Joshua5: 13-15: "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold a man stood opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" So he said, "No, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face and worshipped and said to him, "What does my Lord say to his servant?" Then the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so. (NKJV) I understand from the organisers that some of you believe that the team of coordinators are here for just a seasonal, tourist-type visit. Hello, we are here for the long haul and our message is clear: soldiers, put your guns down. Too many black brothers shooting, wounding and killing brothers from the next gang, the next turf, the next neighbourhood. Soldiers, put your guns down. Leave the army of the mafiatic godfathers, and join the army of Jesus Christ. The east-west corridor is being carved up in so many pieces and your turf is getting smaller and smaller. Look at the wars between Pashley Street, Trou Macaque and Beetham Gardens. You have allowed the drug lords to establish artificial boundaries which keep shifting. You are at the bottom of the mafiatic ladder. There is a bullet with your name on it. It is just a matter of time. You have to be wise and not otherwise. You need deliverance from this neo-colonialistic empire. The drug trade in 2012 is a return to the days of the slave master. You are a pawn in a cruel game and you will not survive. People are telling me that these areas require a constant state of emergency. I reject that thinking because what you need is a change of heart, a change of thinking, a different perspective.
The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. You have tasted blood and some of you have become addicted to that blood. Additionally, some soldiers believe that their safety is guaranteed only after pints of blood are consumed.
Do not subscribe to that dangerous myth. Soldiers, put your guns down. How many more must die? Imagine the community that has been created. Sons and daughters have been shot and killed. On the other end of the spectrum, we have lost grandparents. Some children cannot remember what their parents look like. Then you have some beasts behind prison bars who own turfs otherwise known as space. They think they own your oxygen. You must reject them. Why? Because God is your true owner. Soldiers, put your guns down. Those piranhas behind prison bars will call your shot in the flash of a splash. You are just their slaves; you are guarding a spot and if anybody invades this space, you have to obey the orders from Golden Grove etc. Otherwise, you will be dead and a next assassin is waiting in the corridors to take your place. Soldiers! Who recruited you? Why? Was it because of love? Were they thinking of succession planning? What were you dreaming about when you said yes? You have resisted any attempts to stop the gang warfare. What are your reasons? Well you have said that the other gang will keep their guns and drugs and wipe you out from the face of the Earth. You are convinced that once you are in, you could never get out. You have embraced fatalistic thinking and you believe that your days are numbered. In fact, some of you want a way out of the bloodshed, but you are not seeing a way. Soldiers, there is a statement that atheists and humanists will never understand. God will make a way where there is no way. Yea though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil. His rod and staff will comfort you. The psalmist David said in Ps 91:1, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
You can be free this evening. When the Son hath set you free, you are free indeed. John 8:32. You can be liberated. Jesus Christ walked upon the Earth. He caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the crippled to walk. He raised the dead, calmed an angry sea, cast out demons, healed the psychotic and the paralytic. He is an awesome God. Soldiers, put your guns down. Help is around the corner. The late great Martin Luther King made a terrific statement. Listen to what he said: "If your enemy strikes you, and you retaliate, then he is stronger than you. But if your enemy strikes and you refuse to strike him back, then you are stronger than him." In other words, do not allow your enemy to destroy you. How many of your sons and daughters must die? There is too much hate and revenge in this society. It is time to arise and shine. In the days of Joshua, Israel was preparing to conquer the land of giants, the land of Canaan. Their first battle was the epic battle of Jericho. From a military perspective, they could not win, they were outgunned and outmatched. The night before the battle, Joshua was viewing the walls, then he felt an awesome presence. He looked and there was a soldier standing over him with a sword drawn in his hand. He asked this soldier to present his credentials. Who are you? Which army are you supporting? What is your agenda? The soldier was quick to reply. He advised Joshua to take off his shoes for the place where he was standing was holy ground. He declared that he was the captain, the Lord of host. Soldiers, put your guns down. Trust the captain of the universe. March to victory. What is very striking is that the soldier had his sword drawn, long before the battle started. The message therefore is clear. Long before the battle begins, our captain, Jesus Christ, is ready to fight for us. Soldiers, put your guns down. Give God a chance in your life. Victory is guaranteed.
