Article By Dearra Hendrix // EEW Magazine // Spiritual

In this social media age, when a high-profile person says or does something a large group sees as problematic, shameful or wrong, a passionate Internet coalition bands together to declare that person “canceled”—meaning their career or ministry is finished and won’t recover.

However, what these members of cancel culture don’t understand is, while they can freely choose not to ever support the offending party again, if God’s hand is on that person’s life, their declaration of cancellation means nothing.

One cannot nullify the plan of God just because they stand in opposition to someone’s choices. After all, both promotion and demotion come from God alone.

How do we know this?

Psalm 75:6-7 clearly says, “For promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he puts down one, and sets up another.

Since God is the only judge, no one else has the power or authority to strip someone of the anointing or assignment God placed on them. Sure, that individual may lose some former allies and notice a drop in support, but just because a group of people rejects them, does not mean God turns His back. The Lord’s mercy never runs out and His love is unconditional.

Just as the prodigal son was able to return home after ruining his life and be embraced by his father in Luke 15:11-32, all of God’s children can do the same. God is always waiting, and willing to restore those who are truly repentant.

For a moment, imagine if King David were alive at a time like this. He would no doubt be canceled in the minds of millions! Consider how scandalous it would have been for an anointed musician, songwriter and worshiper to commit adultery with another man’s wife and then kill her husband to cover up the crime (See 2 Samuel 11).

When that tidbit of news leaked on the gossip blogs, countless individuals would drag his name through the mud and say what a shame it was for someone who was “supposed to be saved” to behave like that. #KingDavidIsCanceled would be trending on Twitter.

But God did not cancel David, did he? That’s because the Lord made a covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7, promising him that his kingdom would never come to an end. That prophecy was fulfilled through Jesus Christ, who is called Son of David.

On the flip side of the coin, in 1 Samuel 15, God did indeed cancel King Saul for his disobedience, even though Israel had chosen this man to be their ruler. Just as God puts His hand on someone, He can take His hand off of them as well. But none of us gets to make that determination. God decides according to His sovereign plan.

Here’s another example for you. Consider how the public would have treated Rahab the harlot were she alive today. She would likely be called every name in the book except a child of God.

But in Joshua 6, Rahab placed her faith in the God of Israel and helped protect the Israelite spies from their enemies in Jericho. By putting her faith in action, it pleased God, who spared Rahab’s life, as well as the lives of her family members.

How about Mary, the mother of Jesus? She would have probably been canceled too for getting pregnant out of wedlock, wouldn’t she?

Skeptics on the Internet would have never believed that she was visited by an angel who told her she’d be impregnated by the Holy Spirt, and bring forth the Messiah. The events of Luke 1:26-38 would have gone viral on the Internet and sparked countless mean-spirited memes. She would have been excommunicated from every circle known to man.

As you can see from these few examples, it’s very easy to misjudge a person and form negative opinions about them, and cancel them in your mind.  But canceling people is not our job. Praying for them and restoring them in love is what we’re meant to do as believers.

Romans 6:1 says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

The point is, cancel culture needs to be canceled immediately—especially as far as Christians are concerned.