Affirmative Action
“And the demons having gone forth from the man, did enter into the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep to the lake, and were choked. ” Luke 8:33, KJV
“MONDAY MORNING MANNA”
In this highly intense political season through which “We The People” will elect a President later this year it is beneficial to introduce a little known political figure by the name of Arthur Fletcher. Mr. Fletcher is a political unknown to most people for two reasons. First, Fletcher is unknown because the only seat he ever won was that of city councilman of Pasco City, Washington though he sought the Governorship there in 1968 and the mayor-ship of Washington, D.C., in 1978. The second reason Fletcher is a political unknown is that he always ran on the Republican ticket which since the Civil War has seen little to no support from his fellow black voters. Perhaps what Mr. Fletcher is most known for is having been credited with coining the slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” and for having been the founder of Affirmative Action. Affirmative action is a set of policies and practices preventing discrimination based on race, creed, color and national origins. It now often refers to policies positively supporting members of disadvantaged or underrepresented groups that have previously suffered discrimination in areas such as education, employment and housing. Like it or not, Affirmative Action is here to stay for at least another ten years and its results are overwhelming as it relates to higher education. For instance, between the years of 1976 to 2016, Hispanic enrollment at colleges and universities rose from 4% to 18% and blacks rose from 10% to 14%.
Mr. Fletcher is indeed correct in saying that a mind is a terrible thing to waste and as the studies indicate many are meeting the opportunity to learn head on but what does that say about the minds of those who have opted to do otherwise? To this writer, it says that a large number of people in the world experience the fates that they do because they have given the devil control of their minds. Specifically, according to 1 Peter 5:8, ESV, “The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” This particular scripture warns us that when our minds are not actively engaged the devil will invade and even overtake us which ultimately leads to death because the devil exists to kill, steal and destroy (Jn 10:10, KJV). You may ask how does the devil accomplish his attack on our righteous minds and to that question I’d have to call you to an experience I had growing up. I have always been amazed at the awesome power of the human mind to retain and regurgitate that which has been placed within it and as I recall my teens I cannot help but think about what I filled my mind with most, which was music. Particularly, I was a huge fan of what we call gangster rap and as a younger man I listened to my favorite rapper Tupac Shukar, all day every day. I listened to Tupac’s C.D.’s so much so, that I committed every one of them to memory. As I look back during those times I was angrier, lonelier and a whole lot crazier which can all be attributed to what I filled my mind with most. In fact, one of my favorite songs by Pac was, If I Die Tonight! Some of the lyrics to that song are as follows:
I’m sick of psychotic society, somebody save me
Addicted to drama, so even mama couldn’t raise me
Even the preacher and all my teachers couldn’t reach me
I run in the streets and puffin’ weed wit my peeps
In my brain all I can think about is fame
The police know my name, a different game, ain’t a thing changed
I’m seeing cemetery photos of my peers
Conversatin’ like they still here, if I die tonight
If you’re honest with yourself and me these lyrics though written by a musical genius also speak to the many struggles that he lived. For instance, in line one Tupac makes the claim that he feels like he’s going crazy and wants somebody to save him; in line two he admits that he was overly rebellious to his mother; in line three he admits that authority figures couldn’t tell him anything; in line four he speaks of drug abuse; in line six he speaks of his criminality; in line seven of his trauma after the deaths of his friends and in line eight about his hallucinations.
Overwhelming in just these few lyrics Tupac made three distinct references to feeling like he was losing his mind. Brothers and Sisters the whole aim of satan is to flood our minds with so much garbage that we begin to see ourselves as nothing more than trash just waiting to be thrown away which is exactly what was going on in the text that we’re studying today. At the time of this text an unnamed man had been inhabited by demons. This man had become so destructive to himself and others that he had to be handcuffed, shackled and forced outside of the city. He was in his own mental cemetery and there he had begun to cut himself in hopes of taking his own life. All of this he did while unclothed. Perhaps you too, have felt like this man before. Perhaps your hands have been chained to indicate that you just can’t get a grip on anything good, perhaps your feet are shackled to indicate that every-time you try to move forward you keep falling down, perhaps you have been hurting yourself and perhaps like him nothing you seem to do can cover your nakedness. If either of these define you let me be the first to tell you that one Affirmative Action can heal your soul and point you in the right direction. The word Affirmative simply means statement and the most life-changing statement that anyone can ever make is that “I believe in Jesus and Accept Him as the Lord of my Life”!
The good news for the man in the Scripture was that Jesus showed up and spoke to him. Jesus went on to cast the demon out of the man and returned him to a positive mental state of sanity just like He wants to do with you. The verse above which I’m led to exegete in this writing is that just before Jesus performed an exorcism on this man the demons from inside him asked Jesus not to kill them but to instead allow them to go on living in the pigs that were feeding in the area. Commentators suggest that the reason they asked such a thing is because demons require a body in order to live and to accomplish their evil work. Not only that but should Jesus grant their request even if the pigs were to die at least the demons would have a home in the area until they could find someone or something else to inhabit. The verse states that Jesus grants their request and the demons having gone forth from the man, did enter into the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep to the lake, and were choked. Brothers and Sisters, satan still inhabits people today through the things they take in via the mind. It’s been said that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop and nothing could be truer. If you’re spending time engaged in actions that are not drawing you closer to God then you can be sure that they are drawing you further from Him; thereby, making you a likely candidate for demon possession. Has the devil not already killed enough of your dreams?, has he not already stolen enough of your stuff? And has he not already destroyed enough in your life? If so, the good news is that you can invoke your rights of Affirmative Action. Affirm today that you want to be Saved and are willing to live as the creator God has commanded and begin to perform actions that are consistent with the Christian Way of Living. The man in this verse did just that and became one of the most powerful witnesses to what God can do in the whole Bible. Like him, your handcuffs and shackles can fall off today, you can stop hurting yourself today, you can be clothed with the Righteousness of God today and every one of your demons can be cast out by praying this prayer today!
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. Amen.”
In Jesus’ Name,