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A Voice For The Oppressed!
By
Biancia D. Tate, BSW |
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Oppress-to weigh heavily on the mind of; worry. to keep down by the cruel or unjust use of authority. Oppression-physical or mental distress. Bless- to consecrate with blood; to make holy. To ask divine favor for; to endow; to make happy; to praise. Jesus said in His Word the following statement-"Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven and Blessed are the PeaceMakers for they shall be called Sons (and Daughters) of God and Blessed are ye when men persecute and revile you and say all kinds of evil against you, for such did they do to the prophets of old." So, here is the question I want to pose in this article- are those who are oppressed really those who are blessed and, are those who are blessed really those who are oppressed? Strange question, I grant you but, one to be pondered and examined. Those who are oppressed are full of worry and anxiety about their circumstances and how they will affect their lives. An example of this may be that one is trapped in a violent marriage with no way out or one is being sexually abused by a parent and is just too young to escape. Or, one finds themselves living in a body that does not allow them to walk or move as those around them. Are they oppressed or, are they really blessed? To be blessed means to be made holy and to praise so, can one be made holy in unholy circumstances like the one's mentioned above and, can one still praise God even in dangerous or hopeless circumstances? I say, yes they can and, I support my arguement by examining the life of Jesus Himself as He walked around holy in an unholy body and in an unholy world that was captive to sin. He experienced misery, grief, oppression, fatigue, anger, bitterness, discouragement and depression but, yet, remained holy and praise was birthed out of His misery and, the praise brought Him glorious deliverance. The suffering He endured made Him holy and, being holy kept Him free from sin so the power of God could operate through His life to heal the brokenhearted, restore sight to the blind, preach good news to the poor, set the captives free and set at liberty they who are bruised. So, was Jesus oppressed or blessed or, was He both? I say He was both for, physically, He was oppressed but, spiritually, He was blessed and, when He prayed, His Father in Heaven answered His prayers and reconciled a broken world unto Himself and saved their souls through His Son's oppressed body. So, what is the point of all of this one might ask? It is simply this! When one finds themselves in oppressed circumstances such as domestic violence or sexual assault or as a victim of crime or has been diagnosed with a debilitating illness or maybe one has experienced the after-effect of war one must remember that oppression is birthed in the earth but, blessing is birthed out of one's spirit. One needs to use the weapon of praise to bring God their Father into their oppressive circumstances so He can bless them or, give them His divine favor or power within the oppressive circumstances. His divine favor can be manifested as peace, comfort, strength or even a way out of the circumstances or, better yet, His presence with you in the circumstances and, when God is present with the captive in oppressive circumstances, then hope is present for, Jesus is the Hope of Israel. So, can one be oppressed and blessed at the same time-absolutely for, indeed, nothing shall separate us from the love of God-no hardship, trouble, persecution, or any set of circumstances and, if one is in Christ and Christ is in them, then they are truly blessed no matter what their circumstances. Be encouraged.
Author's Bio
My name is Biancia Tate and I reside in Lynchburg Virginia. I have been married for 15 years to John Tate who is a traumatic brain injury survivor. I have an Associates Degree in Human Services, a Bachelors Degree in Social Work, a Masters Degree in Biblical Counseling and I am a Certified Trauma Services Specialist. I have founded The Hope Network which provides educational support, hope and healing to survivors of crisis and trauma. We rebuild faith, restore confidence and renew hope in Jesus Christ after trauma.
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