Devotions with Dre Episode 35: Inner Healing: Marcus Robinson’s Journey with Racial Conciliation Part 2

Dre: Hey, welcome back. We are hearing part two of my conversation with Marcus Robinson about inner healing and racial conciliation. Here we go.

Marcus: It was more recently when I got the biggest breakthrough with that. And, and that was in 2020, you know, when all the, the, the racial unrest was going on and the, the George Floyd thing happened. 


And I just remember just feeling really angry and triggered. There's like all these movements, Black Lives Matter, and then you got the, you know, um, some of the other end of the spectrum, you know, that to me were just triggering. And I remember my wife, Kay, was like, "You know, maybe you need to just think about, you know, like where your identity is. Are you ident- identifying too much with being Black?" You know, and she said it in, in a real gracious way, you know. And I went to go pray about it, and then [00:01:00] as I began to pray, the Lord revealed to me, he was like, "You believed a lie, because I never called you Black. 
 I never labeled you as that." And in America, Black means something negative. You know, Black means you're ex-slave. You're, you're less than, it just has a lot of bad meaning to it that God never intended. Um, and, and the Lord graciously kind of redirected me. 


He was like, "You're not Black. I never called you Black. You have African lineage, but above all, you're my child. And, and in every part of who I made you, I did it intentionally. And I made you beautiful, and don't associate yourself with this Black movement. Associate yourself as a son of God, a descendant of Abraham part of the promise of God, bought by the blood of Jesus. 


Start identifying more with that than some secondary [00:02:00] label that I didn't even give you. And stop allowing people to speak into your life things that aren't consistent with who I made you. I'm the one who, who has the authority to speak into your identity. Don't let anybody-- Don't let society, teachers, anybody speak into your identity in a way that is not consistent with what I say." 


And, that was a huge breakthrough because once I started, like, letting go of Blackness, this identity of being an ex-slave and my history,… all those things, um, really weighed down on me and caused, I think, some problems. You know, like spiritual problems and, and hindered blessings I think God wanted to give me. 


So that huge breakthrough came, with the assistance of my wife and, I started seeing myself more clearly and other people. And the result of that was just much fruitfulness. I'm the director of diversity and reconciliation at Life Pacific University, and it was after I got that revelation and repented, because repent- repenting is thinking rightly about God and applying those right thoughts. 


So when I started living in the, the reality of I'm God's child, and everybody from every nation, tribe, and tongue who believes in Jesus, those are my brothers and sisters, and stop elevating one, you know, race over another, like all that stuff is, is demonic, and start living and leaning into God's kingdom and his kingdom way and his way of thinking when it comes to people from every nation, tribe, and tongue being bought by the blood of Jesus, part of the same eternal family and kingdom, I started seeing people get set free. 


You know, I personally got set free. Started seeing my friends get set free, and was able, um, to lead our university in a place of, of flourishing when it comes to that kind of stuff, because of the correction that God made in, in my mind and in my [00:04:00] heart. So I, I think that was the biggest inner healing thing in my life, and as a result of it, many blessings followed. 


Dre: Yeah. And just a quick note on identity. I don't know if this will help anyone listening, but, when I got sick in 2009 and '10, which you were very instrumental in helping disciple me in that time, so thank you. I remember learning that the beginning of authority, spiritual authority, 'cause I was in, like, a spiritual warfare as well as physical illness. 


It was like a combo thing. So I was trying to learn about warfare and victory and stuff, and I learned that the beginning of victory is identity. Yes. Meaning- Yes ... you have to know who you are in Christ.

Marcus: That's it.

Dre: Not just say a sentence, but, like, know it. You have to know- Yeah, yep ... that you are first and foremost a child of God, and that's your identity. 


So whether you also identify as a chronic illness survivor or an abuse survivor or a female in this society or LGBTQ or [00:05:00] ex-LGBTQ or Republican or Democrat or whatever your career is or whatever your accomplishments are or whatever school you're a part of or whatever team you love, those things are so peripheral. 


They're so peripheral.

Marcus: Yeah.

Dre: Even if they're part of your... your race and your country of origin and your what languages you speak and what cultures you're a part of, those are beautiful things. Those are beautiful things. However, you gotta know the unshakable truth about your actual identity and value-

and that is that God, creator God wants to call you daughter, wants to call you son. And you're invited to that without condition, so you don't have to earn it, and you don't have to keep working towards it, and you don't have to pass any tests. All you have to do is receive the fact that He created you for this, and that because of Jesus, you can be made right and put back into right relationship with your Father. 


A very close, loving relationship with a perfect, good Father. And once you're living out of that identity- everything else kind of falls into place better.

Marcus: Yeah. I mean, that's what abiding is. John 15, you know, "If you abide in me, your, my word abides in you, you'll bear fruit, much fruit. 


And apart from me, you can't bear any fruit." Abiding really is just you understanding that God loves you, not just understanding in your mind, but believing it in your heart, believing that you are loved, accepted, and, and that He has a, a, a good plan for your life, and that He wants you to to bear fruit and to succeed, you know? 


I always use Psalm 1, as a, as an illustration. You know, that tree planted by the water brook and, um, you know, just flourishing. Everything that that tree does, everything that that person does who keeps meditating day and night on the word of God, everything they do prospers.

That remaining is remaining in His love, knowing that you're loved by God, not just knowing in your mind, but knowing in your heart that God is deeply, [00:07:00] intimately, and passionately in love with you. When you remain in that love, you'll, you'll bear fruit. You'll bear fruit. And, and that fruit might come in the sense of healing, you know, inner healing. 


That fruit might manifest in your job or in your family, um, mended relationships. Like, when, when you know God loves you- It, it, and, and you receive the gospel in that sense it pours out in every dimension of your life. It just manifests that love and that freedom that comes from being loved by God and knowing that you're loved by God, it manifests in every part of life Including family. 


Dre: Yes. So you meet Kay in 2019. Well, you married in 2019.

Marcus: That's right. 'Cause that's when I graduated from my master's. 


Dre: It was a beautiful wedding. I was there.

Marcus: Yeah, [you] sang at it.

Dre: Yeah. And then 2020 hits, and you have all this growth and this revelation, and you guys start your family. You have two amazing boys. Yeah. And, you're doing ministry at Dream and Imagine. 


You're doing ministry here at LPU. You're doing ministry- all these other places that you've helped and been interim pastor at and all these things over the years, and all this missions work. And through it all, the Lord is now using your, your gifts of, like, speaking and creativity-

but also prophecy and also casting out demons- 'cause you definitely have that one- to help spread this truth that you've experienced in your own life. And that's really cool. It's cool to be there sometimes and see some of that- and partner with you in ministry, and I just think it's, it's a testament to God's power that He can heal anybody of anything. 


He can heal anybody- of anything.

Marcus: Yeah, yeah. And, and it's not just He can, He will. You know, like He-- And I think that's the hardest part, to, to believe that He's willing because I, I think, the whole Black hang-up, you know, like what it really was, you know, the lie that I believed was, "God doesn't love me [00:09:00] because I'm Black. 


He made me Black because He doesn't love me. We experience this trouble as Black people because God doesn't love us," you know? And, and all that had to be re-framed. And, and what I, what I love about the gospel, um, where, you know, especially in the Gospel of John where, where Jesus says, "In this world, you will have trouble. 


But take heart, I have overcome the world." And, and when you look at Jesus, He was a suffering servant, and many of the things that, that African Americans have suffered, you know, like, Jesus can relate to. And, and it gives-- The suffering gives, gives us an opportunity to relate to Jesus and His suffering. 


And, and so when I started re-framing it, like, you know, we-- Jewish people suffered, you know? Black people aren't the only people in the world, in the history of the world, who've suffered through stuff, you know? A lot of people suffer, and some people- Indigenous people, Native American. to the point of death. 


And it's like, what am I sitting here complaining about, you know, living in Pasadena, you know? Like, it's like what am I sitting here [00:10:00] complaining about? A lot of the, the lies and, and things were broken off of me when I understood, like, no, just because I, I struggle through things and experience pain and suffering does not mean that God doesn't love me. 


In fact, it might be an expression of His love and mercy because if everything, if I had everything easy, I wonder if I would really seek after God.

Dre: Yeah, He turns everything into that kind of blessing that He'll, He'll-- wherever the source of it is, systemic racism, spiritual warfare-a- all the above He, he will use anything and everything to make you more like Jesus and to bring you closer to the truth of Him. 


And, and therefore, no suffering is wasted- when we allow God to use it for our sanctification. And, I'm glad you've done that.. And of course, I think one thing that every Christian will get to if they keep growing in the Lord is they'll get to that, um, place where- And of course, everyone's story is different, and he does things in [00:11:00] different orders in all of our growth processes. 


But it'll hit you in a deep way that racial conciliation and equity and inclusion and all the stuff like that has to start in the church. That, that his plan for that is actually that the church is, is plan A. We have to demonstrate what that rightfully looks like

... because only by the Holy Spirit can we be “conciled” like, in a right way and it actually work and last. I know you've always carried a heart for that type of justice and, you know that is a big part of discipleship of the people under you, is, showing them what that really looks like instead of just performative metrics. Like, how do we live out the kingdom in this area, and as the church, how do we set... We're actually supposed to be setting the example to the world of how to be one family. And instead, you know, look at American history, church history- ... it's been ridiculous. So I don't know, talk a little bit, if you want, about, how God does that…

Marcus: Yeah I think for, for me, I kind of got a head start, you know, just being, like, being in a biracial family with, with having a white mom. So I think the... I, I remember a, a long time ago, uh, my mom put me in this Saturday academy for youth at risk, and it, it was ran by, like, this kind of cult called the Nation of Islam. 


They, they think white people are the devil and all this other nonsense. And, um, and I remember just being at this Saturday academy, and they would just, like, drill us with, like, how the white man's the devil and all this stuff. And then I remember my mom, afterwards, she'd come pick me up. 


I'm like, "Here comes the devil to come pick me up and to feed me and to," you know- Nurture me. I was like... So I already knew all that was a lie. Like, it just, it just, you know, I knew enough white people to know that it, it's not the color of your skin that makes you evil. It's the, the posture of your heart that makes you evil. 


What's going on inside makes you evil. It's not... You know, there, there are some Black people who are just as evil as the, the white KKK, you know. They, they'll do even worse to you, you know. [00:13:00] It's not the color of your skin. It's, it's the condition of your heart. So early on, I kind of caught onto that lie, but I think it's, like, proximity that gives you, you know, better insight. 


When you're, when you're around people who are, who are from a different ethnicity, socio-economic background, then you begin to see things, understand, um, that some of the stereotypes that we, we believe aren't, aren't true. So what I try to do here at, at Life Pacific University is give our students exposure to people and cultures and, and things that they wouldn't normally have exposure to, and to create an atmosphere where we're being open and honest and have dialogue, and people are sharing their stories through art, through music, through film, and, allowing people to understand, that the kingdom of God is, is extremely diverse. 


And at the essence of the gospel, you have to [00:14:00] understand it says, you know, that it says, "Go therefore and teach people from all nations." Within the Great Commission, there's diversity. And the whole point of God's kingdom is people from every nation and tribe have been bought by the blood of Jesus. 


So how dare we try to fragment that and diminish the purpose of the gospel? So, so a lot of my work is helping people understand the global nature of the gospel. And also to, to oppose any kind of supremacy. You know, not, not just white supremacy, but any kind of ethnocentricity where you're trying to elevate your ethnicity or your race above another. 


We come against that. We are equally made in the image of God, and we're equally image bearers, and every culture has, every ethnicity and every, culture has something that God wants to use to display His glory. We're all part of this mosaic where, um, it ... Like, by ourselves, [00:15:00] we, we're very limited. 


If you go to a church where everyone's white or everyone's Black or everyone's Hispanic, there, there are parts of the nature of God that are gonna be missing because of the lack of diversity. But when you, when you bring, people from different experiences and different cultures and different ethnic backgrounds, and we're all united because we love Christ, we all have the same Spirit. 


Black people don't have a different Holy Spirit than white people. Mexicans don't have a different Holy Spirit than Asian people. You know, so it's like we all have the same Holy Spirit. We were all saved by the same Jesus. We're all bought by the same blood, and therefore, as we lean into that identity, there's a, a natural genuine unity. 


When we look at the secular approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion, it's all cosmetic. Cosmetic. It's all at a very superficial level, whereas like we're gonna, you know, put some white people and Black people together and, you know, and see if they can, you know, like, get, get along together and, it will never work. 


It'll never work because the issues that divide people are issues of the heart. [00:16:00] And it's when your heart gets regenerated, when you get born again, and your heart actually changes, and God starts pouring His love into your heart- for people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, then a real diversity is, is being promoted - a supernatural diversity. I would say it's a sign and a wonder. Yeah. Like, when you see, uh, Democrats and Republicans loving each other, right, in this kind of toxic environment that we have now, that tells you that the Spirit's at work. That's a sign and a wonder. When you, when you have, especially the older generation of African Americans and older generations of white people who've experienced the Civil Rights Movement, when you have them coming together, loving one another, that really truly is a work of the Holy Spirit where He's done something very deep in your heart that man cannot do. 


Dre: And there's no, you don't get to hang on to those beliefs if you are following Christ. You don't get to just stuff them aside secretly somewhere and still have them. I mean, that's part of everyone's journey with God is to, [00:17:00] we're, you know, we're looking at Revelation 4 and 5 right now. 


John looks, and here's the throne, and here's the elders, and here's the cherubim that have the, you know, creature thing happening. And then he looks again, and there's thousands upon thousands- upon thousands upon thousands, people of every tribe worshiping and saying, "Holy is the Lord." 


And imagine the sound. Imagine the sound of all those languages. Imagine the sound of all those voices, of, of all those generations, and of all those different styles of praise music. And, everything able to be joined and included and together, you know- ... at the throne- at the feet of Jesus. Like, that's, that's the way it has to happen. So yeah, thanks for sharing about all that. I know you have to talk about it all the time in a lot of contexts, but-

Marcus: No, I, I love talking, this, this is what I love to talk about.

Dre: That's a blessing to hear your wisdom on that. 


So, so what would you say to someone who's like- Okay, I've heard [00:18:00] Kay and I've heard Marcus talk about how they are healed now and they're close to God and they live in a way that's close to God. I wanna do it. Tell me what to do. I've never seen what this looks like. I don't understand. Tell me.

Marcus: Yeah. Th- some very practical things, and, um, I, I think one of the most important things that people need to understand is that God is the one who disciples us. Okay? He's, he's the primary discipler. He's the shepherd. And I would say, um, there, there are three things that promote spiritual growth, and the first thing is God will lead you into a, a time of refining. 


He, He did it with Israel. Like, after they got delivered from the bondage of Egypt, from the Egyptians and Pharaoh, God led them into the desert and allowed them to experience a measure of suffering for the purpose of refining them, so they can worship in spirit and truth. He called them to the desert to learn [00:19:00] how to worship Him. 


And if you don't believe me, read the book of, of Leviticus. It's about worship, you know? And, and God was like, "This is, this is how I want to be worshiped, and this is what needs to happen." Like, something needs to die as a precursor, you know, a foreshadowing of Jesus is gonna die. And He's gonna take away our sins, but I want you guys to, to have this concept embedded in your understanding of what worship is. 


So God will take you into the desert to refine you, and that refining comes through pressures and trials and tribulations and it's not pretty. It's ugly. It's, it's hard. It's difficult. For many of us, it might come in the form of sickness. For you, it was like there, there were some health issues in that it was designed not to kill you, but to refine you and to make your worship more, you know, more refined. 


For someone like me, it was the identity issues, and, uh, I've experienced a lot of death, a lot of friends who, who died and, and just a lot of hardships, financial hardships. I've gone through quite a bit of, of suffering. And all these things were designed not to kill me, not to discourage me, but [00:20:00] to get me into a place of, of worship in spirit and truth. 


So the first thing that God will do to get you to a place of spiritual maturity is He will lead you into the desert. He did it to Jesus - Jesus got baptized by John the Baptist, and then, and God confirmed, "This is my Son, who I love very well. Now to the desert." And it said, it says literally, "The Spirit led Him into the desert to be tested by Satan." 


So even Jesus was tested in the desert and went through trials and tribulations and came out on fire, you know, knocking the devil upside the head, you know? And that's God's plan for you, to go through the desert- and not be a stiff neck like the, the other Israelites. And- The Israelites. They made it way longer than it had to be.

Just 'cause here's the thing. I think what people don't wanna, pastors don't wanna say is, like, just because God leads you in the desert doesn't mean that you're gonna get out of it, because the only way out is through obedience. And if you wanna just keep on going around that mountain and keep taking laps, God will let you die in the desert, you know? 


And I think that's a scary thing. But His, His goal, His desire is for you to enter into the Promised Land. So I, I [00:21:00] think as you allow God to take you through that process, you'll get to the Promised Land. So the next thing that, that God uses to help us grow, are spiritual disciplines, okay? 


And spiritual disciplines, there, there are a lot of them, but I would say the main ones are prayer- spending time in consistent prayer. And for those of you guys who don't have a prayer life and never prayed before, I would say start off with 10 minutes, 10 minutes of focused prayer. Go into a room or, or go to a, a coffee shop or go in your car and spend 10 minutes alone and say, "God, here I am." 


And maybe you don't have anything to say. Just wait quietly before the Lord. But, But make the, make the habit of being alone with God. For me personally, I try to spend about an hour a day in prayer, and if I have time, um, I'll spend a couple hours just in, in God's presence praying and, and seeking after Him. 


Another spiritual discipline that's important is, I would say however you do it, get the Word of God inside of your heart. Get the Word of God in you, whether that's reading the Bible, [00:22:00] finding an audio Bible app and listening to the Bible, going to an anointed preacher. Not these pop- you know, telling your ears what your itching ears are wanting to hear kinda preachers, but going to an anointed, Bible teacher who fears God and rightly handles the Word and be under their teaching and get that Word inside of your heart. 


This is how you're gonna grow. You know, get into a Bible study, that goes through the, through the en- entire Bible or, or w- where they do book studies and, and do it in context and teach you about what God is trying to communicate to those people and how His people understood what God was saying. 


Those are ways that you get the Word of God in your heart. And then the final thing, that I would say for a person just starting off and trying to figure out how to, to cultivate a vibrant relationship is to spend a, a Sabbath. And what is that? It's a day that you rest Anything that you consider work, like anything that's related to the work that you do Monday through Friday, um, don't do it. 


Find something fun. Play. If you [00:23:00] like to garden, then that's the day you do your gardening. If you like to play music and instruments, that's the day you do that. If you paint, whatever it is. If you, if you have a, a husband or a wife, go out on a date. Do something fun and joyful and, and fill your tank up, okay? 


So I would practice that as, as discipline. Some of us, you know, we get in this thing where it's like, uh, you know, like I- I'm a workaholic and I'm proud of it, you know? And, and that's actually sinful. You know, that's sinful. If Jesus rested, you know, if God rested on the, on the seventh day, then you should too, you know? 


So I would, I would practice finding a time to rest and to just be in God's presence and be filled up. So those three things, prayer, allowing God to take you through the desert, spiritual disciplines, and then, oh, the final thing is community. Community. That's one thing I didn't mention. 


A lot of people say, "Find a church home." I, I'm gonna challenge that. Find some spirit-filled believers- and be in contact with them weekly. That, that's how you, you do it, [00:24:00] 'cause, like, nowadays you can go to a church and, and never be challenged to grow spiritually; nobody will know you. 


Nobody knows what's going on in your personal life. There's no kind of accountability. Nobody knows you exist. Like, that's not helpful for your spiritual life. So find some friends, some brothers and sisters, um, who love the Lord, who are living the life, and live life with them. Meaning hang out at their houses, call them on the phone, ask them real questions like, "How are you doing spiritually?" 


Listen. Pray for them. That's how you're gonna grow spiritually. So the, so that's my answer to your question. Those are the ways. Yeah.

Dre: That was good. That's a good breakdown. Yeah. Yeah. Is there anything else on your heart? I think that's it. Yeah. I think that was- Yeah ... exactly what it was supposed to be. 


At some point, maybe we'll have you back on, because you have so much more knowledge and wisdom to share with us.

Marcus: Oh, I, I'd love to be on. Yeah.

Dre: But ... maybe we'll just give a pray real quick?

Marcus: Sure. Heavenly Father, I, I just thank you for everyone who's listening to this podcast, and, um, my, my prayer, Lord, is that they will meet you, um, and that you would draw them into a [00:25:00] deeper relationship with you. 


And my prayer is for those who are struggling through issues, um, issues of the heart. Going through pain, brokenness, um, maybe depression, um, maybe just very negative thoughts about who they are, whether God loves them or cares about them or not. Maybe they're going through a season of suffering. Um, Lord, I pray that you would reveal your love to them no matter where they are, and that they would hear your voice and know that you would never leave them or forsake them. 


I pray, Lord, that, that as people reflect and think about the things that we've talked about, and think about their own lives and, and maybe the challenges they've had in their own lives, that they would look to you and, and trust you for their deliverance, that they will trust you for their inner healing. 


My prayer, Lord, is that you will strengthen their faith to believe that you are willing to change their heart, to heal their heart, and to renew their minds, and to put their feet on a solid ground and [00:26:00] allow them to flourish like that tree that we talked about in Psalm One. My prayer, Lord, that everyone hearing my voice would bear the kind of fruit that you're calling them to bear. 


That you'd cause them to flourish at whatever capacity that you've called them to serve. I pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Dre: Amen. And bless Pastor Marcus and Pastor Kay and their kiddos, and just pour your richest blessings on them in this next season of life, God. I just pray that they would continue to be able to hear you clearly on everything they're asking, and be able to lead strong

and lead well in every context that you've placed them in. Bless their ministry, grow their ministry your way and in your time, and just allow them to always be able to represent you well and receive what you're giving them. And I pray, God, for your kingdom to expand in this place and in their lives and in everyone around them. 


Just let them bear fruit. Let them bear a lot of fruit, and I know they do. And we are grateful for their stories and [00:27:00] their ongoing testimonies, Lord. Pray all these things in Jesus' amazing, holy, beautiful, incredible, matchless name, always and forever. Amen.

Marcus: Amen.