Breaking Mental Myopia: “Black Lives Matter” (Part Three)

Slow down and check with the Holy Spirit to ensure a Kingdom perspective. Just because someone is passionate, it doesn’t make it aligned with the King.

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To read Part Two, click here.

 

I believe it’s time to wrap up this series on Breaking Mental Myopia: “Black Lives Matter.”

In Part Two, I shared one significant way that having a Republican/Conservative lens over a Kingdom lens is destructive to oneness and provided recommendations for how to shift to a “Kingdom first lens” particularly for those who are struggling with the conversation around black lives mattering.

Today, I want to share how mental myopia (in this case a primary Democrat/Liberal lens rather than a Kingdom lens) is working in opposition to oneness in the body of Christ and Kingdom influence on the topic “Black Lives Matter.”

Christians / Kingdom citizens who identify as Democrats (or liberals) are largely in support of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and are generally eager to confront the issues of racial bias and excessive (or undue) force in policing. However, with that support, there are still destructive ways in which many are using a primarily democrat/liberal lens over a Kingdom lens.

One of the most significant ways is embracing a “by any means necessary” mindset which accepts any (and every) effort and from any (and every) resource willing to address the problem. It’s easy to get out of alignment with the Kingdom of God by hopping on the bandwagon of every supportive voice because while this is truly a humanity issue, there are many who only want to address it with a purely political agenda (or some other unrelated agenda that has nothing to do with the issue at hand).

Discernment is key.

Kingdom alignment matters.

As Christians / Kingdom Citizens we can ill afford to be driven more by politics and power than the Kingdom of God. Here are five recommendations for consideration on how to operate with a “Kingdom first” lens as a Democrat/Liberal who is passionate about the “Black Lives Matter” movement:

#1: Don’t assume that all Republicans/conservatives are uninterested in addressing systemic racism, criminal justice, and policing reforms. That’s simply not true.

#2: Don’t automatically write off every concern Republicans/conservatives raise as a baseless conspiracy theory. Be sober-minded and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate truth wherever it is.

#3: Look and listen for the heart of the Father in the words that people are speaking BEFORE you click “share” or spread messages about “Black Lives Matter” around in your circles.

Slow down and check with the Holy Spirit to ensure a Kingdom perspective. Just because someone is passionate, it doesn’t make it aligned with the King. Discerning God’s voice (or lack thereof) within their voice is important.

#4: Only share those voices who align with God’s heart and His WAYS, not only with your preferred political ideology.

There are many videos being shared where perhaps there is some alignment of truth in the message, but there is NOT an alignment of His WAY. The King wouldn’t make a point through condemnation, guilt, ridicule, and shaming. Check the fruit!

#5: If you are creating your own videos, posts, and memes as a Democrat/Liberal, ensure that you also are aligned with God’s heart AND His WAYS when communicating.

I’m full of hope and am declaring that we as the body of Christ will rise to the occasion and demonstrate the power of oneness (not uniformity) to the world around us.

Oneness not only in word but in deed for the good of all.

 

Written by: Shae Bynes

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on kingdomovereverything.life.

Featured image by Dakota Corbin

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