Dharius Daniels - Do Your Beliefs Line Up with the Bible?

So let’s talk about this: a belief system is an accumulation of beliefs that we have acquired throughout our lifetime. Listen to this: by information—that’s what we were taught; by observation—that’s what we saw; by exposure—that is what we’ve been exposed to indirectly; and by experiences—that’s what we’ve experienced directly. So that’s a great difference. I’m going to say that again: people’s belief systems are not just formed by what we read in the Bible, but it’s not solely that. I wish it were; y’all, come on, I wish it were! But our belief system is really an accumulation of beliefs that have come into our lifetime through information—that’s what I’ve learned; observation—that’s what I’ve seen; exposure—that’s what I’ve been indirectly exposed to; and experiences—that’s what I’ve directly experienced.

So, there are some things I believe that I don’t even know I believe; it’s unconscious, right? My beliefs have been shaped unconsciously by some stuff I went through. There are some things we believe in the present because of our past experiences. There are things we believe in the present because of what we were exposed to in the past. There are things we believe in the present because of what we observed in the past. See, you don’t have to have been wronged directly by people to have poor faith in them. If you frequently observe people being mishandled or exposed to such behavior, then you can operate with suspicion regarding people, even if you haven’t experienced it directly, because all of that impacts your belief system. Did y’all hear what I just said?

And this is why the enemy, even from an early age, starts orchestrating these little experiences and exposure. He ensures that there are certain things we see. I grew up as a pastor’s kid, and until I got this revelation, I never understood why I only remembered all the church fights. Y’all, see, you’re not talking to me! I was eight years old, and I remember the fights—not literal ones, but it could have gone there. I remember arguments, and I’d just be sitting there as an eight- or nine-year-old—now I’m nine, in the fourth grade. I had enough sense to know we shouldn’t be arguing about this. But what was the enemy doing? He wanted me to be exposed to that; he wanted to plant a seed about church that would make me resistant to my calling, and it worked.

It worked because y’all were with me. I accepted it at 19, but I didn’t yield to go to seminary until I got my acceptance letter, which I have framed in my house. I received that acceptance letter in April 2001, and I graduated in May 2001. Do y’all understand? Let me say that again: I got my acceptance letter in April 2001; I graduated in May 2001. That’s very late—extremely late! It’s just a month away from graduation. I didn’t know where I was going because I waited that long to apply, saying, «There is no way I’m spending my life dealing with that.» It didn’t happen to me; nobody mistreated me. I observed it; I was exposed to it, and it unconsciously impacted my belief system about the church.

So now, when God takes His word and tries to introduce us to a new belief system, we assume He’s painting on a blank slate. He’s not; He’s building on what’s already there—he’s not building on a clear foundation. Some stuff is already there, so now you have these belief systems fighting. The word is battling my experiences, my exposure, my observations, and the other information I received from places besides church or the bad information I got in church. All of that is fighting against my beliefs.