My heart is heavy as I begin to write this. Words cannot even explain how my heart and soul ache for my fellow brothers and sisters. I just want the merciless killing to stop! Every year, we lose hundreds and thousands of precious lives to violence. When did it become acceptable to end a life without a second thought? To celebrate killing? According to Gizmodo, 300 million photos are uploaded to Facebook every day and TechCrunch reports 8 billion daily video views a day. How many of these photos or videos are promoting violence? It’s time to end it! I remember a time when it was an atrocity for those types of videos to be posted! How do we expect to end violence and segregation if we are constantly filling our heads with all this garbage! If we truly want to make a difference in our world and community, it has to start with OUR hearts and minds!
“Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you’re out of options, when the pain is great – and you turn to God alone.” - Rick Warren
“My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways,” – Proverbs 23:26
If we are to truly love one another, we must first give our heart to God. How are we to show love when we do not know love. True love comes from the Father, because he first loved us. I believe this is the most vital step in stopping everything, we as people have to turn back to God. We have to deny ourselves and our fleshly desires, give up what we want for what God wants. We need to pray for a revival of our nation but we first need to pray for a revival of our hearts! Let’s get on our knees before the heavenly father and seek His will! We must decrease so He can increase!
"Revival is not just an emotional touch; it's a complete takeover!" - Nancy Leigh DeMoss
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:1-2 ESV
Our mind is such a precious thing. We all too often take it for granted. Just as we have to give our heart to God, we must also give our mind. We have to “renew” our mind and get rid of all the garbage! We cannot break down the barriers between us if we are filling our minds with preconceived notions about one another. If our minds are focused on God 100 percent, we won’t have time to focus on our differences. It will no longer matter whether we are black or white, Asian or American, Methodist or Baptist. When we are God’s children, that is all we need to see. We HAVE to renew our mind daily!
“At present we are on the outside… the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the pleasures we see. But all the pages of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get “in”… We will put on glory… that greater glory of which Nature is only the first sketch.” – C.S. Lewis
One thing we must remember: our hope is not here in this world. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Not matter what happens, we can rest assured in Him.
