Strong Man Of God Blog

            The real fear and depth of pathos in the face of 12 year-old black American Keedron Bryant as he sings the song his mother wrote, I Just Wanna Live, overwhelmed my heart along with many others as it went viral and global in the days immediately following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis, MN police officer back on May 25^th this year.  And while I cannot speak for Keedron’s feelings, in it for me was not just the Floyd murder, but the repeated killings of black American males in the news across America since I can remember in over sixty years of living not only by the police and white citizens, but other black males in predominance as I have written about in other posts.¹

            I write to Keedron, my own progeny and every black child now, and to come in this 21^st century with a word of encouragement from the Lord!  First, Keedron, know your mother’s song expresses the heartfelt prayer our forefathers had in slavery God has already answered for those willing to believe.  For while a relative few slaves thought to liberate themselves through violent uprisings, those that had become Christians in larger numbers decided to put their faith in and wait on God who had allowed their plight and would in His timing, set them free which He did (Psalm 107:10-16).²  Their faith in God brought them and its legacy the Christians that have followed through much suffering!³

            Second, know that God in Jesus Christ, His Son, has already answered your prayer for freedom from fear of death and to live in peace in spite of what is going on all around you.  You are right to believe you should not have to live in fear and feel like prey from any source much less those of your “kind,” officers as sworn agents of God and men to uphold the law or fellow citizens.  But the one who really wants you to live in fear for your life is not human.  He is the devil, one of God’s fallen angels who hates Him and mankind.  He works through sinful persons from all walks of life to hurt and destroy as many as he can unlike Jesus (John 8:44, 10:10-11; Ephesians 6:12; 1 John 5:19).

            Making the Lord Jesus your Shepherd assures His protection on this earth to the extent He wills since out of love for Him, we as His sheep are already prepared for the slaughter; living as though we have already died in Him who raises us from the dead to live with Him forever (Psalms 23, 44:22, 118:6; Romans 6:1-8, 8:31-39)!  Also, He gives us His peace, the peace of God so that we do not have to live in fear of man or anything else of this world (Isaiah 26:3; John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-7).  Too, we are to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might;” putting on all of the “whole armor” He has given to stand while we purposely live holy (Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 John 5:18, NKJV).

            Finally, once more the Lord has already answered your emotion laden prayer in song through Israel’s king David who over three thousand years ago made many of his divinely inspired prayers Psalms for all to read in the Bible.  To those in Israel similarly oppressed, troubled by and living in worrisome fear of those doing evil, he wrote encouragement in Psalm 37:1-11 we can take hold of.  His key points are not to worry about those who do evil or practice things clearly forbidden by God because they will not long endure (vs. 1-2).  Instead, “trust,” “delight yourself also in” and “commit your way to the Lord,” (vs. 3-6, NKJV).  “Rest in” “and wait patiently for Him” as well (vs. 7, NKJV).

            Furthermore, along with ceasing from worry, do not be continually angry and bitter as are many of your “kind” that destroy themselves and others as victims or again, worry about evildoing racists with or without police badges.  God is going to deal with them, but anger, bitterness and worry harms you (vs. 8-9a, 10)!  Therefore, let these destructive emotions go through faith, forgiveness and hope in the promises of God “who cannot lie,” (Habakkuk 2:4; Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32; Titus 1:1-3, NKJV).  Among the promises God has made to all David calls “the meek” is that we “shall inherit the earth” and enjoy an “abundance of peace,” (vs. 9b, 11, NKJV).⁴  God will take this present world away from evildoers, reverse the way it works and give it to us, His saints to rule under Christ!

            Indeed, teaching His disciples in first century Israel the Lord Jesus affirms God’s promise made a thousand years earlier through David declaring: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” (Matthew 5:5, NKJV).  The Lord comes to the stunning promise of future reversal in favor of those that humbly serve God now, after acknowledging how they first came from having poverty of spirit and continual grief through the wicked works of evildoers as well as their own sins (Matthew 5:3-4, NKJV).  But God begins the process of reversal right now, through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to save us from our sins and resurrection from the dead; assuring the Kingdom we wait for comes to earth, His forgiveness and eternal life are available to all in the meantime (John 3:1-8; Acts 2:36-39).

1 See  the  August 12, 2018 post, Curtailing Gang Violence, under the category, Call To Repent and its follow up, August 19, 2018, Valuing Human Life, under the cate-

   gory, Biblical Worldview.

2 Read  the  two-part  post  beginning June 2, 2019, Message From A Redeemed Black Man, under the category, Biblical Worldview.  Be sure to also visit our Ministry’s

   Web Site dedicated to the cause of presenting a biblical worldview of the black American experience, https://fromslaverytovictory.org.

3 The legacy of faith our Christian slave forefathers left us is embodied in their simple, and deeply emotive “Spirituals” (which I Just Wanna Live harkens back to); those

   Christian black Americans thereafter in most forms of their Gospel Music to this present day!

4 To  be  meek  is  not to be weak, cowardly or an “Uncle Tom” as negatively defined by many black Americans (read the biblical worldview of this fictional character the

   Lord  led  me  to present on our From Slavery To Victory Education Project Web Site).  Meekness is the willful choice by aspiring strong men and great women of God

   to  walk  in Christ’s humility as a Lamb and His strength under control as a Lion.  I give this instruction as the Lord leads in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To

   Basics.  It is an excellent resource for godly parents to use in teaching and mentoring their children into biblical man or womanhood as they near their teen years. Get

   a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).  You can also

   purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.

            I wrote the following on my salary fundraising campaign platform back on March 19, 2020.  “During this very difficult moment in our world and nation’s history, my heart goes out above all to those actually sickened in the Coronavirus global pandemic and laborers like myself facing layoff.  I am doing as I urge you to do if you are a Christian: stand in confident assurance (faith) praying for God’s already prepared provision and protection during events such as this He has brought or permitted that will become common going forward until the Day of the Lord and Christ’s return (Psalm 33:18-22)!”  Nothing in time with the Lord or Bible study since has convinced me of a need to repent.

            The same goes for this statement I wrote at the time that followed: “Now, I know far too many that profess to be Christians do not want to hear talk like that because they are so deeply rooted in this world, their routines, life plans and dreams.”  I get it.  I was already walking and continue to walk by faith in God for my salary; layoff looming on the horizon without His provision (Philippians 4:19).  Too, like everyone else I have had plans, engagements and commitments cancelled; my routines altered.  Only my dreams of Him have been untouched since they are firmly rooted not in this world, but the Lord and His Kingdom; His calling, gifting and ministry!

            As is popular, but not biblical today in much of professing Christianity, at no time during my surrender or after did I get to go to the Lord and dictate personal dreams I wanted His help to fulfill without rejection by Him.   Instead, when I surrendered to the Lord, He began to speak His will to me in accord with the spiritual gifts He gave needed to do it as it is written in His Word (Luke 9:23; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:7-12).¹  Because they have been built up on the false doctrine (whatever deviates from truth is false) Christ exists to fulfill all of their selfish desires and dreams, some professed Christians have become disillusioned with Christianity at this hour.

            The Coronavirus pandemic has messed up a whole lot of folk’s theologies that were mere sinful human presuppositions, inventions and demonic deceit in the first place.  Not so, the Lord’s faithful that objectively interpret and apply God’s Word as it is written in righteousness!  For this reason, during the Coronavirus the faithful have continued walking by faith as always; having fear only of God as Scripture teaches which many that are so wise in these latter days have decided is no longer His will (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Luke 12:4-7; Hebrews 10:30-31).  “Perfect (complete) love” for God in obedience “casts out fear” of His judgment (1 John 4:17-5:3, NKJV) and from the world!

            So, why has the Lord brought His Coronavirus judgment upon the world at this moment in time?  Several reasons are biblically clear to me.  On April 5, 2020 He led me to write of His corner turn on “forbearance with mankind" and repost '"Time is about up!"'²  On April 19, 2020 I wrote about how this Coronavirus judgment is intended to be a painful wake up call to Christians and the churches that He means business about repentance from all of what He defines as and is plainly sin in disobedience to His Word!  Soul deep repentance is to turn completely from, forsake and renounce what many are doing in sin however they have arrived at giving themselves permission.³

            This past April 26, 2020 I wrote that the Lord’s Coronavirus judgment has initiated “another significant paradigm shift in His program for Christians and churches.”⁴  This shift birthed in repentance and true spiritual revival involves a return to the original doctrines of our faith “once for all delivered” (Jude 3, NKJV) and includes restoring men and women to their assigned roles and responsibilities in the divine order of mankind.  The shift also redirects Christians and churches made spiritually leaner and intense through repentance and revival back to His commissioned Kingdom mission, messaging and work (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:17-25, 15:1-4) as priorities.  Finally, the Lord has moved as He has now, staying on track with His prophetic calendar! 

            The foregoing is what is so troubling about any professed Christians being upset with God for ruining their plans.  Supposedly, we with joyful anticipation await the coming of Christ and the open display of God’s Kingdom on earth which is infinitely better than any there is, have ever been or will be or do you not think so in unbelief (Psalm 145:10-13)?  Too, as I also wrote on the fundraising platform: “God is not just concerned about us here on earth now, but there are innumerable saints in Heaven that have been and are waiting for the Day of the Lord and His Kingdom to come so, they might attain to the glory and rewards He has promised (Hebrews 11:8-16, 23-26, 39-40).”

            The Day of the Lord and His Kingdom not only encompasses His wrath poured out on sinners and creation-wide reign from earth, but the fulfillment of all of His prophetic promises made to Israel--her Messiah come and restoration of the Davidic kingdom (Isaiah 2:1-4, 9:6-7, 11:1-10).⁵  After a millennium, God will destroy this present creation and its sinners and bring in His righteous eternal order restored where all the saints will live with Him forever in heavens and on a earth made new (2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 20:7-21:8)!  To these ends we are to be encouraged as I wrote again on the fundraising platform: “the Lord moves the world along toward His predetermined end in accord with His plans and schedule, not ours.”

1 Read  the  February  17,  2019 post, Surrendering All To Jesus, under the category, Glory To God!  Learn more about being an authentic disciple of Jesus Christ in my

   book, The  Strong  Man  Of  God:  Back  To  Basics.  Get  a  print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, 

  ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).  You can also get a print copy in the Strong Man Store.

2 See the April 5, 2020 post, God Is Speaking, under the category, Call To Repent.

3 See the April 19, 2020 post, Does Anybody Repent Anymore? under the category, Call To Repent.

4 See the April 26, 2020 post, There Is Only One..., under the category, Instruction.

5 Read my September 29, 2019 post, God Almighty In A 21^st Century World, under the category, Bible Prophecy.