Denouncing Delta: Answering God’s Call – PART II

Ello Loves,

Welcome back! Thank you for all of your love and support that you have shared with me since the release of Part I of my testimony – Denouncing Delta: Answering God’s Call. If you missed Part I, Click Here to read it.

The hardest things to let go of are oftentimes the same sacrifices that God uses to mightily bless us. God wants to make room in your life for the blessings that He has in store for you. As humans, we often try to fill the voids in our lives with temporary satisfactions such as social status, people (significant & insignificant others), money, clothes, clubs, food, work, and the “turn-up” (because we know when we actually turn-down, life is a bit lonely and we never truly learned how to be complete apart from the temporary fillers). As humans, we naturally have a desire to fill the voids in our lives because we have a desire for wholeness. But truthfully, the “fulfilled” life can only be achieved through quality partnership with God. We naturally need God in order for our voids to be permanently filled because, simply put, He is our maker and apart from Him we are incomplete.

I was unaware of my incompleteness, unaware of the voids that I was attempting to subconsciously fill, and unaware that I did not have to jump through hoops in order for God to use and bless me. I am 100% sure that if I knew WHO I was in Christ earlier in life and intentionally cultivated a relationship (not a religion) with God, I would not have even contemplated joining DST or any sorority as a matter-of-fact. I am also 100% sure that anyone who is truly made whole in Christ would not fall as easily prey to idol worship –whether it is idolizing your job, your relationship, people, even yourself –because they are aware that the one-true-God is the source of their strength, intelligence, success, beauty, impact, and power.

I admit that I was unaware of my true identity in Christ, so it was very easy for me to be susceptible to the things of this world. When we do not fully know who we are, we allow others the ability to dictate and decide who we are and what we are made to do. If I truly knew who I was in Christ… I would not have sought out an organization to give me purpose, to humble me under their god/goddess, to make me prove my worthiness of acceptance, to “build me up”, to rename me, and make me into who I was “called” to be. God ALREADY did that. He already knew and thought of me before I was even in my mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). He ALREADY called me. He ALREADY purposed me. He ALREADY proved that I was worth His love, His sacrifice and His devotion through His grace —His unmerited favor. He is ALREADY making me (daily) into His image to be used as a vessel for His ultimate glory. But as I said, I was unaware, so I lived life making my own decisions attempting to temporarily fill the voids that existed.

It would be wonderful if we all knew this at our first attempt at life –or at least I wish I really came into the consciousness of WHO and WHOSE I was sooner, but we live and we learn. The major key is always that we LEARN!

Alright, let us get back to before I knew better…

Life As A Member of DST

When I was living bound in idolatry, God was now on a shared platform in my life –even though it was not my intention, this is essentially what took place when I decided to devote my life, my love, and my all to the organization.

When we place into words and bring to light the spiritual implications of all of our actions, it oftentimes becomes a hard pill to swallow because we live in a world where “seeing is believing” and “ignorance is bliss”. Ignorance is the quickest way to be lured into undesired territory due to our unwillingness to take control and responsibility over our lives (both present and eternal). It is easier to ignore and invalidate what we do not see, but the quality of both our present life and life after death are based on things that we do not see —occurrences in the spiritual realm. We would be remiss to believe that all there is to life is the location right before our eyes here in the natural world. But even as a young girl who grew up in the church and proclaimed her love for Jesus, I still chose to live life in an “ignorance is bliss” mindset because it was easy and I was able to do whatever I wanted —I just had to pray that the repercussions would not be too bad. This type of thinking undermined God’s authority, even put a question mark my need for Him, and revealed that I cared more about what I could get from The Source than The Source itself. 

It is hard to imagine that I would let anything compete with my God’s place in my life and the love that I have for Him –but even though it is hard to say and hard to imagine, it definitely was not hard to do. At this particular moment in my life, I knew who to call when I was in need of an answered prayer, but that is the thing —I only called on God when I needed something. I did not truly have a relationship with Him. I knew of Him, knew that I needed Him, and knew that He was all powerful. However, I did not truly know Him for myself, know fully of my identity in Him, fully grasp the magnitude of His love for me –as I said, if I did, I probably would not have been so led to join a sorority or seeking anything outside of God to give me purpose, define who I was, and open doors for me. Even with the desire to join DST, if I truly had a personal relationship with God, I would have been able to clearly discern His voice when I was praying for guidance. But as I said before in PART I, I really was not trying to hear anything outside of God allowing me to become a member of the organization —so there is no real surprise that I actually got my way … I clearly cared more about the manifestation of my own will over God’s intended will for my life.

I FINALLY CROSSED!…

When I officially crossed and finally became a member of DST, I was on the highest cloud imaginable. Along with my letters came an increased sense of responsibility and pride.

Side Bar: It just so happened that right after I crossed, I saw one of my teachers who previously became a member of DST and inspired my membership. I was so hype to tell her that we were sisters now! That I finally crossed into the most “illustrious” organization! I made it to Deltaland! For my excitement to be met with a blank look and the response “Oh, I am no longer a part of that organization.”…Wait WHET?! While I probably should have taken this one as a REAL sign (lol) — I did not really know what to say, but I definitely didn’t ask any questions because I was NOT going to let anything steal my high. Ignorance was bliss, remember? I just said “Oh… Okay. Well, it was nice to see you!” and kept it pushing. Later on, I found out that God called her out of the organization as well with a POWERFUL testimony to share of His faithfulness.

You. Could. Not. Tell. Me. Nothin’. I chanted, shouted, and SANG DST with everything that was in me. What else would you expect? I worked HARD for these letters, so I was going to wear them with pride and my head held high. I gained a new sense of purpose and a new life (which is true because through the process I was MADE into a Delta). I needed people to know that this was the ONLY way and that I was part of the best organization to have ever been created. Being a member of DST became my new identity and priority. Prior to becoming a member, I was heavily involved in my university’s Gospel Choir. I was known around campus as “The Gospel Choir Girl” or “Shanice From Gospel Choir“. I went from being known for singing in Gospel Choir to now sharing Jesus’ spotlight. Now, I was known as “Shanice The Delta“. Even with the new found pride that I gained with my letters, this never sat right with me internally. I loved being known for singing praises unto Jesus, and the change made a part of me feel as though I was taking light away from Him.

Now you may think I’m reading wayyy too deep into this –like “Shanice, it’s really not that serious lol“. But your name dedicates who you are and WHOSE you are. People call you who they believe you to be and belong to. Now, I belonged to Delta. Which was not very far from the truth. I DID indeed belong to Delta now —Physically, Mentally, & Spiritually. When I joined the sorority, I took an oath to be bound for life (a lifetime membership) to this entity. Back then, I was naive of the spiritual implications and soul-ties that would come along with my decision. Little did I know that I freely gave my life into spiritual warfare and it would take a few years, a few ignored red flags, a few bypassed convictions, and a few people praying for me (that I was TOTALLY unaware of) for me to come to this realization. But prior to then, I was okay with living in my flesh and enjoying the things of this world.

In addition to Jesus now being in a shared spotlight, I was now promoting living a double life. As I said prior, community service, campus leadership, and the fact that it was founded on Christian principles were the main components that drew me to DST  –however, all of the work that was done was all to the glory and praise of delta (which was in direct contradiction to all of the songs that I sang which proclaimed that all the glory belonged to God and God alone –Revelation 7:12). Whenever I succeeded academically whether it was due to achieving the dean’s list, or scoring the highest GPA, or graduating, or receiving any honor I surely did thank God for His grace and mercy, but homage was also paid to delta as I held high the “torch of wisdom”. I was partial in the glory that I gave to God. I was straddling the fence with my devotion to God’s Kingdom and my devotion to delta. My devotion was made clear in the oath that I took upon entering into the organization and rituals and hymns (yes, hymns.)  that I uncomfortably partook in and recited at meetings pertaining to delta.  My spirit was uneasy in reciting the rituals but I could not fully pinpoint ??why?? until God opened my eyes. God showed me that the organization that I joined due to being “founded on Christian principles” in reality twisted scriptures from the bible by removing Jesus and replacing Him with delta. I was no longer striving for Christ, I was now striving for delta. The glory no longer belonged to God, it all belonged delta —and the scariest part was that I was saying these things and performing the rituals for years without fully grasping the depth of my devotion.  How did I make God feel all of these years? I was compromising my salvation. How could I do this? I was supposed to be a disciple of Christ, but I was actually a disciple for delta. I was serving two masters –which God explicitly spoke against in Matthew 6:24 and Exodus 20:3-5, while also fostering the spirit of confusion and deception to onlookers who may have been new to their walk in Christ and seeking to discover WHO and WHOSE they truly were. Even in the social context, my actions also straddled the fence, I would be one way when I was in Gospel Choir practice on Friday evenings and right after head out to a party, drinking a little too much, dancing, and knuckin’ because I was buck.

Many of us are not fully aware of the true power and magnitude of our influence. There are many people who look up to you and the moves that you make with the intention to use your decisions as a guide to determine their own destiny. Similar to how God uses people as vessels to get His work done on earth, the enemy also uses people for his agenda for destruction. The enemy definitely tried to use me as a ploy to influence the interest of many young women, especially those around campus, apart of my gospel choir and my church, to also idolize and seek after membership in the organization —SO, now in addition to compromising my own salvation, I had a hand in jeopardizing someone else’s?! Lord, this was too much.

Life After Finally Answering God’s Call

Even after my eyes were opened and I knew that God was clearly telling me that I needed to let go of the organization, my flesh still wanted to hold on out of fear, disappointment, pride, and judgment. I tried to bargain with God, telling Him that I would no longer go out and rep the organization, I would no longer wear any “para” (paraphernalia with the Greek Letters on it), I would take down the shrine (the corner of my room devoted to all of my delta gifts and elephants —delta had a WHOLE corner in my room and my bible barely made it out of the drawer smh…), I would no longer partake in any official or unofficial business, I would just remain inactive and simply fade into the background while maintaining the relationships that I gained and cherished along the way. As soon as I said this, God spoke so clearly to me… “Man looks at the outside, but I look at your heart. What is your heart telling me since you cannot give this up for me?” (1 Samuel 16:7). Right then and there, I started crying and repenting for the decisions that I made against God. I rather face the fury of man than to face the fury of my God.

My spirit was so tied to this organization that I was willing to bargain with the Great I AM?! How could this be? I did not want to be used by delta. I did not want to used as a ploy by the enemy to lead others astray. I wanted to be used by my God for HIS glory. Neither delta nor anyone in the organization could save me when I experienced the lowest points in my life. No one BUT Jesus Christ my Savior and Redeemer.

I did not want there to be any confusion about the root of glory or purpose in my life. I no longer wanted to straddle the fence. I no longer wanted to be a lukewarm Christian (Revelation 3:16). I wanted and needed to live totally for God. So while it was one of the hardest decisions for me to make, I trusted God to uphold me and decided to formerly go through the process of relinquishing my membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated after 3.5 years. Most importantly, I began the process of breaking the chains and spiritual strongholds that came along with my membership through prayer, fasting, and cultivating a REAL relationship with God for myself. I did not want there to be any question mark on my life and where I would be spending eternity. Jesus is and will always be the ONLY WAY (John 14:6). I will strive more earnestly to reach the goal that I was called heavenward for Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:13-14). Many are called but FEW are chosen (Matthew 22:14), for the way to heaven is narrow, and the road to destruction is wide (Matthew 7:13-14). Which will you choose?

Once I knew better, I had to DO better. I could no longer live the “ignorance is bliss” life —it was shallow, unfulfilling, and lacking true purpose. I no longer wanted to live a life that was filled with contradiction —it was confusing, chaotic, and detrimental to my ultimate purpose. Everything that I do now is firmly rooted in Christ and spirit-led for discernment and guidance because this life that I am granted to live does not belong to me. God has called for all of me, (including my love, my peace, and my happiness, everything) to be given to Him and Him alone (Matthew 22:37). It is impossible to give your “ALL” to more that one person, place, or thing. Once I realized that my destiny was greatly impacted by my willingness or unwillingness to be obedient to God’s call on my life, I decided that I want to live in the fullness of ALL that God has for me —because HIS plans will ALWAYS prosper and never harm (Jeremiah 29:11). I trusted God to fill me and keep me, and He has far exceeded my expectations in such a short period of time and this is ONLY the beginning. Amen!

While my story is far from over, I thank you for taking the time to listen to my two-part testimony series about how Jesus saved me from the spiritual bondage of idolatry. Love, whatever is it that you are battling, holding on to, or contemplating, I pray peace over your life and discernment for God’s ultimate BEST for you. If you are waiting for God to speak to you again on a topic that He has already made clear in His word, I pray that if you see that the house is on fire, that you do not have to wait until the fire alarm goes off to begin evacuating. Whether it is an organization, job, relationship(s), etc., may you come to the realization that nothing and no one can separate you from the love of Jesus and that it is NEVER too late to begin building your relationship with God. Love, may you live in the fullness of all that God has in store for you and never let anything nor anyone compromise your salvation or God’s place in your life. Do not delay because tomorrow is promised to no one and eternity may be closer than you think. But with the time that we do have, may we all continue to boldly run this race of life realizing that our destinies are too important to give up for anything.

I will leave you with this one question that helped me to determine the condition of my heart: If your God asked you to give up that thing that you are tightly holding on to, would you? Could you make that sacrifice?

Please SHARE, Like, Comment, & SUBSCRIBE! I appreciate all of your continuous love, support, and feedback. All the glory belongs to God.

View My Unexplainable Grace Video Interview on Youtube “Sisterhood in Sororities vs. In Christ”

Until next time… Continue to Shine BRIGHT & Illuminate Your Life,

Shanice <3

P.S. – Helpful Videos?

Here are two videos that I found very eye-opening regarding Christianity and Greek Letter Organizations.

A Christian Testimony: Greek Letter Organizations & Secret Societies (CLICK HERE for the Video)

Renouncing Delta (CLICK HERE for the Video)

–  Wish To Talk More?

If you have any additional questions or would like to chat more about this subject, please feel free to contact me! I’d love to hear from you!