Welcome to another episode of The Charlie Mitchell Teachings Podcast.
In this episode, titled "Don’t Back Down," Charlie explores the transformative power of persistence in our spiritual and personal lives, inspired by Mark 7:24-30 and the life of Frederick Douglass.
Episode Overview:
1. Inspiration from Frederick Douglass:
Charlie begins by reflecting on the life of Frederick Douglass, highlighting his pivotal decision at 29 to advocate for the enslaved in America despite personal risks.
Douglass' example sets the stage for understanding the impact of persistence against overwhelming odds.
2. Understanding Persistence: Persistence is the practical outcome of conviction and commitment. The importance of persistence in overcoming obstacles and achieving significant change.
3. Key Points from the Sermon:
Ego as the Enemy of Persistence: A look at how ego can hinder our ability to persist in the face of challenges (Mark 7:25-26).
Persistence Needs Resistance: Discussing how resistance and challenges are necessary for developing true persistence (Mark 7:27-28).
God Honors the Persistent: A reminder that God values and responds to our persistent faith and efforts (Mark 7:29-30).
4. Applying the Message: - Charlie encourages listeners to reflect on their own lives and identify areas where they must persist despite challenges. - The call to not back down in the face of adversity but to continue steadfastly on our path.
Relevant Scripture:
Mark 7:24-30: The story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman, illustrating the power of persistence in faith.
Conclusion: - Charlie closes the episode with a powerful call to action, urging listeners to embrace the quality of persistence in their daily lives and faith journey.
Listen, Subscribe, and Share: Join us for more episodes full of biblical wisdom and practical advice. Don't forget to subscribe and share this podcast with others who might find encouragement in their faith journey.
Remember, in the journey of faith, it's not just about starting strong but persisting with conviction and commitment. Don't back down!
Welcome to another episode of The Charlie Mitchell Teachings Podcast.
In this episode, titled "Don’t Back Down," Charlie explores the transformative power of persistence in our spiritual and personal lives, inspired by Mark 7:24-30 and the life of Frederick Douglass.
Episode Overview:
1. Inspiration from Frederick Douglass:
Charlie begins by reflecting on the life of Frederick Douglass, highlighting his pivotal decision at 29 to advocate for the enslaved in America despite personal risks.
Douglass' example sets the stage for understanding the impact of persistence against overwhelming odds.
2. Understanding Persistence: Persistence is the practical outcome of conviction and commitment. The importance of persistence in overcoming obstacles and achieving significant change.
3. Key Points from the Sermon:
Ego as the Enemy of Persistence: A look at how ego can hinder our ability to persist in the face of challenges (Mark 7:25-26).
Persistence Needs Resistance: Discussing how resistance and challenges are necessary for developing true persistence (Mark 7:27-28).
God Honors the Persistent: A reminder that God values and responds to our persistent faith and efforts (Mark 7:29-30).
4. Applying the Message: - Charlie encourages listeners to reflect on their own lives and identify areas where they must persist despite challenges. - The call to not back down in the face of adversity but to continue steadfastly on our path.
Relevant Scripture:
Mark 7:24-30: The story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman, illustrating the power of persistence in faith.
Conclusion: - Charlie closes the episode with a powerful call to action, urging listeners to embrace the quality of persistence in their daily lives and faith journey.
Listen, Subscribe, and Share: Join us for more episodes full of biblical wisdom and practical advice. Don't forget to subscribe and share this podcast with others who might find encouragement in their faith journey.
Remember, in the journey of faith, it's not just about starting strong but persisting with conviction and commitment. Don't back down!
And my favorite, you know, one of my favorite people to kind of look back on, reflect on, is Frederick Douglass. And I don't know if you read his story. I don't know if you've been engaged with him. Very much. But he is such an interesting person just to follow his life, the things that he overcame, what he was able to accomplish. But at 29 years old, Frederick Douglass had a very difficult decision to make. Soon after publishing his book, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, he literally went viral. So I know many of us are trying to go viral, we're trying to be influencers, we're trying to connect with people and all that, but he literally, back in the day, went viral. No Internet, no nothing, but his story was so compelling that he became an overnight sensation. Not only here in the U S but abroad and to prevent him from being recaptured, the word had gotten out and his former slave owner here in Maryland went looking for him, put a bounty out on his head. And so some of his supporters and friends over in the UK and Britain said, you know what? Let's get him over here. And set him up. We're going to put, we're going to create a, lecture tour that he's going to go around to different places, colleges and unions. And he's going to speak and share his story live and in person and we can interact with him. So this was a great opportunity for this man who was born into slavery and now is somewhat of a superstar. And we don't know what that feeling had to have been like. To have been born in rags, to have been known that you were someone else's property, but now to be on stages and thousands of people are coming to hear you speak. So he gets to Britain, and what does he experience? He experienced freedom, he experienced notoriety, unlike anything he had ever experienced here in America. And they said for the first time in his life, Douglas did not experience racial discrimination. Can you imagine being born in slavery, knowing that slavery still exists? And now all of a sudden you're as free to walk around just like anybody else. He's meeting politicians, he's meeting authors, he's, he's shaking hands, he's kissing babies. He's doing the thing. He's on the road. He's a celebrity. And life was good for him. And I'm, I didn't know he was going to have this crossroads. If you read the book a narrative of his life, you go, man, this is powerful, that was, that's, that's a high accomplishment. But now to be experiencing life on the other side at the highest levels, but he still had a decision to make. Would he stay where it was comfortable or advocate for the enslaved people here in America? He's got opportunity. He's got the fame. He can make a little money. He does not have to come back here and worry about becoming enslaved again. And now he's faced with this dilemma. Do I go back over there where there is a man who has put money on my head to bring me and put me back in chains? Or do I stay here where it's comfortable? And after much debate, this is what he said. And I found this in a book about these leaders who have these kind of pivotal moments in their life that really changed or transformed them. And here is what Frederick Douglass said in a speech before he came back to the United States. I do not go back to America to sit still, remain quiet, and enjoy ease and comfort. I glory in conflict. That I may hereafter exult in the victory. I will go back for the sake of my brethren. I go to suffer with them. To toil with them, to endorse insult with them, to undergo outrage with them, to lift up my voice in their behalf and struggle in their ranks for that emancipation which shall yet be achieved by the power of truth and principles for that oppressed people. He is willing. I don't know. Now, Frederick is different, but I'm gonna keep it 100. I don't know if I'm coming back for y'all. I'm just being honest. Listen, this man is like, no, he's living good. He can send a steam ship. Go get your wife and kids. Come on. We chilling. We out of this. And instead he says no. I'm coming back to fight and abolish slavery. And he ultimately sat next to the president and consulted the president on such matters. Now that's a bad dude. So I, I encourage you to go check out Frederick Douglass. But the quality I want to highlight today is that he was persistent. He says, I can't, I can't. This is really nice, but I can't back down. I've got to keep going. Frederick Douglass is just this man that just embodies this quality that I think that we should have. So this week I'm asking you to do one last thing as we close this series out. I want you to try it, pick one of these, but I'm going to tell you, this one I think is a major key as well. Be persistent. Or another way to say it, which is the title of my message, Don't back down. Don't back down. There's a sense in which many of us are plagued by this idea this insatiable desire to, it's a D word, not look desperate. There's this insatiable desire that we, we can never, ever be found to be looking bad. I don't know about you, but isn't there a Beyoncé song, this is, isn't there a Beyoncé song, I woke up like this? You know what I'm saying? Like, I just wake up in the morning, eight hours of sleep, no bed head, no nothing. I just look fabulous when my eyes open. You can never be found On the struggle bus. Now, many of us know that ain't, ain't no way that's real. But how many of you have a hard time sharing with anybody your struggles? Go and raise your hand. Raise your hand. You just struggled. Look around the room. I need you to see that many of us are struggling with this idea. I don't want to look desperate. I don't want to look weak. I don't want to look clingy. I don't want to, I just, I got to look like I got it together. And that sense of coolness, that sense of man, I'm under pressure but it's not bothering me, is killing many of us. Man, you just started school again, you got up and going, you're in your classes and all that. Hey man, how's school going? Ah man, you know, I'm doing good man, you know, just hanging in there. Really? Now at the house, you just stressed out, angry, don't talk to me, I don't want to hear nothing, but if somebody asks you, you just had a baby, this has only been six, seven, eight weeks. Hey, how you doing? Oh, I'm just, just fine. Who? You know, she's just so sweet and all this and it's like, man, I really, I mean, I've had a baby or two. I know it ain't sweet. No, but oh, she's just an angel at the house, cussing and fussing and anger, right? There's this idea that man, I do not want to look bad. You started a new business. Business is complicated. You just got this thing off the ground, man. Support to you. Kudos to you, man. How's the business going? Oh, it's Fabulous, fantastic, no problems, money just rolling in. But you on the phone with your therapist and friend and everybody, this ain't gonna work and I don't know what's happening. We're plagued by this feeling that I can't, I don't want to look desperate. I don't want to look weak. And what we see in the scriptures is the exact opposite. It's like, Jesus actually enjoys being pursued. He wants you. to be clingy with him. He wants you to have a deep enough desire that you're willing to move some furniture around to get to him. So many of us are trying to play it cool. We've got this bourgeois kind of Christianity and faith. Yeah, I'm good. I know the scripture. I know. I mean, I go to church. I smile. I say, yeah, bless the holly favorite, you know, I'm the head, not the tail and all this, but then in real life. You're wondering if God is really going to be faithful to you. And there's an all God will do. Jesus will allow some obstacles to come in your way to deepen your desire for him. Not to diminish your desires, but to deepen them. So don't back down. We're going to look at a passage in Mark chapter 7 verses 24 to 30 that I think will help us to see what persistence looks like. It's a different kind of Jesus. It's a different kind of woman engaging with Jesus. But I think it's going to provide us with a couple of images that will help us to build our persistence. And what I want to get across is this. Listen, persistence is the natural outcome of conviction and commitment. That's what I want to get across to you today. Persistence, being persistent is the natural outcome of conviction. And commitment. I know you don't want to look desperate. I know you want to remain calm, cool, and collected. I get all of that, but you have to develop the quality of persistence to persist means what to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state or purpose. It means I will not change my course in spite of the opposition. That I'm not going to switch it up because I'm hitting some resistance. This is what, this is what persistence is. It's to last or endure tenaciously. I don't know if y'all just heard the songs y'all was singing. Man, church is a tricky thing because we'll bait y'all into doing some stuff and then we come in right behind it and like expose you. Because y'all was just in here jumping up and down, singing, I'm going to wait on you. Y'all don't like waiting for french fries. But then go, man, I'm going to wait on you. And that song ain't even for Jesus. That's for you. That wasn't even got nothing to do with him. Cause he's like, I'm going to be here, but you are going to be the one that we don't, we not sure about. And so it's a reminder to each and every one of us, when things are not going as I think they should go, will you persist or will you fade? Will you run away? Will you buckle? Will you give up? So Mark chapter seven, verse 24 goes on to say something like this. And from there he arose and went away to the area, to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Now Jesus has been doing a lot of ministry. So he got to get up and keep moving. He's got to keep moving because people keep hounding him and his name is getting out there. He departed. He got up and departed from there to that region of town. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know. So he's, he's kind of like, man, I'm really, we got a lot going on. We need time away. We need to focus. But he could not escape being noticed. So instead, immediately after hearing about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, let the children be fed first, but it isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. Now, listen, this is, I read different commentaries. I did all this stuff. He's not being nice. There's not like a, well, in the biblical Hebrew, what he's really saying is you're really nice, but I got to know. He just called this lady a dog. All right. But anyway, but she replied to him, Lord, even the dogs under the table, eat the children's crumbs. Then he told her, because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter. When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed and the demon was gone. Now let's dive into this passage of scripture. First thing I want you to understand about this idea of persistence. You got to develop persistence. This is a small step. This is a quality that if you were able to attain it. Man, you will get access to things in your walk with God that compel many others because they will, they refuse to go these distances. They refuse to go to the links that you're willing to go. So that's why I want you to say, this is a small step. This is something I need to begin to develop in myself. But here's the thing. Ego is the enemy of persistence. Your ego is going to be the primary enemy of persistence. Go back to verse 25 and 26. Immediately this woman, whose daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. And then they described this woman. So let's, let's set the scene. This woman comes out of nowhere. She done heard through the grapevine. that Jesus is healing people of these various things. She gets to him. We don't know the distance she's gone. We just know her background, but she has humbled herself. In the presence of Jesus. She fell at Jesus feet. She humbled herself. The text says she actually fell down or lay prostate right in front of Jesus like listen my man, you not getting past me. I know you trying to hide out I know you trying to stay low key I know you trying to go under the radar but I have my eye on you and I'm not willing to let you go. But many of us, our ego would stop us from going that distance. It would be our heart. It would be, man, I ain't got to do all that. I shouldn't have to go that far. I should be able to tell somebody else to go get Jesus, man. He should know what I'm going through. Many of us don't pray because we have gotten this thing in our mind where it's like, man, I ain't even got to say, cause he already know what's in my. You're too proud to even articulate the things that are bothering you. And Jesus is going, Nah, listen, I want you to come see me if you really need it. Because you're saying something about him. You're saying something about this person's character because you're willing to go these lengths. But she fell at his feet. And then we only see this type of reaction in two different ways. You ever seen those gangster movies where the dude didn't pay the mobster when he comes around to pay and what happens? He comes in to pay. Yo, I need my money and what happens? No, no, no, please, please, please, please, please He grab him grabbing at his ankles and his feet. Hey, listen, listen, listen, I'll have it for you next week Just just give me a little bit more time He's humbling himself asking for mercy. But there's other times that you would humble yourself like that as well. Men in pursuit of the heart of a woman that will bend a need. Amen. And say, listen, I am willing to put my life on the line. Amen. I'm willing to give you all that I have, all that I can produce for your heart. Will you be with me? We will humble ourselves before this one. And she could say, nah. Those are the worst videos, by the way. Lady, if you're gonna say no, like, fina, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Do the yeah for the videos, and then afterwards, let's have a conversation. Because there's some dudes that are just, their life is in shambles right now, because they got exposed on a video. But she fell at Jesus feet. She was willing to humble herself, hoping that he would respond in a way to hear her cry. She humbled before herself, before this powerful man. But not only did she humble herself, she begged him. She pleaded with him on behalf of someone else. I'm not going to give in. I don't care about these people standing around looking. I have no hope of getting what I need. If you don't act on my behalf, I have no hope. I don't care what these dudes got to say about me. They can talk all they want, but I'm not leaving here until I get what I need. She begged him, and you got to understand the layers here in just this little, this little scene. If you pay attention to how they describe her, the fact that she begged is something significant. Not only is she a woman, which in that time, she's a second class citizen. She's a lower status person. We didn't, they didn't even deal with women eye to eye. Not only that, she was a Gentile, which meant that she was ceremonially or spiritually unclean. So us as Jews, we not, I don't, I'm not even entertaining conversation with you. So you've gone through this gender barrier. Now the cultural barrier, and then watch this. She's a Sarah Phoenician woman. Now y'all probably like, well, what's that got to do? I don't even know where Sarah Phoenician is. That sounds like a cool name, but I don't even know where I got a co a homegirl named Sarah Phoenician. So, and it's very similar to what we deal with nowadays where whole cultures have these kinds of stereotypes. And you know who was in her culture, who was a Syro Phoenician woman that was famous in the Bible? Her name was Jezebel. So there's something about these kind of women, there's something. So there's all these cultural barriers, gender barriers, male barriers, all these things. And this is if this woman, maybe she had money because she knew where Jesus was. So can you imagine riding through the hood? And there's this broken down house. Jesus ain't got a lot of bread. He's the people he rocks with don't have a lot of bread, but he pulls up. This lady pulls up in a nice car, gets out of the car runs in this broken down house and kneels down at this homeless dude's feet. She's going, I'm not going anywhere. I don't care about my status because I need what I need. In other words, Do not let your ego kill the promises God gave you. Do not allow the things that you feel, because you're going to feel some things. This is, hey Charlie, you ain't got to go that far. Hey, you ain't got to do all of that. Man, keep your respect, keep your pride. Man, you got more to bring. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I know that he is the one. And I need what he can deliver. The book, ego is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday. He describes the ego as an unhealthy belief in your own self-importance. It's arrogance, it's self-centered ambition. It's the petulant child inside of every person, the one that chooses getting his or her own way over anything and anyone else. The ego is a sense of superiority and certainty that extends the bounds of confidence and talent. There's a lot of lessons you can learn from a child. You don't have to have children, you can just watch a playground, and you'll learn a lot about yourself. And many of us are like children. And the ego is like this small child that is within each and every one of us. Does a child ever get tired, hungry? And as a parent or somebody or uncle or aunt, big sister, you're grabbing their hand and you're going, okay, we're going to leave. It's time to go. We're going to go to the car together and we're going to go. We're going to get you something to eat. We're going to get you some rest. We're going to get you all the things you need. But they are so tuned into whatever it is that they are feeling. What do they do? They stop in the middle of the road and start screaming. Throw the little baby dog down, throw the little stuffed animal down. No, I, I just want don't even got words. Listen, we going to the car now to get you the food that you want. Just hold my hand and walk with me. No then as a parent, you just grab your kid, throw him over your shoulder. You like come just got. And that's many of us. Jesus is like, listen, I'm walking with you. I'll take you where you want to go. But because it ain't your timeline, and because it ain't how you want it to be, and because it don't feel like it, you would rather stop. The promises are sitting there waiting for you. But you going, ah, ah, ah. And that's the ego. The ego is the enemy of development, persistence, and it prevents us from the direct and honest connection with God who loved and died for us. And that's the kind of humility Mark is showing us in this woman. The second thing you need to develop persistence, in order to develop it, you need resistance. Now y'all ain't gonna like that one. Okay. I can deal with the enemy stuff. I can deal with my ego stuff. I can deal with that. But man, in order for me to know that you have the quality of persistence, you got to face resistance. There's no way around it. Look at verse 27. And he said to her, let the children be fed first. And it ain't right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. But she answered him, yes Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. And for many of us, this is where the conversation would have ended. You would have got up off your knee, now listen Jesus, I'd have came in here and sat at your little feet. Your little dusty feet. I don't know who you think you're talking to. Listen, I mean, I'm not the one. Like, a dog? Like, bruh, like, come on, man. You see what I've done, gone through. And not only does she have these three strikes against her, her child is, I mean, she's a woman. She's come a long way. She's done all the things. Then her child is the one that's in need. She ain't even asking for herself. And then Jesus, man, yeah, but you a dog, no matter how you try and read that, it's not pretty. It's a barrier, it's resistance. He said he referred to his people as the children of Israel. He knows that what he has, this kingdom message, this good news, he knows it's good because he referred to it as bread. And then he, and then they considered them dogs for being Gentiles. So everything that she's made her request known and it is clear in his mind what she wants. And he's told her, nah, it ain't gonna be that easy because many of us can take the first step very easy. Man, I started Jesus. I tried Jesus. I gave it a go, but that's not persistence. That's getting started. That's trying. But persistence comes when resistance is there. So he's telling her, you're an outsider and you don't get access to this. And this is where more than likely the conversation would have ended for anyone else. For you, for me, that probably would have been the end of it. But what did she do? She did not back down. She didn't back down. And that's what I want you to get. Yo, there's a, something about the faith that you have, the conviction that you have, the, the, the, the, the, the resilience. You have the, I mean, the commitment that Jesus, you have. I ain't backing down. I'm not backing up. If you said it, you got to deliver because you're a faithful God. So I'm not, like, I'm not going to even ease up. So she didn't, he, she didn't wave him. She's been pushed back, rejected, ignored, and now personally insulted. And can your relationship with God take a punch? Can your relationship with God take a punch? Pastor Josh just prayed a prayer over us a few moments ago. Many of us have gone through things that were losses. We took losses. But then it's like Jesus goes, I'm going to redeem everything. I will take care of everything. But will you trust it when everything ain't going the way you want it to go? So here's what commitment is. Commitment is an endurance activity. Commitment in and of itself. You're going to be committed to any relationship. You don't even have to be a Christian to believe that. If you're going to be committed to anything, it's going to have to go through hardship to show that you're committed. And for us in the faith, it's the same way for many of us. I mean, you go through the Bible, 2 Timothy 1 12 said, that is why I'm suffering as I am. I know whom I believe, and I'm convinced that he'll be able to guard what I've entrusted to him until that day. I'm suffering now. I'm just trusting that he's going to figure it out. Somewhere. Colossians 1 29 to this end. I strenuously contend with all energy. Christ so powerfully works in me. What does that mean? I'm facing on work resistance against me, but I'm not stopping because I trust him more than the circumstance. Let us not become weary and doing good for at the proper time. See, y'all don't like that part. The proper time, right now might not be the time that you will reap a harvest if, if, if we do not give up. So we have been tricked into believing, that commitment means magic and warm fuzzy feelings. And that it'll work itself out naturally. No, commitment has to go through the fire and commitment to Jesus in the hard times is what builds your capacity to persist. That's why James can tell us, consider it pure joy when you face trials of various kinds because you know that he is building your character, so commitment is persistent through adversity because why are you persistent? Is it because God waivers? Is it because God is unsteady? Is it because God is like our dads who feel like giving us things? No, the reason why we are persistent is because God is a generous giver. He is a faithful father. I'm not, I'm not trusting in this circumstance. I'm trusting in his character is who he is that I'm believing in. It appeals to his very being, not the person or not the circumstance and what comes as a result of persistence. This is my last point. God honors the persistent. He honors the persistent. That's why you gotta cultivate it. That's why you gotta build it. Man, I'm going through this hardship. I just need something, something, something. Yeah, I know. Just hang in there a little bit longer. So, we just say, I'm going to wait on you. Tell yourself at night, I'm going to wait and that's not passive. That's not, oh, well, just, I'm going to keep asking. I'm going to keep leaning in and here's what Jesus said to this woman and he said to her for this statement. For the fact that you're willing to take the crumbs off the floor. That means to me that you know what I got. That means to me that you're tapped in, and your desire is so deep that all you need is a little piece. You don't need the whole. And if you're willing to get the little crumbs, I'm willing to give you everything. And many of us are just like, Nah, I want the whole thing and if ain't how I want it, no. Jesus, just give me the hem of the garment. I don't need all the stuff. Jesus, I just need a drop of your blood. I just need a little anointing. I don't need everything everybody else got. I don't know what they got. I just know what I need. And he said, for this statement, you may go your way. That demon is already gone. I already spoke it over your life. And your daughter is already free. And what did he do? He honored her tenacity. She would not be moved until he gave her his word. And she was resolved in pursuit of Jesus and Jesus responded in kind. If you gonna come looking for me, doggone it, I'm gonna meet you. If you come looking for me, I will meet you. And that's what I love. Proverbs 8, 17 says, I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently find me. Some of y'all need to take that to the bank and cash it. I love, like, I got a special thing in my heart for those that come looking for me. Those that come asking, seeking, knocking. If you keep asking, see, see, we just want to Hey Jesus, if, if by some point you decide to ever consider anything that I would Say, please. Just hear me out from time to time. No, no, no, no, no. He says, seek and you will find, ask and it will be given, knock and the door will be open. But that's an active, keep knocking. So we should take comfort in that promise. And that persistence is played out all through the scriptures. I just told you about. Frederick Douglass who experienced this kind of freedom personally because he was persistent. There are brothers and sisters in this room who've experienced overcoming pain, addiction, all kinds of hardship. Why? Because they were persistent. Many of you have heard the good news of the gospel because somebody prayed persistently for you. You might not even be a believer in this room, but you are here because God is a persistent God and will not stop until he gets your heart. So y'all need a persistent. Spirit. Jacob said, I'm not letting you go until you bless me. Moses said, if your presence don't go with me, don't even bring us up from out of here. Elijah in the prophets of Baal, I'm not moving until God speaks from the heavens. The list can go on and on and on and on, but will your life be marked by persistent? I'm gonna challenge you to keep going. Do not back down from it. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking, and He will meet you where you are.