Sit With Me
By Nanedi Faith, 10 min read
Who is She?
Mrs. Ericka Webb is a Black American, who is a mother of 4, has a degree in Education, and has been a minister since the age of 17. She is also a singer and writer. Mrs. Erika shared what it feels in her opinion to be a Black American.
What was our goal for this chat?
Our heart in this chat was to learn because we realize that we don’t fully understand what it means to be Black American-- we wanted to approach this not only from a place of Black Lives Matter but also from what God’s word says.
We’ve been seeing lots of people standing up. But we also see others making other arguments. We asked Mrs. Ericka how she is feeling about all this, and how she views this.
How can the body of Christ help our Black brothers and Sisters?
Prayers to have God Fine tune your ears: Sit with God
She describes the game telephone and how messages get misconstrued--she has had to ask God to help her to help them to see others as people and believe the best about His creation whether they agree with her, disagree with her or have completely different opinions. The message of BLM has been filtered through so many things or so many experiences and it can start to look like hatred or exclusion. She shared how she prays to God to give her the ears to hear what God wants her to hear when she reads Black lives matter. Sometimes that may take some time to step off social media. As born again believers, we should navigate this differently than other people.
“We are not apathetic, we are not just hands off and so far into the spiritual clouds that we cant feel when our brothers and sisters are hurting. We navigate it differently if we are healthy. We are in the world but not of the world and it may take unplugging to really listen to God and saying to God what are you really saying and what do you want me to hear.”
As Christians we must approach this differently: Sit with the Holy Spirit
Of course in a time like this, it can trigger people to become angry especially in a world full of injustice. How can we not be angry or upset? It may even be justified anger, however we need to be mindful of the spirit we have when talking to others or posting about the racism and injustices happening.
“Anger and force won't change things, anger and provoke other people. God doesn't rule out darkness with more darkness he rules out darkness with light..”
“As a believer, how can we be constructive and kind? Checking your heart and seeing where you are coming from and seeing how you can better show grace and love. We need to learn to love.”
Real Relationships: Sit with them in their suffering
Mrs. Ericka shares that while she is struggling with anger towards the injustices, she has her close community who she can turn to. She shares the importance of the community and what they can do to love her.
Mrs. Ericka shared that we need those people who in our life who
Will sit and cry with us
Wrestle with us in our struggles
Allow us to process and remind us to process with the Lord
Have real conversations with us
Who correct you because they want you to be your best
Remind you that just because you feel a certain way doesn’t mean its spirit led
Willing to be with us during the good, the bad, the ugly
The reason sitting with our friends in their suffering is important is because it has a direct correlation to how we are admonished to know God in the fellowship of his suffering. We know God in his suffering and we know him in the power of his resurrection. Mrs. Ericka describes that as being a great formula to get to know someone in general.
“You can’t celebrate a breakthrough with me if you haven’t sat with me through this. Once you understand how they are feeling and what is going on, you can start to feel compassion which gives us the way and the open door to correct.”
Rejoice with community: Sit with them in their breakthrough
Why should we sit in love with our brothers and sisters?
So we can rejoice with them in their breakthroughs after their suffering
We can see the fruit of the resurrection in their lives
Be there for what God has done in their lives
“If they had a community that said no no no I want to really know you. There is no way you are always this put together, there must be some things that are bothering you. I want to know you in the fellowship of your suffering, so when you resurrect out of this I can know you in the power of that as well...Now look at what God has done in your life, and now when you meet others you realize that God has that plan for all the people.”
Why we must talk about race even if it is a difficult topic:
God does not always call us to the easy conversations. Even though something can be hard, but if God is in it--it's worth it every time. Restful activity isn’t inactivity it is Spirit-led activity.
How we can exercise humility while engaging in tough conversations:
Ask God, “What does humility look like on me?”
Ask God, “What does love look like on me?”
Ask God, “How can I be who you are calling me to be?”
Focusing on wanting to show more love than wanting to be “more right.”
Allow God to shape your temper: perfect blend of velvet and steel
Tenderness: there is more life and peace when things are done God’s way
“It takes humility and love to lay down your own heartache and own frustration and own rightness---you’re right but I'd rather be love--I'd rather you recognize who I am pointing to than to recognize what I am about. If you can't recognize me unless you see love then I gotta choose am I gonna be more black than I am love. They aren’t mutually exclusive, absolutely not but theta I am saying is if I have to be recognized I want to be recognized for love. I am right I have a right to be angry and frustrated but when it comes down to it, I'd rather be love.”
Be the salt of the earth: Sit with the world
God has made every born again believer an able minister of reconciliation. Our job is to share the gospel with the people so that God may reconcile those people to Himself.
“God could've said my people are the lilies of the valleys but he said we are the salt of the earth. No salt has done well in a salt shaker. It can do nothing. In order for salt to be effective it's gotta get in the mix and go where the darkness is and go where brokenness is so it can heal and preserve. We gotta get in there with each other. Your story may be so messed up, but I want to hear it. It may be hard for me to hear because it may be talking about people in my community and it may be warped but in the name of us moving towards true unity and us getting in the mix I want to do it. Revival can not come when we are divided.”
We are praying for revival but the first half of revival is unity and coming together
1. There cannot be revival if there is no unity and guess what God desires for us to have unity!
Jesus prayed that God’s people would come together and become one so that the world would believe that God truly sent Jesus to die for our sins.
I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. -John 17:21 NLT
2. We cannot bring revival apart from God / We cannot do anything apart from God.
“There is nothing you can do to be effective in and of your own, but when God is with you it is worth it. It is imperative that you obey him. You cannot have all of these different voices and these personal absolutes that you have created to protect you. Only the Holy Spirit can lead you.. But we have made the Holy Spirit optional.”
3. We each have our individual assignments, learn what that is for you, and let your heart break for it.
“When you start learning how much Christ loves you and calls you as you, you won’t believe the stuff you can do. Will you be perfect no, but when I know God loves me there is nothing too hard from Him. I heard his voice, he told me, he showed...he has given each of us instruction and he is so masterful that when we all start being who he is called us to be we still look alike it’s like a tapestry we are woven together it's so beautiful.”
Break my heart for what breaks yours Lord: Sit with them in prayer
Parts of Mrs.Erika’s powerful prayer:
“Thank you for your loving kindness. You’re good and you are our weapon of choice---king of kings yet you sit with us and love us---there is no division in heaven
Give us a heart and mind to do it your way--release kingdom strategy to our leaders to our pastors if they aret hearing you God give them hunger and peace to hear you lord---give them ideas to bring unity in radical ways.
Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Father we repent for chasing after our own agendas have the nerve to scavenge through your love letter that is the word of God looking for words that validate our perspective instead of looking in the word to hear your voice father we repent
Give us the strategy we are powerless apart from you we are able to say we don't know but God you know all things--- You have revealed it to your sons we are yours blessed are the peacemakers we want to go in and bring peace. We Want to come alongside the man that is broken we want to be your good samaritans we don't want to fuss about how they got there we just want to bring them to safety--show us how give us the strategy give us the right questions to ask-- help us to detox from the mess that is being infiltrated over the media help us to be able to what you and see you clearly God.
I have the authority to speak to you devil through the authority that Christ has given me as a kingdom daughter that you won't win.We send every negative fearful agenda back to the pits of hell from which it has come we bind it from courts of heaven we say you're not welcome here we bind together we say every born again believer is my brother and sister--
No weapon formed against us shall be able to prosper no weapon that rises against us in judgement won't come to fruition. We say you're a liar, we won't allow politics, we won't allow any racial divide to come between us. Neither death nor life with separate us from the love of God from this day forward we rid ourselves from the demon of offense we are done being offended at people the only one we are offended at is you devil --- we come against you by the power and the blood of Jesus you have no power and authority here you are done. We say lord have your way, we say lord we submit to your strategy right now you re our weapon of choice we select you hold you up as a banner we expect an immediate turn around in these areas of injustice why because unity is coming revival is coming help us to become one like you and the father are one that the world may believe that they may see our good works and glorify you in heaven in Jesus name. “
To listen to the full episode, check out “The Bread Podcast” on Spotify.