Latest / HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN® / Faith in Today's World Ep 7: Grace in a Cancel Culture

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Faith in Today's World Ep 7: Grace in a Cancel Culture · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:01
  The world changes every day, but God's truth never does.
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  Welcome to Faith in Today's World, a special series, 10-part series from Have
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  Faith, Let It Begin. I'm Angel Santana.
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  Together, we'll explore today's headlines, everyday challenges,
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  and the questions people are asking, and discover what God's Word has to say about them.
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  Because while the world keeps changing, our hope remains the same.
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  Half-Faith Let It Begin starts right now. Welcome to Half-Faith Let It Begin. This is Ariel Santana.
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  Can you believe I'm seven years old already? I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
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  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana.
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  Two thousand came and the spark was lit. A testimony raw, it wouldn't quit.
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  His mother's voice, a guiding thread. The angels are with you.
• 1:21
  Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin. I'm Angel Santana.
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  This is episode seven from 10 episodes we're going to be going to of faith in today's world.
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  If you haven't had a chance, go back because we're up to seven. We got three more to go.
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  Today's conversation is one that affects all of us, whether we realize it or
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  not, and it's called cancel culture.
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  Every day, it seems someone is being called out, criticized,
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  written, written off because someone or something they said,
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  or something they did sometimes yesterday, sometimes years ago.
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  Now, let me be clear from where we're starting from here from the very beginning.
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  This isn't an episode about pretending wrong actions don't matter.
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  Actions have consequences. Accountability matters and justice matters.
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  But today, I'd like to ask a different type of question.
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  Is there still room for grace?
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  We live in a culture that often moves very quickly. Headlines spread in minutes, seconds.
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  Opinions form from instantly.
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  Social media can elevate someone one day and tear them down the next.
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  Sometimes people deserve correction, and sometimes people need to apologize.
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  Sometimes trust has to be rebuilt over time.
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  But somewhere along the way, we've become a very quick culture to define people by their worst moment.
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  The gospel tells us or tells a different story.
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  Think about your own life for a moment. Have you ever said something you wish you could take back?
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  Made a poor decision? Hurt someone unintentionally?
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  Fallen short of who you wanted to be? I know I have.
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  If God defined us only by our worst mistake, none of us would have hope.
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  Thankfully, He doesn't. God sees our failures.
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  But He also sees our potential. His grace doesn't excuse sin.
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  It transforms sinners. And that's the difference.
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  One of the things I've learned through ministry, through podcasting,
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  and through everyday life is that everyone has a story.
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  Sometimes we only see the chapter where someone failed.
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  We don't see the years of growth, the tears, the repentance,
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  the healing, the work God has been doing behind the scenes.
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  I've learned to be careful before making quick judgments because I know I'd
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  want others to extend the same grace, the same grace to me.
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  Grace and accountability can exist together.
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  We can acknowledge that something or someone was wrong while still believing people can change.
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  Forgiveness doesn't always erase consequences.
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  Truth be told, trust isn't always rebuilt overnight.
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  Refusing to believe someone can ever grow, that's not the heart of the gospel.
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  The greatest stories in scripture are stories of broken people whom God restored.
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  And if God specializes in redemption, shouldn't his followers be known for believing in it too?
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  Here's today's faith challenge. Before judging someone this week,
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  pause, pray, and ask yourself, Am I seeing this person through the lens of anger,
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  or through the eyes of grace?
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  And if there's someone you've written off completely, ask God to soften their heart.
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  That doesn't mean ignoring wisdom or healthy boundaries.
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  It simply means leaving room for God to work in someone's life.
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  One of the greatest gifts we receive from God is grace. Not because we earned
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  it, but because He chose to give it.
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  Imagine how different our homes, our workplace, our churches,
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  and even our social media feeds would look if grace became our first response
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  instead of condemnation.
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  The world needs truth, but it also desperately needs mercy.
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  And perhaps one of the greatest ways we can reflect Christ is by offering both.
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  So let's do that now with prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace.
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  You have shown each one of us.
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  To love, and to forgive. Help us never forget how much we have been forgiven.
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  Teach us to speak the truth with love and help us hold others accountable with humility.
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  Guard our hearts from becoming judgmental and remind us that no one is beyond
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  the reach of your redeeming love.
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  Use us to be people who bring healing, hope, restoration, wherever we go.
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  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
• 6:30
  Thank you for joining us for another episode of Faith in Today's World,
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  a series from Have Faith, Let It Begin.
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  Remember, the world changes every day, but God's truth never does.
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  Lead with grace, stand for truth, believe in redemption, and never forget.
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  To have faith, let it begin. Coming up next on the next episode of Have Faith,
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  Let It Begin, protecting your peace, how to live in a noisy world without losing your joy.
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  We're gonna talk about constant notifications and digital overload.
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  Why rest is a spiritual discipline, setting healthy boundaries,
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  choosing peace over chaos, and learning when to unplug so we can reconnect with God.
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  And a programming note, Professor Nick was on with us.
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  He'll be coming up with another episode and we'll launch that at the conclusion of our 10-part series.
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  That's still yet to come.
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  And Dr. E will return with us as well.
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  See you next time. Have faith, let it begin.
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  Thank you for listening to Have Faith, Let It Begin. We'll be back tomorrow.
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  Thank you for listening to another episode of Have Faith, Let It Begin.
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  That's right, Ariel. We're done with another show. And it's always great to
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  have this show with you, my love.
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  You know, we're going to encourage each and every person to listen to our show every single weekday.
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  That's right. You and I are going to help change the world. Do you think that you can do that for me?
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  Huh? Yeah, you know you can.
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  She does. We want to let you know, and yes, we encourage you to listen to our
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  show each and every weekday, and it's going to be live at 7.30.
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  Make sure you're subscribed to our show. Make sure you get ready.
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  Fasten those seatbelts, because Ariel and I and my family are going to bring
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  you a new topic, a new story, each and every day, right?
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  Isn't that right, Ariel? Yeah. And we...
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  She's smiling at me. Guys, enjoy your day. Thank you for listening to Have Faithful
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  Begin. We'll be back tomorrow.