The 21st-century church is enjoying an emergence of multicultural fellowships and congregations. However, there are those who suggest that even in the midst of this surge of diverse brotherhood and sisterhood, Christian leaders are not doing enough to bring about true racial reconciliation.

Reflection: I grew up in the ’80s in a small city in south central Virginia. Unfortunately, I am not a stranger to racial tensions. Danville was the last capital of the Confederacy, and the emotional damage of slavery seemed to have persisted across time in our little city.

The divides that were caused by a lack of racial reconciliation was felt nowhere more strongly than in our churches. The most segregated time of the week was that two-hour block of time on Sunday morning.

I now realize that the enemy of our faith masterfully uses God’s anatomical and psychological design to create disease among people. Large-scale dissension and discord is a community disease that reduces the effectiveness of the body of Christ.

Spiritual Warfare: In Matthew 12, Jesus encountered a demon-possessed man. This spiritual attack manifested itself in the form of blindness and muteness. Jesus, of course, healed the man, but the solution to his physical ailment was the addressing of the spiritual attack.

As it was with the man’s blindness and muteness, so it is with the emotional ailments that are characterized by unhealthy biases against other people in God’s beloved family.

Faith and Science: Many of our conversations on racial issues in the church focus on explicit biases, which I loosely define here as the overt and easily recognizable prejudices and attitudes toward other groups of people.

However, the deeper story lies in our implicit biases, which are the subconscious feelings, perceptions, attitudes and stereotypes that have developed as a result of our prior experiences. Due to our psychological design, we are unaware of the attack, and this allows the enemy to wreak havoc in this area.

To limit our conversations to explicit biases and to not address implicit biases is to paint over rust.

Paul encourages us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. There is action required on our part. The renewing process certainly includes the conscious thoughts of which we are aware, but we must also renew our subconscious mind if we are to experience the transformation that Paul describes.

This is more than a clinical issue. Many of the negative projections of our past experiences onto present circumstances is due to demonic influence in the same way that the man’s blindness of muteness was the result of demonic influence.

Note that this type of spiritual attack is not targeted in a single direction. Implicit bias is a two-way street. Whites subconsciously project negatively on blacks, and blacks subconsciously project negatively on whites, in part as a result of demonic influence. The same is true of other social groups such as women and men.

The Path Forward: Seek out uncomfortable engagements. This is a purposeful effort to engage people in groups other than your own in a posture of humility, servitude and learning. Your goal is not to express what you know or how you feel; rather, it’s to listen and understand. It requires us to ask difficult questions and to engage in conversations that create discomfort within us.

If the enemy is promoting a narrative that divides God’s people, then we should courageously engage in conversations about the subject of those narratives with the goal to love, learn and grow.

The strategy of uncomfortable engagements can be operationalized in healthy, fruitful and Christ-honoring ways in our churches and communities.

Scientifically, uncomfortable engagements provide all parties with new experiences and exposures that will work to reprogram the subconscious mind.

When we are courageous enough to see the world through our neighbor’s eyes, we ultimately see ourselves in our neighbor, because the same Holy Spirit resides in all of our Father’s children.

This strategy, if implemented effectively, has the potential to break down stereotypes and to positively shift paradigms, because it connects us to the other person’s humanity in a deeper way.

Let us use our love for Jesus as the motivation to engage one another in uncomfortable ways that will produce healthy growth inside of us and kingdom fruit outside of us. {eoa}

Dr. Adrian Coles is the associate pastor of Revival Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a clinical researcher at Duke University. He is passionate about discipleship and identifying the synergy between science and faith to identify practical ways to operationalize biblical guidance. You can follow him on Instagram for inspirational content, and you can explore his medical research on his Duke Scholars page.

Sixteen-year-old Rome Shubert was shot in the head on Friday, and he didn’t even know it. Shubert says he heard a loud bang, and his ears started ringing, Fox reports. He jumped under a table for protection and then ran with other students out the back door. He climbed a seven-foot-wall and ran approximately 100 to 200 feet away from the art room, and that’s when he noticed he had blood on himself. He was unable to contact his parents until he was in the hospital.

“I belted out and just screamed, ‘Hallelujah and praise Jesus. It was the scariest moment of my life, not hearing from him,” his mom, Sheri Shubert, says. “I laid my head on his chest and I was just like, ‘Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God, for your grace.'”

Watch the video to see Shubert’s full story.

The U.S. government legally threatened these churches. Then help came in the form of the Alliance Defending Freedom. ADF is partnering with churches to help fight on behalf of religious freedom. Watch this short video and find out more at adfchurchalliance.org.

Israel leads the world in technological advances that make the world a better place.

From a device called the “Nano Artificial Nose,” which sniffs out cancer, to technology that gives sight to the blind and a contraption called the “ReWalk” exoskeleton that allows paraplegics to walk again, Israel leads the world in medical innovation. Every day, millions around the world use some kind of medical treatment that came from Israel.

Israeli entrepreneurs and scientists are also pioneers in agriculture and invented techniques that allowed the tiny nation to turn rocky desert landscapes into lush orchards and mosquito-infested swamps into citrus groves. And Israel has exported those techniques to the rest of the world.

In his new book, Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World, Israeli author and Middle East expert Avi Jorisch profiles wondrous Israeli innovations that are changing the lives of billions of people around the globe and explores why Israeli innovators of all faiths feel compelled to make the world better. {eoa}

Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., All rights reserved.

One of the first people shot during the Las Vegas shooting massacre has reunited with the retired firefighter who saved her.

Las Vegas resident Rosemarie Melanson wouldn’t be alive today had it not been for her the “guardian angel” who got her to safety on October 1 when a gunman opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel.

Melanson—a mother of four—was attending the country music festival with two of her daughters. The tickets were a Mother’s Day gift from her eldest daughter, Stephanie Melanson. {eoa}

Click here to read the rest of this story from our content partners at Faithwire.

The news of the day doesn’t have to leave you feeling hopeless and angry. Sign up for the Faithwire Newsletter for encouraging stories delivered right to your inbox.

There is such a parallel between the days of Elijah and our modern day. Israel was governed by Ahab, who was dominated by Jezebel. She was the power behind the throne and the proponent of Baal and Asherah. Idolatry, immorality, murder, hatred and conspiracy reigned in the heart of Israel’s governing duo. The nation, established by Jehovah, was now bowing to the god of Jezebel. The breach between God and His people had reached its greatest divide.

While there seems to be no hope of Israel returning to Jehovah, there arises an “unknown” man. Unknown to Ahab and Jezebel; unknown to the media of that time; unknown to the Israelites, but not unknown to God. Bursting on the scene in the midst of the declination is Elijah, whose name means “My God is Jehovah”. There is no introduction, no warm and friendly politically correct verbiage… just his “right to the point” declaration, “”As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand, there will not be dew or rain these years except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1b).

Note the words, “Before whom I stand.” We stand before God when we pray. He had lived a life standing before God. It was his secret life of praying that enabled him to be clothed with such power and authority. His position “in front of God” placed him in front of the king. And when he said, “no dew or rain these years,” there was no rain or dew beginning that very day. Elijah had such a burden on his heart to see his nation return to Jehovah that he was willing to stand alone in the gap. He was willing to take a bold stand for God in a day of mediocrity and compromise, even if it cost him his life.

History is repeating itself as we see the same system playing out in our society today. Our government is corrupt; we are serving false gods; our land is filled with bloodshed; idolatry is embraced; our churches have faded into the background taking a neutral position; many Christians are more politically correct than biblically correct; we are calling good evil and evil good; people are doing what is right in their own eyes; we have lost our way because we are in the dark; we have strayed from our Founding Fathers’ standards of upholding the Bible and prayer and declaring Jesus Christ as the Lord over America.

Now is the time for Elijah to arise! Who is Elijah of today? Not one, but a remnant of people who will declare, “As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand.” This remnant is not afraid to be bold and take a stand against the evil that prevails. This remnant does not care about pleasing the masses but obeying God and fulfilling His commands. This remnant cares so deeply for the nation that its members are willing to be ridiculed and persecuted for the sake of revival.

Let Elijah arise. The time for revival is now! {eoa}

Sharon Bolan Yerby’s evangelistic and prophetic calling has impacted multitudes around the world. Her message emphasizes the kingdom of God, the crucified life and the person and power of the Holy Spirit. With over 17 years in ministry, she continues to herald the uncompromising gospel of Jesus Christ with passionate pursuit through healing crusades, radio and television. The vision for her life and ministry is Philippians 3:10-14.

“I wish I could be a princess,” my 9-year-old niece Amy said longingly as we walked out of the theater after seeing Princess Diaries starring Anne Hathaway back in 2001.

I’ll never forget the faraway look in Amy’s eyes as she expressed her secret wish to be in the same place as Mia Thermopolis, whose fairy tale came true after being plucked from obscurity upon discovering that she was the heir apparent to the crown of Genovia, a small fictional kingdom in Europe.

My theory as to why this movie struck box office gold, yielding $165.3 million, was that it captured the heart longings of many girls (young and old) as their fantasies were captured on the big screen.

As my niece Amy twirled around in the foyer that day, still in her post-movie daze, I tried to tell her about something beyond the fairy tale, about the way we can be women who use our platforms to influence the world for good, whether or not we’re a tiara-donning princess. I’m not so sure she fully grasped my lesson in her pre-adolescent stage of development, but I did my best to make the most of a teachable moment.

This weekend the entire world was transfixed about seeing a real-life princess story unfold as Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in London, England.

Now you as a dad may think this whole thing is a bit silly and sensationalized, but I assure you that your daughter (and perhaps other women you know) may have a different opinion. In fact, I just read an article describing the royal wedding as “one of the most anticipated events of the year” with a play-by-play timeline of the entire day, starting with guests arriving at 9 a.m. GMT/4 a.m. EST up until the bride arrives at 11:59 a.m. GMT/6:59 a.m. EST, with only one minute to spare when the wedding was slated to begin promptly at 12 p.m. GMT/7 a.m. EST. Whew. that’s precision, wouldn’t you say?

I have to ask myself what it is about this type of romantic story that captivates women around the world.

In my research with teen and 20-something girls, I asked them whether they ever longed to be a princess. I was told repeatedly that there is something in the heart of a girl where she longs to be chosen above all the rest.

Essentially, she yearns to know that she is uniquely special, that she stands out from other girls in a way that sets her apart. She doesn’t want to blend in with the crowd; she wants to be cherished and loved just for being herself, even when less than perfect.

Then I asked these girls an even more important question: How can your dad make you feel more like royalty, like a princess?

I believe you’ll find their responses informative as you glean from their input and apply it to your own relationship with your daughter:

• “I would love to hear my dad say how he really feels about me and express his enjoyment in being around me.”
• “I wish he would spend more time with me.”
• “Maybe reach out to see how I’m doing more consistently instead of the other way around.”
• “Encourage my dreams without telling me they’re impractical or too unrealistic.”
• “My dad already treats me that way…I’m his little girl, always.”
• “He could just out of nowhere–and for no reason other than to make me feel those things–just send a little letter or note or message saying that he loves me, thinks I am special, accepts me, and enjoys who I am. Just to hear his honesty about what he thinks about me and when he thinks about me makes me feel all of those things.”
• “I think one of the biggest things is when he helps me to see my strength, my beauty, my talent, my uniqueness and when he shows me that I am a woman to be cherished and pursued by doing just that.”
• “Anything my dad does to just let me know he is thinking about me or wants to spend time with me means a lot and makes me feel honored, like a princess.”

So Dad, why not use the royal wedding this weekend as a conversation starter to delve into those distinctive places tucked deep inside your daughter. If you ask, I imagine she’ll share her thoughts.

Here are some questions to get the dialogue started as you pursue her intentionally and celebrate her longings with her:

1. As a little girl (or even now) were you drawn to movies about princesses? Who were your favorite characters and why?

2. Now that you’re older, do you ever think about being a princess anymore? If you did bring “the princess” back into your life, what would that look like for you?

3. Can you think of any ways I could make you feel more like a princess?

4. If I were to fill up your love tank by making you feel more loved and special and accepted and enjoyed, what could I do specifically to make you feel those things now in your life?

Have fun helping your daughter feel like a princess, because it’s always a good time to bring the princess back. {eoa}

Dr. Michelle Watson is a national speaker, author, professional counselor of 21 years and founder of The Abba Project, a ministry to dads with daughters in their teens and 20’s. She writes guest articles regularly for journals and magazines (online and print), as well as her own bi-monthly Dad-Daughter Friday blog. In 2014 she released her first book titled Dad, Here’s What I Really Need From You: A Guide for Connecting With Your Daughter’s Heart and hosts a weekly radio program in her hometown of Portland, Oregon called “The Dad Whisperer.” You can reach her at [email protected]. Visit drmichellewatson.com for more information.

This article originally appeared at drmichellewatson.com.

The massacre at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, left 10 dead and shocked the nation once again. The response has been predictable by the media “experts” and political talking heads. They say the answer is more laws, more guards and better security. Sadly, few voices are addressing the root of the problem, which is spiritual and moral.

Rejecting Christian Morality Is Having Consequences

William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, wisely stated, “Those who will not be governed by God must be ruled by tyrants.” Fifty-five years ago, the nation’s highest court decided that America’s public schools would not be governed by God, and we are suffering the consequences with 22 school shootings so far this year, teachers having sex with students and students attacking teachers as well as one another.

In 1963, the Supreme Court banned prayer and Bible reading in public schools. Since that time, there has been an all-out attempt by clueless secularists to purge every vestige of Christian influence, not realizing that freedom and Christianity are indissolubly linked.

This anti-Christian crusade has led to the removal of crosses and Ten Commandment displays, coaches being told they can’t bow in prayer with their players, school bands being barred from playing Christian songs and valedictorians being told they cannot talk about their faith at graduation.

Actions have consequences and this rejection of Christian morality has led to the breakdown of the traditional family and a culture with no moral compass, adrift on a sea of moral relativism.

The consequences of refusing to be governed by God are obvious. I attended high school in the 1960s in a rural area of northeast Texas. Every home had guns, and most of my friends owned hunting rifles. Even through there were few regulations, there were no school shootings, and the inappropriate use of firearms was rare.

We were governed from within by the moral constraints of a Christian culture. There were strong families, vibrant churches and schools where prayer was offered before every special event and teachers were free to talk about their faith. Even those who did not attend church had a respect for God. When someone would pray at the beginning of a sporting or social event, you would see hats being removed throughout the stadium, showing honor to God and that sacred moment.

The biggest problems in school at that time were chewing gum in glass, being out of your seat or talking without permission and being late with an assignment. My how things have changed since our brilliant jurists and politicians have decided we would not be governed by God.

As Penn pointed out, the only alternative to not being governed by God is tyranny. or taking away individual liberty by passing more and more stringent laws in hope of regulating the bad behavior of a society that is no longer governed by God.

Washington, Jefferson and Franklin Speak Out

America’s Founding Fathers understood this and stated that they had formulated the U.S. Constitution for a Christian and moral people who would be self-governed from within. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

In his farewell address after serving two terms as America’s first president, George Washington declared, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion [Christianity] and morality are indispensable supports.” He goes on to say that the person who would “labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness” can never claim to be an American patriot.

Thomas Jefferson was in complete agreement, and he made Washington’s Farewell Address required reading at the University of Virginia, which he founded. Notice that Washington did not call religion “optional.” The word he used was “indispensable,” and Jefferson obviously agreed. It should be remembered that when the Founding Fathers used the word “religion,” they were referring to Christianity.

Jefferson may have had questions at times about certain aspects of Christian doctrine, but there is no question that he saw Christianity as providing the moral and intellectual system necessary for a stable society. Having read the Koran and the literature of ancient Greece, Rome and the Enlightenment, he stated, “Of all the systems of morality that have come under my observations, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus.”

Jefferson’s commitment to Christian values is why he closed all presidential documents with the appellation, “In the year of our Lord Christ.” It is also why he took money from the federal treasury to pay for missionaries to work among the Kaskasia Indian tribe and to build them a building in which to worship.

Benjamin Franklin also expressed questions at times about certain aspects of Christian doctrine, but through his Puritan roots and close friendship with George Whitefield, the most famous preacher of the Great Awakening, he became convinced that Christian values are necessary for a stable society. He once said, “The moral and religious system which Jesus Christ transmitted to us is the best the world has ever seen, or can see.”

The Church Must Arise

If America will not be governed by God, its only alternative is to pass more and more stringent laws that take away individual liberty. If America will not be governed by God, then the country may find it necessary to get rid of the Second Amendment and live in an increasingly tyrannical state where individual freedom is a thing of the past.

The founders did not believe there could be liberty apart from virtue or freedom apart from morality. Only Christianity offered the moral and intellectual underpinnings that would preserve the nation they had brought into existence. William Novak is, therefore, correct in saying, “The founders did not believe the constitutional government they were erecting could survive without Hebrew-Christian faith.”

The church must stand up in boldness and reject the secularist lie that the First Amendment banned faith from the government and public square. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our schools and our nation need God, and it is time for the church to be salt and light in this nation. {eoa}

This article was derived from Eddie Hyatt’s latest book, 5 Pillars of the American Republic, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

Prophetic decorations are being heralded nationwide for the “billion-soul harvest.” Supercharged conferences are permeated by enthusiastic Christians celebrating the anticipated end-time in gathering of a billion new converts coming to Christ in our day.

Is this emotional hype or a genuine possibility? After all, Jesus did tell us that the “harvest is the end of the age” (Matt. 13:39, NIV).

This desired, massive turning of lost people to Jesus Christ won’t happen by simply praying, praising and prophesying, no matter how intense or passionate the participants may be. And according to Scripture, it won’t come about through angels preaching the gospel instead of us who are called to be His “ambassadors” of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

There are seven basics that need to be understood and applied by leaders and those zealous to hasten the harvest and help bring back the King. Watch this inspiring and concluding video from the free YouTube series “Loving Lifestyle Evangelism” to be equipped and engaged for this exciting move of God in our day.

The Most Rev. Michael Curry boldly proclaimed the gospel during his homily at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church preached on love, quoting the Song of Solomon and Martin Luther King.

“But it is not just about and for a young couple who we rejoice with,” Curry said. It’s more than that. He transitioned into the teachings of Jesus, much to the shock of some in attendance. Meghan Markle and her new husband, Prince Harry, beamed at the reverend while he spoke.

“When love is the way, there is plenty good room for all of God’s children,” Curry proclaimed. “When love is the way, we treat each other like we are actually family.”

Watch the video to see his full sermon.