The way to kill prejudice and discrimination is at the root:
- Be Born Again.
If you have not been Born Again, then don’t go a step further until you are. Hatred, strife and division are bred into the heart of every person is dead spiritually.
John 8:44 (TPT) (44) “You are the offspring of your father, the devil, and you serve your father very well, passionately carrying out his desires. He’s been a murderer right from the start! He never stood with the One who is the true Prince, for he’s full of nothing but lies—lying is his native tongue. He is a master of deception and the father of lies!
Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NKJV) (26) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (27) I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
You will never be able to truly change unless you have a new spirit, alive unto God, on the inside of you.
- Renew your mind to the love of God in you!
Romans 5:5 (NKJV) (5) Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
1 John 3:14-15 (NKJV) (14) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. (15) Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
- Make the decision to walk in love towards everyone.
1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (TPT) (1) If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal. (2) And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains, but have never learned to love, then I am nothing. (3) And if I were to be so generous as to give away everything I owned to feed the poor, and to offer my body to be burned as a martyr, without the pure motive of love, I would gain nothing of value. (4) Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. (5) Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. (6) Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. (7) Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. (8) Love never stops loving. It extends beyond the gift of prophecy, which eventually fades away. It is more enduring than tongues, which will one day fall silent. Love remains long after words of knowledge are forgotten.
Dr King said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
- Love your neighbor!
John 13:34 (NKJV) (34) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Matthew 22:34-40 (NKJV) (34) But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. (35) Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, (36) “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” (37) Jesus said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like it: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ (40) On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
“Neighbor” (Greek: “plesion”) – the one closest to him, someone similar, an equal
- Choose to forgive.
Mark 11:25-26 (TPT) (25) And whenever you stand praying, if you find that you carry something in your heart against another person, release him and forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also release you and forgive you of your faults. (26) But if you will not release forgiveness, don’t expect your Father in heaven to release you from your misdeeds.”
Matthew 6:9-12 (NKJV) (9) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 6:12 TPT (12) Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
- Don’t confuse forgiveness with passivity. There is a way to fight this fight and have God’s help, power, and victory available to help us and that is through love and forgiveness. When you forgive, you are not giving the other person a pass for evil committed. You are just letting God handle it His way.
God is a God of justice.
Hebrews 10:30-31 (NKJV) (30) For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” (31) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
- When we choose to forgive others, it will work for us and connect us to the same supernatural power of God that heals, delivers, and works miracles.
- If we refuse to forgive people, it will work against us because our unforgiveness will choke off the operation of God’s anointing and power.
- See things from the other perspective.
Philippians 2:3-4 (TPT) (3) Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility put others first and view others as more important than yourselves. (4) Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests.
“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” ― John Lubbock
- Come into agreement!
1 Corinthians 1:10 (TPT) I urge you, my brothers and sisters, for the sake of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree to live in unity with one another and put to rest any division that attempts to tear you apart. Be restored as one united body living in perfect harmony. Form a consistent choreography among yourselves, having a common perspective with shared values.
Learn to focus on what is really important and let go of those things that are not.
“Child, you have to learn to see things in the right proportions. Learn to see great things great and small things small.” ― Corrie Ten Boom
Matthew 18:19 (AMPC) (19) Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven.
Become a symphony of different parts making up the whole composition as the composer designed.
Make this confession with me now:
“Spirit of division, I’m serving you notice, in the Name of Jesus, that my house, my church, my neighborhood, and my city are closed to you. I’ll not be deceived by you anymore. From now on, I’m not moved by the differences between me and other people. I’m moved by the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of Love and He dwells in me. My ministry is the ministry of reconciliation. I walk in love because God is love. Whether anyone else loves me or not, is not my concern. I’m going to love them because that is what the Lord Jesus told me to do. I am responsible for my decisions and actions and that is exactly what I am going to do, in Jesus’ Name.”