In light of the current racial tension across the United States, as well as the timing and conclusion of Black History Month. I would like to touch on a controversial topic a little different than my usual posts, it is a little long but I hope you will take the time to read it in its entirety.

Disclaimer: I am not generalizing all white people, just the people who fit the profile of a bigot.

The Suffering of a People and the Answer to Their Relief

Isaiah 58:1

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and shew my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins.

Nina Simone

I watched a documentary of the singer, pianist and activist Nina Simone, a very talented brilliant woman. I didn't know much about Nina Simone, I heard her name mentioned in passing, but I didn't know anything about her life or her music. When the documentary, entitled "What Happened, Miss Simone?" was over,  all I could think of is her story is so very common for all of us in this society as black people trying to navigate in a world where white supremacy exists for us on a daily basis. For African Americans, it is a very real concept that is dismissed and often played down by some White Americans, as a figment of our imagination or dismissed as black people always complaining and making excuses why our life is so bad. So the easier solution becomes,

"If you don't like it why don't you leave?" Or the very popular "Why don't you go back to Africa!" 

I feel for some white people those words make it easier to delegate responsibility back onto the oppressed rather than accept the real truth. After all, isn’t that the psychological escape that most abusers used when being accused of the abuse?  I imagined the era in which Nina Simone lived, the time of my parents and my grandparents, can only be experienced to get the full magnitude of what it must have been like to live under such wicked oppression.

I see the volatile state we are in now and although, it appears to me since the election and presidency of Barack Obama, this country has backslid into the same atmosphere as it was in those tumultuous times.

I wonder if it ever left. Was it an oozing sore that festered below the surface until the right conditions caused it to spew forth the infection of racism and hatred we are now witness to in the media and in our daily lives?

As I watched the turmoil of African American's in Nina Simone's time and what I'm witnessing now, there hasn't been much change, sure we can move around freely. There is no "for colored only" signs and separate water fountains to drink from, but the attitudes, the arrogance, the disdain for African Americans in this country is still very much alive and simmering like a pot of boiling hot water that threatens the very fabric of a nation that is supposed to be built on civility to all human beings. Yet it has never been quite true for all Americans, has it? And therein has always been the problem for those who don't measured up to the ideal of being quite "white" enough, to be accepted in this society along with the same privileges as our white skin counterparts. What this documentary proves to me is that no matter what the social status of a minority is the treatment will always be the same.

The struggle for civil liberties and the right to be treated as a human being will always be the same and the cost to co exists under these conditions has been a detriment to the mental and physical well-being of black people since the introduction of slavery in this country. As I look at the state of our people, study our history, study white history it is very plain to see for me that there is a larger spiritual force behind our oppression and I've come to learn that whether we as a people are wealthy, middle class or poor, there is a game to be played to maintain the status quo of living in this society and when we don't go along to get along the price to pay is high. The most obvious examples are the high profile African American celebrities, actors, athletes, musicians etc., in the public eye who have lost their life or careers under the pressures of fitting in. The destruction of our people is very obvious in our communities, the family structure, the chaotic mentality of some of our young people, the damage of a government system designed towards keeping a people in poverty. These calamities are happening to us by design and as I watched the story of Nina Simone, the story of Michael Jackson, the story of Whitney Huston, the story of Bobby Kristina, the list goes on celebrity and common people alike. The countless stories of urban crime, drug use epidemics, diseases, mental illness, privatize prison systems for minority men and women, the gun deaths by police and the unconscious genocide of our young men to each other in our communities I wondered.....why is this happening to us?

Well, there are answers that most of us may not be ready to accept, understand or even to believe, but it is the truth based on bible scriptures and if you want to confirm the information through your own research... you will find the truth out for yourself. The answers specifically as it pertains to us “my people” are in the bible. A book most of us barely pick up, including me at one time. It is now my constant companion and because of what I know now, its importance is literally the "light" that shines "the way". because what is inside those pages is "our" history."

So what do the scriptures tell us?

We have always been a hardheaded, stubborn people....

Ezekiel 3:7

 But The House of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they have not hearkened unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardheaded.

We were always determined to do what we wanted to do regardless of the consequences and we don't have a clue who we are.

Isaiah 1:3

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

What did The Most High mean, when He said Israel rebelled against Him?

Isaiah 1:4

Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

What specifically did Israel do?

Daniel 9:11

Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

How did The Most High Punish Israel?

Ezekiel 39:23-24

And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.

According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.

Who are the enemies, The Most High turned Israel over to?

Deuteronomy 28:49-59

The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand,

a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young

For Israel's disobedience and transgressions of the law, The Most High, curses Israel.

Deuteronomy 28:15

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

See if you recognize any of these curses that apply to our people... (All verses and more are in Deuteronomy 28, you can read the whole chapter at your convenience.)

Deuteronomy 28:16-17

16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store

19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

20 The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. (Vexation; frustration)

21 The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. (Pestilence; diseases)

22 The Lord shall smite thee with consumptions, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. (Consumption: wasting away of body through disease)

25 The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. (Smitten; afflicted/to cause pain and suffering)

28 The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: (astonishment; desolation or destruction)

29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee. (a byword; a nigger, sambo, jungle monkey, etc)

Zechariah 11:5

Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

These are just some of the curses, do they sound familiar? Does it not seem, that some of us are struck with madness, others full of rage, fear, frustration, high percentages are dying of stress-related diseases, cancer, diabetes, etc., heart attacks, stroke, poverty, unemployment? And yes, we are persistently killed and the perpetrators are found not guilty! Our Shephards are the so-called righteous leaders of our people in spiritual matters, is there a public outcry? A public rubuke  of the community crime, murder and oppression against our people? For the most part there is silence in the church when it comes to the plight of our people in this country, against the evil that plague us daily. There is a lot happening to cry aloud for. Does your pastor spiritually prepare you for what is to come against our people in these last days? Why this is happening to us?You should know....it's all in the scriptures!

How will Israel be punished?

Jeremiah 16:13

13 Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.

Deuteronomy 28:68

68 And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

 (Egypt means bondage), (buy means save)

What other people were brought to other lands by ship to be slaves?

NO MAN SHALL BUY YOU!

Not Marcus Garvey! Not MLK, Not Malcom X, Not Obama...No MAN!

SO, the most important question other than your salvation! Is who are you?

When the Arabs advertise other nations for slaves, they called the Israelites'

"The people of the book."

Deuteronomy 26:17-19

"You have today declared the LORD to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice. "The LORD has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken."

1 Kings 8:53

"For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord GOD."

Isaiah 41:8

"But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend,

So now, you know who you are and why you suffer. I know you have known, just as I have before I understood, how influential and talented we are in this world. The question is why?

We are His chosen people and until we get ourselves together and recognize who The Most High is and His son, we will continue being a cursed people.

If you need further evidence Yah chose you over other nations, below the scripture says He will punish you first for the wrong you do. Until we get it together, we will continually be plagued with the hardships that have persisted upon us from then to this day.

Amos 3:2

3 Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,

2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

 The Most High punishes Israel because the covenant was made with Israel, not with any other nation and Israel broke the covenant by transgression (sin) of the laws.

This is what The Most High wants us to do. We are to be the light of The Most High and lead the other nations back to HIM.

1 Chronicles 17:20-21

"O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. "And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make You a name by great and terrible things, in driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt?

2 Chronicles 7:14King James Version (KJV)

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

I know there are some of you who are familiar with the many powerful miracles performed in the Old Testament for those who believe, from Joshua and his army having faith in Yah to knock down the walls of Jericho to Moses's faith when Yah parted the sea. These miracles were done to show the power and glory of The Most High through his servants, who believe in Him. We have to have that same faith to believe that He is our one true God and those same miracles He can do for us in these troubling times ahead. I pray that His spirit touches those who believe and have faith to Hearken to His voice in this message. I have a genuine love for all people who have a righteous heart, especially my people and we have suffered long enough, it is time to turn towards the one who loves us most unconditionally, believe in Him and His son who died on the stake for our sins so that we might be redeemed and come home where we belong......we've been away from His spirit and covenant for far too long. Once we come home, the world and the other nations will follow us and know the name of Yah, our God and His son! Some Gentiles already know!  (Check out videos on you tube where other nations tell you who you are!)

Isaiah 14:1-7

1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

5 The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.

6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.

Shalom