FAITHFUL UTTERANCES: Deadly Distractions

By Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew

I’ve noticed lately a lot of chatter in the social stratosphere more than usual. From the increase of proclaimed prophets to those who profess to have intimate knowledge of people’s bedrooms and personal habits, there is an onslaught of commentary that is negative and polarizing.

Yet, while these distractions continue to take up airtime and brain space—some events are impacting our lives that are being overshadowed by obvious foolishness:

• A candidate who dropped out of the race for president proposed a constitutional amendment to increase the standard voting age to 25 while allowing those at 18 to vote if they meet a national service requirement (6 months in military or first responder role) or pass a civics test required of naturalized citizens.
• Trump has won the Republican primary in Iowa, and New Hampshire and will be the nominee in Nevada and currently has 32 delegates.
• Trump joined legal efforts to have Fulton County DA Fani Willis, her office, and the top prosecutor removed from the election fraud case against him alleging that Willis engaged in misconduct by hiring an unqualified friend and alleged romantic partner to lead the prosecution.
• More than 20 state governors defy Biden and back Texas to secure the border with many states sending their state guard to aid Texas.
• The attack on Black women in academia with the recent suicide of Dr. Candia-Bailey and the treatment of Dr. Claudine Gay.

These current events and others fail to be on the radar of many as we become fixated with freak-offs, power bottoms, and Shannon Sharp’s sexuality. We do not see that we are being bombarded with deceiving spirits that keep us fighting for gossip disguised as truth. In Kings 22: 7-28, Ahab wanted to hear an affirming report from prophets to go to war. He assembled 400 prophets who told him he would win. The prophet Micaiah was not initially included because Ahab did not like his reports of doom and truth. Ahab liked to be sur- rounded by those who told him what he wanted to hear. The King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, insisted that they include Micaiah at once.

Micaiah told Ahab what he wanted to hear until Ahab swore him to tell the truth. His answer was not the happy, victorious response he wanted to hear. He prophesied death and destruction. “Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ “One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will entice him. “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. “‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’ “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

As a society, we like to have our ears tickled. Like Ahab, we listen to those things that make us feel good, that are distractions from the truth. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3) It’s important that instead of listening to all of these so-called “truth tellers” that we test the spirit by the spirit. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4: 1-6)

Don’t allow the distractions of the day to keep you from seeing what’s going on. A lot is going on around us that we are missing. Seek wise counsel and do not continue to surround yourself with those whose desire is to create a fanbase or make us feel good while setting us up for a path to destruction.

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the President of Soulstice Consultancy, LLC and the Founder of the Reconciliation and Restoration (r2fdn.org) Foundation. The author of 4 books including Empowering Charity: A New Narrative of Philanthropy, Dr. Booker-Drew is also the host of the Tapestry Podcast.