A Memo to My Privileged Neighbors: Can We Agree On This One Thing?

I heard a respected speaker and activist say this week that the recent uprising [in America and around the world], is “The straw that broke the camels back.”

As the compassionate orator spoke to a 60-thousand-crowd audience of heartfelt, caring individuals, everyone agreed that the on-camera act of murder perpetrated by a Minnesota ex-police officer against the beloved George Floyd, caused an unspeakable brokenness in the hearts of America and beyond. This brokenness is the one that the Bible speaks of when Cain’s brother’s voice called from the depths of the grave with blood shed by the hands of Cain. Although Cain tried to hide his sin, the Lord already knew what he had done to his brother Able. God wants to give Cain the encouragement to admit what he had done so that He could set Cain free from the transgressions against his brother.

As we soon learn, Cain denies himself of the opportunity to make things right.

For this denial, God is not pleased.

Nor is God pleased with the killing of George Floyd or the others whose life was cut short by the hands of those who did not consider the power of God. This power is transferable to the hands of those who put their life on the line to protect victims of gun violence and other murderous and insidious acts.

However, the point of this discourse is to shed light on the improper use of power by those who never consult with God about the privileges that He has afforded each of us to have.

We all have power in some area of life, whether we use it for good or for the demise of others. And just like “trouble won’t last always”, neither shall the individual power and privileges of mankind. Where there is misuse of power, there is also a disrespect for the power of God.

I say to my privileged neighbors who wield their power for bad, it is not the act of the riots, marches, speeches, civil unrest, and the pleadings for civil righteousness that you ignore to maintain your privileged position; it is the power and the hand of God that is coming to restore order.

Privileges don’t last always. And power is only in the limited belief caused by a cycle of a false sense of reality brought on by a privileged state of mind.

But the mind can never stand up to God no more than the feeling of indignant privilege.

To my privileged neighbors: Can we agree on this one thing?

If you believe that your privilege is inherently given by your mere existence coupled with centuries of brainwashing of a belief that your inherited power and privilege is your birthright, God will come looking for you as He did Cain. When He does, He will ask, “What have you done to your brother?”

Here is the answer that God is expecting from you:

“Lord, I repent. I surrender. I ask for forgiveness and for your mercy for the actions and inactions of my people who didn’t know that You, Lord, blessed me with the same privilege as You have given to everyone in this universe. The shame I carry, puts Jesus back on the cross every time I hurt someone and every time I refuse to help someone. Today I commit my way to You as my Lord, Savior and Master. I relinquish back to You the power and privilege You ordained for me to temporarily possess. If You see fit to hand back these privileges, I ask You to teach me how to serve You with these privileges rather than kill my brothers and sisters by using it against them and by failing to speak up and assist them in time of need.”

Privileged Neighbors: If you do this one thing, God will change your heart. And it is your heart that will change the world.

This is an urgent call. I pray that you will respond to God, your Father.

In Honor of the Only Sovereign God,

DrWendy Campbell, Ordained Minister and a civilian in God’s Kingdom.

Negative Discretion – Secrets Withheld Within

Secrets, lies, hidden truths, darkness, and destruction are all a part of negative discretion.

Discretion is to be discreet, keep quiet, keep secret or withhold information. Negative discretion is to lie, hide the truth, and give nondisclosure to that which is supposed to be shared, openly displayed, told, informed, or exposed.

The difference between the two—discretion and negative discretion—determines the outcome of your plight. For instance, we are taught to keep secrets and things hidden that we do not want others to know about. Sometimes this is a fine line between what to tell and what not to tell. Other times, there is a reason to tell or expose what you are going through. The voice in your head never wants you tell others the bad and ugly things that perpetuate your life, because by telling, you can be set free by things you suffer from.

I often find that, particularly, in intimate relationships when two people do not get along, they will very often shy away from letting others know about their arguments, disagreements, or even fights that occur between them. Couples do not want others to know about their situation due to embarrassment; fear of retribution by the church; on the job; or among friends and family who may judge the situation in a way that is painful to the couple. Therefore, in the minds of those two individuals, it is easier to keep things quiet. Then, there are some couples who may not want others to interfere because the couple believes they can work it out without anyone’s help. But when there are secrets of abuse, neglect, and life-threatening situations that occur in private, one or both involved in the relationship may not want the legal system involved, particularly when the woman is abused and the children are neglected. But what about when it is the man who is abused and neglected and is prevented from seeing or spending time with his children? This is the focus of this article. Men who are mistreated unfairly, yet remain in a relationship because they do not want anyone to know. This is negative discretion. Negative discretion is a secret held within.

I know that many of you may know of someone, particularly a man, who is abused by their partner, and who is forbidden to see his child or children. And if you do know of someone who fits in this category, perhaps the information disclosed here will help you to assist that person in finding relief. But if you are the abused or neglected person reading this information, my prayer is that you will seek help immediately.

Abuse in this country among couples and other abused individuals occur every second of the day. Many, if not most, are kept in silence, all the while the perpetrator continues, with their schemes, and malicious acts against the unknown victim. Reverse the negative discretion and turn it into a positive outcome. Your life matters!

The Coronavirus is Not Bigger Than God!

The Coronavirus (C0VID-19) may have affected many areas of our lives, but one part of our life is still intact. And that is our relationship with God and each other.

The fear of not knowing about the coming days or months should not override the faith that we have in God.

The Coronavirus is not bigger than God!

We can rest assured knowing that as we lean on God for our continued safety and quality of life, that we will come out of this better than we were before the outbreak of this unknown strand.

This is the time to exercise all that we have learned about God and our faith in Him. We can also look to the past experiences we have had during the not-so-good times in our life. When you look back can you not see that God brought us from there to here. And the fact that He brought us through then, is evidence that He will bring us through this!

In looking at the past, we survived the aftermath of 911; the unfortunate Tsunami crisis that wiped out entire cities; the 1918 influenza pandemic H1N1 called the Spanish flu; SARS in 2003; Anthrax 2001; and what about MERS in 2012, the viral respiratory infectious disease – another Coronavirus? Guess what? We will survive this also.

“God holds us in the palm of His hand. This means nothing will hurt us” Psalm 30:4.

While we exercise our faith in God, we must also exercise good common sense and obey the laws of the land. Everyone knows to wash hands and be considerate of others when coughing, sneezing and yawning. So there is no need to lecture anyone here. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) mandate to self-quarantine, we must follow the directives.

But all is not lost. We have the time now to spend with loved ones; to cherish our homes and the quiet times we may have forgotten brings us great joy for what God has given us. Be grateful. Spend some time with God in prayer and solitude. Have those needed conversations with Him. Get answers to questions you may have had and still have. Look to Him as your ultimate source of survival. You will make it through this!

Just remember that the Coronavirus is not bigger than God!

May you receive “the peace of God that passes all understanding” Phil 4:7.

“Nothing by any means shall hurt you” Luke 10:19.

“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it (the Coronavirus) will not come near you” Psalm 91:7.

Giving You Strength for the Journey!

Dr. Wendy Campbell

© Copyright 2020 Wendy Campbell, D.Min.

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Obeying God and the Laws of the Land

Did you know that our Constitution is composed of 8,000 words? Yes, it’s true!. These words shape the way we live, and have a profound effect on our daily lives with great influence toward our alienable rights. Within the 8,000 word document, there are seven Articles. The first three Articles are Article I) Powers of the Legislative Branch – which is Congress; Article II) Powers of the Executive Branch – which is the President; and Article III) Powers of the Judicial Branch – which is the Supreme Court. But the most intriguing part of the Constitution is the Preamble, known as the Introduction to the Constitution. The Preamble states the following:

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

If you notice, part of the Preamble states, “secure the blessings of liberty”. Liberty is a blessing that God gave us when Jesus died on the cross on Calvary’s Mountain. So why do you think it is restated, here, in this historical document called the U.S. Constitution?

Could it be that the some or all of the Constitution we are compelled to live by, is based upon Biblical principles? Could it be that the Framers of the Constitution, sought the Lord when writing this legal document during the Pennsylvania Convention. After all, Jesus died and rose 2,000 years ago, and the Constitution was established A.D. September 17, 1787. Since we know the time period in which both – Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the establishment of the Constitutional document, would it be fair to say that this document is intended to uphold a Godly principal by making it a law to do so? Whether we agree or not, it is a law mandated by the U.S. Constitution to have liberty for every U.S. citizen. The Constitution is a binding legal document and is the supreme law of the land in which we live. However, the law of God is the Supreme principal mandate, which caused it to be primarily, so.

Since there’s no need to debate either of these truths, we should thank God that we are set at liberty in mind, body, soul, and strength from all forms of bondage. Nevertheless, there are those who put themselves in situations that bound them to things, people, places, and habits. Nothing should bind us and prevent our liberties. We should want to live peacefully, non-violently in decency and orderly. This is the way God has ordained our lives. And this is why God has established liberty within His legal principles, and why we should “secure the ‘blessings of liberty’ to ourselves” by following all the principles of God and obeying all the laws of the land. Let us do our part daily and obey the laws and God’s Word.

Giving You Strength for the Journey,

Dr. Wendy

Can We Question God About Kobe’s Death?

Just like the 911 incident in the New York Twin Towers, the death of Nipsey Hussle, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince, Attorney Johnnie Cochran, Actor Kristoff St. John, Bernie Mac, and so many others, no one saw it coming. We all have questions about the unbelievable, sudden deaths of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna and the seven passengers.

And in these shocking moments where we have come to know and love these people, it seems unfair that they would leave so soon and in the manner in which they did. Therefore, we often find blame as a reason to ease the pain. So many times, when there is no one to blame, people often blame God.

Recently, I heard someone ask of Kobe’s untimely death: “You mean to tell me that God would let someone like Kobe die in a plane [sic] crash when they just left church, paid tithes and prayed to God before getting on the [plane]? Then this person goes on to say and ask questions like these:

“At the end of the day, does God owe us anything?” “God did not promise us anything.” “God is not obligated to do anything for us.” “We don’t have a right to question God.” My response is, it all depends. 

Let’s start by answering questions and responding to the statements of the individual who has a lot of questions here.

These are similar questions that I have heard so many people ask when there is a tragedy like the one concerning Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter.

Let us begin by addressing this person’s  statements.

The first statement this person made is: “At the end of the day, does God owe us anything?”

The simple answer to this question is, “Yes.” God does owe us. God owes us His word. Here is some of what His word says: “He hears and answers all prayers”. “He will never leave us nor forsake us”. And we “have life and have it more abundantly”. And finally, if we ask God for more years, He “will grant it” to us. These are some of the promises God has given us and He owes us His word on it.

1. In the first answer: God owes us His word. One of the many things God tells us in His Word is that He hears and answers all of our prayers. However, when we do not pray, there is nothing for God to hear. That may sound snobbish, -it’s not. It’s the truth. When we do not pray, we miss out on a lot of the promises that God has given to us. This is why prayer is important. The absence of prayer is sin. Sin when it has manifested, creates death and destruction. God does not cause death and destruction in life. He gives us His principles to live by to protect us and to ensure that we obtain His promises, which are manifested through prayer. We’ll explain more on prayer and why it is important for our life later.

The next statement to address made by the individual is: “God did not promise us anything.”

Wrong again. 

      2. In the second answer: God made numerous promises to us in His word. One of those promises is that we can live a long, abundant life. But God will not usurp your will. This means that God will not go against your will. If you ask God for a long life, He will give it to you. If you request a short life, you will probably experience a short life. But God is not that petty in that He does not just give you everything you ask for at the moment you ask for it. But He does listen to your requests. What usually happens is that many times, it is the individual that lives life in such a way that it will sometimes respond to you in the way you live it. Other times, it is because we do not take the time to listen to what God has to say. In this regard, one may miss or misinterpret what God’s plan or will is for one’s life. This is where most people miss hearing from God: 

      a. When prayer is absent from your life

      b. When we are too busy to spend time with God to find out the important things He has to share with us 

For instance, remember we stated previously that the absence of prayer is sin. God made a covenant with us that He would protect us, provide for us, never leave us nor forsake us. And I can go on. But what happens in the absence of prayer is that we miss the opportunity to express our concerns, make requests and communicate with God. These missed opportunities also cheat us out of a response from God. God established prayer as an opportunity to remain in close intimate contact with Him because this is His way of informing, guiding, protecting and keeping us. A failure to go into prayer and stay constant with it is a detriment to anyone who fails to pray.

While in prayer God reveals secrets that even the devil cannot interpret or understand. God’s Word is spiritually coded just like the source code of a computer’s operating system. Unless the code is revealed, one will not know how to interpret the coded language to conduct, what is called in intellectual property law, a reverse engineering.

Reverse engineering in intellectual property is the ability to rearrange, dissect and inspect every part of one’s expressed idea that culminates into a tangible product, to determine how it works and to ultimately, duplicate it. But this is not the only reason.

The main reason one would want to duplicate someone’s expressed idea is because there is great value in doing so. Like with God, there is great value in the reverse engineering of His Word. This process of reverse engineering can bring revelation and new improvements to what already exists. The Word says, “We shall do greater works.” Revelation from God helps you to live greater and do greater than yourself.

Therefore, the benefit of prayer and communicating with God is to gain revelation, which is inside knowledge that only God has. In fact, God is known to give you in secret the plans your enemies have made against you. These plans, when known, will cause you to change your plans and go a different route. And if that route is routine, then the enemy knows exactly how to trap you.

Who is our enemy?

The enemy is anyone or anything that is not in deference to God. Anyone or anything that is hostile to God, is an enemy of God. Did you know the mind is hostile toward God? 

In a future post, we will go deeper into our discussion, where we will address more questions from a biblical perspective surrounding Kobe’s untimely death. And we will explain why the mind is hostile toward God.

As always, my goal is to help you take care of your soul by Giving You Strength for the Journey.

Blessings,

DrWendy, Ordained Minister, Certified Biblical Counselor, Biblical, Life and Relationship Coach

Material Blessings v. Spiritual Blessings

If you could have material blessings such as a million dollars in the bank, diamonds, rubies, mansions, jets, luxury cars, the finest [food] delicacies, servants, maids, etc., for 364 days of the year, but have a spiritual blessing one day out of the year, and you could only choose one, which one would you choose?

Before you answer that question, let me disclose a caveat of what the spiritual blessing entails: The spiritual blessing is that you have only one day to use it.

So consider this: You’re on a cruise ship. It begins to sink. No one on the ship can save you. And neither can anyone on the ship save themselves. Before everyone drowns, there is only one thing that can save you. By calling on the name of Jesus you can live today and live longer than you anticipated. Jesus is the only One who is able to save you, and the others; and He is willing to do so, if you ask. There is one criteria before He does.

You must go back in time the previous 364 days and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and begin to live a saved life with Jesus included in your daily walk. So one of the things that is required for you to do is, you must study the Bible and learn to pray while you communicate these prayers to God everyday. You must ask for guidance and forgiveness each time you pray. And you must use the name of Jesus in every prayer.

And that’s it! Oh, there is one last thing: You must denounce and give up all of your material wealth, and this will solidify the deal  before you can be saved from the sinking ship.

If you had a chance to trade all of your material riches and accomplishments, not knowing this one day in the sinking ship would come, would you go from giving up all that you have to accepting Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior so that your life will be spared for that one day? Think about it.

May you choose wisely. And may you choose wisely before it’s too late! 

DrWendy

Kobe’s Death May Be An Invitation For You to Ask God Some Questions

The death of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and the others who perished aboard an aircraft frequently used by Kobe, has been devastating, to say the least.

While this is and has been a very busy season for me, as a Biblical Counselor and Ordained Minister, I am putting aside some time to address some questions you may have since the death of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and the others who perished in the recent helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

Please feel free to inbox me via Facebook Messenger at DrWendy Campbell https://www.facebook.com/drwendy.campbell. Or if you are a member of The Facebook Church you may also contact me there. If you are not a member, you may request to join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/tfbchurch/.

I will do my best to bring clarity to some of your questions and concerns. In the meantime, as I am led, I will be posting some biblical insights that you might be interested in reading for comfort, factual biblical knowledge or to clarify some questions you may have already had prior to the January 26, 2020 incident. You may also contact me here on WordPress.com https://drwendycampbell.wordpress.com/

As always, my goal is to help you take care of your soul by Giving You Strength for the Journey!

Thank you for stopping by.

19 African-American Women Leading the Way on the Federal Bench!

It has been reported that 19 African-American women have won top spots in their respective states as federal Judges (democratic contenders) during the November 6 mid-term election.

These top spots put these women in their respective offices as federal judges, and may give more influence to the judicial system. What this means is that these women now have a chance to change the political climate by forcing republicans to take a back seat to many new decisions that could be made with regard to healthcare, gun control, racial profiling, prison reform, education reform, immigration and other needed reforms.

However, with these nineteen AF-AM female judges on board, there could be more to come!

These women have no problem in leading the way in the judiciary and causing great change in communities across this nation by making significant changes everywhere.

Let us continue to pray that the people of this country will be better off in the near future, than now. And let us pray that the contributions made by all, including these brave 19 women, will cause positive changes for our future and our posterity.

Giving You Strength for the Journey!

Dr. Wendy

 

Ferguson – A Shadow of an American Civil War or Genocide? A Repeat Performance of Business as Usual

The Tongue of a Ready Writer!

We have received some very serious responses to our recent article on “Starting Over is Hard to Do”. Many people are hurting and stuck in a place they do not want, or need to be. They say there seems to be “no way out”. Others say they want to secure a better financial future. Then there are those who say they want to leap into change because it is time. For others, they say they are forced to start over due to unforeseen circumstances. But those who have written to tell me they are physically, emotionally, and financially trapped, because someone has them bound by neglect and fear, is the worst I have read so far. No one should have to face such atrocity.

Being bound with no way out, makes me cringe. I am uncomfortable when I read about people hurting because another human being has them crippled through physical, emotional, and financial abuse. The purpose of our articles is to reach hurting people. And we will continue in this purpose. Our goal is to educate, inform, support, and coach people through tough times. We work hard at doing this! We also aim to help increase the quality of life for everyone who desires quality living and increase. There are those who are comfortable and happy, but know there is more to life than what they are experiencing.

Through our article writing we desire to minister to and coach people from their pain, to successful gain. We want to show people how to walk into their destiny, and walk out of their past. We realize that not everyone who requests our help is available to attend our coaching clinic. Therefore, we address real human issues through our writing platform. We believe that the ministry and preaching platform is not limited to the podium, lectern, or physical altar. Writing is one of the many platforms in which God has created to reach His people. This is why our articles seem quite long, for some. But those who are in a season of wanting change now, find something in our articles that they need to get them through the moment. Some people have told us that what they need is a listening ear; an immediate response to their questions; advice on starting over; or coaching through their decision to make a “right-now” exit .

We never know who reads what we write. So we put our trust in God’s authority to lead our heart to pen His words. We have offered our head, heart, and hands to God. And ultimately, He guides our thoughts. Therefore, we believe that [our] “…tongue is the pen of a ready writer” Psalm 45:1

Giving you strength for the journey,
Dr. Wendy