Answer:
They can have whatever they agree to….
Read that one again…
A demon
A curse
A vow
A family
A relationship
Fill in the blank….
And realize there might be a cost of which you were not aware. So, when you say you want something, and it is out of G-d’s timing to give it to you, the clowns might be willing to give it to you….with strings attached.
“You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows.”
(Job 22:27 ESV)
And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan
Judges 4:24 (ESV)
Gang, I am doing a read-through of scripture, and this text really hit home for the Exhorter, especially given it deals with an aspect of breaking the Canaanite Curse, one of the Seven Curses against design.
Time after time, I, and others, have encountered those who believe the only thing necessary to break a curse is to utter a renunciation, or have a court case, or __________ (fill in the blank with tour chosen thing to utter). And frequently, Exhorters who are built for the long haul of endurance are hunting for the magic spell or incantation or eight key. THE SOLUTION TO ALL MY ILLS.
And while renunciations are excellent, they are not the whole picture.
There must be, resident within the Exhorter, a commitment to grow and increase through consistent righteous actions of sowing and reaping in order to break a stronghold through overcoming.
Exhorters MUST, non-optionally, and non-negotiably, build a reservoir of endurance and strength.
They have to develop life-strong, sinewy muscle (Muscular System of the body is Exhorter) in order to win at many situations.
Press HARDER AND HARDER. Over and over and over. Keep pounding. Hammer to nail. Pull and push and develop. There is a reason that well-built people are referred to as chiseled and cut and ripped. Such adjectives speak of a PROCESS that happens layer by layer.
Such an appearance is pleasing to the eye.
And such an appearance will be the result of building out groups of musculature. In the gym. In the kitchen. In the community. In the secret place. In all of the places.
Gang, especially Exhorters, it’s time to get cut and peel back some things that you have tolerated in previous seasons.
Much love.
And be at peace.
Perception equals reality
A great lie.
When we ask questions of others, and we have the opportunity to engage in something we desire, we have then been given two things. Resources, if you will.
Rights plus responsibilities.
We do not celebrate Christmas, and this may or may not create friction with others, because there are expectations, some twisted, that frequently attend the celebration of that day.
Expectations of stuff. Expectations of purchasing on borrowed money. Expectations of rolling with a yearly pressure that may be tied to celebrating the birth of the King, or not.
That said, we as a family usually go and watch a movie. This is something that has its roots in my first marriage but makes a lot of sense. And frequently, those movies are times where the L-rd sits with me in the movie theater and talks to me about what is playing.
And I frequently see principles in said film.
This year we were delayed in seeing the film, and we finally got to see our chosen movie yesterday.
And as a huge Marvel fan, we saw Spider-Man: No Way Home.
And in this film, Peter has dealt with the reality that his secret identity has now become revealed to all. And in frustration, he visits a friend, Steven Strange, in order to ask him to make reality such that people forget who he is. During Strange’s incantation, Peter begins asking him to make exceptions, and provisos, and the balance of the movie is then given to the mess that comes from Peter wanting reality his way.
He wants the rights without the responsibilities and he continually messes things up, which then ultimately leads to a near-destruction of reality. On the way, his Aunt May dies. And other villains from previous realities come to mess with the natural order of things.
And the only way he can fix the mess is by accepting reality the way it is. And enabling Strange to cast the incantation that causes everyone including, his loved ones, to forget who he is
Gang, we have been given a reality and a set of causes that mesh together with a set of effects.
And that reality, when we don’t opt out of the whole of it, can be beautiful, though difficult.
But it is far worse to want some of reality and ignore the rest. That twists reality into something that it wasn’t made to be.
When we do that selective appropriation of reality, we avoid the problems G-d intended us to wrestle with.
And we avoid the following two passages.
“Count it all joy when you face trials of many kinds.”
“You meant it for harm, but G-d meant it for good.”
G-d, in bringing us to growth, leads us through trials and hands us problems to solve.
And He may or may not force the issue.
The issue is, when we ask Him for a chunk of reality that includes hla major blessings, are we willing to cultivate the skills necessary to scramble over and around and by that set of rocks in order to possess all He has for us in terms of blessing.
We may not fully appreciate the blessing until we have been given the curse to wrestle with.
Now, be careful when you read what I write. By “curse” I don’t mean G-d literally curses us. By “curse” I mean “problem to solve”.
Now, why did I use the word “curse”?
Two reasons. One, because the poetic nature of the way “curse” pairs with blessing.
Two, because too frequently, WE CURSE the difficult or inconvenient problem G-d gives us to solve, because He treats us as sons.
Slaves do not get problems to solve. Sons, rather, are they who get the problems to solve.
So, take heart, love. Because if you are getting problems when you pray, it is likely because G-d is trusting you as a son.
Be at peace, and if you need to solve a nettlesome problem, please feel free to reach out. I and others, as fellow sons, can help you to solve that problem.
G-d wants to bless you, but in order to do it, He has to calibrate you in order to equip you to solve problems.
Beloved, I would like to invite your spirit forward in the name of Yeshua.
Spirit, Listen to the word of G-d for you for today.
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;
Psalm 107:23–31 ESV
they saw the deeds of the L-RD, his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;
they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the L-RD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the L-RD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”
Spirit, not only do we need the right home, and not only do we need the right relationship with the right Father, but we also need the right cadre of friends to engage our destiny with us.
We were made to become people of destiny in the context of community.
Now, some of you in isolation might say “why is that?”.
In order to answer that, I have to tell you a story.
Spirit, I have a sailor friend whose name is Bryan. He is a sailor’s sailor and has always made a home or found a place at sea. From stints in the Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers to tours near Nigeria, he has gone down to the sea repeatedly in ships and done business on the water. He has seen the works of the King on the waters.
And he has shared with me that sailors frequently have inked on their knuckles the words “Hold Fast”. if you wash overboard, that rope to which you are tied may be the last thing keeping you from physical death. In so many contexts, holding onto a lifeline is all that stands between us an eternity.
Likewise, at least four of Jesus’ Twelve fished on Lake Galilee: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John. And they would have understood in squalls the dangers inherent with sailing.
Unlike a cruise-ship, which is the ultimate form of mothering, military and other sailing and fishing vessels are solid expressions of fathering. The need on a boat is to develop the tools necessary to survive and thrive and return home safely. And often times, in order to thrive on a ship or a boat, you have to take calculated risks relative to your environment. And in all of that, whatever you do, spirit, do not let go of the rope. Hold fast.
And have a crew of mates that you can connect with that will work with you and help you learn the ropes and will have your back and keep you safe.
And it takes a group of people each weaving together their unique set of principles together, and bringing those sets together that helps us move into destiny. One man or woman cannot pilot a vessel alone to do a task alone. Destiny is a community skill. And Several sets of eyes that can see the various aspects are so desperately needed.
And love which flows between brothers and sisters is needed.
So spirit, I bless you for the seasons when you will be abroad. I bless you no matter the nature of the water or the location of the water. I bless you when you must be on the open ocean, or on the lakes or rivers, or in the waters underneath the earth. I bless you when the waters are calm, and I bless you when the waters are boiling out of control. I bless you when there is a red sky at night and at morning. I bless you when you are surrounded by sharks and when the waters are pure sapphire. I bless you to have the right mates. I bless your friendships to be rejuvenating and life-giving, and importantly, life-PRESERVING.
I bless you to find THE RIGHT BERTH ON THE RIGHT VESSEL, and to link up with THE RIGHT CREW. For whatever reason, the following poem feels appropriate here.
I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
Sea Fever by John Masefield
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.
I bless your business and I bless your vision to see the works of G-d in the depths of the deep.
I bless you to be aware of the dynamics of Leviathan, whereever you are, in seven heads. I bless your compass, chronometer, sextant, pelorus, and maps to be true and accurate. I bless your skill in using them.
Spirit, I bless you with a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover. I bless you with lads who will keep you aboard and welcome you into their cabal as they accomplish great exploits in the name of the Captain of Our Salvation.
I bless you, mariners, to hear the voice of your ship and crew. I bless you when the storm is getting worse. I bless you with adventure and safe passage, no matter where the map and route take you. I bless you to know when your ship needs rest, and your mates need a hand, or a look, or a smile, or a heart.
I bless you to sleep aboard your ship when the Captain sleeps, and I bless you to wake when the Captain awakens. I bless you with love to keep your ship in its right alignment. And I bless you to be fathered in the wholeness of cause-and-effect that is critical to the operation of a fathering vessel that carries sons of the kingdom. I bless your reins to provide you counsel in the night seasons. I bless your capacity to see the usefulness of everyone else around you whose gifts are nothing like yours. And, importantly, I bless your capacity and skill at meshing your skills together with theirs, and no matter the conditions, to sail effectively. And to reach not only your destiny, but the desired haven of your home, having accomplished what the L-rd intended you to accomplish.
I bless you with wholeness in your community, as you seek for your place among your tribe. Be at peace, spirit, in the name of Yeshua.