As Christ-Followers, Racism Becomes Everyone’s Problem

Racism issues have been ignored simply because “It is not my issue.” If it’s not our issue, then whose issue is it?

Racism is our problem. It is everyone’s problem when our brothers and sisters in Christ are being hurt, abused, rejected and offended.  

Our brothers and sisters in Christ every day are being treated unfairly. It is not just a black-and-white issue. There are Hispanics, Cubans, Italians and people from other races being treated unfairly. Comments such as, “Why don’t you go back to your own country until you learn to speak English” or “You are taking away jobs from Americans” are signs that racism still exists. 

Scripture clearly tells us to love and live in unity!  

• “Now I ask you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak in agreement and that there be no divisions among you. But be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.“ (1 Cor. 1:10, MEV).
• “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!“ (Ps. 133:1, MEV)
• “If you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as sinners” (James 2:8-9, MEV).
• “Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is in darkness even until now. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:9-11, MEV).
• “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another“ (John 13:34, MEV).
• “He has made from one blood every nation of men to live on the entire face of the earth, having appointed fixed times and the boundaries of their habitation“ (Acts 17:26, MEV).

Ask yourself, “Am I willing to assist in the fight against racism or am I myself racist?” 

One of the ways people have become racist is due to emotional wounds that have not been healed. Judgment and criticism build up and past hurts and wounds against an ethnicity have not been healed. People who have been hurt or ridiculed as a child, teenagers who have been abused by a gang or racial group different from theirs and women who have been sexually assaulted by a person of another race all need healing.

Racism partially exists because we have had conflict in our life with a person or group of another race. Instead of searching for the healing, we need to overcome those issues, we form bitterness, resentment and other unhealthy emotions towards people of different ethnicities.

Racism is a learned emotion. We have been taught racism by our cultural, economic status, region we live in, people of influence in our lives and our parents. However, just as generational curses can be broken off of our life, so can racism. 

Our first step is to acknowledge when we have been racist and to repent and ask the Lord to forgive us and move forward in love. God is a God of love, and He has called us to love all people.

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27).

Individually, we can do this:

• Change our behavior patterns and habits by not hanging onto our purses or belongings when we see a person of a different race come into our immediate area. 
• When in an elevator, instead of being uncomfortable when a person of another race enters, say hello and be nice. 
• When out in public, be friendly; don’t avoid a cashier line, salesperson or service personnel because they are of another race. 
• Embrace diversity. Embrace who they are as an individual and don’t group them into the same category as someone who you may have encountered challenges with.

Encourage unity by doing these things:

• When such discussions come up, present yourself as an ambassador of Christ and make sure the words out of your mouth are edifying and not racist in nature. 
• Inform your children about diversity and multiculturalism, expose them to different ethnic groups and encourage them to be friends within their own race and other races. 
• Let them know that there are no limits on who they can be friends with, and model the example yourself for them.
• Watch the words that come out of your mouth as a parent, leader in your community and follower in Christ. 
• Search yourself for any hurts or wounds and seek out healing. 
• Root out and gut out any and all racism that may be inside of you.

When we get to heaven; we will be no longer live in these fleshly suits. No race will be marked by outside pigments of our skin and the culture from which we came—no racism, all of us having changed into colorless.

In the Lord’s Prayer it says, “On Earth as it is in heaven.” Why don’t we do our part to help heaven manifest on Earth when it comes to the fight against racism? {eoa}

Kathy DeGraw is the founder of DeGraw Ministries a prophetic ministry releasing the love and power of God, igniting people in the prophetic and releasing people from emotional bondage. She’s passionate about teaching people the power of prayer through declaring. She is the founder of Change into Colorless, an anti-racism corporation and co-pastors a church. Kathy is the author of Spiritual Warfare Declarations, A Worship Woven Life, Time to Set the Captives Free, and Flesh, Satan or God. Connect with Kathy at degrawministries.org.