SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
Too many believe that God has in place a survival of the fittest program that disqualifies people like members of the LGBT community from receiving God’s love, grace, and healing power. The theory behind Charles Darwin’s survival of the fittest is that species who are able to adapt to its environment are more likely to survive and therefore successfully reproduce. Any species that carried any flaws were disqualified. They were not counted worthy. Only the species that were best equipped to survive and reproduce are selected.
Similarly, this has become the attitude of some Christians toward the human population as we draw near the end of this society as we know it today (2 Corinthians 4:4). We, as Christians have debarred anyone from entrance into God’s kingdom if they do not look like, act like, agree with or think the way we do. As a result, many of us have willfully forsaken our call to ministry as commanded at Matthew 28:19, 20. Opting to implement our own survival of the fittest selection process by choosing who we feel are worthy for us as individuals to give a witness to concerning the promises of God’s word.
I can spend this month’s Assumptions on the many failures of the Church. Our lack of Christ like love toward the LGBT community. Or, how some Christians are allowing man-made doctrines, practices and traditions to infiltrate their congregations and usurps God’s principles. Like, some denominations have opted to change their bylaws in order to accept gay marriage based on a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that stuck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
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| Adrienne Burke |
Yet, there are some churches who are standing firm to their scripture conscious despite the political consequences. And that’s great! We should not compromise. However, there are still too many leaders, who are rightfully standing firm to their bible convictions, but are violating essential bible principles (1 Corinthians 13:1-7).
I have heard far too many times by senior pastors concerning the LGBT community, "I will welcome them (LGBT members) into my church." "I will love them." "I will give them a hug if they let me." This is repeated from the pulpits of many congregations. And yet, I have seen first-hand, these same individuals ignore the presence of someone in their congregation who have successfully overcome this lifestyle. I have observed some senior pastors who failed to set the example for their congregation and not even greet members who have been delivered from the snare of homosexuality. I have seen no smiles, no hugs, no welcome, not even a simple hello nor love shown by most leadership who have made claims that they will welcome them.
It’s A Process So today, I don’t want to spend my energy reminding the Church what we are called to do. There is an idiom that warns one about beating a dead horse. God has helped me to appreciate that there are some people, no matter who He uses that will simply refuse to change. So for this month’s Assumptions, as I am being led by the Holy Spirit, I am going to focus my attention directly toward a certain segment within the LGBT community.
These words are not for those who have committed themselves to this lifestyle
choice. These words are for those who are living the homosexual lifestyle, but
are receiving regular visits, dreams and visions from God. To those who are
questioning their life choice. To those who are secretly looking for a way out,
but do not know where to turn. To those who are crying themselves to sleep most
nights because they are tired of the direction of their life. To those who want
God to prove that He can remove this desire from their lives. To those who want
freedom.
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| John Callahan |
The mistake that too many make when seeking deliverance (freedom) from their homosexual lifestyle is thinking that for everyone that have successfully escape this life the process is the same and immediate. That is so far from the truth. Your walk with Christ to freedom will be uniquely different from others for two reasons. (1) You are made different from anyone else. (2) Your purpose, your God given purpose is uniquely different from anyone else. Therefore, as you walk and work out your faith, God will take you through a process that will ultimately lead you to a freedom that is tailor made for you.
I would love to personally walk you through my entire process, but I would only end up writing another book. To spare you that painful experience, let me briefly walk you through my process to freedom in a few steps and compare that to the experience to my closest friend who also walked away from this lifestyle around the same time I did.
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| Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton |
For my best friend, Felicia and I, our process started off the same. In our personal private time with God, we both sincerely repented from the heart and sought God for forgiveness of our sins. However, from that point forward, our challenges, encounters with sinful temptations, persecution experienced by Christians and struggles were completely different. There is no exact science that will help anyone overcome this. However, here are eight simple steps that I experienced over a course of a year that led me not only to my freedom, but the calling, the purpose for which God had placed on my life.
1. Sincere repentance.
2. Continuous effort and actions on my part to turn away from my sin.
[One must fight to align your mind (your thought life) with your heart desire /
goal].
3. Separating myself from people and places that could pull me back
into this lifestyle as God directs me. The premise is that one should
completely separate oneself from everyone and everything that is associated
with your formal life. NOT TRUE! Let God show you how to properly do this.
Remember, our personal testimonies are one of the primary ways we glorify God’s
greatness (Luke 8:39; Matthew 10:32; Psalm 119:46; Matthew 5:16).
4. Continuously looking for and being aware of those God brings into
your life that will be a source of strength and not a distraction. You also
have to be aware when God has removed someone out of your life as well.
5. Assign at least one trustworthy person who will honestly hold you
accountable. This is critical. You have more than a 90 percent chance of failing
if this is not established.
6. Pray earnestly.
7. Do not run away from your temptation, but face them with God and
when necessary, a trusting friend.
8. Immediately pray and forgive those who wrongfully persecute you,
especially Christians.
Spirit of Suspicion
Remember this final thought as you face challenges and attempts to align your true heart desire with your thoughts and actions. Satan will NEVER make it easy for you to live total free from your sinful choice. He will make every effort to remind you of your past. And he will do so in a way that is most damaging to you. In a way that is most likely to cause you to give up and possibly return to the life you have left (2 Peter 2:19-22). This method will vary from person to person. For instance, for me, it is the spirit of suspicion that has a stronghold over the Body of Christ and its leadership that troubled, and at times, stumbled me the most. No matter how faithful I am to God. No matter what evidence God has provided to some suspicious Christian leadership that I have abandoned my previous lifestyle. I have been washed clean, selected and anointed for a specific purpose by God. There are a few powerful Christian leaders that are holding strong to their spirit of suspicion and being used like puppets for Satan's pleasure and entertainment. As a result, these leaders and their small caravan of followers are opting to exhibit the same spirit of doubting Thomas. Instead of believing and trusting the works of God, like the disciple Thomas, they questioned it.
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| Christus Secularis |
It took me a minute to learn by means of Holy Spirit, not to let a few self-righteous and prideful religious leaders disqualify what God has quantified in me. That I have been made whole. That I have been washed cleaned. That I have been handpicked by the Father to personal glorify Him by giving a witness to all the nations for what He has done in me and through me. And you must be determined to do the same.
Don’t allowed a selective few throw you under the bus and determine your destiny. Don’t let people, especially self-righteous, prideful people prevent you from fully obtaining God’s grace, mercy and love. Simply recognize them for who they are, puppets of Satan for his entertainment, doing the works of the devil. And yes, Satan is well capable of mobilizing Christians if they allow it.
Do not let these few individuals, no matter if they are the senior pastor of your Church or someone you encounter on a regular basis, dilute the power of God to transform your life. Don’t validate their cause because they struggle with God’s ability to make a difference in your life. Let God be God and let Him provide the justification and answer they need. And if they still refuse to acknowledge God's work through you, then pray on their behalf that they will heed the warning of Gamaliel.
"…Take care what you are planning to do to these men! …My advice is,
leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing
these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is
from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find
yourselves fighting against God!" (Acts 5:35-39)
For this is God’s final call in warning leadership in the Body of Christ!
Often, God had to remind me of this scripture when I get upset about
the wrongful, unjust and unloving actions of some Christians – the leadership
in the Body of Christ. Man can choose to doubt what God has done in and through
you. They can even attempt to put up roadblocks along the way to try to destroy
your character and the position in which God has elevated you. But when the
dust has cleared, and if you remain faithful to God, very powerful men and
women will be removed from their post because of their disobedience to God and
their actions toward you. You have to remember, such prophetic words that God
gave to the Prophet Zechariah. After Jerusalem had been exile for an extensive
period of time, God called them home. The prophet Zechariah spoke these words
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| John Piper |
plundered you. For he said, ‘Anyone who harms you harms my
most precious possession. I will raise my fist to crush them, and their
own slaves will plunder them.’" Then you will know that the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies has sent me (Zechariah 2:8, 9).
The only validation you need is God’s, not man’s. And it does not matter who they are - a relative, a stranger, a senior pastor, etc. Always remember, as you are taking the necessary steps toward God and away from the life you are living, God is in control of everything, even when you don’t understand it or can’t see it. He is in control of everything, the small and the powerful. Peoples’ incorrect perspective of you, their doubting spirit will measure to nothing. For if you allow God, He will personally guard and protect you from the enemy and the puppets he uses. Even in the darkest period of your life, whether you acknowledge it or not, God was there providing you a measure of protection. He was there providing you hope from your hopelessness. God has always been faithful to you and the promises He has made for your sake. He has been patient with you (2 Peter 3:9). Waiting for you to totally embrace what He has for you. But to obtain it, you have to forget about people, especially the warp minds of some Christians. And step into the glorious light of God. He won’t let you fail or fall, as long as you put your complete trust in Him and the unique process He will take you through.
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| Midian Creations |
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