Two-time Oscar award winner Denzel Washington spoke about God several times in his interview a week ago with The New York Times on his film, "The Tragedy of Macbeth," emphasizing that he is a "God-fearing man" and warning about self-love "in the last days."
Faithwire reported that the 64-year-old Washington did not mince his words when he spoke about these things during the interview. He revealed that there is an ongoing spiritual warfare happening today where the youth have become too engrossed with themselves, as seen through social media.
Washington, whose late father was a pastor in the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ where he grew in, mentioned God more than five times during his interview with The New York Times as he discussed about his faith and the reason behind focusing on directing more on acting. He revealed that he promised his 97-year-old mother before she died this year that he would "attempt to honor her and God by living the rest of my days in a way that would make her proud. So that's what I'm trying to do."
"I'm more interested in directing because I'm more interested in helping others. What I do, what I make, what I made--all of that--is that going to help me on the last day of my life? It's about, Who have you lifted up? Who have we made better?" Washington said.
"This is spiritual warfare. So, I'm not looking at it from an earthly perspective," he explained.
Washington went on to say that having God as anchor in life prevents one from experiencing anxiety and worries.
"If you don't have a spiritual anchor you'll be easily blown by the wind and you'll be led to depression," he said.
"I'm a God-fearing man. I try not to worry. Fear is contaminated faith," Washington stressed.
Washington became more public about his faith in 2019 when he received the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. During which, he referred to himself a "vessel of God" raised the need to "turn things around" for the youth in line with the negative effects social media has brought them. He is warning against the "Twitter-tweet-meme-mean world that we've created for our children."
Washington reiterated this need during his interview and focused on the consequences self-love has on the youth. He raised that people in general nowadays would do everything just "to get followed" even if it means manipulating information in "a myriad of ways." Reading the Bible daily is an antidote to this phenomena as it will teach one to "know right from wrong."
"The enemy is the inner me. The Bible says in the last days--I don't know if it's the last days, it's not my place to know--but it says we'll be lovers of ourselves. The No. 1 photograph today is a selfie, 'Oh, me at the protest.' 'Me with the fire.' 'Follow me.' 'Listen to me.'" Washington pointed out.
Last September, Washington urged men to be unashamed and unafraid in speaking about God in public during "The Better Man Event" held in Florida. Prayer, he revealed, is the key to a man's success alongside cherishing God's gift of "strength, leadership, power, authority, guidance, and patience" to man.
Washington has been moving about on a mission of helping people not only through his directing projects but also in helping the homeless. He was called a good Samaritan for helping a random man on a street whom he feared was in "danger of being struck by oncoming traffic."
