Draw the Circle Prayer Challenge Week 6: Legacy and Revival

This week I've been thinking a lot about Spiritual Legacy

I'm very interested in Economics and Politics when it comes to Black people.  One of the reasons we're so far behind as a people is because of slavery, Jim Crow, and other laws which led to a poverty and a lack of Generational Wealth.  

The legacy of Descendent's of Slaves in this country is one of not being paid for work, not being paid fairly for work, and a whole host of intergenerational trauma that manifests itself in various ways.

I've been thinking about how I don't want my family to be shut out of  a spiritual legacy or spiritual inheritance.  I will have failed if all they have is a religious social club to attend or if they think "Well Mama had some good ideas but we definitely don't want to follow her example."  

Jesus said this in Matthew. 

It may be all right to do what they say, but above anything else, don’t follow their example. For they don’t do what they tell you to do. - Matthew 23:3

Ugh,

I will leave them without generational spiritual wealth which will lead to spiritual poverty

One of the beautiful advantages of attending Shiloh Church is to SEE the fruits of a spiritual legacy.  To see the fruits of what happens when people are faithful to what God has called them to do, led by the spirit, and produce good fruit.  50 years later the next generation is thriving and ready to take things to the next level.

I have also seen the opposite.  When you don't have spiritual legacy, your church fellowship or family will pretty much die on the vine within 2-3 generations.  

Not me and not my family.  I will not leave them in spiritual poverty.

I declare the same as Joshua:  As for me and my family we will serve the Lord!

With that said, this prayer challenge has been different this time because it's not just about me. 

I think that shows growth

Young People

I am currently reading The New Jim Crow about mass incarceration and I'm so discouraged.  The data, laws, and stories about Black men and mass incarceration have left me feeling so defeated.

When you read that 3 out of every 4 young Black men in Washington D.C. will spend time behind bars, it's hard to feel optimism.

In the book they talk about how a lot of churchgoing black women will not talk about their sons who are incarcerated because they feel that everyone will judge them and they feel as if it is a gross moral failure when mass incarceration, the drug war, and second class citizenship is bigger than their parenting.

It's too much to get into here but I have to wonder about the role of the Black church.  I know anecdotally and also through data that Black men are not in church.  It's 75% women and 25% men and I don't blame them for not going because my observation is that in Black churches due to so few Godly examples of men  and men period...the men either tend to be closet cases, passive, or crooks.  Not a great environment. 

I have to ask What is the church doing to help young Black men get their spirits right because they're dehumanized and labeled as failures from a young age.  They are lost and scattered like sheep without a shepherd. 

The spirits of Black men and many Black women  are broken. How can they not be when generations of men are either behind bars or unable to re-enter society due to all the barriers former inmates face post prison?  When young men are getting murdered senselessly in the streets?  What are we doing to nurture their spirits?

I'm just so concerned about all of our young people.  Suicide, mass shooters, active shooter drills, depression, anxiety, social media, sex trafficking, etc.  These children have to face All of these issues and they don't have proper direction and guidance to handle them.

What will their legacy be?

It won't be good if they don't have leadership and guidance.

Revival

Beth Moore has been on FIRE on Twitter.  Please follow her on Twitter if you're not already.  This week she said this:

If it does not make us tremble that Jesus is clearly cleaning house in His church, turning over tables & chairs, exposing what's underneath & calling us back to purity & prayer, if all it does is make us pump our fists over the exposed or give us fodder for gossip, we are fools.

She is absolutely correct.  I believe we are seeing the end of American Political Evangelicalism.  

They're done.

American Evangelicals have lost all credibility when they are so vehement in their support and celebration of Donald Trump (the man ) and when it's obvious to so many that they worship Nationalism and politics but not Jesus.

I think exposing these people is the first step for people to begin to wake up.

It's a time to realize that there's pruning going on and we'd better get our own stuff in order so that we can be ready for what happens next.

Since I believe revival is coming soon, I decided to read a book about the Azusa Revival. It's clear that revivals start with and are guided by prayer and it's also clear that they are organized and have planned strategic efforts. 

Even though things can be out of the ordinary, it's important to note that Revivals aren't chaos.  

This has been a different Prayer challenge for me so I'm going to do a Review on my next post.