While driving, or sitting in morning traffic, I find myself channel surfing across radio stations enjoying all of the conversations via The Breakfast Club and Ricky Smiley.  While sitting bumper to bumper with the rest of Charleston on I-26, I came across Jeff Johnson’s segment, “Three Things You Need to Know” where he explained that this is a time of W.A.R. – but not the war that so many seem to be talking about.  The segment really hit home, especially as many of us sit in front of the televisions and computers contemplating about what it is that we can do next, feeling helpless about what steps are needed protect our communities and our children.

Jeff stated, “be clear, we are in a state of war; not to scare people or insight violence, but too often our communities operate from a state of peace, but never ready to go to war.”  What an epic statement, as we find ourselves time and again urging our communities to be peaceful, among a realm of confusion, violence, layered on top of poverty, self-hatred and despair.  It’s too often that now, asking everyone to “stay calm and be peaceful” simply sounds like popular rhetoric with no sense of resolution.

However, the type of war that Jeff Johnson has proclaimed has nothing to do with violence, Jeff asked the radio audience, “are we ready to go to war against the things that are destroying us, as opposed to asking other people to go to war for us?” #QuestionsThatNeedAnswers

Jeff used a quote from the bestselling book, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, “To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill” where he explained that this concept is the true art of war.  Jeff went on to explain the only way to subdue an enemy without fighting is to go to W.A.R. and he expands on this acronym.

• W-Wisdom – Jeff says wisdom is how we decide we want to master something. He goes on to enlighten,”Every one of us has gifts, but so many of us have gifts we have never considering mastering. What is your book list, for example, the 10 Books you are going to commit to read starting today until 2017?  What are the websites you will visit that will give you content on information and empowerment (building your business, raising your babies, learning a new language, managing your finances) whatever it is, what are the books and sites you will go to make sure you’re mastering what you need to do in the context of this war?”

So often we know we have these gifts, but don’t take the time to nurture them. God-given gifts are like muscles – the body is naturally lazy so it doesn’t automatically grow muscle.  Muscles are only built when resistance is placed on them (in the form of weights, or any sort of strength and conditioning regimen) so if you want muscle, you have to prepare for hard work.  This can be said for your gifts, how will they grow without putting some weight on them, using them, learning more about your gifts, and putting your gifts to the test?  How will you use your gifts to fight a war, especially if your gifts are in a fragile/weak state?

• A – Architecture – Jeff added that we all need to be committed to building something! Jeff explains, “The problem in the urban community is that we have a lot of ORGANIZATIONS but not a lot of INSTITUTIONS; we need to start building stuff. Whether it be families, relationships, businesses, churches, etc. Everyone needs to commit to building something, financing something, or giving their time to something in 2016.”  He goes on to explain, “Building doesn’t mean that you have to be the person building it, it can mean that you are giving your time, talent, finances to something that will exist by 2017 when it didn’t exist in 2016.”

‘Too many organizations not enough institutions’, is a statement that stood out to me the most, especially as a South Carolinian.  The feeling at times makes a person wonder, are people just creating organizations just to say they have one, or will any action be put in place to assure that some building is being done within the communities. Jeff’s words felt like confirmation that the building aspect will now remain a top priority, instead of simply participating in another organization.

• R – Lastly, the Revolution, not the rhetorical revolution that will not be televised, not the Facebook status making revolution, or the talking and making speeches revolutions, but the revolutions that will actually launch the visions we have for our future. Jeff expounds, “Revolution is not just talking, but do you have a vision to build something after you topple the infrastructure that does not work. Can we have a revolution in how we raise our families, a revolution in education, in revolution in ministry and spirituality, a financial revolution, can we have a revolution for our vision for the future.”

The R is an important part of the puzzle, because we have convinced ourselves that we are fighting a person, or a people, or an organization, but Jeff poignantly expands about the real fight in this Revolution that we are facing.  He goes on to say, “We have to know our enemy. We go to war not against flesh and blood, but amongst wickedness in High places (Ephesians 6:12). The war is against SYSTEMS and not CITIZENS, we war against POLICIES and not PEOPLE, and we need to go to war against HOPELESSNESS AND HATE, which is the only way humanity will prevail.”

Log on to Periscope and watch Jeff’s broadcast before it expires @JeffsNation.  Make a commitment today to go to W.A.R.; to commit to mastery and wisdom, commit to build, and commit to a vision for the future.  Thank you Jeff Johnson for that powerful word this morning! #handclapofpraise