When most people read the story of David and Bathsheba, it’s almost always through a male lens. David’s sin is highlighted, yes, but often with a tinge of sympathy. People talk about the child dying, the “tragedy of accountability,” or even make jokes about David’s lust. Rarely do we stop and ask: What about Bathsheba?

Think about it. Bathsheba was bathing in her own home, in a space she shared with her husband. She was living her life rightly—married, settled, secure, probably excited about the possibility of children, missing her husband, understanding her role as a military spouse, supporting him and their country. She was doing everything “right.”

And then a King’s lust shatters it all. He calls her, sleeps with her, gets her pregnant, and then—without her consent or say—kills her husband. Just like that, Bathsheba loses her dignity, her first child, and her husband.

The idea that Bathsheba was “tempting” David is not supported by the biblical text. In 2 Samuel 11, the story is very clear. Again, David saw her bathing from the roof of his palace. She was on her own roof, likely engaging in a normal, private act of washing herself. There’s no indication she was trying to get his attention.

David sent for her.

The text explicitly says that David “sent messengers and took her” (2 Samuel 11:4). He initiated the encounter.  Bathsheba had little choice. In that society, the king’s word was law, and refusing him could have been dangerous—or worse. The power imbalance was extreme.

So, let it also be known that the responsibility was fully on David. Bathsheba was a victim of circumstance and of David’s abuse of power. Any suggestion that she “tempted” him is a misreading that reflects cultural bias rather than the biblical narrative.

I find it ironic that men often weep for David in this situation, but almost never pause to consider what it must have felt like as a woman. Bathsheba didn’t choose this path, yet she bears the emotional and social weight of it. 

God was rightfully angry with David—but what about the woman he wronged? Did David ever apologize to Bathsheba? Did he ever make amends or bring her any sense of justice? What redemption, if any, was bestowed upon her?

Later Life and Influence
This story is not just about David’s lust, sin, or accountability. It’s also about the quiet suffering of women whose voices are often erased from the narrative.  

Bathsheba went on to give birth to Solomon, who became one of Israel’s greatest kings. She had significant influence in David’s court, especially in securing Solomon’s succession to the throne (1 Kings 1). 

This shows she was politically astute and respected, although her rise to prominence came out of a situation that was neither fair nor consensual.

Bathsheba’s experience deserves reflection, respect, and acknowledgment. She was never the temptress—she was the one wronged, and that truth matters. Yet out of her pain came transformation. She became a queen and the mother of a powerful king. What David intended as sin, God turned into destiny. Perhaps God knew all along that Bathsheba was a woman of greatness.

The Black church is not simply just in decline or in crisis—it is in conversation with itself. 

That’s even more concerning than anything.

Every generation inherits a living tradition and must decide how to carry it forward faithfully. So what is our responsibility. 

The feeling of the anointing has never been guaranteed by form alone.

 It has always depended on openness—on hearts willing to gather, listen, respond, and believe that something sacred can happen in ordinary space.

The scripture says, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 

Please read the full chapter in John 12:32

I am concerned about the generation coming after us and what they will have to stand on. 

The Black church has always evolved. It was never built on uniformity. It was built in survival, resistance, creativity, and deep faith.

Growing up I enjoyed a lived church experience, “the anointing” was not just emotional, but intense. It changed lives. And it was considered necessary.

If there is a path forward, it may not be “back,” but deeper. 

Deeper into a worship that is sincere, grounded, and spiritually awakening enough to recognize that the presence people long for is not gone. But is here. 

Maybe what we told our forefathers was unnecessary is in fact essential. 

And it is often sought, needed to be cultivated, and received in ways that require fresh attentiveness.

Sanctified living and felt anointing are not artifacts of the past. They are ongoing requirements.

There was a time when women in business were the exception.
Now? We are the economy.

According to Forbes, over 40% of all U.S. businesses are owned by women, generating a powerful $2.9 trillion in revenue. Let that settle for a moment. This isn’t a trend. This isn’t a moment. This is a movement.

And if you’re paying attention, you’ll realize something deeper:
Women are no longer asking for a seat at the table… we’re building our own tables.

This Isn’t Just Business—It’s a Shift in Power

What we’re witnessing is more than financial growth. It’s a redefinition of leadership.

Women are entering industries and transforming them:

There’s a dangerous assumption many of us carry: “At least I did something right.”

But in the Kingdom of God, almost isn’t obedience. Close doesn’t count when God has spoken clearly.

One of the clearest pictures of this truth is found in the life of Moses. God said: “Speak to the rock.”

Moses? He hit it. Twice.

Water still came. People were still blessed.

But God called it sin. Why? Because he didn't do it the way God told him to do it.

So What Is Sin? Sin is simple: Missing God’s mark.

Epistle to the Romans says we’ve all fallen short.

Epistle of James says if you know right and don’t do it—that’s sin too.

So yes… it’s in your actions, your thoughts, your motives—and even your silence.

“But wouldn’t I know?”

Not always.

You have a conscience—but it can be trained, ignored, and even silenced. That means you can be wrong… and feel completely right.

That’s why sin can look like:

But God isn’t measuring effort—He’s looking at alignment.

This is why Jesus Christ changes everything.

He didn’t just point out sin—He paid for it.

Because of Him:

So yes… examine your life.

But don’t live in fear.

Live in this truth:

“God, thank You for Jesus—because without Him, I’d miss it every time.”

That’s why it’s essential to put the Word to work for you. The universe can only echo what you release. Whatever you sow in faith, intention, and confession is exactly what will return to you—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” That means your life will follow the way you think.

Let’s say someone says, “I don’t have any friends.”
What they don’t realize is that this belief quietly shapes the way they show up in life. Without noticing, they begin thinking, moving, and responding in ways that reinforce loneliness—often acting unfriendly while believing they’re not.

Scripture already gave us the blueprint: “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly.” — Proverbs 18:24 (KJV). Your behavior will always follow your belief.

And Jesus added another key spiritual law: “You shall have what you say.” — Mark 11:23

So if someone continually speaks, “I don’t have friends,” the universe—and the spirit realm—simply agrees. Their words shape their posture. Their posture shapes their outcomes.

Change the belief. Change the confession.

And watch the experience change with it.

So the law is always working. It can work for you, or it can work against you. It all depends on how you line yourself up. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can use God’s law, because it is universal.

You must pay attention to your strongest thoughts. Those thoughts have been guiding your actions, shaping your present, and will continue shaping your future. Your mind is powerful—more powerful than you realize. It is always creating something in your life. 

Sometimes what it creates feels beautiful, and other times it feels like a nightmare. That’s why you have to monitor your thoughts. Guard them. Direct them. Choose them on purpose. Your life is following your thinking. 

Think about it:

The car you ride in came from someone’s idea.

Your clothes came from someone’s thoughts.

You are literally wearing someone’s thoughts.

So ask yourself: What thoughts am I thinking?

Every situation in your life started as a thought. Your inner world becomes your outer world.

 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

If there is one thing I’ve learned about God, it’s this: He loves faith because He loves to create.

Creation is His love language. His fingerprints are all over anything that starts as an idea, a whisper, a dream, a vision. When God speaks, He’s not just communicating—He’s revealing blueprints. Designs. Possibilities. Futures.

My husband always says, “Faith is the title deed.” And every time he says it, something leaps in my spirit. Because a title deed means ownership. Possession. Legal right.

Before the keys hit your hand… before the ring slides onto your finger… before the number lands in your account… if you have the deed, it’s already yours.

And that’s exactly how God moves when we choose to stand in faith. Faith is not pretending. Faith is not wishful thinking. Faith is claiming what Heaven has already stamped with your name—even if Earth hasn’t delivered the tracking number yet.

Here’s where it gets deep.

There is no difference between something being created and something being formed, and once you catch this revelation, everything in your life begins to shift.

Your marriage, your business, your finances, your healing, your purpose—everything God destined for you was created long before it was ever formed. It already exists in the spirit. That’s why faith is non-negotiable. If you lose faith, you still have the thing… you just never see the manifestation of it.

That's why it has been said that  when we get to Heaven, we’ll be stunned by all the blessings, opportunities, and breakthroughs that were ours in creation—but never formed in our reality because we didn’t believe long enough to pull them through.

Mark 9:23 (KJV):
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

All things are possible to them that believe.
Not some things. Not the convenient things. All things.

Belief is the divine key that unlocks what already belongs to you in the spirit. God never asks you to believe for what doesn’t exist—He asks you to believe so what does exist can finally show up in your life. Your faith is the bridge between creation and manifestation. When you believe, you give Heaven permission to form what God already designed for you.

And when you understand that, your confidence changes.
Your expectation rises.
Your anxiety falls off.
And yes—your Monday mornings start hitting completely different.

Because now you’re not living from what you see…
You’re living from what God already created.

You’re walking like a woman who knows she has the title deed.

And when you live like that?
Formation becomes inevitable.

Maybe it’s time to go back to reverencing the men and women of God — not influencers, not personalities, not performers, but vessels who carry heavy weight, walk in the anointing, reverence, and restore the honor that once made people move. 

Because when the man or woman of God spoke it’s was regarded as God speaking and a Rhema word from heaven.

Not blaming anyone but gossip bloggers and websites may have contributed and done more damage than good — especially when it comes to how people view world leaders, relationships, and especially the respect for Men and Women of God. 

These websites may have normalize disrespect. Dishonoring the church. I would like to believe it was not done on purpose. 

But turning people’s failures, struggles, or private moments into entertainment. After years of consuming this, society has become desensitized to dishonor. Mocking our leaders has become normal. Disrespect for them has becomes a sport.

Let's be real in today’s spiritual climate, it has become painful to watch. And as these believers are losing their respect for Men of God, and this shift is reshaping the church, ministry support, and the way prophetic voices are received especially in the black church, across America. 

And in many cases the way people see God, the Bible, and black leadership. They are reverencing what our ancestor’s called a “strange doctrine” and practices right before our eyes. 

And I’m speaking about the church in it’s entirety.

And while many leaders are in denial, church attendance and trust in the black male’s spiritual leadership has declined sharply. 

Pew Research reports that only about one-third of U.S. adults now attend religious services at least once or twice a month, while nearly half rarely or never attend, and Gallup shows weekly attendance has dropped from 42% two decades ago to around 30% today. 

People are no longer engaging with church the way they once did, and what they are searching for spiritually is God. 

John 12:32, Jesus says:

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

 

So “lifted up” carries both a literal and figurative meaning: Literal: Jesus was physically lifted on the cross. Figurative: To be exalted, glorified, and worshiped — praised as Lord and Savior.

For example, there was a day when people ran to their pastors in moments of crisis, trusting their prayers and guidance to carry them through the storm.

According to the Pew Research Center’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study, 44% of U.S. adults pray daily, and another 23% pray weekly or a few times a month. According to Christian prayer-statistic summaries, about 77% of Americans believe prayer can help solve problems. These reports also suggest a strong majority of Christians see prayer as central to their faith.

Yet, from another report, about 13% of U.S. adults say they participate at least once a week in prayer groups, scripture-study groups, or religious education programs. 

In a Pew survey of Black American adults, only 18% said they rely “a lot” on advice from religious leaders when making major life decisions, while 56% rely on prayer and personal reflection.

This suggests that for some groups, personal prayer or reflection is more common. But people aren’t turning to religious leaders for guidance as much anymore.

 

Again, the Bible says in Psalm 24:3–4,

“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?

 

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.”

It’s become many crave authenticity over authority, preferring leaders who are relatable and transparent, yet this very desire has unintentionally weakened the reverence once given to God’s mouthpieces. 

As godly leaders began emphasizing their humanity—wanting to be seen as “just like everyone else”—they also sacrificed the sacred weight of their calling, blurring the line between the divine and the ordinary. This has impacted support as well; parishioners now give conditionally and holding back out of fear, saying things like “I’ll give if I feel led,” rather than responding instinctively to prophetic instruction. 

Recently, I watched a prophet ask for a simple $1,000 to travel to his next assignment. Instead of support, he received hesitation and spiritualized excuses, and I could see the embarrassment on his face. There was a time when prophets spoke and people moved—when their words were seen as directives from heaven rather than suggestions. 

In biblical days, prophets shaped nations; kings kept them in their courts because they carried the voice of God. 

Even though Elijah and Elisha didn’t live in church buildings, they lived among the people with deep honor and provision, traveling from synagogues to synagogues, wilderness, towns like Gilgal and Bethel, and staying in the homes of those who recognized their anointing. The Shunammite woman built Elisha an entire upper room—furnished with a bed, table, chair, and lamp—not because she was “led,” but because she discerned his assignment. 

Today, however, people hesitate, question, analyze, withhold, and demand emotional confirmation before supporting men of God, and ministries are suffering because of it. 

The price of being “normal” is that prophetic leaders have lost the reverence that once empowered their voice, and the people have lost the spiritual urgency that once guided their obedience. 

As church attendance declines and trust in institutions weakens, younger generations, who are less religiously affiliated than any generation before them, often see spiritual leadership as optional rather than ordained. This erosion of respect is not just organizational but spiritual; when prophetic authority fades, guidance, correction, and divine direction become harder to receive. 

If something doesn’t change—if congregations don’t re-examine their posture toward the prophetic and if leaders don’t reclaim the sacred weight of their calling—we risk losing one of the most vital connections between God and His people. 

 They remove the sacred covering of honor. In Scripture, God always protected the dignity of His prophets even when they were flawed. 

Today, gossip sites magnify flaws and erase calling. This destroys the spiritual principle of honor — and where there is no honor, there can be no flow.

This moment is a call to return to honoring the mantle, recognizing divine assignment, and restoring the reverence that allows prophets to speak, lead, and move in the power God intended.

I’m not suggesting that anyone is beyond accountability, nor that leadership scandals should be hidden. But just like with any public figure, there must be ethics, balance, and responsible reporting.

 As the church loses its backbone in a culture obsessed with exposure, there is an equally urgent call for leaders to walk in integrity, restore sacredness to their offices, and reclaim the honor that once defined spiritual leadership.

The church’s influence, perspective, and voice are more needed than ever. Society is flooded with messages that shape morality, values, and behavior, but too often, these messages lack spiritual grounding. 

The church has a unique role: to speak truth, provide ethical guidance, and offer a perspective rooted in divine wisdom rather than fleeting trends. 

Its voice is essential not only for nurturing individual faith but for shaping communities, influencing social norms, and reminding people of higher purpose and accountability. 

Without a strong, respected, and consistent prophetic and pastoral voice, culture drifts into relativism, leaving people to navigate life without the moral compass that faith institutions are uniquely positioned to provide.

In John 17:14–16 again Jesus says something like:

“They are in the world, but I am not of the world.” (and later, about His disciples, “You are in the world, but not of the world.”)

Being “in the world” means we live here physically. We eat, sleep, work, interact with society, and experience life. Christians don’t escape the realities of life just because they follow Jesus.

 

Example: Elisha lived among people, served in Israel, but didn’t adopt the world’s sinful ways.

Not of the world” doesn’t mean hiding in isolation or avoiding society. It means our values, thoughts, and allegiances are different from the worldly system: We don’t follow the patterns of greed, pride, selfishness, and sin. We operate by God’s principles, not man’s approval. Our identity, priorities, and mission are grounded in heaven only, not earth.

Jesus calls us to engage with the world but not be molded by it. Matthew 5:13–16 (Salt and Light) reinforces this: Salt flavors, Light shines, without losing their distinct identity. Christians are meant to influence the world positively without being corrupted by it.

In the Old Testament with the prophets like Daniel, Elijah, and Elisha, in the world of kings there was a clear distinction from God’s prophets and the false prophets. And they obeyed God completely. 

Jesus Himself ate with sinners, healed the sick, engaged society, but never sinned with them or sought worldly approval. We see these things Centurion said, I’m not worthy that you should come to my home.

Therefore in this modern world as Christians we should know how to work, live, and engage in society, but our morals, priorities, and mindset reflect God’s kingdom, always. 

Live here but be light. Be in the world — work, have fun, play, love — but don’t let the world change your gift and anointing. Your heart and life belongs to God, even while your feet walk the earth.