Common Denominators and the Facets of Jezebel

As I look back over the five significant experiences I have had in dealing with the Jezebel spirit I can see common denominators between all of them:

• All of the women showed high degrees of intelligence.
• Many were extreme organizers and administrators.
• All of them spoke with a very bold tone at inappropriate times.
• All of them were/are professing Christians. (I will discuss this more in context later.)
• All of them divided up work places, fellowship and individual relationships.
• All gossiped, slandered, lied
• All refused to change.
• All of them had been or are receiving time to repent.
• All claimed to be hearing God or at least operating in "Truth."
• All claimed to speak on his behalf. At times some did yet it was moments of truth mixed with moments of error.
• All of them like to correct men, starting with their husbands.
• All of them have husbands who have not been or are currently not seeking God. 
• All of the husbands in each situation avoided their wives as much as possible.
• All of the people involved in each situation were shallow in the scriptures and the ways of the Lord.
• Three of the five situations involved flirtation, sexual advances or lust.

Almost every time. Almost every situation. Mostly the same things. Very very few exceptions. The following is a list taken from Steve Sampson's book, Confronting Jezebel: Discerning and Defeating the Spirit of Control. His take on it is that these are common characteristics of men or women who have a spirit of Jezebel.

He gives a list of 30 things but I have narrowed it down to 24 things I have seen at least once. Some of his items on his list I have never seen before so I am going to eliminate those for the sake of brevity. I will leave on the list the ones I have seen and I am going to tell you the number of situations out of all 5 I have seen each one. Here Goes:

• Refuses to admit guilt or wrong - A Jezebel spirit is never wrong, unless it is a temporary admittance of guilt to gain "favor" with someone. When a Jezebel apologizes it is never in true repentance or acknowledgment of wrongdoing but rather "I'm sorry your feelings were hurt." (4 of 5)
• Uses people to accomplish its agenda - The Jezebel spirit lets others do its dirty work. The Jezebel sits back looking innocent, saying "Who me? What did I do?" This behavior makes it difficult for even the most ardent truth seekers to pin one down. The Jezebel spirit is clever in its agenda. (1 of 5) - The one instance where I did see it was really bad as it involved a Sr. Pastor using a number of people to drive others out. Really Bad.
• Withholds information - This is a form of control. A Jezebel wields power over you by knowing something you don't know in a situation. In the eyes of a Jezebel, having information you don't have is a powerful weapon of control. (2 of 5)
• Talks in confusion - It is impossible to converse with a Jezebel in logic. One pastor wrote a six-page letter to his elders about a situation in the church. The context was so vague that no one was without confusion. This is a way to maintain control and domination. When confronting a Jezebel, the subject may be changed five times in one minute. Confusion keeps them "undiscovered" and unexposed. (This one is huge Brethren. Pay Attention to this one.) (4 out of 5)
• Lies - A Jezebel lies convincingly. No one can lie better than she can. She can turn on the charm and make you believe blue is red. The fact that Jezebel can look you in the eye and lie just shows how strong and adamant this rebellious and recalcitrant spirit is. (3 of 5)
• Ignores people - A classic ploy of a controller is to ignore you when you disagree with him. This tactic is frequently used by leaders when someone doesn't agree with their plans, and they isolate the person by ignoring him. Some in these situations have been ignored for months, just because they chose not to be a puppet and say to every idea or whim. This puts the person out of the leader's grace and forces him to either "come around" to the leader's way of thinking or be indefinitely ignored. One is not free to disagree with a controller. (2 of 5)
• Criticizes everyone - This is a characteristic of a controller. He has to be the one who looks good, so he will quickly sharply criticize anyone who makes a suggestion or plan. Even though she likes the plan, she can only criticize it because the idea did not originate from him. Criticizing others elevates the controller in his own mind. (3 of 5)
• One-upmanship - A person with a Jezebel spirit will always upstage another person. If you are with such a person and tell of your accomplishment or victory, you can be assured he will quickly tell of something he has accomplished. (3 of 5)
• Sequesters information - A Jezebel loves to be in control of information. If there is ever a situation where information is important, she will push to know it. (2 of 5)
• Uses information - A Jezebel uses information as a leverage for power and then shares tidbits with you, often things told him in confidence. This gives her a sense of power... (3 of 5)
• Talks incessantly - Many people talk habitually, but a Jezebel uses talking as a form of control. In a typical conversation, she does all the talking, whether it is about sports, the weather or the Kingdom of God. Because of this form of control, she is unable to receive input from anyone in his life. All conversation with him/her is one-sided. You are doing the listening. (Holy Cow........(3 of 5))
• Spiritualizes everything - When a controller is confronted, she commonly spiritualizes the situation, explaining it off on God. This prevents him from owning up to responsibility required of him. The implication is always, "You've got a problem; I don't." (3 of 5)
• Is insubordinate - A Jezebel never takes the side of the employer or a person in authority, unless it is a temporary action to make himself look good. His/her main desire is for power and control.
• Is pushy and domineering - A person with a Jezebel spirit pressures you to do things, seemingly ripping from you your right to choose or make a decision for yourself. (4 of 5)
• Uses the element of surprise - A Jezebel's main thrust is to be in control, and a large part of control is catching you off guard. Therefore, the element of surprise works well when she shows up a day early for a meeting or with an agenda or charge that no one expected. (5 of 5)
• Sows seeds of discord - A Jezebel will continually belittle another person in the most subtle way. The strategy is to "gain" control by minimizing the value of another person. It is common for her to tell half-truths to implicate another person in your eyes. By sowing these seeds, she hopes to eventually reap a harvest of destruction, improving his position of power. (4 of 5)
• Is vengeful - Since a Jezebel is never wrong, if you contradict or confront one, get ready to become his/her worst enemy. As long as you are in agreement with him, all is fine. But if you confront or challenge them, then look out. You are the target at this point. A Jezebel will stop at nothing to destroy your reputation. (5 of 5)
• Attempts to make you look like you're the Jezebel - A Jezebel spirit is difficult to pin down. If the person is near to being confronted, he or she will skillfully twist the entire situation, trying to make the innocent person look like the one who is attempting to control. As always, the Jezebel will do anything to look like the one who is right. (Out of Context - 5 of 5)
• Insinuates disapproval - A Jezebel will often imply disapproval to those under his or her control. The controlled person feels no freedom to express an opinion, for fear of disapproval. This often manifests in a marriage or in a working environment. (5 of 5)
• Is ambitious - The Jezebel has strong desire, but all for self. "I want what I want when I want it," describes his worship of self-will. A Jezebel leader will never use the words, "We have a vision," but rather, "My vision is thus and so." (3 of 5)
• Gift giving - Gift giving is a form of manipulation a Jezebel uses that always makes you feel obligated to him/her. It also compromises the victim in speaking direct and confrontive truth. Naturally, not everyone who gives gifts is guilty of control, but gift giving is a tactic used by those who have a need to control. (2 of 5)
• Is independent - No one has input in a Jezebel's life. He fraternizes with no one unless it is to get you to "cooperate" with his agenda. (5 of 5)
• Is religious - A Jezebel dwells in the local church but doesn't like authority unless he is in the position of authority. She calls herself a prophetess per Revelation 2. She claims to have divine knowledge. (5 of 5)
• Hides - We all want to believe that the person with a Jezebel spirit is delivered. The person may seem "normal" for a period, exhibiting none of the classic traits. Then suddenly without warning a situation will arise, once again with the spirit taking control and wreaking havoc over lives. (5 of 5)

I have seen all of these. But the things I would really add to his list are these:

• Use of Sexual immorality and lust.
• They hate God ordained authority in men. They think they can correct men. 1 Timothy 2:12 means nothing to them.
• All have husbands that have been put down and have become Ahab's. And the thing is, all of the husbands would adamantly deny this. All of them.
• All have few reference points in scripture. They rarely know scripture or the quietness that can accompany discernment.

You need to be aware of them. Jezebel's ultimate intent is to gain control and in the process she separates people from God and from each other. And to me there are two different levels of a Jezebel Spirit. Take a look...................

2 Levels of Jezebel

I often tell others that there are two sources of false teaching:

1. Those that teach falsely.
2. Those that are false teachers.

There are those that are sincere in their devotion to the Lord but they are missing foundational, fundamental doctrines for some reason. Sometimes they grow up in old wineskin environments and never really emerge out of them. Maybe in the course of time, if they keep seeking after the Lord, they will get the wrinkles ironed out and teach the way of God more accurately. They are like Apollos. Apollos was teaching falsely for a period of time. He was missing some parts but when presented with truth he embraced them.

"Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately." Acts 18:24-26

He needed some growth in what he was believing and teaching. This was affecting his ability to experience God more freely. Yet when truth was presented to him he tested it and embraced it. And so he grew. He was then able to help with enabling the church to grow on a greater basis.

"When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed." Acts 18:27

I have taught falsely in my early years and had the Lord pull me back in and straighten me back out and then resend me back to the body to assume my place. It happens to everybody.

False Teachers are something all together different. They have not responded to the Lord as he has tried to convict them over the course of time. Their motives have remained impure and, even though they may have once had pure doctrine, they stray from God in all facets and completely leave the straight path. The entire chapter of 2 Peter 2 is devoted to false teachers in the Body of Christ, men and women who once new God on some level. Verse by verse this is what the chapter says about them...

• They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them. 
• Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
• In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.
• God is holding them for punishment on the day of judgment.
• They follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.
• Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to slander celestial beings They blaspheme in matters they do not understand.
• They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.
• They will be paid back for the harm they have done.
• Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.
• They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you (Christians) 
• With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
• They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. 
• They are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
• For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.
•  They had once escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 
• (They once knew the way of righteousness.) It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 
• Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

I see the Jezebel spirit in much the same way. I think their is conviction and an opportunity for repentance for those that have it. I think there are those that have some of the characteristics of Jezebel from their unredeemed past and it is a matter of them getting spiritually healed and cleansed under the right set of circumstances in the Lord.

But I also think there is the person who has a Jezebel spirit who has rejected God's conviction for so long that they get to a point where God hands them over. And at that point I am not sure they can be saved. This includes Christians who have the Spirit of God in them but have refused to work out their salvation in fear and trembling.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:12,13 

This person has stopped walking with God and their names get blotted out of the Book of Life because they refuse to do his work and so be changed in the process.

"Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds (works)  complete in the sight of my God...The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life,...." Revelation 3:2,5

 I believe there are different levels of oppression and possession. But regardless of the degree, we go where God sends us and we say what God tells us to say in light of all circumstances.

If the person with the Jezebel spirit doesn't repent she will suffer. God does give her time to repent. Revelation 2 is clear on it. My Third Encounter with the spirit from February, 2005 to May, 2008 showed me that. There is a time of repentance.

"In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2

Pray for others that are struggling with this. Discern and see what you should see and talk to the Lord about your responsibility.

Be Blessed,
JEB

The Earth is Defiled

Monday morning I awoke and heard the following verse in my heart:

"When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness." Isaiah 26:9

And as I meditated on that verse I heard this one as well:

"The earth is defiled by it's people. They have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; it's people must bear it's guilt." Isaiah 24:5

The earth is defiled by it's people. How? Through disobedience to God's laws. Sin has defiled the earth.

The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the Word Health Organization (WHO) estimate that there are almost 42 million abortions occurring worldwide on an annual basis. They also say that the number was actually higher in 1995 at an estimated 46 million abortions worldwide in that year alone. If these stats are anywhere near accurate then we could probably assume that in the last 25 years, since 1986, over 1 Billion abortions have occurred in this world. That's one billion, or roughly 15% of the world's current population.

1,000,000,000 = One Billion

Nine zeros. That number is staggering to me. When a murder occurs in a town or neighborhood it makes the news. But one billion in roughly 25 years? Humanity no longer values life. And God knows this is true.

"Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord." Isaiah 26:10

The book of Romans continues to define the issue.

"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:15-18

"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by it's own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Romans 3:20-22

Man has been swift to shed blood. Ruin and misery has marked his ways. He does not fear God. God's creation is frustrated and in bondage to decay. Creation is groaning, even up to the present time. And now it appears that the creation itself is rejecting humanity and it's actions.

"The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of it's rebellion that it falls - never to rise again." Isaiah 24:20

Earth is rejecting humanity by trying to shake her off. Look at the following chart:

The chart was put together by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and tracks earthquakes from 1900 to 2008 with a magnitude of 6.0 or greater. See the rate of increase? Just as an added punch, the number of earthquakes in 2009 in that range of magnitude was 52. That would exceed the vertical scaling on the above chart by 26 percent if it was added on.

The ground itself is cursed because of sin. It started with Adam. The Lord God told him....

"Cursed is the ground because of you;..." Genesis 3:17

God spoke to Moses about it just to clarify the issue.....

"Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants... And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you." Lev 18:25,28

"Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made fro the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not pollute the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord dwell among the Israelites." Numbers 35:33

The Lord continued to remind the people of these principles in the Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

"They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood." Psalms 106:38

"There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." Proverbs 6:16-19

"...one sinner destroys much good." Ecclesiastes 9:18

And yet the Israelites did it anyway.

"Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord's command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive." 2 Kings 24:3,4

King Manasseh's sin exceeded even the Amorites, that Nephilim-laced culture, whom God had destroyed at the hands of Joshua.

"Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites...Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols." 2 Kings 21:9,11

So he rebuked them through his prophets...

"I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable." Jeremiah 2:7

"On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, ..." Jeremiah 2:34

"They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent." Jeremiah 19:4

"Prepare chains, because the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of violence." Ezekiel 7:23

"The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice." Ezekiel 9:9

"Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices and say, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries.'.....See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood....In you are slanderous men bent on shedding blood." Ezekiel 22:2-4, 6,9

And he commanded his prophets to stop praying for the well-being of his people.

"Do not pray for the well-being of this people. I will destroy them..." Jeremiah 14:11

All the while he also spoke of the impending destruction of the the world around them, of nations and key cities.

• In Isaiah 14-24 he speaks of the destruction of Assyria, Moab, Damascus, Cush, Egypt, Babylon, Edom, Arabia, Tyre, Jerusalem....the entire earth.
• In Jeremiah 25 he tells the nations that they will be destroyed along along with Jerusalem. All the towns of Judah, Egypt, Uz, the Phillistines, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, Zimri, Elam and Media....all the kingdoms of the earth.
• In Ezekiel 25-35 he prophesies against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Egypt, Lebanon and Jerusalem.

He destroyed them all. He started with the Judeans, the one nation who he had dispensed the most grace upon. He started with the most prominent of nations at that time, Israel and Judah, and worked his way down the list because, truth be told, all nations were doing the same thing. So he caused disaster to spread from nation to nation.

"See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty. .....He will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword,........Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth." Jeremiah 25:29,32,33

He just had to start with the nation to which his name was attached. His Name was being profaned through Judah's disobedience. 

"But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out." Ezekiel 20:14

Why? Because they had conformed to the standards of the nations around them.

".....You have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you." Ezekiel 11:12

Does this have application today? What nation in the world today has had Christ's name attached to it, both presently and historically?

And if a nation like that really existed, and God was going to start judging nations, would he start with that nation in a time of global judgment? Who would that nation be? And does that nation have the blood of the innocent on it's hands? Is the land of that nation defiled? Has that nation conformed to the standards of the world around it, in spite of it's historical blessings with regards to both physical protection and financial provision?

".....You have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you." Ezekiel 11:12

Have we answered those questions before? See Here. The Ring of Fire is starting to explode with activity. See Here for it's symbolism.

Do not love the systems of this world saints. Let's not pin our hopes on worldly things.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. The world passes away and the lust thereof but the man that does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17

Receive the message. Know the doctrine that confirms the prophecy that has been laid down for us. Know the Doctrine.

"If any man chooses to do my will he shall know the doctrine." John 7:17

Knowing the consequence for shedding innocent blood, for both individuals and nations, is part of our doctrine in Christ. Know the doctrine.


JEB

The Final Two Miles

About two months ago the Lord was starting to show me that I needed to lose weight and get down to 82 kilos (181 pounds). Because I am getting older (almost 41) I have to work out more than I used to in order to drop the weight. Ten years ago I could run maybe 12 miles a week and lift some weights and I could control my weight very easily. Things change when you get older. You have to train harder and with more focus. You have to watch everything you eat almost all of the time.

In response I have had to increase my mileage when out jogging. My runs have gone up to 4.7 miles at a minimum of three days a week if not four. Because of this my runs have become much more painful. But through this whole process the Lord has reminded me of a spiritual principle that applies to all of us. It's the principle of how clear his voice becomes when we are in pain.

My runs are divided into two experiences. The first experience is had in the first 2.5 miles. This is when my mind is set on various things. I think about family, work, ministry, fellowship, the future....My mind just wanders from thought to thought. Sometimes the thoughts are vain, sometimes imaginative. They often lack focus. I find myself taking alot of thoughts captive on that first 2.5 miles. During this time I am not in much pain. My body temperature is still cool, I am not completely soaked in sweat and I haven't had to start drinking from the frozen water bottles in my hands. I still have alot of spring in my step. My stride is very strong, steady and consistent. During that first 2.5 miles things are easy. There is little or no pain.

The final 2 miles are different. I can feel my mouth getting drier and I have to start rehydrating. My clothes are starting to become soaked with sweat. My feet can feel the heat of the pavement as it heats up my shoes. My strides are becoming more laboursome. My body starts to feel heavier in spite of severe water loss. And through it all my mind starts to clear up. By this point I have been quoting 2 Corinthians 10:5,6 and Galatians 5:26 now for the past mile or so and my thoughts start to shift completely heavenward. I am now entering into the realm of pain and this is where I want to be. This is where I begin hearing the voice of the Lord. This is where I connect with him....in the realm of pain.

"But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction." Job 36:15

God speaks to us in our affliction. He appears to us in the fiery furnace.

"Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Daniel 3:25

I appreciate the last 2 miles of my runs. Why? Because this is where I hear him. This is where I get insight on riddles he has set before me, clarity in doctrinal issues, prophetic insight........I love it. This is where his voice is for me. He led me to this. He led me to this realm of fire. This is where he meets with me, in those final two miles.

This has not been about weight loss rooted in a vain spirit. This has been more about connecting with him and being reminded that sometimes, not all of the time, but sometimes.....in order to hear him, we have to go into phases of affliction.

Saludos
JEB

America is Falling

I was going to take a nap on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. But now I am finding myself writing about Track and Field events and former Miss Universe contestants.....all in light of God's word of course. Read this all the way through. I think you will find it interesting.

Right before I was going to lay down I received an email from a good friend of mine inviting me to comment on a thread on his blog. I'll try and give you the cliff notes.

In the comments section at the end of his post he put forth a question. Without him taking a position, he wanted to hear both sides, both for and against, to the following:

"An argument exists that says the idea of God judging nations is an Old Testament concept... that all judgment for sin occured at the cross and so therefore no judgment of any kind is awaiting nations, as sinful as they are. Question: Does God judge nations today? If so, upon what basis in light of Christ’s work on the cross? 

So what he puts out there for discussion is whether or not God judges nations today. The following was my response on his blog.

Posted by Jay on September 4, 2011 at 2:30 pm

"The argument is an extension of Calvinism and the TULIP doctrine. They are superimposing it over the political and social issues of our day. It is another way of saying, “Peace and Safety.” (1 Thess 5:3)

Is the Grace of God a license for immorality (Jude 4)? Do nation-states reap and sow just as individuals do (Galatians 6:7,8)? Do nations experience judgement?

Isaiah 24 speaks of an “everlasting covenant” that has been broken by the nation states of the earth, specifically verse 5 and 6. It also clarifies the consequence for breaking this law of conscience, even amongst nations that did not know the spiritual rock Jehovah Jireh.

Revelation 6 speaks of the Lamb who is worthy to open the seals, releasing 4 horsemen upon the earth to conquer, to make men slay each other with the sword, to disrupt fair trade and plunge men into poverty and hunger, to release plagues on the earth, to release the wild beasts of the earth, and to harvest on behalf of Death and Hades.

Has God judged nations since the our Lord’s cruxificion and resurrection? Paul said, “In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.” 1 Thess 2:16

Even back to the time of Cain and Abel, man has experienced consequences for shedding innocent blood. God judged the world in Noah’s time because of this. After he got off the ark the Lord told him not to shed blood (Genesis 9:5,6) and that if he did there would be consequences. This was a component of the law of conscience which has always trumped old covenant law (See David eating the consecrated bread in 1 Samuel).

Japan’s judgment for what they did to China during WWII. Germany’s judgment for what they did to Europe. The judgment of the Armenians for not listening to God during World War I (and they were Christians). France’s judgment from 1915 to 1945 for what they did to the Huguenot Christians several centuries before. God’s judgment on Jerusalem and Judah in 70 A.D. God’s judgement on the Roman Empire for what they did to the Mediterranean rim. God’s judgment on Britain’s economy for what they did to North Africa (slavery), the southern U.S. (slavery), India and China (the opium trade) during the 1800′s.

Does he judge nation states? Can the United States murder 53 million children through abortion, 8 times more than the Nazi’s did in all of Europe, and think the party will continue? Really? Jesus threw over a few tables for some money changers. How much more should we be turning over these false arguments over 53 million children."

First I want to say that I love my friend who author's the blog I am qouting. I love his heart, his ministry and his writing. I love his whole family. He is married to a godly woman. They bear good fruit in Christ. They have great kids. They are trustworthy people. In no way is my comment a correction of him or anything he is doing in the Lord. I am not directing my response at him. I have even now put a link on my blog to his blog, The Sage of Texas. And I am extremely selective when I do that. I am encouraging others to read his blog and receive from him. Just want to make sure I am being clear.

But my response was to a question he posed from a neutral position and it was directed specifically at the other side of the argument which I believe is rooted in falsehood, specifically in Calvinism and to some degree in Dominion Theology/Kingdom Now Doctrine. Truthfully, if you have been following the posts on this blog for any length of time and you have been taking it in then you know my position on this in the Lord.

Read Here, Here, and Here  if you need a refresher. If not, keep reading.

Brethren, America is falling and has been progressively for many years now. Let me explain why I am bringing this up again like I have in the past months.

Coincidentally, this morning, I saw on the news that a new world record had been set by the Jamaican Men's 4 x 100 Sprint Relay Team at the world championships in South Korea just this morning. The men's 4 x 100 sprint relays are, in my mind, the most exciting 38 to 40 seconds in all of sports. Now 37 seconds. It's all about raw straightline power, speed and intensity.

But in this particular race we have what I believe is a prophetic symbol of sorts. You see, at about the 30 second mark something terrible happens to the runner on the third leg of U.S. men's team. He falls and the American team doesn't finish. Watch the film up until about the 1:00 minute mark. Then skip all of Usain Bolt's hot-dogging and fast forward it to the 3:20 mark of the video. They show the American falling in slow motion.





The American runner loses balance and just falls between strides. You know, this has happened recently to both of the U.S. contestants at the Miss Universe Pageants in 2007 and 2008.



Miss USA @ Miss Universe 2007



Miss USA @ Miss Universe 2008

Bless their hearts. I felt bad for the U.S. runners and for these 2 ladies. Yet these symbols are out there on the international stage for all to see. And they are not happening by accident. Joseph Herrin does a good post on the symbolism of some of these events as well. You can Click Here to read the whole thing later. But I want to pull something from it and quote it here. This is what he interpreted about Miss U.S.A falling 2 years in a row. I think it is very forthtelling.

"In 2007 Rachel Smith fell down while walking on stage at the Miss Universe pageant, and this year, 2008, Crystle Stewart did the same thing. No other contestant experienced the same. Consider for a moment how appropriately this contest was chosen. All the nations of the world are gathered for this event. Each country is symbolized by one woman. And for the past two years, the woman symbolizing the USA has fallen down as she stood before all the world, in a moment when she hoped to impress all those who looked upon her."

"Rachel was the name of the favorite wife of Jacob. She died giving birth to her son Benjamin. God will bring forth a purified remnant from the midst of the church in America, even though it should require the death of the nation as we know it."

"In an article I read today on the event, it was said that falling down was “the death knell” for any participant as far as their chances of winning the competition. The judges looked for how much poise and grace the contestants manifested on stage, and falling down was sure to end any chance of them winning. Is it not strange that this last event took place in Viet Nam, the infamous war that America failed to win?"

"That this event has occurred two years in a row, being repeated at the same stage of the event, the evening gown portion, reveals some profound truths. The word “evening” speaks of the last hours of the day before night falls, and all is plunged into darkness. That this same event occurred two years in a row bears the same meaning that Joseph declared to Pharaoh when God repeated his dreams to him twice."

"Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about." Genesis 41:32

God has determined this matter. This is to say that His mind is made up and now there is no turning back what He has determined. There is only a sure expectation that these things will come, therefore the wise should do whatever the Spirit tells them to do that they might be made ready. It will quickly come to pass. This judgment is no longer years away. It will commence presently.....As I mentioned, the signs of distress are everywhere apparent."

Joseph Herrin is right. The matter has been firmly decided by God. Both ladies names are in fact significant. Rachel for the reason he stated above:

"Rachel was the name of the favorite wife of Jacob. She died giving birth to her son Benjamin. God will bring forth a purified remnant from the midst of the church in America, even though it should require the death of the nation as we know it."

Rachel was first to fall in 2007. Then in 2008 it was Crystle that fell. The name Crystle is derived from the proper name Crystal and can be defined as: to take on a solid shape or form when atoms or molecules begin to arrange in definite and repeated patterns. (See Websters Dictionary).

When the Lord begins to speak on things repeatedly it means it's important. Real important. Four times in John 14 &15 Jesus said that if we loved him, we would obey him. Romans 1:28 says that men get into trouble with God when they don't retain his word. The word for retain (NIV) in the Greek is Echo. The word of God echoes. 2 Corinthians 13 says that things become established through the repeated witnessing of 2 or 3 members of the body.

My point is that as events occur repetitiously they, in many cases, become a sign of what God is saying. He is in effect trying to Crystalize his word. He is causing it to take a solid shape and form. In this case it is the fact that America, as symbolized by the American runner and the two beauty contestants, is falling. America is falling.

America will fall. The signs are everywhere if you know what to look for. I think in the next post I should talk about the four-fold judgment of Ezekiel 14. The dominoes are falling and the first one has almost completely hit the ground. Ezekiel 14 is happening in America right now.

Stay Alert.
JEB
http://www.miraclesinmerida.blogspot.com/.

Finally

I took a trip back to the U.S. in July/August that lasted almost 4 weeks. I got back on Aug 4th. My wife told me that it rained almost every day that I was gone. This kept her and one of my sons from having to water the yard by hand throughout the time I was gone. This was a blessing. In Mexico most homes don't have enough water pressure to even run a water sprinkler effectively. Instead you either, 1) pray for rain, or 2) water by hand. In our case, we take a kid's swimming pool and fill it up with a water hose and dump it on the backyard. Primitive? Yes. Less Time consuming? Absolutely. It just requires more effort than enjoying the ongoing rains we get this time of year.

We'll, as the story goes, when I got back on August 4th the rains suddenly stopped. It rained practically  everyday when I was gone and when I get back the daily rains cease for 2 weeks. Everyday I prayed and waited for it to rain and nothing happened. In the silence of my heart I finally said to the Lord, "Lord, I always ask you to make it rain when I need to water the yard and you have answered several times. This is my final day of asking. If you don't make it rain today I am going to have to start watering on my own. I have turned to you for this Lord. This is my last day of waiting. The grass is dying. It needs water today."

Well, that same day, the very day I felt that my time of waiting had to finally end, the rains started and it has rained at least an hour almost everyday for the past week. The grass has been restored and is filling back out again.

When I see things like this happening I have learned to ask the Lord, "Lord, what it going on? Is there something you are trying to teach me spiritually through natural things? What is it? Is this just nothing or is there something to this?"

This is the response I believe I received from the Lord. Take a look at Acts 16.

"Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.' She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her." Acts 16:16-18

It's pretty straight forward. Before God could set things in order he had to wait for Paul to get fed up with the status-quo. When he finally got troubled to the point that he would take action, the Kingdom of God came forth and the will of God was fulfilled. Let's look at another example of this spiritual dynamic: Jesus and the clearing of the temple.

"When it was almost time of the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" John 2:13-16

Let's put this into perspective. Most present-day historians and theologians believe that Jesus was crucified and buried at age 33 simply because Jesus began his ministry at age 30 and the Gospel of John accounts for 3 yearly Passover feasts (John 2:12-16, John 6:4, John 11:55). Whether this is true and can be proved is subject to debate. But let's just say for a minute it is true, that the cruxificion of our Lord took place at age 33. Per the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the clearing of the temple occurred just after Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the shouts of "Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest." This occurred just prior to his cruxificion. This tells us that Jesus had attended Passovers before and obviously had witnessed the obvious mismanagement of the things of God. This wasn't the first time he had witnessed "merchandising" going on in his Father's House. 

Joseph and Mary had attended Passover with Jesus ever since he was a little boy. When they returned from Egypt they settled in Nazareth, a roughly 70 mile trip from Jerusalem.

"Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom." Luke 2:41

Jesus was in Jerusalem with his parents every year for Passover. In fact, the law required that they appear at the Temple in Jerusalem three times a year, not just once.

"Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacle. No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you." Deut 16:16,17

I am assuming Joseph attended all three feasts on an annual basis. That means Jesus was in the temple three times a year. Let's just assume they had moved back to Nazareth from Egypt by the time Jesus was 10 years old. 33-10=23. That means from age to 10 to age 33, a period of 23 years, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the three aforementioned feasts at least 69 total times. That means he had witnessed merchandising in the temple dozens of times in his life. Yet he didn't clear out the money changers until close to the end of his life, just prior to his cruxificion. Why? Why the wait?

I think he finally got fed up. I think he had come to the end of his rope with this situation and responded in kind. I think he was finally boiling over. I think Paul finally got fed up with the demon in the slave girl and took authority and walked by a greater measure of faith. He had finally had enough. Jesus had also finally had enough. 

Over the past months I have been coming to the place where I have finally gotten tired in an area. I am finally tired of spiritual fellowship that is devoid of power and prophecy. The only reason anyone listened to Jesus' teaching and doctrine was because he was both prophetic and powerful with regards to signs, wonders and miracles. The beginning of his ministry was marked by such things as turning water into wine and prophesying to the woman at the well. These types of experiences are what should mark the church. Today in most fellowship circles these are uncommon occurrences.

Our faith is to rest in the power of God (1 Cor 2:5) and our lives should be marked by the power of God (1 Cor 4:20). Scripture is clear about it. We have to find our way in this. The power of God manifests with greater ease when the body is allowed to be the body. That means people are allowed to function in their gifts. What I have learned over the past 17 years is that quite a number of bodies of fellowship don't permit the body to be the body, to allow fellowship to center around everyone being equipped for and participating in ministry as God moves among us.

"...so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." Romans 12:5-8

The scriptures say, "let him, let him, let him." "Let him do it, let him do it."  It's repetitious in the above verse. This is very applicable with both the gift of the teacher and the gift of the prophetic. The scriptures say.....

"...if it is teaching, let him teach." Romans 12:7

"...by this time you ought to be teachers." Hebrews 5:12

If someone is a teacher they should be allowed to teach as long as their doctrine is accurate. Why? Because most often the best teachings are the ones that come unplanned, straight out of the heart, off-the-cuff by shooting-from-the-hip at a moment's notice. Depending on the size of a body of believers in a meeting you may have anywhere from 2 to 10 teachers in a room, maybe more. There has to be a liberty in the Lord for anyone to teach at a moment's notice as long as it fits with the order and flow of what the Lord is doing in the meeting.

What about prophecy? I am not talking about the office of the Prophet. I am just talking about the general flow of prophecy in the body. Do you every wonder about this, about why you see so little if any of it in the church today?

"Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged." 1 Cor 14:29-31

"...be eager to prophesy..." 1 Cor 14:39

First, we should be eager to prophesy. And secondly, we should experience seasons of prophecy. If we are not, something is wrong. It's one thing to believe in prophecy for today. It is another thing altogether to emphasize, equip and watch people actively grow in it. Yet it is very rare for church bodies today. Very rare. Yes, your church may have had a prophet come in for prophetic ministry. But God wants more than the Prophet prophesying. He wants the Prophets to equip the people to prophesy. The gift of the Prophet is an equipping gift. Everyone is to prophesy. God wants us all prophesying.

This only comes as apostles and prophets equip the church foundationaly for the work of the ministry. Read 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 2:20, Ephesians 4 and the entire book of Acts. The scriptures are stunningly clear on this dynamic.

I think I have come to a point in time where I have realized the "spiritual grass" has to be watered today. We are the grass and we need to be watered by the washing of the water of his word.

"A voice says, 'Cry out.' And I said, 'What shall I cry?'
'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are as grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:6-8

"Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the the word." Ephesians 5:25,26

Things have to change. I have got to pursue this. And I believe the Lord is trying to bring his entire body to this point, a place of finally wanting things more and more as they should be.

Be Blessed,
JEB
http://www.miraclesinmerida.blogspot.com/

Know and Understand

The Lord told the prophet Daniel something very profound when he said:

Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin

"Know and understand...." Daniel 9:25

The prophet lived a life that was saturated in dreams, visions and spiritual happenings. Many were his own while others where received by those around him. Nebuchadnezzar's dream of an enormous statue, Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a tree, the mysterious hand appearing before King Belshazzar and writing on the wall, Daniel's dream of Four Beasts, his vision of a Ram and a Goat, the Seventy Sevens, and finally Daniel's Vision of a Man. All of these things were profound. And all of them required not just knowing but understanding.

Understanding has two applications in scripture. One is the unfolding of plans and strategies as it follows the wisdom that God gives us. I wrote about that in detail HERE.

The second application of understanding is simply this: to interpret that which God has already spoken. King Nebuchadnezzar knew what he had dreamed in Daniel 2. He just didn't know what it meant.

"....Nebuchadnezzar said to his astrologers, 'I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.' Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, 'O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream (knowledge), and we will interpret it (understanding)......The King replied to the astrologers, "This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me." Daniel 2:3-5

Do you see the dynamic? It is one thing to know what the Lord has said. But it is another thing altogether to understand it. Knowing and Understanding are two different things. Even the wicked know what God says at times. The difference often between faith and unbelief is understanding that which already has been said. That is where the real reward is...in understanding.

"Jesus replied, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's hearts have become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." Matthew 13:11-15

Jesus himself drew the distinction between knowing and understanding. The wicked at times know what God has said. But they never understand it. Understanding is a sign of growth in God. It is a sign that God's work is progressing in our lives. Proverbs speaks often of the man of understanding.

"...though is cost all you have get understanding." Proverbs 4:7

Pharaoh knew what he had dreamed. He just didn't understand it. Only Joseph could interpret it. Only Joseph could understand it. Interpretation = Understanding. Because Joseph understood, because he could interpret, he was rewarded. Nebuchadnezzar promised death to his astrologers if they failed to interpret/understand and at the same time he guaranteed wealth, honor and riches to those that did.

I am not advocating materialism. I'm preaching provision. God's provision rests in the laps of those that both hear and understand. Remember, God showers his people with riddles as he speaks to them. He always has.

"When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles." Numbers 12:6-8

Yes, the Lord often speaks to us plainly. But he also often speaks to us in riddle form that requires interpretation and understanding. Daniel had to interpret the writing on the wall even though everyone "knew" what the words were. We need to both know and understand when the Lord speaks through symbols, riddles, types and shadows. We need to Know and Understand.

Be Blessed,
JEB
http://www.miraclesinmerida.blogspot.com/.

Without Ceasing

In the summer of 2008 the Lord moved my family and I to San Antonio for a two year stint to finish prepping us for our move to Mexico. We moved there via a management transfer with my company at the time, Sam's Club. As our time in San Antonio continued to unfold I ended up having a run-in with my boss at work. She accused me of doing something I did not do and it became obvious in the course of time I was being pushed out, ableit by the Lord. Believing that the Lord had told us that we would only be in San Antonio for 2 years, and seeing that I may not make it the full two years in San Antonio with Sam's, I started looking for another job where I could make comparable money.

In the course of time I realized that this was God's will. He opened a door for me to go to work in sales for Frito Lay in our final 8 months of our time in the U.S. The Lord had a very specific reason for doing this although I did not realize why until this afternoon.

Typically my prayer life has centered heavily around spending large amounts of time in prayer and study in one sitting and then going about my day full force. To explain this in a physical parallel, this would be like someone eating only one large meal a day and then not eating another bite of food until the following day's large single feast. It's just been the way I have functioned over the years. I know some people say that they pray throughout the day. I have never been one of those people. I will sit down and pray for 2 to 4 hours at a time and then if I do pray at another time in the day I just pray in tongues or at very specific breaks of time. But never in a conversational pattern throughout the day.

This is not to say I haven't had conversations with the Lord or meditated throughout the day. I do. But I typically wouldn't pray about every step I took. I did that before I stepped out of the house and then I would go all-out while trying to be discerning as I went along. Well, this was why the Lord sent me to work for Frito Lay. He was trying to break me out of the deficiency of this pattern by eating smaller meals throughout the day instead of one large meal in the morning with a couple of very small snacks in the day. Let me explain how.

When the Lord opened the door for me at Frito Lay I was hired in as sales rep. Starting out in this job, your primary responsibility is to cover sales/delivery routes for the other reps that are on vacation or leave-of-absence. It's sounds easy on the surface and the base pay is good for what you do. But the job has many difficult variables that I've never experienced in any job I have ever had. Right after I started my immediate supervisor told me that this would be the toughest job I would ever have. He was right. Let me explain why.

• Frito Lay pays their sales reps a base salary plus variable-over-time (VROT). VROT is calculated as your base salary divided by all hours worked that week, divided by two. This determines your wage rate for every hour worked over 40 hours. There is no time-and-a-half for Overtime with VROT. This means the longer you work, the less you get paid per hour of overtime worked. This means you become cheap labor. The longer you work the less the company has to pay out in labor per man hour. This means they give you an extraordinary amount of work each day/week and there are no state or federal overtime laws regulating how much work they can dump on you. 
• Your normal work load keeps you in the field at least 60 hours per week with some holiday weeks easily taking you over 70 hours. I had one week where I worked over 70 hours in 5 days. One of the reps that I trained with worked 80 hours in 5 days.
• The average sales route has 10 to 12 deliveries a day, each taking at least an hour on average. This does not include your drive time to and from the plant across town in traffic plus your drive time to and from work in your own vehicle.
• Covering routes for other reps means your routes change every week. This means you have to learn a new route every week. This puts you in different geographic areas of the city each week. It feels like you are starting a new job every week. In fact, you are starting a new job each week, week-in and week-out.
• They don't provide you with GPS. You work everything off of your own maps that you provide for yourself after you get home from working your 70 hours.
• Every delivery truck drives differently and many are built differently. Just when you get used to driving one truck they put you in a different one. And the backs of the trucks are made of aluminum and don't have heating or air conditioning. This means that between deliveries you are either sweating to death in your polo-shirt and dress slacks or you are freezing like a pop-sickle. 
• Driving safety is a major company priority and liability. This means if you get in a wreck you are probably going to be looking for another job right after you get back to the plant. The risk is high.  
• All retailers (large and small) have different check in procedures. Target, Valero, Exxon, Sam's, HEB, Costco, all local mom and pop gas stations and grocery chains, .........They all vary and all have their own cut-off times for delivery. If you are not familiar with their systems it can set you back substantially.
• Every manager of every store can impose certain check-in and delivery stipulations beyond company policy. This means that two Exxon managers may have two different ways of checking in based on their personal preferences.
• When you do show up for delivery you may not get checked in right away, losing precious minutes to get through the rest of your route.
• Most employees that work in receiving departments of food retailers have poor people skills. That is why they have been moved to the back of the store....so they don't have to deal with the public. That means when you show up they treat you with very little if any respect.
• You are constantly rotating dated product on the shelves seeing as you are selling food items with sell through dates. Most of the routes that I covered for the full-time reps on vacation or LOA were neglected with regards to product rotation. This meant that I had to report back to their supervisors that their routes were not being properly managed. And then guess who had to spend extra time on each stop fixing and rotating all of the dated product? That would be me. Almost every bag has to be touched, popped and laced on the front row. It's very tedious once your start merchandising. It's boring and mind-numbing work.
• Products are often displayed in each store in unknown and unfamiliar locations. Every time you show up at a new location you have to spend valuable minutes locating displays and shelves, locating your product because this is not your usual route. It's like cooking in someone else's kitchen every day and asking, "Where do you keep the steak knives? Where do you keep the salt? Where do you keep......"
• You are having to order for each store for the following delivery without any knowledge of their selling patterns. Each store has different sell-through patterns on various products and the ordering system Frito Lay gave us to use on our handheld computers was often unreliable and useless in forcasting sales trends and ordering requirements.  
• It's overall physically rigorous. You move around hundreds of pounds of freight every day. You are constantly moving from standing back to kneeling back and then back to standing positions while stocking. You are up and down all day long. You are constantly on the move. In the San Antonio plant we had 150 sales reps total. 148 were men.  After I started I lost close to 10 pounds. My immune system was severely challenged for about 4 weeks. Every time I blew my nose blood would just spurt out from the sinus infections I had contracted while working.



Fun for who exactly????


The job had nothing but obstacles, obstacles, obstacles. The stress was unending from week to week. Never had I needed God more in my work from situation to situation, moment to moment, delivery to delivery, day to day, week to week.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful." Hebrews 12:11

The pattern of familiarity that develops in most jobs was gone. Just when you would get used to the nuances of one sales route the company would move you to another one with a whole new set of obstacles and challenges. The pay was great but the stress and demands were unending. You could never get into a pattern of predictability and it was frustrating for me beyond anything I had ever experienced in any job (Olive Garden management, Real Estate Sales, Sam's Club Management). The sales managers were constantly on us to meet ridiculous corporate sales quotas that were being set by home office in Plano, TX. The hours were incredibly long. And to top it all off the plant was on the other side of the city from our home meaning I drove to and from work at least 30 to 45 minutes one-way.

I could just keep going. I was grateful for the pay. I was grateful to have a job. But the job was mind-numbing and difficult in just about every way imaginable. At 40 years old I was feeling physically outmatched for the first time in my work life. I try to stay in good shape by running and swimming but this job was whipping my back side.

Through all of this I found that I didn't have time to pray like I used to. I didn't have time to gorge on the presence of the Lord everyday, fill up and go out with my stomach full of God's wisdom and power. Granted I was off on the weekends but I was so beat up physically and mentally I just wanted to sleep in and veg for two days on Saturday and Sunday.

"We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 2 Corinthians 8,9

The Lord had me under a type and measure of pressure that I had never faced and because of it I found myself relying on God like never before. There were so many things that could go wrong on any given day that I could only cry out to the Lord for deliverance from day to day, shift to shift, delivery to delivery, check-in to check-in. I found myself praying about things all of the time throughout every day. Truck safety, traffic, knowledge of routes, unloading of freight, check-in efficiency, favor with managers, favor with employees working in receiving departments, stocking proficiency, merchandising efficiency, ordering efficiency, meeting sales quotas from week to week, getting to each delivery with speed and ease, ......I found myself praying over details of my efforts on an ongoing-basis like never before in anything I had ever done.

All of this difficulty was there in my life by God's design to teach me to spread out the icing on the cake. The Lord was forcing me to pray without ceasing throughout my day. He was forcing me to change.

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Luke 5:16
"Be faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12
"I keep asking...." Ephesians 1:17
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." Ephesians 6:18
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2
"Night and day we pray most earnestly...." 1 Thessalonians 3:10
"...pray continually; ..." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

This dynamic has been critical for us in Mexico. I needed to learn this on a really deep level before we came down here. It is one of the main things we have had to learn to walk in on a regular basis out of sheer necessity. Safety in driving, finances, physical safety, protection from corruption, our immigration status, making friends, learning Spanish, speaking and communicating in every situation, paying bills, setting up our lives in every area, raising our kids in a foreign country ............All the things we took for granted in the United States we can no longer take for granted.

We find ourselves praying over things we never prayed over throughout our days and not just in our prayer times in the morning. And why? Stuff appears before us over the course of our day. Needs arise over the course of the day. The Lord shepherds us over the course of a day. Our focus is over the course of a day and throughout a day. We are called to function with Him over the course of a day. Psalms 23 bears witness to it.

I normally only write in the mornings but I felt that the Lord had me sit down this evening and put this out there, prophetically if you will. If you find yourself reading this in the Lord, and you have yet to have this worked into your life, then the Lord is going to bring a change in the circumstances of your life to bring about this level of relational prayer and faith. Changes are coming to the Body of Christ throughout the world to increase our intimacy and faith in God. And this will be a good thing in God.

Be Blessed,
JEB
http://www.miraclesinmerida.blogspot.com/