Don't Tell Me What's Impossible

Don't tell me what's impossible...

...when a religion that became euro-centric, to the point of justifying racial enslavement and oppression in an entire nation for hundreds of years, ended up becoming the hope, drive, and power of the very people it was aimed at to oppress.

Miracles do exist, let's not overlook them. Sometimes they don't look the way we want, but they exist.

...when after being a people exploited and oppressed for generations economically, socially, sexually, mentally, and physically by the leadership of white America, many blacks today choose to trust in Jesus Christ (the One preached to them by their oppressors) enough to follow Him into churches and assemblies of white leadership.*

...when 80 years after the "Sundown Laws" of Californian cities, black and white brothers and sisters in Christ are worshiping their Lord in the same churches.

So the next time slavery comes up in conversation and someone is told to "get over it," remember the impossible thing that many blacks have already done

Forgive.

#JustKeepinItReal cause #KeepinItQuietHelpsNoOne

Ran into -->this<-- while I was writing this post. I like it. You should read it. :D

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*I am aware of the fact that Christianity had already spread to Africa before the time of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade and that some African slaves who were taken were already believers. This would make their particular case of keeping the faith even more of a miracle. Imagine the injustices they had to experience from people that they were reborn to call "brother" and "sister."

A Gift of Knowledge?

I've been having some experiences that I've overlooked the importance of. Because I lacked the ability to comprehend what just went down, I haven't thought of them as such a big deal. It's possible though that they are the manifestation of a spiritual gift.

Sometimes, when people talk about spiritual gifts they tend to get carried away in all the categorization. I want to make sure that doesn't happen to me and by sharing this, hopefully it won't happen to you either. The fact is, if God has blessed you with the ability to empathize, receive wisdom, and teach, these gifts cannot and should not be separated in you.

God has specific purposes for all the gifts together that he blesses us with. He doesn't use these gifts, he uses you. Think of it this way:

It's not like you're collecting God's gifts in your possession and you whip out one when he tells you to. He uses the wholeness of who you are as his new creation to complete what he wishes through you. Your gifts are more like a color made from an RGB grid then puzzle pieces.

The empathizing, wise teacher for example could make an exceptional counselor where not everyone else with the gift of teaching would. When we look at it this way it increases the diversity of the body of Christ. There's not one right way to express the gift of teaching. There's not one right way to express the gift of prophesy. There's not one right way to express the gift of music. When we tend to separate these things in us into these nice and neat boxes we can loose sight of who God wants us to be individually. Plus, if you care more about explaining your gifts than actually functioning correctly in them, chances are your motives are compromised. But hey, that's the state of humanity and Jesus was killed and resurrected for us to be forgiven of it. As long as we repent, we're pretty good (sarcastic understatement, in case you didn't catch that).

But with that said, it is sometimes helpful to better understand who you are as a whole by seeking what things God may be stirring up in you separately.

Oh, look at that. I started preaching again. Can you guess what my gifts are? I dunno, they're pretty blended together, don't miss one, haha.

So the next time I get an out of body experience coupled with a revelation of truth, the next time I feel and understand but have issue explaining in words what I just received, the next time I can clearly see God's sovereignty over carnality as a present reality, I'll know not to ignore it (not that it's easy to). This is just what I've experienced for me. It probably sounds mystical, and for people that know me personally I'm not big on "overly spiritualizing" things. But God's opening me up, slowly but surely. I don't know how you function in the Spirit, but if you have Him, chances are you already are. You just might not have the eyes for it yet.