In Japan, they will take the shoots of an oak tree and coil a wire tightly around the main root at a point where the trunk begins. They stunt the growth to such an extent that instead of great oaks 80 or 100 feet high, the shoots reproduce all the same qualities, but in dwarf trees that are only 12 or 14 inches high. It takes the same amount of time to grow a 12-inch dwarf tree as it does to grow one that reaches 80 feet high. These are trees that can take as long as three generations to grow to their optimal height, which means the person who first cares for the tree will not be the one to benefit from it, and neither will the child. It will be the grandchild. It can take 80 years to grow an oak tree, so when you grow it, you are doing it for another generation.

The Willie Lynch letter, “How to Keep a Black Man Down,” said to be a hoax, still represents an example of how slaves were bound by their owners like Japanese pygmy trees. The narrator, Lynch, wanted to ensure loyalty. He wanted to promote the kind of psychological enslavement that would make blacks think it was okay to make money as long as they were being entertaining, but to not have planted within the drive or the confidence to grow their own institutions and become leaders in business.

“I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves, and I take these differences and make them bigger,” reads the letter. “I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes.”

Whether the letter is true or a hoax, this is how one set of people makes pygmies out of another. When you understand the systematic structure of what turns a community into a cult of dwarves, you’ll see you have been trained to not trust yourself, and to not trust each other; to not work with each other; to not believe in one another’s success. Even when we do work together, we have a hard time trusting our counterparts because we never understand we’re all playing on the same team. Compare people to a team of football players, their shirts with different numbers, each player thinking his is the number that has to be the best. One day, the coach finally reminds them, “You’re all on the same team.”

Yes. You, we, are all on the same team, and we should want the team to win. Don’t get caught up on the number on the back of the jersey; focus on the name of the team. Our community forgets to do this; we work in isolation, thinking we’re saving the day, but all we are doing is crippling ourselves and our brethren.

When was the last time you were genuinely happy for a church mate or friend whose prayers got answered? We are not in competition with the next church or the next believer. If your brother is blessed, you must rejoice, because it builds up your faith.  your breakthrough is coming. If your brother is rejoicing, rejoice with him. Take out envy or impatience from your thoughts as this will only create division and delays in your blessing. Rejoice with others who are blessed. Focus on being grateful with them, because you know that you serve the same good, faithful, and awesome God. Your blessings are coming, and your brother will rejoice with you when that time comes.

Have you been looking for an open door to be used for the Lord’s Kingdom? Won’t it benefit you to operate in the prophetic in all areas of your life. This year, I want to gift you this FREE Course and experience the Power of Prophecy as a gift to open your mind to receive the Mind of Christ.