What some people who were nasty to Apostle Kimberly Daniels on Facebook meant for evil, God has turned around for good.
My podcast today tells the tremendous story of a breakthrough from a prayer event on Facebook that thousands of people from several countries responded to.
Kimberly Daniels, a longtime friend and one of our authors, is an amazing woman of God who pastors in Jacksonville, Florida, and has been elected to the Florida legislature. She is an outspoken Christian and uses her personal Facebook page to minister to people. Since she uses “State Representative Kimberly Daniels” on Facebook (which she is entitled to do even on a personal page because that is her title), there are “haters” who have written nasty things on her page. When Kimberly blocked one of the worst offenders, the offended party responded with a threatening letter from an attorney.
“This lady is a part of some anti-God, anti-religion group,” Daniels says. “So she took advantage of me saying she is a constituent, and I ignored her. If my constituents want to see me or talk to me, they can call my office or come to my office. I have several phone numbers. I have an office in Tallahassee, and I have one in Jacksonville. But it is clear that this lady didn’t care anything about me serving her. She wanted me to stop talking about God.”
How did this affect me? I’ve known Kimberly for many years. I remember when she called to tell me and my wife she felt led by the Lord to run for public office. Recently, she texted me “911” and told me to call her, meaning it was an emergency. When I learned how she was being intimidated and about the prayer on Facebook, I asked if we could do a podcast. It’s one of the best, and you need to hear her talk in her own words about what happened. Click here to listen.
Her prayer event got 33,000 hits; 5,400 comments; 13,000 views; and 500 shares within the first few hours. As of this writing, it has 25,000 views; 6,700 comments; and 566 shares.
“What we did on this Facebook post is I think we started something,” she tells me. “What the devil meant for evil, God turned it around. I think the saying is, ‘We took the lemon and turned it into lemonade,’ because it woke people to say, ‘Hey, look at how serious this is.’ Christians are being persecuted around the world, and they’re losing their lives.”
Many responded with spiritual warfare and prayers for difficult situations, while others thanked Kimberly for her faith. One commenter wrote: “Thank you for this prayer. I bind the spirit that interrupted this podcast! God bless you! And I’m praying for this podcast!”
Another said: “Yes, sound the alarm! We bind the enemy trying to shut the mouths of the prophets. I pray a boldness like never before. The devil is a liar.”
Earlier Kimberly had sent me screen shots of some of the horrible comments that led her to have the prayer service. Some I can’t print. Speaking of Kimberly, one said: “Disgusting person. Not all you represent believers in your imaginary friend. How disgusting and illegal.” Another string said: “Please fall down those steps and die you old [expletive].” Another wrote: “You work for the devil” And yet another: “What kind of Democrat are you?”
Kimberly is very conservative politically, but as a black woman, she ran in her district as a Democrat. Yet she mostly votes with conservatives in the legislature, which has stirred up controversy.
Another wrote: “Religion has no place in our secular government…EVER!”
That got me. Somehow these haters want God out of the public square. I knew I had to do something to show support of Rep. Daniels. I urged her to stand up to these anti-God bullies.
One of the great rights we have in America is the First Amendment, which gives us freedom of speech and religion. But those rights are under attack as never before. We have a responsibility to take a stand for religious freedom, whether around the globe or in our own culture.
I’ve documented religious-bullying cases like the one against Kimberly in several of the books I’ve written. We have to stand up to people who try to intimidate Christians into being quiet. The left rants about tolerance—and accuses Christians of being the intolerant ones—but they themselves are intolerant of Christians.
It’s our religious right to believe in the Word of God, to believe there is a right and wrong way to live, to believe that God has a will and sin goes against that will. It’s almost laughable how far our culture has veered away from this mindset.
“I believe there are so many people who are in the closet as Christians, and it’s time for us to come out of the closet,” Daniels says. “God clearly spoke to me … and said, ‘Don’t just laugh out loud; pray out loud. Don’t just ‘LOL’; ‘POL.’ So it’s time for the saints to pray out loud.”
Daniels points to the book of Daniel in the Bible, when the king decreed that no one pray unless it was to him. The prophet Daniel not only continued to pray, but he also opened a window while he did it. He prayed for Jerusalem without shame.
“It’s time for the church to open the window and pray toward Jerusalem,” Daniels says. “We have so many religious liberties that believers are not educated on, especially in the workplace.”
As Daniels fights this spiritual battle, she hopes others will join her and boldly take advantage of their religious rights. If you’re unsure of what your rights are as a Christian, research them! The worst thing we can do is allow ourselves to be pressured into giving up our rights out of ignorance.
You can support Daniels on her Facebook page here. And be sure to listen to our fascinating interview at cpnshows.com. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe to my show on iTunes or Google Play.