Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
May GOD’s strength, power, light, wisdom and glory be ever upon you all. I have a confession to make. My last post, “Unchain Your Heart“, was written over a year ago. I have several backup posts in case I were unable or unwilling to write. I was in a bit of a funk. All the racisim and violence taking place in my country has deeply affected me. Let me give my belated condolences to all the families of all the victims whether they were police officers or citizens. The racial issues in our justice system are very personal to me as a person of color who is currently being railroaded and shafted by this wickedly unjust system. It really struck a nerve in me and I could not write because I was so emotional that I would not have been able to serve GOD the way that I should. As the violence continued down south, a decision was made in my appeal. The judges found all kinds of excuses as to why it is okay to use someones skin color against them at trial. They had little to back up their decision, so they included things that were not even argued at trial to justify their awful and politically motivated decision. I expected that. There is a terrible sickness in this country. Racism is a plague. People who turn a blind eye to it and pretend that it doesn’t exist are afraid.
With all those things swirling through my mind, I was too heavy-hearted to write or do much of anything. That lasted nearly a week. I prayed and read and studied. And each day, I felt better and better. Then, I received a package. It contained a couple pairs of sneakers I had ordered. One of them were a brand new pair of New Balances. There is a big N for a logo on the sides of the shoes. They are all white. As I sat there inspecting my new shoes, I came to see something in them. I remembered suddenly that spiritually I am like those shoes. I used to be a cruddy, old, beat up pair; but now I am like the New Balances – clean, pristine and lily white, without spot or blemish in the eyes of GOD. I studied the N and suddenly it became a new symbol. Instead of New Balance, suddenly it stood for New beginnings, New life, New purpose and a New creation. In that moment (as crazy as it sounds), my strength and hope returned. For in that instant, I remembered the only thing that truly matters. I AM A CHILD OF GOD! HALLELUJAH! PRAISE GOD! THANK YOU JESUS!
I can not be beaten by the devil or this world. Men of flesh cannot truly judge, or rather, misjudge me. They have no authority except that which was given them by GOD. I am not going to die in prison; I am going to live forever with the LORD. When it hit me, suddenly I felt foolish for the way I had been thinking and feeling. That HOLY SPIRIT got to flowing in me and suddenly I felt so good I nearly jumped for JOY, shouting praises to the ALMIGHTY GOD. I am not going to give up this fight. NO SIR! I will continue to struggle for freedom and equality for all people everywhere because in so doing, I am serving the Lord. GOD is not done with me. My work is not yet finished. My struggle not yet done. And so, I shall continue to march onward and upward, proclaiming the name of JESUS with every stride. Oh yes, it’s true – I am down, but by the glory of GOD, I am not out.
I want to talk specifically to all the angry people out there who are fed up with the system of racism and class-ism here in America. I understand how you feel. I feel your pain. We share the same frustrations. Hear me, please. Violence is not the answer. Killing people is not the answer. Fighting police officers, who are themselves victims of this wicked system, is not the answer. JESUS is the answer. He is the only answer. The more I study and ponder the Bible – and the older I get – the more I see the truth. JESUS is the only answer. If we all aspired to be like Him, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now. If we were all united in Him, there would be no more violence, no more death, no more hate and no more destruction. You are all right to be angry and fed up. GOD does not want us to be happy or content with evil. He wants us to rebel against it. He wants us to protest it and denounce it. He wants us to vocalize our resentment of evil, but not with hate – never with hate. He wants to fight haters with love and kindness. It’s okay to march on Washington or take to the streets, but do it with love. Let your anger be righteous anger. Dr. King learned a valuable lesson from JESUS. He learned that the best way to fight racism and injustice is by confronting the oppressor with the truth. Make him see how wicked and evil his practices are. He didn’t fight fire with fire; he fought it with cool water. He forced this nation to look at itself in the mirror. He refused to sit still and stand by while injustice plagued this country. The problem is that when he died, not enough people carried the torch of freedom and equality. Too many sat down too fast. Wonderful changes took place, but people gave up the fight too soon. In order to have meaningful, lasting change, the fight must never end. Evil must always remain an adversary in our hearts and minds. Dr. King stood on the principles and ideals of JESUS CHRIST and proved that they work, that they are the best way for us to live together as one people. We all need to take heed of the lessons that JESUS taught us. We as a people need to realize that His is the only way to live.
You want freedom? You want equality? You want love? JESUS is where to find it. Please open your eyes and see the truth.
I want to thank all of you who have supported me with cards and letters. I want all of you to know that your prayers are felt. I am truly blessed to have so much support. I would like all of you to say a prayer for Katie H. She is currently in a center for abused women. She reached out to me and I was very touched by her story. Please pray for her strength and well being. I encourage all of you who need prayer or someone to talk to, to reach out to me. Write me or use the form on the contact page. It would be my pleasure to hear from you and pray for you.
May God bless and keep you! May you enter the body of CHRIST and become undefeatable! May we all unite in CHRIST and stop the violence.
Love in Christ,
Randall
(a man who is undefeatable in CHRIST)