Beloved: ...by This They Will Know

This book was birthed from two very common relationship experiences. One type of relationship exemplifies Agape intimacy in a true covenant connection, and the another type of relationship often filled with fleshly manipulations, baggage, and selfishness often fueled by an over-sexualized culture. There is a programmed responsive behavior being sub-consciously taught through social media, TV, advertisement, cinema and music, and no one is immune to its doctrine. As a result, we frequently witness pastors, parents, family members, friends, siblings, teachers and many affluent fall victim to a low level school of thought that is increasingly becoming widely accepted as normal. If we continue down this path, not only will this allow the disease of lower level thinking to spread throughout our community culture, but soon the healthy mind will become obsolete and those operating under this 'new normal' will control the scales of judgment and destroy the fabric that brings balance to our innate longing to connect.

As a young man raised in Southern California, I lived in a loving home with two outgoing parents. By the time I was a teen, my birth mother passed away and the reality of my world was challenged as I began to seek deeper connections with female friends, leaders and co-workers. These connections would identify a common voice heard in story after story from my female counterparts. Time after time they would seek a connection that was deeper than sexual attraction. They desired a father figure, or a brother to protect, cultivate or shield them in times of distress only to be met with a male mind that was not understanding of his role. It seemed that most of them carried the same experience of manipulation and/or perceived sexual mistrust by the men in their lives. It mattered not if they were non-believers or avid church goers, the sickness seemed to bind story after story to the same cultural fabric of lust and manipulation of familiarity. On the other hand, when speaking to male counterparts about women, the conversations almost always had an unhealthy undertone of sexualization.

As I listened to both sides, I began to see the cause and effect of each reality where both sides were victims of an overtly sexual society and thereby left with a severe imbalance in the places where connection was needed most. Realizing that I wanted to see things differently, I began consciously reprogramming my mind instead of adapting to what had become the norm. Over the years, this awareness of thought uncovered the fact that in my sphere of influence, I was alone in my beliefs. I decided I could and would make a change to consciously stand out even if everyone around me acted contrary. At the time, I did not realize the scope of what that actually meant, but starting with my youth group and relationships around me, I began to change the way I interacted with both men and women. Around men, I strived to become more of a representation of what I thought a man should be. I became more outspoken encouraging them to view women differently. Contrariwise, around women I no longer looked at them through the eyes of a person solely of the opposite sex, but I began to view them as sisters. I began to see them as a part of me, as if they had my same family name and we both experienced childhood from the same household. This allowed me to interact with my female counterparts through a new filter of protection and cultivation. The more I did this, the more I became aware that I actually played a major role in their emotional development.

In every relationship connection, we can choose to either dig a deeper emotional hole for one another, or we can be conscious to assist each other in achieving our divine assignments. Once we adopt a conscious awareness of how and why we connect, we can begin to abort the programs that are culturally and systemically destructive. This consciousness will help us become aware that through every over-sexualized interaction with one another, we place a damper on our future desires to be open and vulnerable. This makes it very difficult to grow in positive intimacy, accountability and meaningful interactions. As humans we were created to connect with one another and bear each other's burdens in difficult times, not make the journey of life more difficult. Family is one of the most important microcosms of support and emotional stability. The possibilities of who we call family is greatly increased through our faith and reaches into other continents, ethnicities, creeds and genders.

Beloved, it is critical that we are able to Love boldly and purposefully without fear in this modern age. We should engage relationships in the Light of truth and learn to avoid walking in the shadow of the fear of darkness. Women need Fathers and Brothers; and Men need Mothers and Sisters. Let us confidently progress past the fear of lust and secular manipulations, and establish the bonds of intimacy and true connection that bring much needed healing.

Regardless of childhood background, status or faith we all have experienced the broken family structure. This has left many with the feeling of being orphaned. But despite the brokenness, the heartaches and the deep emotional wounds, true Love is more than enough to fill those gaps. We were created with an eternal command to bear the burdens of another and to esteem others higher than ourselves. I pray this book encourages you to Love wholly and unconditionally those around you, regardless of sex, race or creed. Let us understand how to walk in the Light, and begin to demonstrate the operational and functional role of those who first Loved us.

Beloved, let us Love one another… eg

Admittedly, what you are about to read within these pages may be controversial or even seem quite dangerous to most readers. Equally understood is that most of the content will be demonized or dismissed because of various cultural reasons. However, it all settles at the reality that we all are still finding the best way to accommodate our 'fig leaves' inherited by a fallen nature in the Garden. Though we say we are free in Christ, we are the redeemed and we are the Light of the world, we are about to take a practical journey into the application of these proclamations. A lot of what we adopt as common behavior will be challenged. Scriptures that you have read will be applied to situations we face each day to challenge your current mindset and stir up the gift of Christ within you. Hopefully you will begin to identify situations in your life where the Father is calling out to you and saying, Who told you, you were naked? This is a call to think differently about what is inside us, put away the fig leaves and walk in the fullness of our internal connection.

I remember traveling to the Middle East for the first time as a youth. My friend and I both in our early twenties, traveled from the United States to the United Arab Emirates with a layover in the UK. While in London, we received word that the leader of this trip who was supposed to meet us in Dubai was severely delayed and unreachable. Apparently there was some sort of unrest and communications were down all over the country she was traveling from. My friend and I didn't think much of it until we arrived in Dubai and exited customs. All around us were many different nationalities and races of people, and most had on their native garments. Seeing everything from keffiyehs to dashikis on what seemed like several hundred people was very overwhelming. However, knowing that there was something on the inside of us greater than what we faced brought peace. As we sat down, we decided that we would pray 1 John 2:20 which says, ²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. So we prayed that we would receive this unction from the Holy One to know who was there to pick us up. After we prayed, my friend stayed with the bags while I left to go get this individual. As I stood on the airport side looking over the walkway from customs I saw many nationalities. Dubai is a Middle Eastern country but has an abundance of every nationality that reside there. There were persons of Asian, African, European and Arabian decent and we didn't know what type of church was hosting us, the name of the person, name of the organization or what the person looked like who was there to pick us up. Looking out over the walk way I again asked, Holy Spirit, who is here to pick us up?

Immediately, as I looked up, an unction came. It is him. At that moment my eyes met another gentleman's eyes who just happened to be looking at me. The secular mind then said, That is just the first person you see. Don't be dumb. So, I continued to scan the crowd. I saw many people that looked like ministers in the crowd, but none of them gave an unction. I did however hear the voice of our enemy. He was taunting me and mocking my desire to 'hear' from God. Who do you think you are? He mocked, Elijah?! Paul?! I could almost hear audible laughter and began to allow these darts to take root. A secular mindset began to rule my countenance as more impatience was birthed. We were going on 15mins and according to the enemy, the Father had not come through. I even began to walk outside, hoping to get closer to the individual and maybe feel something. But all I felt was ridiculous, insane, vulnerable and HOT! So I cried, Lord, you said, through the unction of your spirit I would know all things. Why have you not spoken?! He quietly responded with, I already told you.

I was immediately confused. My mind so convincingly reasoned how the first person I heard something about was simply the very first person who I saw noticed me in the crowd. Now 20 minutes later, I was sweating and complaining to God about something He already answered. I walked up to the man, introduced myself and met the person sent to pick us up. This was the first person I approached. There was no guesswork. This was the manifestation of laying down my fig leaves (fallen nature), practically applying scripture and walking in the mind of Christ.

I share that story to encourage you. This Love walk is likewise a mentality shift. Scriptural truths that we have quoted for many years, will be tested. As in my 1 John 2:20 story, many of us repeatedly recite scriptures out of familiarity. However, they cannot and will not wholly benefit us or others, until we practically apply them in our daily living.

As with any supernatural work of the Spirit there will be opposition, and we will need to defend our position against the enemy and oftentimes, to our own brethren, but the goal is still to reach the Lost by walking out the written word of God. This mindset is not something we can attain or earn, but rather something we exchange. We are walking in the exchange of our 'fig leaves', for the manifestation of His internal presence or 'Light' within us. It costs nothing, just faith. Jesus already paid the cost for us to be free from the bondage of a secular mind and walking in the flesh, we simply need to learn how to walk in the exchange and properly defend the exchange, and our impact of effective ministry to those we come in contact with every day will exponentially increase.

The cross gender analogies we discuss are honestly just a back drop on which to juxtapose the culture of the secular mind/works of the flesh, against the mind of Christ, or the fruits of the Spirit at work in us.

The actions to Love another regardless of gender, race, creed or belief may be considered dangerous acts when judged from a mindset that is still trying to accommodate 'fig leaves'. This fig leaf mindset is a recreated spirit that uses the cares of the world to hide itself from the true nature of the Creator. This fallen nature has been force fed sexually sensual narratives through casual media, advertisement and entertainment and finds it hard to now operate as Light. Because of this, the implementation of the principles we discuss may seem 'on the edge' to a secular mind influenced by our cultural sexualization. However, the goal of this reading is to find ways to appropriate the mind of Christ and showcase how someone operating truly free from the fear of darkness looks at various real-life situations.

When the first Adam fell into temptation in the garden, he ignored our Father's voice and ate