Acts 12:12 (AMP) - When he realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, who was also called Mark, where many [believers] were gathered together and were praying continually [and had been praying all night].

When the Russian invasion in Ukraine began, I watched with the rest of the world how families were been displaced and separated, children being killed and survivors fleeing the country. Confused, I asked my husband why the USA, Canada and all the other powerful countries could not step in and put a stop to Putin’s tyranny. My husband educated me on the fact that it was because Ukraine was not yet a part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which is an alliance of USA, Canada and several Western European countries formed in 1949 to provide collective security against the Soviet Union (source: my friend, Google ).

So, the reason these powerful countries were unable to help Ukraine was because Ukraine was not a part of NATO (tribe), even though these countries have the resources, artillery, and manpower to help, but unable to because Ukraine is not yet a member NATO.

While pondering on this, my mind went to the importance of belonging to a tribe. Now, I am not talking about ethnic or national tribes, I am talking about a people with the same values based on social or ideological solidarity, tribe members that share a common language (not literarily) and culture.

Members of your tribe watch out for your welfare, they encourage you to grow in every area, they lift you up without the fear that you will be too “lifted” for their liking or insecurities. Your tribal people will defend you when needed and they don’t have to come from the same village or nation as you. Jesus’s tribe members were not necessarily His mother and brothers but anyone who had similar goal, plan, and vision with Him – to do the will of the Father. In Acts 12: 5, the bible says that believers gathered and prayed day and night for Peter’s release. Why? Because he was a tribe member, they had the same goals and vision – to serve Jesus and be a blessing to their world.

Can you say this of the tribe that you belong to? Are these people able to hold your hand when you need? Will they be able to support you in prayers, counsel, connections, introduce you to new ideas that will prosper you, or even to sit with you when you go through life's challenges like Job’s friends? (Even though Job’s friends were as miserable as he was, but at least, they showed up!). Are your tribe members able to challenge you to do better, to increase your capacity, motivate you with their words and lifestyle to be better? Or are they just gist partners, fashion influencers or dream killers?

As you move up on the ladder in your life, both spiritual and otherwise, you will need to constantly evaluate your tribe to see if you still have the same goals, values, and vision with the people you are associating with. This means that you may need to break rank with people who are not going in the same direction as you. David had to break ranks to challenge Goliath because all the other members of his tribe, including his brothers had run to their tents to hide, trembling in fear. His brother was the one to try to discourage him, but the bible said that David turned to some one else to give him information that he needed to get to his next level!

What tribe you belong to will determine how high you fly here on earth as well as to a great extent, the riches that you will experience in your eternal destination. I want to encourage you to evaluate your tribe and make necessary adjustments. May God give you wisdom in Jesus’ name.   

Shalom

Pastor D