Rise Up, Walk!

John 5:8 "Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk"."

Have you had a bad day, week, or month lately? Would you believe that some people (races, cultures, countries, etc.) have had bad years for a countless number of years? So, don't take it personal and don't be discouraged just hold on to the vision God has given us and trust the process He is taking us through. The tougher the battle the greater the victory. Jesus has commanded us to get up out of our slum and keep going. 

Now let's take a look at this scripture. Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Bethesda pool where sick people lay (the blind, lame, and paralyzed) waiting for healing. Why are they there for healing? An angel will come down stirring up the water, whomever gets in the water first following the movement is healed from their disease. Now when I read this God revealed to me that this is what we are experiencing today in our country; people who are blinded by the ideals of hate which pathetically lacks in effectiveness of our country's attempt to move forward thus paralyzing us in a state of segregation. Just like these sick people in Bethesda we (Americans) are waiting for something to come along and change the ill state that we are in. Our country has experienced many "diseases" over its history most of which have been made well but this one disease, racism, still persists. We've pacified it, but we've not yet been able to move it to the pool for healing. Here Jesus asked the paralyzed man "Do you want to be made well"? The mans response is basically "of course I do, but I can't do it alone. Every time I try to go someone else beats me there".  Now our question today is "Do we want our country healed of hate/racism?" Most would answer "of course we do, but we can't do it alone. Every time we address the issue something else that is seemingly more important redirects the attention of the people". 

It is often said that we take one step forward only to be knocked back two steps. In essence that is how I felt as I watched video of the Ku Klux Klan showcase the hate that they have harbored in their hearts since the end of the civil war. Hate that has been passed from generation to generation. Well what do we do about that? We pray. We stand in love. We stand in Christ and we continue to walk in our purpose. As cliche as this may be they hated Jesus. They spewed out hateful words at Him. They beat Him. They wrongfully accused Him yet He had the power to overcome it without deterring from the assignment that the Father had given Him. Today we have that same power, knowledge, and wisdom to move our country forward in love. Our currency says "In God We Trust" which means we have to trust the process that He's taking us through to make the vision of equality a reality.

#FearlessFAITH #RiseUP #WeStandInLove