“Is God punishing me?”

A man sat quietly in a hospital room staring out the window. A few months earlier, life had been moving in the right direction. He was working hard, praying faithfully, serving others, and doing his best to walk with God. Then, seemingly all at once, everything began to unravel. His health declined. His finances tightened. Relationships became strained. Doors he had prayed would open remained shut. As we talked, he shared the questions others had been asking him.

“What did you do?”
“Is God trying to tell you something?”
“Have you examined your life?”

Beneath every question was the same assumption: if life is falling apart, God must be punishing you.

As a chaplain, I hear some version of these questions regularly in hospital rooms, waiting areas, and quiet hallways.

“What did I do to deserve this?”
“Why is God allowing this?”
“Is God punishing me?”

I’ve heard them from grieving spouses, frightened parents, and faithful believers facing diagnoses they never expected. I’ve heard them from people who love God deeply and cannot understand why suffering has entered their lives. And if I’m honest, I’ve asked some of those questions myself. But I have also grown to understand that scripture teaches that sin has consequences. It also teaches something many believers forget: not every attack is punishment.

Consequences Are Real, But Not the Only Explanation

The Word of God does not ignore the reality of consequences. Proverbs 6:12-15 warns that those who continually sow evil eventually reap the fruit of their actions. Hebrews 12 reminds us that God disciplines those He loves. To put it differently, sometimes suffering is connected to our choices and sometimes God allows discomfort to redirect us, refine us, or reveal areas of our lives that need surrender.

C.S. Lewis famously described pain as “God’s megaphone.” He suggests that when life is comfortable, we can become spiritually inattentive and pain often forces us to pay attention. That is why David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart…” (Psalm 139:23) leading us to awareness with God:

● Self-examination is biblical.
● Repentance is biblical.
● Humility is biblical.

But there is a difference between allowing God to search our hearts and assuming every hardship is evidence of His displeasure.

Human Eyes Are Poor Judges

The longer I serve in ministry, the more convinced I become that human beings are sometimes poor judges of spiritual realities. We see suffering and assume failure, and we see prosperity and assume blessing. Yet Scripture repeatedly reminds us that what we see is rarely the whole story.

Asaph wrestled with this in Psalm 73 when he looked at the prosperity of the wicked and wondered why the faithful seemed to suffer.

Samuel nearly made the same mistake when he was sent to anoint Israel’s future king. Looking at Jesse’s sons, he was impressed by what he saw. But God stopped him and said, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Before we draw conclusions about another person’s suffering, blessing, or spiritual condition, we would do well to remember that only God sees the whole story.

Job: When Heaven Sees Warfare

If there is one biblical story that challenges our assumptions about suffering, it is the story of Job. Before Job ever experiences loss on earth, there is a conversation taking place in heaven. While Job’s friends later see suffering, God sees faithfulness.

“Have you considered My servant Job?” God asks (Job 1:8)

It is immediately after that commendation that the attacks begin. Think about that for a moment. The battle was not happening because Job was far from God. The battle was happening because Job was close to Him. Yet Job’s friends could not see what was happening behind the scenes. They looked at his losses and concluded he must be hiding some terrible sin.
The were wrong!

As readers, we know something they did not know: Heaven saw warfare where human beings saw judgment. Job reminds us that not every battle originates in disobedience:

Sometimes suffering is not evidence that God has abandoned us.
Sometimes it is evidence that the story is bigger than what human eyes can see.

John 9: The Wrong Question

The disciples were not immune to this way of thinking. In fact, when they encountered a man born blind, they immediately asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). Based on the human lens, let’s normalize this. It is such a human question. We see suffering and instinctively begin looking for someone to blame, but Jesus rejected the premise altogether.
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (John 9:3)

The disciples were focused on blame.
Jesus was focused on purpose.

John 9 demonstrates a poignant lesson: Sometimes the wrong question keeps us from seeing what God is trying to reveal.

Calvary: The Ultimate Misreading

Perhaps the clearest example of this misunderstanding is found at Calvary. The cross was a living tableau that summed up the errors in judgment humanity too often makes, which at times can be wounding, even lethal. Calvary’s misunderstanding revealed that Jesus was not merely suffering. He was being judged by public opinion:

The religious leaders accused Him of blasphemy.
False witnesses testified against Him.
He was mocked, condemned, and executed under charges that portrayed Him as a criminal and an enemy of God.

To those watching, His death appeared to confirm the accusations. After all, He hung between two thieves. That is proof enough! Nevertheless, Isaiah foretold this misunderstanding centuries earlier:
“Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4).
Notice the language…

We esteemed Him.
We considered Him.
We concluded.

Thus, the people watching believed God was punishing Him. Yet Isaiah immediately corrects that conclusion:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

The invitation here is to see what is essential to the mindfulness we must practice when assessing suffering. What appeared to be punishment for Jesus’ sins was actually suffering on behalf of others. Luke records one thief acknowledging the difference:

“We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:41).

There on Golgotha stood three crosses.

Two men were suffering because of their crimes.

One Man was suffering despite His innocence.

If people could look at the sinless Son of God hanging on a cross and conclude that His suffering proved His guilt, how careful should we be when interpreting the suffering of others?

Warfare Is Still Real

The story does not end with Job, the blind man, or even Calvary. Jesus told Peter, “…Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.” (Luke 22:31). Indeed Peter was tested, but he was not abandoned. Revelation 12:17 describes the dragon making war against those who remain faithful to God.

Author Ellen G. White repeatedly emphasized this reality in her writings on the “Great Controversy.” God’s faithful people often found themselves opposed not because they were forsaken by God, but because they remained loyal to Him.

Simply put, sometimes the battle has less to do with what you have done and more to do with whose you are.

The Grounding of Trusting God

We cannot explain away suffering. Nor is it an excuse to avoid repentance. When hardship comes, it is appropriate to pray David’s prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).

Ministering throughout the years, I have sat with people whose faithfulness does not appear to be producing ease. Instead, they find themselves wrestling not only with physical pain, but also with emotional, mental, and spiritual suffering. I

Those moments can be deeply confusing. I know because I have wrestled with these myself….we all have. And when suffering refuses to fit neatly into our theology, we begin searching for answers. We compare our stories with the stories of others. We look for causes, for explanations and yes, we wonder whether God is trying to tell us something. This desire to understand suffering is deeply human. The problem is that sometimes our search for answers leads us to conclusions that God Himself has not made.

However, the stories of Job, the man born blind, Peter, and even Jesus remind us that suffering cannot always be explained by simple formulas. Sometimes it reveals consequences. Sometimes it reveals discipline. Sometimes it reflects the painful reality of living in a broken world. And sometimes it is evidence that the enemy has taken notice of a life that belongs to God. Simply put, sometimes the battle has less to do with what you have done and more to do with whose you are.

Job never received an explanation for everything he endured. Instead, God revealed Himself. And somehow, that became enough. That’s why he said:  “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

In his awareness, reflection, introspect, and grounding Job invites us to mindset shifts. Self-examination is healthy. Self-condemnation is not. And with that processing, defaulting to trusting God. That is the posture of faith, not understanding everything, yet trusting the God who does.

Our daily “sound mind” reminder should be moving forward…not every attack is a punishment.

The battle is real.
But so is God.

“Stop that!” I told my son, sharply reprimanding him for stomping on and crushing a flower during our afternoon walk. He looked up at me as if I had two heads on my shoulders.

“Why?” he quickly responded. His tone wasn’t disrespectful or obstinate, so I stopped and asked him to lift his foot off the flower he was treating with such disrespect and disdain. As soon as he did, the logic of his question became clearly apparent. He had stepped on a dandelion.

He continued looking up at me and matter-of-factly stated,

“It’s a weed, Daddy. It needed to be stepped on. It doesn’t matter how many times you step on it, or what you do to try to get rid of it, Mama says they just keep coming back!”

His rationalization made me laugh out loud. As we resumed our walk, the reality of the life lesson I’d just witnessed hit me with ever increasing clarity and weight. That week had been a difficult one for me. I had found out that a close friend’s relative had died of cancer, and there were some unfortunate and scary changes happening at work. I had felt stomped on that week. I’m sure you’ve felt that way as well. Maybe you feel that way more often than every once in a while. Unfortunately, in this world this is the reality of the human condition—even for Christians. Jesus told His disciples: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT).

Additionally, the apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in Corinth about their present difficulties, reminded them of this reality in some very stark words. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9, NLT).

Research shows that when we deal with depression and anxiety, it’s easy to quickly despair and lose perspective and hope. When that happens, some people will turn to unhealthy coping skills, such as drugs, alcohol, food, sex, pornography, unhealthy relationships, and ultimately suicide.

But you have this promise that when you belong to Christ, you will never be abandoned or destroyed.

Paul ends this chapter with these hopeful words: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (verses 17, 18, NLT).

I never grew up questioning the existence of God. Truthfully, for as long as I can remember, God has always been an integral part of my life. I never wondered if God was real, or if God was keenly aware of what was going on in my life. Like many individuals in the black community, God and church were synonymous to my upbringing. In fact, a 2021 Pew Research Report notes that 97 percent of black people believe in God, and when asked, most attribute God as described in the Bible. However, while this may be true for the majority of African Americans, there is still a percentage of those who struggle with believing who God is. On one hand many have a very strong and powerful relationship with God, and then there are others who feel extremely disconnected from God.

Justin Ray traced some very interesting trends in The Guardian last year. He noted the rise of secularism among African American communities. Many believed that religion was a way to cope with life during slavery and is generally why black Americans place a higher value on religiosity than white Americans. However, slavery is now an extinct institution—therefore the need for connection with God is irrelevant.

There is a text in scripture that changed my perspective on the realness of God years ago that I want to offer as support. However, before I unpack that text, I would also suggest that many have left God or no longer believe in God based on disappointment.

Ever felt the pain of spiritual disappointment?

Years ago, when I contracted Lyme disease and was on the brink of death, it caused and has caused me to question God’s existence.

Pain will push you to ask certain questions that peace never will. In my different battles with this challenging disease, and not receiving full healing, I have at times, wondered if God was there. Is God really hearing my prayers? If God is hearing my prayers, then why isn’t he answering my prayers? I am learning though that when these types of questions assault the soul its usually born from some kind of disappointment or pain.

According to Romans 12:3, when we were born, all of us were given a measure of faith. What does that mean? That means that when we were born, we were born with some estimation of an understanding that there is Someone greater than us.

When my wife was pregnant with both of our children, I would often lean down to her belly and begin talking to my unborn children. I could feel them kick and could listen to them moving around inside of her but at the time they couldn’t verbally respond to me.

However, when they were born and I looked into their eyes and they looked back at me; it’s almost as if their expressions were telling me—you sound familiar. There was a familiarity, it seemed, to my voice that they had heard before.

Here’s a voice of real intrigue

When we were born with a measure of faith, there was a sense in us of some deity. God had been speaking life over us already, so that when we were born, we would be already familiar with his voice.

Let me take this a step further! Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” This is intriguing because it suggests that for an individual to fully understand who the Lord is and what he does and understand God—they must experience God for themselves. Following the Lord must be lived to be understood.

Is God real? God’s realness can best be communicated through an individual’s personal testimony! You cannot deny someone’s experience. You cannot discount what someone has lived through. When God reveals himself through a miracle, a circumstance, or even through another person—it becomes personal. There are several ways that God has communicated how real He is.

1. Dreams and Visions (Genesis 37)
2. Nature (Psalm 19)
3. Creation (Romans 1:20)
4. Prophets (Amos 3:7)
5. Jesus Christ (John 1:14)
6. Personal Experience (Jeremiah 29:13-14)
7. His Word (2 Timothy 16-17)

To some, He’s a given

One of the most practical ways that God reveals His realness to us today is through his written word. Every single day we have the opportunity to understand who God is through His written word. In truth, the Bible was not written to explain God—it was actually written with the understanding of the realness of God.

The bible assumes the existence of God and is therefore written with the understanding that God is definitely real. And because God is real, it is our privilege, as His creation, to taste and see and find out about this amazing God. What I have discovered for many people is that many people don’t deny the existence of God, but they at times (as I do) take issues with how God sometimes operates.

Let me encourage someone today not to deny the existence of God simply because you don’t enjoy the season of life you are in. Seasons always change, and its never the same season for an entire year. God isn’t just real, but God has a plan for your life!

Give it a shot

Is God real? That’s a question that you can answer! If you are still doubting the existence of God, I want you to (maybe for the first time) pray to God.
Praying to God is simply talking to God as you would talk to a friend. When you talk to God, ask God to reveal Himself to you so that you can have a personal testimony about how real God is. Ask God for undeniable evidence that God is real. I am confident that God will respond to your sincere prayer and reveal Himself to you in a way that you can understand.

Once God does this, you have tangible evidence that God is real, and you can share God’s realness with everyone you know!

“That’s disgusting!” My wife protested as she inadvertently spit the contents of her mouth into the nearest napkin.
I was upset, hurt, and angry! I had spent a lot of my time, energy, and money to make a cake for my wife—just because. Then I actually tasted the cake and spit it out directly onto the table, missing the plate and napkin altogether.

In my defense, I couldn’t find the cake recipe, so I made it from memory. I was hoping that it would turn out well, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t really know what I was doing. Needless to say, it didn’t go well.

What’s Your Plan?

This is a silly story that illustrates a serious point: you can’t make it successfully through life by just hoping that you’ll make it. The cheesy self-help psychology saying really has a lot of truth to it: “to fail to plan is to plan to fail.” I’ve found this fact to be true, that to be successful in life, you need to have a solid plan. And you need to have already “pre-decided” to make a right decision. If you wait until you get into a bad situation, without first deciding what you’ll do, you’ll likely fail.

A Slippery Slope

In my own experience I’ve noticed that spending time with friends can be an awesome and memorable slippery slope, mountain-top experience—both for positive and negative memories! Let me explain.

During the first week of June I’ve found that this is the one week that sets the standard for how the rest of your summer will usually go. For instance, if you get into trouble because of a poor decision you made while spending time with friends, then it’s likely that you’ll be spending the rest of your summer (and maybe even longer) dealing with some pretty serious consequences.

That’s why it’s critical that you recognize that most decisions happen on a slippery slope and that’s why you need to set your decision hooks firmly in God and His Word, the Bible. Check out the slippery slope described:

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers” (Psalm 1:1, NLT).

First, the author describes someone not following the advice of the wicked; then, as many times happens, the group works harder to get someone to do wrong with them, but notice the response of the wise person: they don’t stand around or join in with mockers. In other words they shut down any and all avenues and opportunities in order to get into trouble. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken with teens who, after the fact, tell me the honest truth: that they didn’t want to seem uncool or let their friends down, and they got talked into doing something stupid—likely even dangerous, and at times, even criminal! Hopefully this won’t ever be your reality.

Dan, The Man with the Plan!

Thousands of years ago a teenager named Daniel and several of his friends were taken as captives to a foreign country and culture. They would be forced to say, do, dress, and eat certain things that not only were very different from what they were accustomed to but were against the dietary laws that God had given them. Then Daniel learned that there would be people chosen from his group for a special education program; and in that very moment the Bible records that “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way” (Daniel 1:8, NIV). Translation: Daniel didn’t wait to be put into a morally questionable situation; he decided what he would do–in advance. It turned out well for him (see Daniel 1). Dan had a plan. He didn’t wait until the heat was on and he felt the pressure, to make a critical life decision. He knew what he would do before the problem showed up. This is a great example for you, too.

“Summer is for Getting Stupid!”

“WOOOO HOOOOO! Summer is for getting stupid Mr. O!” shouted 16 year old Sheryl, as she jumped into her friend’s convertible. She had just left my office and was headed to a bonfire with several of her friends to celebrate two of her friends’ recent high school graduation. I laughed out loud and reminded her that summer was a wonderful time to let off some steam, but that they all needed to continue to make wise decisions.

I’m not going to lie, I did respond: “hey ya’ll, please make good decisions, cause I don’t want to read about you in the paper…and just remember: Jesus is watching you!” They all laughed, but I was serious!

Summer is a great time to have fun, learn new things, and generally chillax, but I also know that there’s a lot of foolishness that happens during the summer. I don’t want you to have regrets. The only way not to have regrets in your future, or about your past, is to think—I mean really think about your present. Make up your mind now not to do certain things, spend time with certain people, or go to certain places—you know what I’m talking about. Don’t do it! I promise, you’ll be better off for it.

And at the end of the summer, you’ll have great memories instead of huge regrets. Begin the summer with the recipe for sweet success: “God’s way is the best way.”

We thought we turned a corner when in 2020, Washington, D. C. Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned a giant mural proclaiming “Black Lives Matter.” Stretched across two blocks of 16th Street, the painting indicted America on the murder of George Floyd, police brutality, and President Trump’s aggressive handling of protesters near the White House. 

Whether you embraced it as a political statement, a humanitarian plea, or a rallying cry, the fact that the yellow brick road lay undisturbed for five years signaled a positive direction.  But, as road crews  jackhammer the pavement to remove it, I suggest, that the dismantling of that fantasy has only just begun, but it is up to us to preserve our history, and persevere.

UNDERESTIMATED

Last year we published an article discussing the potential impact of Project 2025 for both black people and people of color in general. We were also interested in laying out the  potential risks, harms, or implications for people of faith, particularly minority faiths. At the time, Project 2025, so expansive and extreme in scope, seemed like a conservative fantasy itself, requiring deep coordination, the likes of which only a conspiracy theorist could dream. 

Now, the president has issued an unprecedented120 Executive Orders in less than 100 days, that closely follow the Project 2025 roadmap. And, while we observe the president reshaping and arming the executive power, we note that he came for people of color first. The precision impact — whether stated and intended, or unstated and intended, or unstated and unintended — has moral and spiritual implications. 

Yes, there was the frontal attack of the Executive Order on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for governmental offices. The president also called for the dismantling of DEI in private companies. Then, he targeted the relief and aid to people around the world in the move to shutter the USAID. To meet the stated objective of curbing illegal immigration, he blocked asylum and refugee channels here in the U.S. The administration even reversed status for green card holders, detaining one green card holder because he is critical of the administration’s policies regarding the Israel and Palestinian war. And rather than shutting it down as the wasteland of human rights and due process that it is, the administration seeks to repurpose the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base as an immigration prison. And, one has to wonder how minority religions fare under his newly established  task force on “anti-Christian bias,” here in a country where two thirds of the population are Christian. 

INTERSECTIONALITY OF IMPACT AND INSIGHT

Anyone at the intersection of race and gender, and nationality, already knows to brace for impact, yet, it has been unnerving to see protections fall so quickly. It is disheartening to see efforts to subvert civil rights laws, to characterize black workers and people of color as frauds and cheats, or incompetent. The coded language is once again that black people don’t belong, and that once again, notions of merit apply only to white people. 

“I am shocked at how quickly the argument that equality for me takes from you,” said Kimberle’ Crenshaw, the scholar and professor who coined the term intersectionality, and is a leading voice in critical race theory.  The idea of a zero sum gain, that animus as motivation has helped to dismantle decades of painstaking civil rights progress.

  In reframing the language of DEI, the administration’s rollbacks have created the false sense that these legal efforts are inherently suspect. 

And now, with the stroke of a pen, the damage to the black community is swift, and unmistakable. As an indication of deep disproportionality, Washington D.C’s black community will lose approximately 8,000 jobs. Time will reveal the impact of reinstating the death penalty and encouraging capital charges. Time will reveal the impact of gutting the civil rights divisions of the Departments of Education and Justice, and the watchdog agencies that hold the American people and corporations accountable. 

FAITH AROUND AND FIND OUT

See what we did there? (Shout out to our colleague and contributor to Message Carl McRoy). While others lament and despair, we are called in this season to once again unapologetically insert ourselves into a discourse that informs and uplifts, though we ourselves have sought to inform and uplift others all along, but were rebuffed.

 Summon your strength and resolve as you make persuasive convincing testimony that God is in control, especially of your life and livelihood. That He still calls us to act —and we will act — in the spirit of His work ( Isaiah 61, and Luke 4).  We know that trouble still don’t last always. “For God says I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly” ( Psalms 75:10, NLT).

Executive orders are not new laws and can be changed with the next administration. And, we pray there will be a next time, but our participation is required. 

Further, there are more than 119 open or active lawsuits mostly challenging immigration-related orders, and more will come, as people of conscience challenge all that attempts to marginalize, mischaracterize and disenfranchise the most vulnerable. Tracking the administration’s orders and the lawsuits against it is a good way to stay informed and learn language and rationale to fight the good fight. Check out such litigation trackers at Justsecurity.org, and through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation website at CBCFinc.org.

Pastor Jamal Bryant is among several black clergy that encourage a sustained “fast” from large corporations that have capitulated to the administration’s demands to rollback DEI. Bryant’s Lenten season fast has had an impact. At the time of this writing, Forbes.com reports that Target’s congenial corporate reputation has tarnished a bit. And the fast has contributed to plummeting stock prices, and stunted the flow of foot and website traffic, both down 9%. 

Put your faith in action, by staying in the mix: 

• Get informed
• Share the tracker
• Call your representative
• Attend Town Halls and Community Meetings
• Participate in Rallies and Protests
• Register and Mobilize Voter

This article is part of our 2025 March/April Issue
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GRIEF AND FORGIVENESS

| Michael Brown Sr.’s Life Sentence |

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Two snail toys, two pencils, a slinky, assorted Lego pieces, a receipt, a plastic bag, a leaf, two marbles, a plastic toy soldier . . . all these and more I have found today as I sweep the cracks and crevices of my house in my weekly cleaning ritual. Now don’t get me wrong, I do light sweeping several times a week for things I can clearly see, but on Friday, me and my family give the entire house a good, deep cleaning and organization. It’s my job to sweep all the floors and clean the bathroom counters.

As I cleaned today, I was amazed at all the things that that broom was able to reach and clean. All of the things that I previously mentioned I couldn’t directly see. They were either under something, behind something, or camouflaged around something. These items were on my floor the entire time but they only came to light when I picked up the broom that I had and used it in a focused and intentional way to do it’s job.

Nice Story, but so What?

Nice story but what does it have to do with my relationship with God? Simply put, in my daily attempts to know God better and love Him more, I seek to walk as closely as I can to Him. T’his means that I don’t want anything—including me—to get in the way of my relationship with Him.

So when I knowingly slip up with Him, I immediately confess my sin and ask Him to forgive me. It’s like generally sweeping up those things that I can see. However, what about those things that I do during the day that I’m not consciously aware of? What about those things that aren’t so readily visible?  What about those snarky, angry, passive-aggressive comments that I tend to make in my impatience, for example?  Or, what about what seems like a million little particles of distraction as I frantically and frenetically move through my day?

Giving God the Broom

To fix this problem I intentionally create some margin in each day. At the end of the day I get alone, still, and willingly give God the broom. Then, I plead with God to search and sweep me clean of all those thoughts, motivations, words and actions that I miss.

Down through the years, folks who wrote about knowing God better (they called themselves “theologians”) have called this the “spiritual discipline” of confession and repentance.  Out of all the things I do to know God better every day, this and prayer are the two most difficult. I can’t speak for you, but I find it real hard to slow down, and stop, and then consciously give somebody permission to dig around the cob-webbed corners of my crazy, crooked, mind. It takes discipline!

Work Hard at Being Still!

Well, how do you do it? I’ll tell you my method and then you can find your own that works for you. I work really hard at being really still! I lay in my bed, stare at the ceiling, and I simply pray (out loud):

“God, I want to know you better. Please calm my mind and help me to listen to your voice. I am ready and willing to confess and repent of anything and everything I’ve done that puts an obstacle between me and You.”

Some nights it may take me a good 20-30 minutes to calm my mind down, and that’s why it’s important that you think deeply and seriously about this habit. There is a real price to pay. It means that you have to put a relationship with God above all the other things that you do as you wind down in the evening. If you do it too early, then you’re mind’s not calm enough, but if you do it too late, then you end up falling asleep. Truthfully, it took me several weeks to get the timing right.

The Most Dangerous Verse

Once God finally gets my mind calm, I recite what I like to call “the most dangerous verse in the Bible:” “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalms 139: 23-24, NIV). It’s dangerous because you’ve just given God permission to really do His work of deep cleaning with the broom He calls “The Holy Spirit.”

More About “The Broom”

The Holy Spirit is God. He does many things but all his work is for one thing only—to glorify Jesus and make him real to his people. The work of the Holy Spirit includes conviction of sin (John 16:8), regeneration (John 3:5, 6), assurance of salvation (Romans 8:16), enlightenment (John 16:13), transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18), fruitfulness (Galatians 5: 22, 23), gifting (1 Corinthians 12:7), and empowerment (Acts 1:8). However all these works are for one reason—to glorify Jesus and make His power real in the lives of His people.

Willing to Do What It Takes?

If God knows you’re serious about having a relationship with Him and that you’re willing to do what it takes, I promise you that He will honor your commitment to the relationship. For me, God immediately begins to bring to my mind things that I’ve done that have separated me from Him. Sometimes it’s things that I need to confess and repent to God and ask His forgiveness, but then other times it’s things that I need to confess and ask others for their forgiveness. Whatever. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I usually keep some paper and something to write with to make sure that I follow up properly.

You see, this whole thing is about restoring relationships. When I work to restore my relationship to God, by extension my relationships with others become better. Jesus loved you and me so much that He came to this earth and took our death so we could have an opportunity to have a relationship with Him (John 3:16-17).

“I Triple-Dog Dare You!”

So today, I want to encourage and challenge you . . . no, I want to triple-dog dare you to give God the broom. You’ll be amazed at the you that He sweeps into view!

FAMILY FORWARD

| Is it Still Possible to Pass Down Your Faith? |

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“The Forge” Highlights Discipleship and Mentorship

It is my profound pleasure to have another opportunity to interview a wonderful and engaging couple, Cameron and B.J. Arnett. Thank you for allowing our readers to enjoy a sit down moment and chat with the dynamic duo, the Arnetts.

Cameron & B.J.: It is our pleasure and privilge as well Dan. Thank you Message Magazine for sharing the latest chapter of our story.

Smith: So, let me just jump right into it. The movie “The Forge,” is blowing up…taking off…fantastically be-ing received by the many millions of individuals that are flocking to see it in theaters. You all are some of the primary lead actors in the movie.

Cameron: Wow Dan, I don’t know about all of that (laughing) but Praise God we hear that it is being well-received by the viewing audience.

B.J.: Yes we are hearing that a lot of individuals are liking the realism of the movie as it relates to the youth.

Smith: The Kendrick Brothers, who filmed “Fireproof,” “War Room,” “Facing the Giants” and a whole host of faith-based films, wrote, produced, and directed this movie as well?

Cameron: Yes, they are really gifted with their productions.

B.J.: Definitely God is with them.

Smith:How did you feel about the authenticity of the story being told from a white writer’s perspective, portraying a story of a black family with all of their specific family and cultural dynamics?

B.J.: Well we read the script and it was telling a story that any one could relate or connect with.

Cameron: Yeah, we all know, heard of or experienced even (someone in our own family) who had these issues with respecting authority, not having a good outlook on your own future plans, or just being influenced by the wrong set of friends. And not having a positive role model in the household.

B.J.: But this movie addressed all of these issues facing many of our typical American families no matter what ethnicity, race, or culture that you are from. That’s why we loved the script so much.

Smith: So did you see yourself as the character of Isaiah Wright, played by Aspen Kennedy, when you were younger?

Cameron: Absolutely! When I was young and trying to figure things out I was definitely like Isaiah at times.

B.J.: That is why “The Forge” focused so much on community and shared responsibility in helping our young black men. It definitely takes a village… a godly village to raise a child.

Smith: Yes, I was really impressed with the message of community awareness and discipleship. It wasn’t preachy either.

Cameron: The Kendrick Brothers have a way of making movies that are relatable and relevant to the times that we are now living in. Still showing God’s love and His involvement in the world in which He created is a real talent that they seemed to have harnessed for such a time as this.

Smith: Do you believe that there has been a void in movie making that speaks to Christians today?

B.J.: I do, with all of the mega million-dollar block-buster budget movies that Hollywood is making now they even see the need for great simple life changing movies that the family can relate to and identify with. There is a wave of new great faith-based content movies coming out. People still like a good story and there are no greater stories than what’s in the Bible and what God is doing in someone’s life.

Smith: I totally agree. So, what’s in the future for the Arnett family?

Cameron: Well, we still run our non-profit organization called Christ Over Career (COC), which is a global movement calling the Church back to Leadership of Jesus Christ, placing Him and keeping Him at the helm. I’m also in other productions and projects.

Smith: Mrs. Arnett or as you like to be called B.J., what about you?

B.J.: I have just been appointed Chair of the Fashion and Art Department at Clark Atlanta University. I am still acting and also Cameron Arnett’s manager.

Smith: Wow, God is definitely increasing the Arnett’s territory. When I saw the movie, I was impressed that there was a pastor there who took his church’s youth to the movie for service and had a discussion on discipling. They prayed over each other and for the success of the movie in the lobby after the movie was over. What is the take away you all would like Message readers to have regarding this movie?

B.J.: God has a plan for each of our lives, we just need to keep Him in the front of all of our plans.

Cameron: I would say, it is never too late to make a new start in your life; as long as you have God you are never a failure! Start mentoring youth and you will not be disappointed. That’s the ultimate giving back. Mentorship is discipleship.

DANIEL SMITH, is a contributing writer for Message Magazine.

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