Blessing of the December Window of Reconciliation #6: Destiny Aspect, Right Adventure With Right Friends

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;
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!”

Psalm 107:23–31 ESV

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,
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.

Sea Fever by John Masefield

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.

A Sucking Pit….Structures That Can Become Erected While Reading…

Not All Reading Is Fully Beneficial

The first time I felt it, was from reading the novel The Count of Monte Cristo. The last time I felt it, was in the loss of a dear friendship to me.

I don’t know if there are times when books or friendships bring to us that feeling of a structure that can create a black hole that sucks life from us, but I can say that when I read books as a very emotionally-sensitive person, I feel them intensely, for better or worse.

I read and can see each scene, and each plot device, and resonate with each similie, metaphor, allusion, and turn of phrase.

I think there are certain books that are designed, especially if the author in question has been given a gift with words by God, and an anointing for wordsmithing, which are designed to draw us in and leave us with something, a treasure or an antitreasure, if you will, if we let them affect us.

For those of us who are emotionally sensitive, we experience books in a different way, and as a result, we may have to read books through a filter in order to prevent negative structures from becoming erected by the assaults of the critters, especially of authors whose flow is defiled.

For example, those of you who know William Butler Yeats, might know that he practiced automatic writing, and had a way with words, and as a result, he was completely tied up with powers that were not of the kingdom.

Life-Giving Writings

Lewis and Tolkien, conversely, had streams that were plugged into the Lord as their source, and, as a result, for those who read his material, we see principles throughout that are not accompanied by defilement. Conversely, it is like a white hole manifesting when I read these. Especially when the relationships are lifegiving and mutually beneficial rather than sucking and depleting.

For example, the discovery of the White Sapling in The Return of the King shewed forth the life-giving relationship between Mithrandir and Aragorn II Elessar, the King of Gondor. Further, Aragorn fulfilled the known legend in Gondor that said “the hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known”, when, after the wounded were taken to Gondor’s Houses of Healing following The Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Aragorn healed them with the athelas plant. This exquisitely-penned account shows one of the deep dynamics at work in Tolkein’s writings that exposes the work of a Redemptive Gift Teacher.

With Reservation, A Further Recommendation For Understanding Relational Dynamics

I will say, though I cannot recommend her works apart from some serious reservations (for those of y’all that wonder about those reservations, feel free to ask Father about them), Joanne Rowling imbued her Harry Potter series with some of the best relational dynamics among friends, particularly around the area of loyalty, of any set of books I have thus far written. Granted, it was pulpy fiction, but the dynamics of interpersonal relationships in those books played out exceptionally well. If you have a solid filter in place, and Father gives you the grace to do so, read them, but only with a massive filter in place.

My Major Questions When Asking Whether Or Not We Should Read a Particular Book

  1. What is the source of the stream that flows from the essence of a writer, and thus, through their writings? “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).
  2. Has Father given you permission or instruction to read that writing? If so, then there is something in it for you.
  3. Are there principles in the work that you are writing? If so, then read in order to hunt for the principles of a given work. For, all truth is God’s truth, whereever it may be found.
  4. Is there a filter you need to have in place as you read a particular work?
  5. Sometimes Father is going to give you a grace to read something that He will not give to another, and vice versa. Thus, just because you see Him teaching one through this or that work, does not mean you have a free pass to read. What you do have is a free pass to talk to Father about the book or piece in question. Use that pass repeatedly. Discern, discern, discern. For example, because of the witchcraft in HP, it is not something I would readily recommend to any and everyone. Same with Yeats, or any others. I also have some real reservations about recommending a believer read Calvin’s writings, if they are susceptible to despair that could be magnified by reading the works of a man that believed in double predestination. For those who wish to wade into a particular work, great care should be exercised in discerning what is meat to eat and what is bone to reject.

This might sound like a laborious set of tasks for some, but when we use these filters as we read, we read ore effectively and with an eye toward executing more in alignment with the priorities of the Kingdom of God.

Givers and Intercession

DISCLAIMER: Hodgepodge of thoughts ahead.

Every morning when he dresses the lamps [of the lampstand] he shall burn [incense], and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the L-RD throughout your generations.
From Exodus 30:7-8

Of course, Aaron was a Mercy.  And yes, Mercies and intimacy are somewhat second nature, though intimacy is the birthright of the Prophet more than the other six in terms of ROI.
But intimacy and friendship are different.
Moreover, the Altar of Incense is a Giver Picture.  And while Mercies do intimacy, Friendship is the purview of the Giver.
And read that dual phrase with me, ponder it.
Every morning, burn incense.  Every evening, burn incense.
Every day and every night.  Find some of the incense of G-d’s heart and G-d’s friendship to burn on the altar.  And the incense is as vast and varied as the Givers are.  Whales, birds, fish, serpents, monsters, eagles, terns, penguins, sharks, squids, octopi, mollusks, crustaceans, hummingbirds, and all their vast and varied homes from the second day and third day.  A variety of nests and nooks, abover the ground and under the sea.
And it was not just any incense, not just strange or unauthorized incense or even unauthorized fire for that matter (Leviticus 10:1-5) that they were to offer, but rather the most holy incense.  The camp’s best incense.  Incense that the L-rd knew.  Incense that has the right feel to it.  Not just soulish incense, but spirit-driven incense.  Not just blinded incense that does not pray with precision, but sharpened, discerning, perceptive incense.  Not just incense that prays only for the prodigals of believers, but for all prodigals.  As you recall, there was a movement of believers in the 60’s that prayed for prodigal, hippy kids of believers, and they were so short-sighted that they failed to include the children of unbelievers in that intercession.
Our job is not just cry out for our kids, but to also pray for the lost and the things that really do matter in their lives.  It is right and good for the plight of the lost to also touch our deep places.
G-d will let the bowls of incense in heaven fill up so that He can get the ROI not just among believers, but also from unbelievers.
Are you, Givers, willing to step into a place of alignment and agreement with that desire of His heart?
Or are you just content to complain about what the Left or the Right is doing?  Are you content to complain about the agenda of the homosexual community?  Or are you willing to spend time in the holy place, talking with the King about His heart?
Execute His heart and in the process, He will help you bear the things that are on your heart, your mind, and your reins.
A most holy altar demands appropriate incense (Exodus 30:10).
Givers are designed freshly for Intercession, in the same way that Prophets for Sacrifice, Servants for Cleansing, Teachers for Fellowship, Exhorters for Revelation, RJD’s for Execution of G-d’s commands via life-giving systems that Execute His work, and Mercies for the burning fire of consecration and mystery.
We in the Giver tribe can do the good work of providing resources out of our own strength, or we can walk by faith (our cardinal virture).
I use “we” not in the sense of “me”, because I am not a Giver, but rather in the sense of my tribe of Givers.  So, don’t let that sentence cause you to stumble.
I know I am no Giver because I don’t have Giver face.  Not a poker face, but in the words of Anna Zimmerman, it is a face that can mask the emotions exceptionally well.
Back to the topic at hand.
Because of your capacity for friendship with G-d Most High, Givers (Jas 2:23), you have a capacity to connect in intercession and keep it from becoming a religious thing that is unparalleled, if you will choose to walk in it.  It is better to intercede out of the friendship you have, instead of the religious spirit that you can so easily walk in.  And Givers and Teachers can walk in a reigious spirit if they are not careful.  They, like Teachers, can walk after the good things instead of the G-d things.
And we need both to militate against the religious spirit.  We need both to connect with G-d and to do the one thing He is telling them to do.
The bottom line for the AOI (Altar of Incense) is that it is designed to be the home for burning the best incense, instead of the leftover junk, or the other stuff that came into being without Father’s permission.
Keep the strange stuff away from the altar, and burn the best stuff from the King’s heart on it.
Keep all the good things you want to pray for away from it, and hunt for the specific one thing that He wants to show y’all.
Engage with the Prophets in your life and connect with them, to consecrate those altars, to apply blood from the sin offering (Exodus 30:10) to the horns of the Altar.