Many people in America suffer from a spiritual epidemic of pride and refuse to acknowledge or address it.

One way this abomination manifests itself is through how history is perceived and presented.

Too many Americans feel they have the right to define which history is appropriate and which is not.

For example, when speaking of the Confederacy or the flag that represented that rebellious effort that fought against the United States…many will not only claim it’s history, but will boastfully say, IT’S HERITAGE NOT HATE. They will quickly tell you they don’t care WHO is offended by the Confederate flag or honoring that history. It doesn’t enter their mind that it’s in any way divisive or stirs up hatred.

However, when little-known history and atrocities committed by Americans is shared, such as the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, some of the same people consider this history to be ‘race-bating’, stirring up hatred, and divisive.

What?

Are you that hypocritical?

How arrogant, selfish and quite frankly entitled can you be?

One of the most beautiful things about the bible, both Old Testament and New Testament, is that it reports the SAME HISTORY from more than one perspective, From the prophets, to the synoptic Gospels compared to John. Study the bible and look at how prophets who were contemporaries conveyed the same story from different perspectives.

God doesn’t try to hide the ugly things Israel did, or paint them as glorious, but instead shows His anger at them, tells how He rebuked them, and left a lesson for generations to come.

Telling people that history they don’t prefer is inappropriate is a text-book attitude of entitlement and privilege. But, people aren’t that stupid. When they’re honest with themselves…they know that. These people get pissed off because they want complete control of the narrative of American history. You don’t get to define what’s HATRED and what’s HISTORY based on the history that you value.

I’m going to repeat the text below from a previous post of mine: WHY EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD CONSIDER WHERE HE OR SHE NEEDS TO REPENT…

“Too many people in America only see America as always the HERO or the ‘HOLY VICTIM’. I love America, but we (none of us) have not ALWAYS been the hero.

---

Too many people only see America as:

Israel and never Egypt…

Joseph and never his brothers who sold him into slavery…

Esther & Mordecai and never Haman…

Israel/Judah and never Assyria…

Israel/Judah and never Babylon…

Jesus and never Judas…

Jesus and never the Pharisees…

Jesus and never Herod…

Jesus and never Pilate…

Israel and never the Romans…

---

And, even when America sees itself as Israel, too many in America never see themselves as REBUKED ISRAEL which God is holding accountable for their sins, but only heroic, victorious or restored Israel.

The bible is full of accounts of Israel being rebuked for not only their sins, but not rejecting the sins of their ‘fathers’. Instead, too many sins of America’s past are celebrated as ‘history’ and ‘heritage’. God has proven that everything about our past should not only go uncelebrated, but should be confessed and repented…

Leviticus 26:39-42 (NKJV)

³⁹ And those of you who are left shall ^[a]waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; also in their fathers’ iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away.

⁴⁰ ‘But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me,

⁴¹ and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt—

⁴² then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember;

I will remember the land.

Remember this, for restoration, God called for those who call themselves to be His to repent, not the ‘overt’ sinners in the land…

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land

To many, so-called patriotism has become a form of idolatry. Pride will destroy American before anything else does.”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Most of us have heard the saying, “Revenge is sweet”. We have all had moments that we have craved for revenge.

That’s why I think the metaphor is appropriate because REVENGE and SUGAR have something in common. Just like sugar slowly deteriorates your teeth, the desire for revenge slowly deteriorates your spirit. It eats away at your spirit, defiles it and consumes your mental energy.

Besides, God never promised us revenge or allows us to take revenge. It belongs only to Him…

Romans 12:19  (NKJV)

¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Why?

Because revenge is judgement. It is condemnation. It is us deciding that people deserve to be paid back for how they have hurt us .

However, God does allow us to have and will sometimes grant us vindication. He has even promised vindication in His Word…

Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)

¹⁷     no weapon forged against you will prevail,
    and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord.

In the bible vindication is getting justice or clearing one’s name.

We all know revenge is getting even and repaying someone for what they’ve done. It is retaliation. And, God does not allow us to do that…

Matthew 5:38-42 Expanded Bible (EXB)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth [Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21].’ ³⁹ But I tell you, don’t ·stand up against [resist; retaliate against] an evil person. If someone ·slaps [strikes] you on the right cheek [^Ceither an insult or an act of violence], turn to him the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ If someone wants to sue you in court and take your ·shirt [tunic], let him have your coat also. ⁴¹ If someone forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two miles [^Calluding to the practice of impressment, whereby a Roman soldier could command a civilian to carry his gear for a mile]. ⁴² If a person asks you for something, give it to him. Don’t ·refuse to give to [^Lturn away from] someone who wants to borrow from you.

Revenge is getting them back.

Vindication is getting yourself back.

So, pray for vindication, but from the perspective that the person or those who injured you can be brought in right relationship with God.

Remember, God doesn’t love your enemies any less than He loves you.

BE BLESSTIFIED!