As our nation struggles with fear and civil unrest over the horrific killing of an unarmed black man by a Minneapolis police officer, I am asking you to sign the petition joining with me and AFA in a season of prevailing prayer for our country. I'm convinced that only prayer and repentance will truly heal our land. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:16 (ESV), "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Just as Coach Tony Dungy so wisely tweeted this past weekend, those of us who call ourselves Christians must "demonstrate the qualities of the One we claim to follow, Jesus Christ." Coach Dungy has said he prayed about his response and offers some very sound biblical advice for us to "overcome evil with good." You can read his entire tweet here.
America is in a very sad place today. We have seen a man die senselessly, at the hands of the very people who are supposed to be protecting our citizens. We have seen people protest this death by destroying property and dreams of people in their own community, the very people they are protesting for. We have many people pointing fingers of blame, painting the opposite side with a broad brush. We have anger and bitterness winning out over logic and reason. We have distrust and prejudice winning out over love and respect.
What happened to George Floyd was inexcusable and it should never happen. Justice needs to be served, but in seeking justice we can't fall into the trap of prejudging every police officer we see. What started out as peaceful protests have devolved into arson and looting and that should never happen, either. Yes there should be protest. But we do not have license to perform criminal acts because we're angry.
Today we are a divided country. We're divided racially, politically, and socio-economically. And Satan is laughing at us because that is exactly what he wants. Dysfunction, mistrust, and hatred help his kingdom flourish.
Well, what is the answer then? I believe it has to start with those of us who claim to be Christians. We have to come to the forefront and demonstrate the qualities of the One we claim to follow, Jesus Christ. We can't be silent. As Dr. King said many years ago, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!" But we can’t go forward with judgmental, bitter spirits. We need to be proactive, but do it in the spirit of trying to help make things better. And it can’t be just the African American churches. It has to be ALL churches taking a stand and saying "We are going to be on the forefront of meaningful dialogue and meaningful change." We have to be willing to speak the truth in love but we have to recognize that we are not fighting against other people. We are fighting against Satan and his kingdom of spiritual darkness.
In the words of the Apostle Paul, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Roman 12:21, NIV).
Please, for the future of every American, sign the petition joining with me and AFA in a season of prevailing prayer for our country.
