“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” - Matthew 16:18-19 (ESV)
Growing up, I watched the iconic television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air religiously. For those unfamiliar with the show, it is a sitcom television series aired from 1990 through 1996 starring Will Smith. In the sitcom, Smith portrays a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager born and raised in West Philadelphia who moves in with his wealthy uncle and aunt in their Bel Air mansion after getting into a fight in the local playground in his neighborhood. Well, this month the entire cast reunited to celebrate the show’s 30-year anniversary (sans James Avery who passed away in 2014 – RIP “Uncle Phil”). For me, the televised reunion was 1 hour 15 minutes of pure joy, laughter, emotions, nostalgia, and everything in between.
A major moment in the reunion occurred when Janet Hubert and Will Smith reunited after 27 years of not speaking to each other. Janet was an original cast member and played the character “Aunt Vivian” until she departed from the show in its third season, and subsequently was replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid. Since Janet’s departure, there has been bad blood between her and Will, who she holds responsible for her departure from the show and the demise of her acting career. I watched intensely as “OG Aunt Viv” and “Will” traveled down memory lane, explained their sides of the tumultuous situation, and apologize to each other to bring resolution and closure to this long-standing feud.
Photo credit: WarnerMedia
The discourse between these two prompted this devotional post. During the reunion, Janet shared that she felt Will "banished" her from the rest of the Fresh Prince cast and finally left after the network slighted her with a substandard contract (in which Will played a major role). Her family and Hollywood disowned her. When discussing her loss she states:
"But you took all of that away from me — with your words” … Words can kill. I lost
everything. Reputation. Everything, everything. I understand you were able to move
forward. But you know those words, calling a Black woman 'difficult' in Hollywood is the
kiss of death. It's the kiss of death, and it's hard enough being a dark-skinned Black
woman in this business, but I felt it was necessary for us to finally move forward."
For the past 27 years, Janet has been adamant that Will’s words and conduct was responsible for the demise of her career and future opportunities, and kept her from being successful. Then it hit me … in her mind, Will held the keys and he had the power to lock and unlock her destiny and her success. THAT IS TOO MUCH POWER TO GIVE TO A PERSON. Besides, God is known for doing the impossible and defying all odds. God opened up the Red Sea allowing His people to walk on dry land and drowned the royal army sent to destroy them (Exodus 14). Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44). God allowed the three Hebrew boys who were thrown into a fiery furnace to walk on fire and come out unharmed (Daniel 3: 8-30). Jesus himself rose from death with all power in His hands (Matthew 28; Mark 16). God enabled David to defeat a giant with just a slingshot and one stone (1 Samuel 17:41-52). People’s words and actions may cause us to lose some things, but the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1). So, whatever someone may have seemed to have taken from you, God can give it back and then some.
No matter what a person does to destroy or damage your reputation or your purpose, God is greater! Out of jealousy of Joseph’s dream, his brothers tried to kill him but decided on selling him into slavery instead (Genesis 37). Yet, God’s purpose for Joseph's life still prevailed and he came out on top. So, don’t tell me about how powerful a person is, because I will tell you about how powerful God is. Will’s words and actions may have prevented some opportunities for Janet, but he does not hold the key to her purpose. Sadly, for 27 years she convinced herself he did. Don’t allow anyone's words or actions to convince you to think they hold the key to your destiny.
God holds the key to our destiny, our purpose, and our success. God is omnipotent – all-powerful. In Matthew 16:18-19 Jesus tells Peter: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In this passage, to “bind” in the rabbinical language is to forbid, to “loose” is to permit” (https://cicministry.org/commentary/worldview0020.htm). Whatever God permits, no man can forbid. Whatever God forbids no man can permit. Since Jesus speaks God's authoritative words and authorizes His apostles to speak those words to the church, the apostles were Jesus' authoritative spokesmen, and their decisions are binding (https://cicministry.org/commentary/worldview0020.htm).
Jesus' death on the cross provides us with access to God through Him. So, we have access to the keys of the kingdom. Keys signifies access and terms of entrance. So, if Jesus gives you the keys to the kingdom that means you have entry to the kingdom. Having entrance into the kingdom means you have access to whatever God has declared or destined for you. This is why God instructs us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all those things will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33). Listen to me, regardless of what anyone has done to you, they cannot destroy your purpose unless you allow them to. God’s purpose for you is greater than your struggle – greater than your loss – greater than your pain.
Too many of us give other people, and hurtful situations, the keys to our destiny, our joy, our peace, our health, our success, and our purpose. How much time have you spent being bitter about a situation, hurt, betrayal, loss, or other past experience? We serve a great God who doesn’t withhold good things to those who walk with integrity (Psalm 84:11). You have authority in Christ – the authority to loose, permit, bind, or forbid whatever God has spoken to you or whatever God has directed you to do.
Now, sometimes we blame others for our downfall while believing that same person is the one who has the power to pull us back up. The person who hurt you does not hold the power to your peace, joy, destiny, or your ability to move forward in purpose. You are waiting on that person to acknowledge, admit, or do something before you move forward. So, you say things like “I’ll move on when they apologize,” or “I’ll have peace when the acknowledge or admit what they did,” or “I’ll get my career back once Person A tells the truth about the rumors,” or “I won’t rest until they pay for what they did.” In essence, you’re expecting that person(s) to be your oppressor and your liberator – your enemy and your savior – your abuser and your healer.
You cannot expect the person who hurt you to save you. Jesus addresses this paradigm when he speaks to the legal experts and states “… ‘How can Satan throw Satan out? A kingdom involved in civil war will collapse. And a house torn apart by divisions will collapse. … No one gets into the house of a strong person and steals anything without first tying up the strong person. Only then can the house be burglarized.’” (Mark 3:23-26). Listen to me, no one can take away your destiny, your purpose, or your future unless you let them.
I know it hurt and it was painful. You may feel like you lost everything. No, you should not have suffered that abuse. What happened to you was not right. I know you don’t deserve this hand that you’ve been dealt. I'm not advocating for you to turn a blind eye or forget those things. I want you to understand that your purpose is greater than your past. What God has for you is too great to keep giving that situation or that person power over your destiny, your purpose, and your promise. Your past and your pain do not hold the keys to your destiny, God does.
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