Tag Archive: Black Americans


Frequently, one of the lessons in Sunday School classes would pose the question,

“If the law of the land was contrary to the law or will of God, which would you obey; the laws of God or the laws of man?”

Looking back at the Supreme Court reversal on baby killings (June 24, 2022), it occurred to me that throughout the years, some local churches faced that decision. Though many fervently prayed and relentlessly protested, unfortunately (for millions of babies), too many local churches, in their silence, failed the test. We always said we would obey God, but too many corner churches left that lesson on the pages of the Sunday School textbooks.

In the beginning, self-proclaimed leaders of the Black community vehemently cried out in protest

SHWYPfrontCVR12-6-18

(https://nypost.com/1999/10/10/the-racist-roots-of-pro-abortionists/ ). They have since changed their tune. Choosing money and position (Matthew 26:15), they loudly support baby killing over obeying God’s law (Exodus 20:13).

There are many events told in the Bible; like Daniel praying in plain view (Daniel 6:11) though it was unlawful, three Hebrew boys standing (Daniel 3:17) rather than obeying the law of bowing before the government’s graven image, and the time Pharaoh ordered midwives to kill the Hebrew baby boys upon their birth, but the midwives chose to obey (Exodus 1:17) God’s law rather than Pharaoh’s law. I think that at times we “Christians” have sadly treated those examples as enriching readings of no relevance today.

Josephus recounted in Jewish Antiquities 18:3 the time that the Romans occupied Jerusalem. One night, Pilate rolled into Jerusalem erecting the ensign of Caesar. The Jews made an outcry that it be removed because it was against Jewish law. Pilate refused. So, the people protested relentlessly. Pilate threatened to kill them all if they continued their protest. Here we had a dispute between the government and their law with the Jews and God’s law (the Sunday School lesson come to life). As the Roman soldiers surrounded them with drawn swords, at Pilate’s threat to kill them, they did an extraordinary thing. They all lay on the ground and exposed their necks, giving the Roman soldiers a clear view for the blades of their swords. Rather than accommodating the laws of government, they preferred death over breaking the law of God. Wow!

It may pale in comparison, but when the southern government said that it was unlawful for Black Americans to eat at the same lunch counter as White Americans, or it was unlawful for them to position themselves first in line or sit in the front of the bus, the ministers and the congregations relentlessly publicly protested. They had prayer meetings, staged sit-ins at lunch counters, and faced firing, jail, and some even death. But when the government said that it was unlawful to pray in the schools, unlike Daniel, too many ministers and churches were silent.

I had a disturbing dream one morning. In the dream, people had assembled in a Bible study classroom. The minister was trying to teach us how to survive our captivity and be comfortable in an anti-Christ ruling administration. Finding it unacceptable, I began running and fleeing the area. As ghastly demonic beings chased me, they collapsed. They no longer had breath in them. I yelled back to those still in the classroom,

“This is How You Defeat Them! They Have No Breath!”

The dream was disturbing because, sadly, that is the attitude of some ministers in the corner churches. They teach their congregation how to be comfortable with ungodly laws rather than resist them.

I don’t know if many of us would be as brave as the midwives in Egypt or Daniel facing the lion’s den, the three Hebrew boys facing a fiery furnace (you might say that they staged a stand-in), or those who exposed their necks to the Roman soldiers. Heaven knows how many ungodly laws we all obey and have obeyed without protest. We face a dilemma today, and the stark-naked truth is that too many of us don’t give enough thought to whether “we or government laws” offend God. Some of us choose where we stand, based on church leadership, popularity, culture, traditions, trends, or whether we maintain our lucrative status or position. Sadly, religion has quietly, softly taught us a life of submission to the ungodly rather than resistance (James 4:7). Consequently, many end up not only obeying but also defending unrighteous laws though offensive to God.

We can and should repent and give God thanks for His grace. It truly is as Jesus expressed.

“…for we know not what we do. (Luke 23:34).”

Thankfully, He is faithful to forgive us (1John 1:9).

When did pulpits suddenly go silent about abominable unrighteous laws or decisions? Tiptoeing around the issues, religious pastors’ passive sermons leave their congregation ignorant and with no apparent reason to actively resist evil laws. There is one thing we can do and are doing without much deliberation: pray. We can each bombard heaven with our prayers for righteousness and justice.

Something Happens When You Pray. Daniel prayed and emerged from the lion’s den unharmed, and his enemies perished instead. Isn’t it obvious why the government doesn’t want you or your kids to publicly pray in government-run schools? Things change and enemies of righteousness and the unrighteous perish when the righteous and the children of the righteous pray. If we at least do that, we change things; nationally and locally. Friday, June 24, 2022, is a day that exemplifies what resistance and prayer, individually and collectively, can do.

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  James 5:16

That’s Today’s Single Focus

Keys

by DJ Martin (SingleFocus Ministry®)

Have you noticed that you really don’t appreciate the value of keys until you need them and don’t have them or you’ve lost them?

Take Adam, in the Garden of Eden, for example. Adam was in charge.  He ruled the world. He held the keys! He walked and talked with the Creator God who said that whatever Adam called it, that’s what it would be (Genesis 2:19). He was free to enjoy everything in the world except the fruit of one tree (Genesis 2:16).  But, when he and Eve, his wife, fell for the cunning deceit of the devil (Genesis 3:1), that one tree became his downfall.  He traded ruling the world; enjoying all the richest and fullness thereof; and close relationship with the powerful creator of the world for the fulfillment of a desire for the fruit of one tree. He allowed the word of God to become debatable (Genesis 3:1-4)…As a result; he gave up his authority and turned the keys over to the devil. All because he ate from the one and only tree he was cautioned against. One tree…!

Esau, the oldest of parental twins, held the keys of the blessings of Isaac, his father; he had the birthright. After his father’s demise, Esau would become the lord over Jacob, his brother; everyone and everything that Isaac had. He would also enjoy all the richest and pleasures that came with it.  Jacob and Esau were the classic example of sibling rivalry.  Jacob was a serious-minded con who had a great appreciation for the value of things, like the birthright…but he didn’t have the keys! Esau was a macho man.  He was rugged, outdoorsy and adventurous.  While Jacob stayed around his mother and close to home, Esau would be out challenging the wild kingdom. One day he returned famished from one of his adventures.  Esau was so hungry that he thought he would die!  Jacob, a good cook, was cooking on this particular day.  Esau pleaded with Jacob and bargained with his brother for a bowl of soup.  Recognizing his hunger, Jacob cunningly asked his brother to trade his birthright for one bowl of soup (Genesis 25:31)…and he did.  Esau, who didn’t take it seriously (until he needed it), traded his blessing (Hebrews 12:16), his right to rule and right to enjoy all the pleasures that came with rule for one bowl of soup! Unwittingly, Esau gave Jacob the keys to his birthright, his blessing; for one bowl of soup. One bowl…!

There was a time when ‘Black Americans’ had no keys. They had no rule and were denied a birthright. They have come a long way from the bondage of slavery, because of great men like the ‘White American’ and Republican politician, Abraham Lincoln, who gained position to turn the injustice around…and he did!  Thousands of ‘White Americans’ shed their blood for slaves to be unshackled and given keys of freedom from bondage.  However, after conceding that they should be free, half of the country reserved their privilege of being equal.  Though emancipated and given the keys of freedom, they continued to be treated like they were when they were slaves.  They didn’t make them work for nothing, but they withheld keys of dignity and rule. They couldn’t live in the same neighborhood; they couldn’t vote; or go to the same church. They were no longer slaves by the law of the land, but they were conditioned to live within the slave mentality.

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. expressed that his dream was that man would be judged not by the color of his skin, but by the depth of his character. The problem was that in half the country, the character of a ‘Black American’ man was shredded. American children of all ethnicity were taught that the ‘Black American’ man was lazy, criminal and deserving of no respect as a fellow human being; unable to rule and undeserving of the keys. Then they positioned and conditioned him to fulfill the caricature.  Like a generational curse, they wouldn’t give him a lucrative job or distinguish position, because of the color of his skin; and then they boxed him in so that he would have to leave his family so that the wife could collect governmental provision, like food stamps and welfare checks. And he always called the White American’ man “Boss”; a reminder that he was free, but not equal…he could not rule!  Rather than give them keys to economic viability, they cunningly tore up the Black American Family and made many of them wards of the state. But the ‘Black American’ Churches and their Pastors, recognizing the value, began to head up the fight to grab hold of the keys…and they did! Brave men and women like Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. eventually changed things.  Then visual reminders of the slave mentality, like “Colored only” signs, began to come down and ‘Black Americans’ in all the country were able to vote and be elected without restrictions. They were given the keys of rule.

Christ told the church that he has given them the keys (Matthew 16:19) of the kingdom… However, where the ‘Black American’ Churches took hold of the God-given keys of freedom and rule, too many of them turned over their keys to the politicians who were primarily on ‘one side of the political ticket’.  Forgetting that God gave them the keys, ‘Black American’ Pastors developed and continued the habit of allowing politicians to stand in their pulpits; and every election time, their congregation obediently voted for any and every politician that was allowed in their pulpit. The character of a man and God’s view on the matter began to be less important than their ethnicity, political affiliation and the pleasurable sound of cunning words promising governmental provision for all their wants.  Even though; it was that ‘one side of the political ticket’ politicians who stood on the steps and said they would not integrate their schools and were former KKK leaders and members who withheld the keys, noticeably, national ‘Black American’ politicians, from that ‘one side of the political ticket’ (in general) started speaking their slave mentality language at every election: “Vote for me, the other guy will not give you provision, because of ethnic and social bias.”  Disgracefully, former ‘Civil Rights’ leaders are accepting pay from the ‘Boss’ to say what the ‘Boss’ says to say to the ‘Black American’ constituency…and many call themselves “Reverend.”  When you have once powerful preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ preaching the doctrine of politicians every Sunday morning and at funerals too, apparently somebody traded their keys for a con (Luke 11:52).  Jesus said He knows what you need, but seek His kingdom and righteousness first and all these things will be added to you (Matthew6:33); what you need He will provide! He gave you the keys! Somewhere along the way, too many ‘Black American’ politicians have traded concern for ‘Black Americans’ to not mentally live as slaves for their own personal desire for worldly riches…And you can tell that they are cunning their ‘Black American’ constituency, because every election time, they have that same theme “ethnic and social economic bias” (Genesis 3:5) and God’s view is debatable (Genesis 3:1-4). Unwittingly, too many Pastors and their churches have traded their keys of the kingdom for their bondage to the government(Luke 4:5-8).  They are being conned by the devil, and his cons come in all colors; just like the colorful snake in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1).

Landlords rent out houses or apartments and every once in a while they have to take back the keys and make the tenant vacate the property, because of their property destruction, continuous tardiness or not paying the rent. How long have the same politicians been given the keys, yet instead of building up the Family they are helping the destruction of it and now supporting the redefinition of marriage and the infanticide of ‘Black American’ babies? They have been in office for decades and the issue is still the same…could it be time to take back the keys?  I’m not saying that they shouldn’t participate in the voting process, but I am saying that it’s time to give the keys to those who have a desire to make you economically viable; restore the family; value you as a human being and not as a con’s “mark”; and not consider the word of God debatable! It seems to me, that the same ‘one side of the political ticket’ that institutionalized bigotry and denied their right to rule (withholding the keys) is still exercising bias, boxing them in with cunning and disguised words promising all their provisions while killing their babies and destroying their families; enslaving the minds of ‘Black Americans’…stealing their birthright (Luke 11:52).  Maybe we should take a closer look at the character of a man and not his ethnicity, social economic status and/or political affiliation.  I’m just saying that maybe we need to take back the keys!

Now that they have kept the Black American Family tore up (72 percent of ‘Black American’ children are in a single parent household.*) and unemployed (14.4% of the unemployed are ‘Black Americans’ **); the cunning ‘one side of the political ticket’ politicians are talking class bigotry. I do not resent my neighbors (of all ethnicities) down the street who have keys to million dollar homes and top of the line automobiles.  I try to find out how they did it and seek the glory of God as I follow the process of hard work and faith, because I want keys like that.  Let’s face it; even though the politicians have it, they don’t intend on helping ‘Black American’ ‘wards of the state’ to get it (Beware of holes in fences. People don’t naturally come into America to be enslaved, but to be free…)! Furthermore, we aren’t employed by the poor…I thank God for the rich who have employed me!

Surely (as some already have) all will break away from mental and fiscal governmental dependency, enslavement and idolatry; cease from being conned and recognize the value of the keys; because the Creator created all men to rule and be free… it’s our ‘birthright’!  As truth is revealed, it’s clear that it’s time to take the keys back! Jesus says the truth will set you free (John 8:32). “Whom the Son set’s free is free indeed (John 8:36).”  That’s where you start taking the keys back: knowing the truth and the value of the keys!  Christ is truth and light! Let Christ set you free! That’s why He died on the cross (John 19:18) for you and me. If you know Christ as your personal Savior, consider His point of view as non-debatable (He cannot lie (Titus 1:2 )) and as more valuable than ethnic and political points of views or desire for gain.  Politicians are saying, “vote for me and let me feed and clothe you; let me decide how and whether you live or die according to your ethnicity, social economic status and /or political affiliation.” God says that “I am all that you need. I am your provider (Philippians 4:19); I will give you ‘life’ and life more abundantly (John 10:10)!” Make a decision to value the keys and seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and “all these things will be added to you (Mathew 6:33 )!”  Let God be your governing authority, your source…your provider!

God created and gifted each one of us with a purpose (2 Timothy 1:9). That purpose is not to be beggars or wards of the government, but free to use our gifts and prosper from it and He provides all that we need! He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10) and all things were made by Him (John 1:3)! Let God be your one source and He will give you abundant life, no matter your ethnicity or social economic status! He has the keys! Which king, president, prime minister, reverend or politician has recently volunteered to be beaten and die to give us the keys…? Christ did (John 3:16)! He loved us so much that He volunteered to be beaten; to be bound to a wooden cross and to die so that we could have the keys of freedom, rule, blessings and everlasting life… no matter our ethnicity, social economic status or political affiliation. He died so that we could have a close relationship with the mighty God and enjoy all the pleasures that come with it!

Before you allow yourself to be conned out of valuable keys for one tree; for one bowl of soup; or one governmental provision; for one bag of richest; or one distinguish position; for one ethnicity; or one desire; for one …think! “Are you trading your close relationship with the Almighty God and all the pleasures and riches that come with it; Are you trading your ‘birthright’, your blessings, your freedom; are you trading your keys…for one (Hebrews 12:16) ?”  Look at what Christ wants to freely put into our hands…the priceless keys of the kingdom…!

You see, with the keys, whatever you call it, that’s what it will be…!

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

Keys….

That’s Today’s Single Focus…

see my original creative gift ideas:  http://www.zazzle.com/dmartinpub/?pg=1#homeProducts

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References:

http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=keys&t=KJV

*http://newsone.com/1195075/children-single-parents-u-s-american/

**www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/06/news/economy/black-unemployment-rate/

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