commission by the laying on of hands. Paul said it's not time to shrink back! Fan into flame and pursue what God has called you to do. Timidity and cowardice do not come from our LORD. God has given us the spirit of love, a dynamite-like  ability to accomplish His purposes, and SANITY - a sound mind, good mental health, self-discipline, self-control, and good judgment.      Below is a recent interview I did with therapist Pastor Cindy Robertson, MSW, LISW entitled, Keeping Your Mind - preserving your mental health during this crisis. Please view and share with anyone who might need practical ways to decrease stress, foster better relationships with family while being confined, or handle feelings of isolation, anxiety or grief. Blessings to you all!          Keeping Your Mind with Pastor Cindy Robertson, MSW, LISW

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SECURE - Sadell Bradley 4/1/20

"The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous." -Frederick Douglass

"What have I to dread? What have I to fear? Leaning on the everlasting arms. I have blessed peace, with my LORD so near. Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms." Elisha Hoffman and Anthony Showalter wrote this hymn in 1887 based on the Scripture Deuteronomy 33:27 "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." The image of a father holding his newborn is powerful. This is a time when we long to feel SECURE - safe, stable and free from fear or anxiety; not subject to threat; certain to remain or continue safe and unharmed. From a spiritual perspective, the first definition of secure in the dictionary may be the prerequisite to the others: fixed or fastened (on God) so as not to give way, become loose, or be lost. Our sense of security is found only in Jesus.

David was a worshiper before he was crowned king. Even as a young man, he would sing to the LORD while protecting his sheepfold. He devoted himself as a lover of God and a warrior for Him. David is described in Acts 13:22 as a man after God's own heart, who would do all of His will. David certainly was flawed, but in 1 Samuel 19, when his envious father-in-law Saul was plotting to kill him; David received providential protection from God from both his friend Jonathan (Saul's son) and his wife Michael (Saul's daughter). God has prescribed ways to provide for us, giving us favor even from the most unlikely places! David wrote Psalm 57 while Saul was pursuing him: 

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to You for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me. He will send help from Heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. My God will send forth His unfailing love and faithfulness. (Ps. 57:1-3)  

We trust God to fulfill His purpose for us. As we lean on His everlasting arms, He will send help from Heaven to rescue us. Our security comes from Him. "What a fellowship, what a joy Divine, leaning on the everlasting arms. What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms."   

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SETTLE - Sadell Bradley 3/25/2020

   

"Adult life is dealing with an enormous amount of questions that don't have answers. So I let the mystery settle into my music. I don't deny anything, I don't advocate anything, I just live with it." - Bruce Springsteen 

 

Right now we have, "an enormous amount of questions that don't have answers." I wonder if we're able to let the mystery settle. What a powerful and transformative idea. Christian leaders have various theories of speculation on whether the COVID 19 virus is a judgment for an increasingly dark, idolatrous and sinful world, or a reset that brings us back to our families, an opportunity for the Gospel to go to the ends of the earth via technology or all of the above. We struggle when we don't have answers, control, or solutions. It's crazy how this same word SETTLE which can mean to resolve and reach a conclusion or end; can also mean to become calmer or quieter, to silence, and come to rest without conclusion. Can you settle in the mystery?

This situation has literally brought us to our knees in prayer. There is a level of medical and spiritual warfare that we've not experienced in our lifetime. We need the grace and mercy of God to intervene. 1 Peter 5 says, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. He gives admonitions that are very appropriate for our time:

 

6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

 

We're in the midst of what Paul terms a light and temporary affliction.

"16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and temporary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that far outweighs our troubles. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) Do all that you can to still yourself and settle down in the mystery. 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - CALAMITIES - 03/18/2020- Sadell Bradley

"Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility, but through greatness of mind."

- Aristotle

 

"Crises are challenges, not calamities." Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgium Prime Minister and coordinator of Brexit said. Some believe he and his comrades were the instigators of both a crisis and a calamity. A CALAMITY is an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster. Unfortunately, a lot of the calamities in the world are the result of our sinful, human nature. We vie and struggle to gain political and economic power. We fail to steward our environment. We do not care for the most vulnerable among us. We want to over-rule God in our decision making, and we try to make Him obsolete with scientific theories that merely explore and explain things He has created that are too high for us. In this season, God is exposing and weaning us from the love of this world.

 

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." 1 John 2:15-17)
 

"The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life." (KJV)  That's really all that is in the world. This is revealed in calamities like the one we're facing. We see the result of our greed, disobedience to authority, and selfishness. We're watching man's inhumanity to man. The things upon which we've historically propped up our lives are in jeopardy: the prestige of work, our savings and retirement plans, experiences of travel, sporting and entertainment events, etc. The things we took for granted are now not available to us: hanging out with friends and extended family, enjoying co-workers, heading to church and other forms of community building. We've discovered what's really important. The good thing is that history tells us that calamities do not last forever and prayerfully we can and will course-correct during and after this one. In the meantime...king David was fleeing for his life from king Saul, he asked God for mercy and declared that he would hide and rely on the LORD. This is a prayer we ought to pray in this season. "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."  

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - TRUST - 3/11/2020 -Sadell Bradley

"Put your trust in the LORD and go ahead.   Worry gets you no place." - Roy Acuff "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." - Corrie Ten Boom. The times seem uncertain now, but no more disconcerting than those that Corrie Ten Boom and her family faced while assisting Jewish families in the Netherlands to escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. The devout Christians called their home "The Hiding Place," and saved the lives of 800 Jews. Eventually, her family was arrested and imprisoned in Ravensbruck concentration camp. Despite the bleakness of their plight, Corrie and her sister Betsie held worship services with a smuggled-in Bible. Upon her death, Betsie exclaimed, "There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still." In times like these, perspective is everything. The Ten Boom family drew from a well full of trust. King David sang in his distress, "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."   TR TRUST is a firm belief in  the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something; it is allowing someone to look after or commit something or someone of importance or value to safekeeping. You are important to God and He cares for you. Isaiah proclaimed, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2) That is a strong declaration. I love how these Scriptures pair trust with a song. Christ-followers can lead the way in these times by preaching the Good News. "14Because God's children are human beings made of flesh and blood-the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying." (Hebrews 2:14-15) The Ten Booms were not afraid of death.  Paul said, in the last days perilous times would come. (2 Tim. 3:1) So we pray Psalm 91:3-7 over ourselves and our loved ones, "For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrows that fly by day. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not dread the disease that stalks in the darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you." The One who determines when we are born and when we'll die is God. If it's our time, we trust Him to make that appointment. In truth, for a Christ-follower, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil1:21) Because we know where and to Whom we're going we can say like David, "I TRUST in You LORD, You are My God, my times are in your hands." (Psa. 31:14-15)

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - FULFILLMENT - 03/03/2020 Sadell Bradley

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." - Vince Lombardi   FULFILLMENT is an interesting word. It expresses the achievement of something desired, promised, or predicted. It also conveys the meeting of a requirement or condition, or the performance of a task, duty or role as required, pledged, or expected. Sherman and I are at the intersection of those definitions as we embark upon the next leg of our ministerial journey. On April 12th, at 11:00 am, we launch The Warehouse church in Over The Rhine in Downtown, Cincinnati. We'll occupy the former Nast Trinity building at 1310 Race Street across from Washington Park in the heart of the City. We've worked to restore the inside of the building for months. This was prophetically spoken years ago, and LORD's Word is being fulfilled in 2020, glory to God!    When the name "The Warehouse," was revealed, I was not aware of its history. In 2001, race riots occurred in Cincinnati after 19- year-old Timothy Thomas was shot and killed in Over the Rhine by Steven Roach, a police officer. Thomas, an African-American wanted for 14 minor warrants - mostly traffic violations, had just left a local club called 'The Warehouse.' A chase ensued which ended with the officer shooting the unarmed young man in the heart in a dead-end alley. It was the 15th African-American man dead at the hands of police in 5 years in the City, which ignited days of civil unrest and a citywide curfew. We as clergy were called in to help to minister to the hurting and angry. I remember standing between rioters and mounted police on Central Ave in the midst of the conflict. Sherman and I were serving at different congregations at the time. An historic collaborative agreement between citizens and police ensued, as did a plan for gentrification. The economic and ethnic polarization of our community continues. We believe these divisions can only be overcome by the power of God, and His loving community.     Almost 20 years later, we are planting a multi-ethnic, inter-generational and multi-class church called The Warehouse in the same community. Finding fulfillment is not synonymous with finding ease. God calls us to do hard things and the cross to which Jesus calls us is not self-fulfillment, but self-denial. (Matt.16:24) The LORD has always planned to unite those who believe across ethnic lines. The unity and love we have for one another through Christ is meant to be a redemptive witness to the world. (John 17:20-23) God created only one race - the human race. The divisions we experience are a social construct of man's sinful devising. This type of enmity also existed in the Bible, but God's purpose in Christ was and is to break down ethnic barriers and create One New Humanity of Kingdom Citizens:     14For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. (Eph. 2:14-16)    What Christ did for the Jews and Gentiles, we believe is possible for the deepest ethnic divides in America. We not only want to see Dr. Martin Luther King's dream fulfilled...we want to see God's dream fulfilled.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - EDIFYING - 02/26/2020 Sadell Bradley

   

"Not every film I do is going to be like 'Selma,' but every film I do can be edifying - can be something that points toward what I believe to be true. I'm not one to shy away from darkness in movies as long as there is light." - David Oyelowo

It's Black History month, and though what has happened in the lives of African-Americans should be woven into the fabric of what we learn daily; there is just a dedicated month of focus on our contributions to this Country. One Oscar-award winning film from 2014, "Selma," depicts the struggle of African-Americans for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, and the events of 'Bloody Sunday,' March 7, 1965, as peaceful protesters attempting to march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery were met with a violent response from sheriff's deputies and state troopers as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The officers used tear gas, horses, and billy clubs to drive them back across the bridge. (You may know that Edmund Pettus was a Confederate brigadier general and later Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.) After the first incident, Dr. Martin Luther
King and other activists, clergy, nuns, and people of goodwill (whites made up 30% of the marchers) joined the protesters from across the Country. That night, a Caucasian minister from Boston, James Reeb, was attacked and killed by members of the KKK. Two weeks later on Sunday, March 21, 1965, Dr. King and 3,000 activists persisted to begin the 12-mile trek yet again. The group swelled to 25,000 along the way under the protection of federal government troops. This act was EDIFYING to the Civil Rights Movement and to the Country. To EDIFY means to instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually; to build; to construct a building; to strengthen. It ultimately led to Congress passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the registration of thousands of African-American voters in Selma, Alabama in 1966.

As we think about the writings of Scripture, we often view 'edifying' as encouragement that is primarily done with words. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." (Ephesians 4:29) We know that the five-fold gifted ministries (I believe Dr. King fell into the Apostolic/Prophetic category), were ordained by God to mature, equip and edify the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12) Edifying is also action. "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." (Romans 14:19)  We are commanded, "Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification." (Romans 15:2) Certainly, many of us who are African-Americans have been morally and intellectually stimulated to cast our votes in elections because of the sacrifices that our forefathers and mothers invested into that right. Those who care about God's justice have thankfully stood right alongside us in our fight for Civil and Human rights. Dr. King said, "I have come to see more and more one of the most decisive steps that the Negro can take is that little walk to the voting booth. That is an important step. We've got to gain the ballot and through that gain, political power...Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."     

What will you say or DO to EDIFY someone today? 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - STANDARD - 02/19/2020 Sadell Bradley

 

   

"Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God." - George Washington

 

When you say the word STANDARD you could be referring to any of a number of things: a required or agreed to level or quality of attainment used as a measure, norm, or model in comparative evaluations; principles of conduct informed by notions of honor and decency; the weight or value of gold, silver, or currency; a song of published popularity; or a military or ceremonial flag carried on a pole. Generally, the word standard is a descriptor of how we view ourselves or treat each other. We say, "I have high standards," when we will not settle for less than an excellent outcome. Or "You are using a double standard," when inequity or injustice is at play.

 

In warfare, 'to raise one's standard,' meant to take up arms and oppose - and lifting a military flag was a rallying cry. Isaiah 59 depicts the LORD our Warrior engaging His enemies. Isaiah illustrates the result of sin, wickedness, darkness, and turning away from the LORD, "It is your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore." (vs. 2, NLT)  The prophet goes on to discuss the murderous, unjust, deceitful, and corrupt way in which people are living, "Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Misery and destruction always follow them. They don't know where to find peace or what it means to be just and good. They have mapped out crooked roads, and no one who follows them knows a moment's peace." (vs. 7-8)

 

The result of sin is injustice. Truth has fallen in the streets and honesty has been outlawed. "Yes truth is gone and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The LORD was displeased that there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So He Himself stepped in to save them with His strong arm, and His justice sustained Him... He will repay His enemies for their evil deeds. " (vs. 15-16;18)  

 

Isaiah proclaims, "So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the West, And His

glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him." (vs. 19) This power is portrayed as a raging tide that the breath of the LORD drives over His enemies. Sometimes the wickedness around us is nothing short of overwhelming. I'm glad that our God is the Captain of the Hosts of Angel Armies, that He is with us, and fights for us!