Thursday, April 28, 2011

A Heart Condition




Father God, I come once more before your throne of grace, expressing my gratitude towards the love you continue to shower me with.  Father, I thank you.  I thank you for allowing your children to come as we are and not who we pretend to be.  I thank you for your grace and mercy.  I thank you this morning for allowing me to see one more day, a day that is not promised to no one, yet you saw it not robbery to grant it to me. Lord I just thank you.  I pray a blessing right now on the hearer and doers of your word.  I pray that you bless the reader of this message.  I pray that your Holy Spirit set the atmosphere for them to receive your word.  I pray that you cast down all imaginations that would cause us to be distracted. It is that still, small voice that we need to hear. Help us to focus upon you, and you alone, to hear your voice within.  There are so many other voices demanding our attention, and work contrary to you.  I pray that your voice speak to us and through us.   I pray Father, that in our weakness, you will be our strength.  In a time of depression, you will be our joy. We just pray that you just be the divine covering where all of these things can take place.  And Father, we pray that you forgive us of our sins committed, whether by thought, speech or deed.  We give you all honor and glory, and we pray this in Jesus’ name,  Amen.


I was speaking with one of my brothers in Christ the other day.  He is white but has a black heart.  LOL!  I say this because he could go into any community that is predominantly black and he would fit right in.  I pray that none of you are feeling uncomfortable but there is a point that I will make.  Our unique life histories and personalities can influence how we view certain topics when it pertains to our society.  My brother who I was referring to is able to understand why I have so much compassion on the black community, because he grew up in one.  Just as how it is difficult for a born millionaire to fathom what a poor person’s life can be, it is vice versa with the poor man on a millionaire’s life.  Anyway, we are both ministers of the Gospel and enjoy witnessing, and we talked about how it would be if we had our own individual churches.  He shared his vision, and I shared mine.  I shared how I would love to have a well diverse church, but it mostly likely will be a predominantly black church.  We started to speak on the conditions in some of the black community and he hit the root right on the head.  He spoke regarding the conditions of their heart.
I am not blind and do not run from the truth, and the truth is many black communities are not in the conditions they are in because of lack of opportunity, although it can appear to be that way, nor is it because of an unseen political direction purposely keeping them as low class citizens.  It is years and years of hate and turmoil that families allowed to sit on their hearts and it has spread from generation to generation until it has become the norm.  My previous church did not welcome my family and me until almost a year.  One can easily say, I should have left, but it was sort of unreal to me.  I could not believe that such hatred can exist in a community, much less the church, yet it did.  People act as though they did not want us to sit where we normally did, our greetings of good mornings or God bless you’s were not returned.  This was their behavior rooted into their psyche, and in some families going back 100 years (as long the local church been opened).  Why was this so?  Why are many black communities the exact same way?  Their heart!  I grew up in the projects, and I either heard someone say it or it was said to me, that all races hate us, especially the white race.  Then you watch movies like Roots, Rosewood, etc and the anger builds.  So I was very angry.  I had a lot of hate.  I felt like I was born into a world that did not want me.  It did not help the situation either to see white women holding their purses when I passed, or the Korean man following me everywhere I go in the mini market.  Oh I had a malicious heart.  I hated everybody, including my own people.  If no one else respect them why should I.  It was by the grace of God when I made it out of the projects and seen an life outside the projects is when I realized it was all bull.
So is my message about the plights of blacks?  No.  My message is about the condition of the world and I used blacks in our nation as an example.  In order to receive the peace that everyone is crying for, something has to change.  It is the heart of the people.  The bible says “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”  (Matt 15:19)  So all those who are wondering why the world is in the condition it is, or why black males make up the majority of the population in prisons, or how a serial killer is birthed, or the malicious and wicked atrocities committed in the middle east and other third world countries, there is your answer.  Man’s heart is dark.  Don’t blame God.  Until we as a people, especially those who call themselves Christians, take the time to pray for guidance and seek to change the heart of someone, one person at a time, evil will continue to plague the heart of people.  Hate, fear, and all of the negative emotions do last for a long time, but love lasts forever (1 Cor 13:4-8).  My desire is to see that all people know who God is, but primarily in my opinion, in this nation, the directive and the urgency must begin with the black race.  My race.  Love must be bestowed.  Am I wrong for saying this?  No more wrong than when Jesus said “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Lu 24:47)  I of course do not claim to be Jesus, but he indicated an urgency to begin there, as I am indicating an urgency to begin with the black race. Amen!

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