We Are From God

We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. - 1 John 4:6

Back in 2009, when my wife an I lived in West Africa, I would be out in the city and people would ask if I was French. Perhaps it was the beret, neckerchief, and pencil thin mustache that confused them (just kidding)! When I told them that I was in fact, an American, then one word always came from their lips, "barackobama!" I say one word, because that is how it sounded. They absolutely loved the (then) U. S. President in our part of Africa. His picture was everywhere. There was even a bar named after him.

Political disagreements aside (of which there are many), it would have been easy for me to use my American status and president to influence others and gain "friends." The problem was that too many people around the world already equated American culture and Christianity. They still do. Scary, right?

One country and one culture cannot define Christ, nor should it define us. John said, "We are from God." This must be our first, true origin, our birthright, and the basis for our message, nothing else.

God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. A sense of destiny is our birthright as followers of Christ. God is awfully good at getting us where He wants us to go. But here’s the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time. - Mark Batterson