Don’t Drink The Kool-Aid
By Bishop Tony Rivera
“Don’t drink the Kool-Aid!” If you have never heard that saying then you may be young. Or maybe you’ve heard it but don’t know why people say it. It basically means don’t fall for the brain washing the world or someone wants to feed you. It will generally bring a good laugh when used in a discussion, however its origin is quite tragic.
On November 18, 1978, 405 people died in Jonestown, Guyana, in a mass suicide. Most from cyanide and other poisons that were mixed into a vat of Flavor-Aid and drank by members of The People’s Temple, a religious cult. Their leader Jim Jones, had convinced them to do this. Some of it was even video recorded by Temple members.
They were tragically duped, D.U.P.E.D. duped.
D is for Developments. If we do not allow developments to spark anger and negative behavior in ourselves we have tremendous power in our lives. God’s vision is bigger than ours and if suddenly that vision seems to change don’t panic, don’t be disappointed. God is making it better but our flesh does not embrace change well so our first reaction can be very negative. Remind yourself, God is in control.
U is for Un-forgiveness. And it will tear you apart from the inside out. It can destroy your mind and your health, it‘s poisonous. And don‘t be fooled by the, “I can forgive but I can never forget.“ syndrome. That’s just preposterously weak, forgiveness means forgetting too. If you can forgive and forget you have tremendous strength and power. Jesus said, “If you do not forgive neither will your Father, who is in heaven, forgive you.”
P is for People. Oh, the power we have when we cannot be offended by what people say or what they do. If some one says or does something that angers you, well then you took the bait. Don’t blame them for your anger when you have the power not to be offended, mad or angry. Getting angry is like taking the bait in a trap. Grab the power of God that is inside you instead and use it as a tool to bring that someone closer to Christ.
E is for Events. We cannot allow anger or fear to take hold of us because of events or circumstances that may come upon us unexpectedly. Oh, ye of little faith, if God brought you to it, He will get you through it. There are warring and ministering angels all around us. God is with us, He will never leave us or forsake us. Yes, we will have tribulations but Jesus said, “Be of good cheer …” That’s power!
D is for the Devil. Who wants to set the traps that will take our joy away and fill us with rage and anger. He wants to distract us, upset us, and remind us of things that make it hard to forgive; and then he’ll try and make us feel guilty for it. We have the power to turn things around and make the devil mad by controlling our anger. We can make the choice not to be angry, upset or enraged.
And yes, all of this is easier said than done. That’s why we have to work at it, remind ourselves that we have the power to control our emotions. We can‘t let others or situations anger us or take our joy away. Don’t take the bait, don’t be duped, and please don’t drink the Kool-Aid.
