The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, but Texas didn’t find out about it until June 19, 1865, which means there was a two-year gap between the time when the slaves were granted liberty and when they experienced liberty. Nobody told the slaves in Texas they were free. Even though they were legally free, they were not experientially free, so in 1865, blacks in Texas were still walking around behaving like slaves.

But what’s fascinating is that once the slaves found out that they were indeed free, not all of them headed north. Some slaves concluded it was better to just stay where they were, preferring the security of slavery over the risk of freedom. They had lived on the plantation all of their lives, and as a result they’d developed a plantation mentality.
But what’s fascinating is that once the slaves found out that they were indeed free, not all of them headed north. Some slaves concluded it was better to just stay where they were, preferring the security of slavery over the risk of freedom. They had lived on the plantation all of their lives, and as a result they’d developed a plantation mentality.

Literally.

The slaves with the plantation mentality did not seek life beyond the plantation, believing “This is all I know. This all I’ve experienced; I might as well just stay here.” They didn’t want to try anything new; they didn’t want to trust that God would take care of them in the “Promised Land.”

But today, some Christians have the 21st equivalent of a “plantation mentality.” They don’t believe in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. They don’t believe in the power of God, but always see themselves as a victim. They spend all of their time discussing what other people have done to them and why they can’t get free. If you feel powerless to change your circumstances, you may have a “plantation mentality.” Every time you talk about who or what is holding you back you EMPOWER “it” or “them” to keep you enslaved mentally!

If God has set you free, then you’re free! You better get a new mindset and take up residence in the “Promised Land”!