Juanita Bynum has played a pivotal role in the Christian ministry, especially for women. She is a New York Times best-selling author, actress, and multiplatinum-selling gospel artist. Dr. Bynum has hosted conferences, ministering to thousands around the globe in venues filled to capacity. Bynum, who recently started the Empowerment Institute, discussed her evolution and how hitting rock bottom was exactly what she needed.
What should we look for in the evolution of Juanita Bynum?
I’m a different Juanita Bynum, put together with the same thread. That thread is my belief system and my relationship with God. This belief system encouraged my evolution. Christ was revealed to be on another level when I was at the bottom, and it made me better. A more sensitive me. Even my preaching has changed. At one point, my preaching was just scriptural, the convictions given to me by what I was taught. The evolution of Juanita Bynum has me preaching from of my experience with this new relationship that I found in Christ when I went to the bottom. On the bottom, you have an opportunity to meet a different version of Christ. You are reintroduced to compassion, love, and sensitivity. Caring is revealed to you. Not that it wasn’t always there. It is revealed to you and sometimes it’s not revealed because you have too much going on to see it. I never thought that I needed to seek him for a deeper love, for a deeper level of compassion, a deeper level of mercy. And now that I have received that, I give it in such a more in-depth way. I’m sensitive like you wouldn’t believe to people and what they deal with and what they go through because now I am them. I’m no longer the preacher that’s in the pulpit that has all the fame and all the money that says “Y’all hold on”. And people are struggling, and they are having hard times and taking losses in their lives in which they’ll never recover. Now because I’ve experienced those things, my Hold on, and I’m praying for you, and it’s going to be all right. And you’re going to make it. It comes from a very deep place, and I think people believe that because they’ve seen me walk through it.
I know you have a millennial conference in October in Lake Charles Louisiana. Why millennials, Why should young people grow their relationship with God?
I think that they should because not only is this the era of technology, it is an unyielding era for spirituality as well. Television is laden with demonic shows. Satanism is trying to be introduced from a two-fold perspective. That’s why in these shows you never see the spirit of evil versus the Spirit of God. It is always the spirit of dark evil versus good evil. I believe the society is trying to train our young adults that it is good in evil. Television and movies are introducing spirituality to the youth without God. By paying attention to what is being made accessible during this digital age, it shows me that the desire is in the young people to connect to spirituality. The millennial generation raised themselves. Statistics have shown that many of them are the offspring of the crack epidemic, left alone or raised by their grandparents. Because of this, this generation has a strong need for love and wanting to belong. They are experiencing things that have never taken place in previous generations before them. The world is telling them they need spirituality. So I want them to be on the right track, and they are responding to accordingly. History tells us that it was the Millennials that took us to the promise land. Scripture said that no one over the age of twenty went in. Jesus was a millennial. Spiritual shifts are always brought forth through millennials.
If you had to take three things into your storm, what would they be?
I would grab my Bible. I would take my worship. And I will take my prayer life. And if I wasn’t able to take a fourth thing ,which would be food or water that would be a great way to die. In my word, in my worship, or in prayer. It would be a great place to die.
Why did you start the Empowerment Institute?
I started the Empowerment Institute because I felt like the 40+ generation begun to head into a conventional type of spirituality. “If something doesn’t work out, it’s the devil, and you know when and if they haven’t accomplished anything I’m waiting on the Lord. The entire concept that God would do it or when it’s not working that the enemy just got busy with it. You know spirituality Is the power of God invested in your endeavors. That is what causes what you are attempting to accomplish to become successful. We’re trying to take the power of God and make it do your endeavors. We have stopped going to him asking for help when we hit a roadblock. We give up and blame it on the prophecy when it doesn’t manifest. When we should’ve worked to bring it to manifestation. Prophecy is free, but the manifestation is work, so I decided to open up an institute that says that you are going to work this vision, or you are not going to have any vision.
How does someone join the Empowerment Institute? By registering for the eight-week course at www.juanitabynum.com for the next semester.
Can you tell us about at “3 with me” on Facebook live and why did you launch this?
At 3 with me comes from my father. My divorce was final on July 2nd which was a Friday. My dad passed away that Monday and I thought I would go crazy. My father and I were very close. So every year, the beginning of July is very rough for me. This year the anniversary landed on a Sabbath day. Every Friday I shut down at 18 minutes to 6. I light the Sabbath candles, and I take communion, and I shut down from work for 48 hours. I refresh myself by seeking the presence of the Lord for direction for the week ahead with worship, meditation, soothing music, long walks in the park for clarity. Saturday I’m walking through my house, and it’s July 2nd. And I was just worshiping and drinking some tea and out of the blue it was like I heard my father’s voice say: “sit down and go live on Facebook.”
I’m not really into social media, but I listened. I sat down on the floor of my in-home dance studio that used to be my dining room. Got my phone out and started to talk. Towards the end, I said Monday-Friday at 3 with me until the Lord says differently. During the second week, it came to me that we are like bumblebees. I told the people watching that they are not supposed to fly according to the weight that they are carrying in life, but they are going to fly anyway. Something was birthed. This has turned into something organic. I’m talking about spirituality, if you want to hear about religion, you have to somewhere else.
Tell us about The “Bring Back the Glory Conference” that you are having in Lake Charles.
I went to Lake Charles three years ago to do a revival and God told me to take the “ark of the covenant.” It’s sacred, and it is a real process, I was hesitant, but I took it. The truck that was supposed to bring it to Lake Charles broke down. Everything was against me doing this. The same thing happened when I went to the Georgia Dome. I signed a contract and the person who gave me the deal quit the next day. The contract was a small fraction compared to what I was supposed to be, but there was nothing they could do about it, they had to honor the contract. The contract that I signed for $83,000 for four days was supposed to be a contract for a $183,000 per night. When all the bills were paid, we walked away with a surplus of two million dollars, and I didn’t take an offering two of the nights. It is about when and where God says to do it.
It is about getting into the presence of God. I don’t want any clubbing atmosphere in this conference. The people want to be in his in its simplest raw form. This conference is going to be an organic experience. My following is people between the ages of 18-44. People my age don’t follow me.
Where do we go to keep up with all things Juanita?
My website is www.juanitabynum.com and all my social media handles are @Iamdrjuanitabynum.
