Enough!!!

 

Yesterday, a video seen in circulation across media outlets captured the murder of George Floyd, by a white Minneapolis police office. This video showed the moments where this police officer remained with his knee on George Floyd’s neck, as he lay pinned face down to the ground in handcuffs. George Floyd, who is an African-American man, repeatedly cried out “I can’t breathe”, and pleaded for his mother to help him. He remained pinned face down to the ground in handcuffs with the police officer’s knee to his neck. Tears flow and hearts break, as the video captures him now appearing motionless, still pinned face down to the ground in handcuffs.

Anger! Outrage! Sadness! Grief! Disappointment! Lament! TIRED…are just some of the emotions that arise, as a result of the murder of George Floyd, by a white police officer, seen in vast circulation across media outlets.  A great racial divide is once again brought to surface in America. When will this breach stop? When will this trauma end? When will racial reconciliation begin? COVID-19 isn’t the most dangerous virus that currently plagues America. The evil delusion of racial injustice that flows from racial hatred is a virus of the soul that has plagued America for generations. It is a generational virus that requires a healing that only God can bring and requires a work towards reconciliation that BOTH sides of the injustice must take.

It is with the strength of God that a FIGHT in me still rises that will NOT give up. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow”. ( Isaiah 1:17 NIV). This CANNOT be a one-sided fight, a one-sided work, or a one-sided voice! This fight, work, voice has GOT to cross racial lines. It’s a NEED and a MUST!!

This morning, a good friend of mine, who is in the trenches of trauma healing and reconciliation, shared a great work with me. So…in her sharing, I would like to invite my white sisters and brothers to join brown sisters and brothers in the fight, the work, the voice against racial injustice and the fight, the work, the voice towards racial reconciliation. Quest movement (www.questmovement.com) and The Trauma Healing Institute (www.thi.americanbible.org) have partnered together to create, train, and facilitate GENERATIONAL TRAUMA HEALING: THE BLACK AND WHITE EXPERIENCE. 

These small, intimate, healing groups provide a transparent space to look at your own biases, have the HARD but NEEDED conversations that inspect the trauma, shame, guilt, and wounds that racism and injustice have left on BOTH SIDES. This is a great triage and first aid step to to the soul healing and racial reconciliation that is needed. THIS IS THE TIME! This CANNOT be a one-sided fight, a one-sided work, or a one-sided voice! This fight, work, and voice has GOT to cross racial lines. It’s a NEED and a MUST!!

For more information about these generational trauma healing groups, please email: info@renovatehers.com

 

©2020 Hawa Johnson. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions in your e-mail at http://www.livingempoweredblog.wordpress.com

 

Command Faith NOT Fear

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified or afraid because of them; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

 
The Bible is very clear about God commanding us not to fear. God doesn’t say “try not to fear”, but He emphatically commands us NOT to fear. Why? God, in His loving wisdom, fore-knows that there will be conditions, circumstances, and challenges that we WILL face that will cause us to tremble and fear. In Isaiah 41:10, God says: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” God gives us both a command and this PROMISE before we even face our difficult circumstances that will cause us to fear. He assures us that He is eternally with us, to provide His strength and His help. If the God of all creation, rich in power, grande in strength, splendid in grace is with us, what are we afraid of?

The recent presidential election in the United States has caused great fear from those who do not have a relationship with God AND from those who do have a relationship with Him. Words have been spoken, such as “I am afraid for my children”, “I am afraid that we are re-living the 1960s”, “I am afraid of this new president” “I am afraid we’re not safe”, “I am afraid our freedoms will be taken away”, “I am afraid for this nation”. We have declared defeat and accepted the enemy’s lie greater than the truth of God’s assured promise to us. We have projected fear, accepting that which is contrary to the promise God has given to all those that have a relationship with Him.

Know that fear is contrary to God’s command of faith! God promised us safety, liberty, and victory regardless of who sits in the office of president; regardless of what challenges we face; regardless of who stands to block us. Our faith lies in a God who assures us victory, not in a circumstance that encourages us to fear! Fear activates the enemy, while faith activates God. It is faith that God responds to, while fear is what the enemy responds to. Whose response do we really want?

In these challenging times, we must be emboldened to project faith not fear, to activate a response from God to our current circumstance. “For without faith it is impossible to walk with God and please Him, for whoever comes near to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that He rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek Him. (‭HEBREWS‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ AMP). We have whatever we say! Therefore, we must speak faith, “God is greater than any circumstance. God is stronger than any obstacle we are facing.  God is our strong tower. The righteous run to Him and we are safe! Our children are covered and protected by God! In God, we are eternally free and nothing can ever change this truth!”

I have heard that “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. (Martin Luther King, Jr.) Will faith in God or fear of our current circumstance stand now in us? This is the perfect time to command our faith in God to stand!

Reflection:

1. What are you afraid of?
2. Have you shared your fears with God?
3. What is God’s response to your fears?

©2016 Hawa Johnson. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions in your e-mail at http://www.livingempoweredblog.wordpress.com.