A History of Control
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ had made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (NIV)
In
1619, North America brought the first slaves to its shores from Africa in an
attempt to have a cheaper form of labor than what they paid their indentured
servants. Many slaves died during the travel by ship, due to the harsh substandard
conditions. Those who survived where
sold to mostly farmers and plantation owners to work in their fields and
perform other duties as determined necessary by their new owners. Slaves were
not entitled to rights under the law and were only considered as three-fifths of
a person for taxation purposes (History.com, 2016). For many years, slavery was
a way of life in building the foundation of America, but it took away the heritage,
language and distinct cultures of those who were bound to its inescapable chambers.
During that dark period in American history, slaves were not
only imprisoned with their bodies, but they were also enslaved with their
minds. They were not allowed to act independently of their masters’ wishes and
were kept from learning basic skills such as reading and writing. To be found
trying to learn such things meant extreme danger and was illegal. Those who
were caught being literate were beaten horribly and some were punished by
having their fingers and toes cut off (Division of Rare & Manuscript Collections, 2002.)
Slave owners feared that if their
slaves were able to read and write then they would question their enslavement,
which would result in their rebelling against the system. Therefore, they
ensured that there were laws in place to prevent and discourage slave owners
from educating their slaves. Such a law was in the Alabama Slave Code which stated
that anyone who taught a slave or free black to read, write and/or spell could
be fined, if convicted, up to $500. This was a very steep fine during that time
(Aikin, 1836).
The only access to books that some
slaves were allotted was the hearing of the Bible. Most slaves were not able to
read it for themselves, but a few slave owners defied the law and taught their
slaves to read the Bible. The other slaves owners, who did not wish for their
slaves to read at all, felt that is was good enough just for their slaves to
hear the word of God in accordance to what they felt scripture meant. Romans
10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message
is heard through the word about Christ. (NIV) Even though many slave
owners considered themselves as Christians, that Christianity did not extend to
the slaves because a number of them held the belief that slaves did not have
souls and therefore, Salvation was only for whites and the privileged. Nevertheless,
there were slave owners who allowed their slaves to attend church services only
to have their masters use the Bible for their personal gain. The slaves were
taught not to steal, kill, obey their master, and not to do things that would
cause harm to the master with no regards for the slaves’ relationship with God.
You may ask, “Why is all of this
relevant. During slavery times, there was a damper placed on slaves being able
to be educated. The slave owners feared that if a slave could read and write
then he/she would begin to “think” for themselves. They also feared uprisings
from the slaves and needed a way to “control” what they felt was their property.
Willie Lynch comes into play because there has always been an evil in the minds
of some who wish to have control over those they feel are not of their class
and should be subservient to them. They seek to own, control, and manipulate
others into doing their bidding without their knowledge. Those who are unaware
of their plans will fall prey to them and will ultimately self-destruct unless
a change is made in enough time.
The problem still exists today.
There are those of a special elite who wish to control the masses by using the
same techniques that were used during slavery. They aim to play those who are
unaware of their game as puppets, but only through education and being aware as
to their plans can one come out of the matrix. The word of God helps us to
break free from the bondages of Satan and wherever God is, there is liberty. 2
Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is freedom. (NIV) Anyone who is not of God is of the
devil and he aims to kill, steal and destroy.
There are demonic forces at play in the world today who are
using whatever methods they can to cause confusion, strife and grief. The only
way to defeat these forces is to first acknowledge they exist, educate yourself
in the Spiritual and natural, and then apply what you have learned to overcome
the enslavement of the mind. Philippian 2:5 Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus. (NIV) Only then can you become the
victor instead of the victim. There’s a famous quote that has been attributed
to Harriet Tubman that states: “I was
able to free a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they
realized that they were slaves.” Many people do not realize that they are a
slave in their minds, a slave to society, and ultimately a slave to the devil. Let’s
study the Willie Lynch’s Letter on the Making of a Slave from a historical and
Biblical perspective, so that you will not become a New Slave.
JOIN US TOMORROW AS WE GET INTO THE WILLIE LYNCH LETTER AND THE MAKING OF A NEW SLAVE.
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