Brie Gowen

Savor the Essence of Life

A Word for the Church

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I saw a battlefield, complete with hundreds upon thousands of warriors battling it out. Like a scene from Braveheart, the mass of tangled bodies violently punched, stabbed, and speared anyone within range of their hastily swung arms. Each soldier wore specific battle garb, like armor, a specific color to designate the side for which they waged their war. As the men tore angrily at one another I realized something peculiar. They were all wearing the same colors. The soldiers fighting one another were on the same side, the same team. Across the field another army watched with glee. They laughed at the scene, understanding they didn’t need to lift a single, physical weapon. The army they wished to conquer was destroying itself.

At that moment the Lord spoke these words to me. “Sometimes it has to become broken before it can be fixed.”

I think you’ll agree that a lot has become broken over the past five months. Broken relationships, broken congregations, broken hearts. There have been broken bank balances, broken trust, and definitely broken systems. I think it’s time to start fixing.

Racism is a horrible sin against mankind, but so is pedophilia. Sadly, we have come to a place in life where we imagine we’re capable of ranking what breaks God’s heart the most, but I am of the opinion that neither of these two compare to the pain He feels over watching His children battle it out. Broken, bloodied, distracted, and confused, fighting the wrong enemy all along. The real enemy isn’t the bigot or the child molester. The real enemy is standing across the battlefield, laughing at the chaos he has created.

I recently felt led by the Holy Spirit to read the book of Haggai. You know, I couldn’t even recall if I had read it before. It’s only two chapters, you must realize, but inside that dynamic duo was a glimpse of today. Somehow, in the midst of the enemy’s confusion, we have become distracted by the walls of our own houses, and we have forgotten that we are required to keep building. In Haggai it was a temple, and today it is much the same. But rather than a physical building, we are needed for the construction of God’s kingdom.

When asked by the disciples how to pray, Jesus spoke some words we have forgotten.

Your kingdom come, your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.

So many of us Christians long for the kingdom of Heaven, but we forget that His kingdom is being built here on earth, right now. We are the builders, yet we’re separating the materials, finding them “unworthy,” and tossing them aside for the pieces that look just like our own.

I was led to Ephesians 4 last night, and I was reminded by the Lord that the one body has many parts. Some of us will fight for racial equality, and some of us will fight for the children, both unborn and beyond. The thing is, we can fight for all those things. We can believe strongly in one injustice, while also fighting for another. The Lord positions His warriors where they will fight the best, but we have mistakenly taken up arms against one another, leaving the enemy laughing at how he is winning despite never stepping on the battlefield, except in our minds.

The kingdom of Heaven has many rooms, and we must stop trying to be the arrogant innkeeper. We cannot place a sign on the door that says only those with a mask may enter, anymore than we can throw out the ones who refuse to wear one. There is a place for us all, and this place is woven together by the common thread of the enemy we share. He is the prince of this world, but we cannot forget that our Father’s kingdom rules in the end. We need to regather the troops, guys.

The kingdom of Heaven isn’t divided by skin color, anymore than it’s divided by political party. Nowhere in the gospels does it say eternal life is dependent on how you vote, or by who you feel you must stand behind for the White House seat. I think we have forgotten that we can make our battle plans all we want, but that it is God who directs our steps. He will place who He wants as Commander in Chief, and we cannot fight an unnecessary war with one another. I think another thing we forget is that the war isn’t taking place in just one country. It spans the globe. We cannot be distracted by our own small minds or our pride.

I have been convicted, and I think we all could take to our knees in repentance for putting too much of our efforts as warriors of God pointed towards our brothers and sisters, rather than focused on Satan and his demonic army. We must be willing to listen to one another and have real discussions. We must be willing to set down pride, admit wrongdoing, and understand it’s ok to not be right about everything. God doesn’t need soldiers who are rigid against everything, yet fallible to sin in their own life. We cannot stand firm on one principle while simultaneously bending to sin of indifference in our everyday. In other words, we cannot stand against rioting, but not speak out against racism. We cannot hold firm against abortion, yet never open our hearts or pocketbooks to unwanted children outside the womb. We cannot claim homosexuality is a sin, but secretly surf the web for pornography after the family is asleep. We cannot ask people to follow us and our God of love if the words we speak don’t convey love. Gosh, we have a lot to learn, but thankfully God is willing to keep working on us. What we must do in the meantime is recognize the real enemy we fight, and stop wreaking havoc against anyone the Lord has placed in a different position than our own.

I started this post with a vision of a terrible battle, but I wasn’t finished telling you what I saw. After the initial impression of battling brothers, I realized that little by little, one by one, recognition dawned. On the faces of the soldiers you could see their eyes opening to truth, their hearts turning towards reconciliation, and their efforts combining to finally fight together. As their hearts turned towards one another the army was awarded by a power it couldn’t have fathomed before. Charged with the strength of unity they were finally open to the potential of God’s power. Like a sonic boom or a shock wave from some sort of blast, an explosion occurred within the spirits of the saints, and the pulse of power was visible as it blew outwards toward the camp of the enemy across the way.

What does all this mean? I hope that you see it means we’re in a war. We are in end times. God is positioning His saints, and we have to stop attacking our comrades if their position doesn’t look exactly like our own. We must understand the playbook of the enemy, and that he will use politics, division, and our own pride against us. He will cause us to fight one another, while he sits back laughing and watching the destruction. Y’all, there is a lot wrong with the church as a whole, but we cannot burn it down thinking that will win the real war. There is sin on the battlefield, but we cannot keep throwing our own soldiers out of our camp. We have to find that common ground, that unifying thread that is Jesus, and we must bind it around our hearts and minds.

The only way I know for us to win the war is together, but it’s not just a simple “getting along” we must do. Each heart must seek Christ, fully and first. We have to seek it before political agendas. We must seek it before injustice and personal hurt. We must seek it before platforms and specific causes. We must seek Him, and in doing so allow the Holy Spirit to speak the truth of each and every matter. Each and every one! If we focus on what we feel He is saying on one subject, we’re going to miss the big picture. We’re going to throw out the good building materials with the garbage, and this is only delaying the construction of His kingdom here on earth. You say that you long for Heaven! Well, understand that now, here on earth, that is where we must gather the pieces. Here, on earth, is where we bring together the sons and daughters to fill all the many rooms. We aren’t building a mansion so it can be empty. We are building a forever home, where I believe I recall scripture saying that the Lord is not willing for anyone to perish, but desires to give everyone a room, that He desires all to have everlasting life. That’s gonna be a big place, so let’s start building now.

Some people don’t want to share their Father’s home. They think that some don’t deserve to be there like them. But I reckon those are the ones who might end up being told to depart, that He never knew them. I hope not. I hope we can come together before it’s too late, and that we can come together against the real enemy. Once we do that, we can get busy building, rather than being busy fighting. Like I said, the kingdom is going to be epic, and I for one am willing to put in the work now. Will you join me in the building?

What Christian Celebrities Falling From Grace Tells Us

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By no doubt now you have heard, read, or seen news of the most recent Christian celebrity falling from their pedestal place that the rest of the Christian (and secular world alike) kept an eye on. John Crist wasn’t the first, and he certainly won’t be the last. Just a couple of months ago we saw two other celebrity Christians denouncing their faith and coming forth with doubts about their religion. Why is it the ones we are all watching are the ones who make the loudest thump when they fall? What do Christian celebrities falling from grace so easily and in such large numbers tell us?

Well, putting aside the obvious, that we are all sinners, without perfection, and none of us are immune to falling down or failing miserably, there’s more to it. Yes, it would be easy to chalk it up to the human condition. Even Paul saw himself as the worst of the worst, even while serving in chains for His Savior, but I think we need to understand there’s more at play here. This isn’t just about the fact that we all will fall at one time or another. There’s so much more.

You see, I think we are witnessing a well-played hand. I think we are privy to the strategic move of an age-old enemy. I mean, do you think it’s a coincidence that a huge celebrity like Kanye West comes out boldly on fire for Christ as of recently, and somehow in the midst of that wildfire a popular voice in the Christian entertainment world falls flat on his face in public shame?! I don’t believe in coincidence.

Check it out, guys. We are in a battle. You may forget it’s there because you can’t always see the enemy, but I’m telling you, it’s happening. We’re on the battlefield. If you’re a Christian, understand that you are under attack. If you’re an outspoken Christian, be aware that you have a bullseye on your back. Satan wishes nothing more than to see you fail. That’s truth. He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

He’s stealing husbands from the head of their families through pornography. He’s killing babies before they leave their mother’s womb. He’s destroying the witness of Christians and Christianity each and every day. He’s tempting us with sex outside of God’s plan for marriage, and he’s deceiving us with promises of wealth. When God does something amazing for the Kingdom through one of His children, be prepared for the devil to try and upset the victory. This is why when you see a celebrity come forward in their faith for Christ, you are also likely to see a Christian brother or sister fall even harder.

Y’all, I believe God is doing something amazing in our world! I believe a revival is coming, and I am seeing an awakening of more and more to not simply “religion,” but to the importance of a relationship with Jesus. Have you noticed the increased popularity of Christian films? There are more Christian movies now than ever before. And y’all? There are some seriously good actors and actresses in these films now. What about the music industry? Leaving Kanye totally out of it, have you seen how our Christian artists are breaking through to the secular world? Last week I heard Lauren Daigle played three separate times on a secular station at work. God is moving!

Country stars are praying on national television, teen heartthrobs are becoming outspoken young men in love with Jesus, and sullen rappers are suddenly grinning from ear to ear, unable to stop talking about God’s goodness. God is moving!

I would imagine this would make the devil’s black blood boil with envy. How could a perfect God forgive such horrible humans with a track record of sickly sin? How could He pour out His favor on those who had their backs turned for so long?! Y’all, Satan doesn’t understand God’s grace. He doesn’t understand that we may fall, but that the good Lord can lift us back up. All he knows is how to knock us down, and when He sees God pouring out favor, he’s going to pull out the red carpet of temptation to transgression. When God moves, the devil is going to try and counterattack.

People of this world will see Christians (especially those in the limelight) “fall from grace,” and they will build false assumptions about our faith. This is really where we take the hardest hit. Our best strategy for the faith is to stand firm, not judging our brothers and sisters who fall (nor sweeping under the rug the seriousness and travesty of their sin and its impact on others), but praying for them and those they hurt, while simultaneously putting on our own armor. You see, it’s not just the celebrity Christians under attack. We are all susceptible to his schemes. We are all a target for evil, and as we have the advantage of seeing attacks on those in the spotlight, we must be especially in tune to how we ourselves can fall.

God is moving. I cannot stress this enough. And as such, Satan will also be on the prowl, set to steal families, kill witnesses, and destroy relationships. We, as children of God, must stand together, stand firm, and be ready. What does another Christian celebrity’s fall tell you? It should shake you to be ever ready, ready for the trickery of the enemy, ready to stand firmly in what God instructs for your life and the life of your family.

Here’s the thing. You can never fall so far that Jesus can’t scoop you up and cover you in His grace, redeem you, and heal you. But falling is really painful. And it bruises your reputation as an ambassador of Christ. Our goal should be to honestly and purposefully shine the light of Jesus. Our reputation and family name is important, and we must be on guard for attacks on that heritage and royal priesthood. It’s easy to let our guard down, but I pray that we can all see the fall of others as a warning that there is nothing good within us, nothing at all, except Him. Jesus.

We are at war, and our General is on the move! He is raising up warriors for His cause. The wonderful thing is we know how this is going to end. Spoiler alert. We win! Jesus is victorious. But until that final day, let’s decide we won’t be prisoners of war. If anything, let our eyes be open to the spiritual battle all around us, and may we stand firm until He whispers, “well done my good and faithful servant.”