Does your marriage suck?

Covenant

I don’t even remember the preacher talking about it when we got married, or if he did I wasn’t listening.  Why didn’t someone force me to understand how important and central a “covenant” is to every relationship that I value.  I would never have gone through all this pain if I only knew ahead of time.  Maybe they did tell me and I just wasn’t listening because covenant sounds like a boring religious ritual and I am freeeee brother.  I am not dense or uneducated either, in fact I am really smart.  My brain works great, but my heart (and my mouth), not so good sometimes.  I went to Bible College and Seminary and probably taught a Bible study or two on covenant, but the concept of Covenant never penetrated my heart if it did in fact penetrate my mind. Maybe I could blame my mom or step-dad or American culture, and possibly even nature and nurture. I could definitely blame the Devil, but the truth is I probably didn’t want to hear it at the time. 

I didn’t realize how important covenant was until my wife and I were separated and the Lord Jesus loved me enough to connect me with a Messianic- Jew counselor who explained covenant to me with a uniquely cultural emphasis. I listened, because I was broken and had lost everything, usually that is what it takes for men. I was floored by the lightning speed the revelation of covenant traveled from my head to my heart and it is still an unfolding revelation today.

I am not going to bore you with a complete exegetical study of covenants in the Bible, but I am going to endeavor to communicate to you the intention and heart of God in his covenant(s) with us and by inference how our covenants then are supposed to work.  In simple terms a covenant is an agreement between two or more people to accomplish a specified purpose or goal.  The motivation and responsibility is of paramount importance.  The end goal or purpose is more important than fairness or equal distribution of the load of work or responsibility (Get ‘er done).  In other words if one of the members who made covenant was unable to fulfill their part for any reason, the other person(s) were still committed to see the covenant through, rather than seek a way out because of the high value placed on what was covenanted and in respect of theirs and the other person(s) honor. 

Covenants are important in all three major belief systems that trace themselves back to Abraham as their Patriarch (Judaism, Islam, Christianity).  It is important to note that God’s covenant was based on his nature, character and relationship rather than a binding contract.  Covenant is a solemn act and almost always accompanied by some type of sign or ceremony. Let me summarize some key points about covenant.

 God made covenant with Noah, declaring he would never again destroy life on earth with water and the sign or seal of that covenant was the Rainbow that appears in the sky after it rains as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to hold back the rain. The effect of covenant is that it always extends to future generations.

The covenant with Abraham ( Gen. 17) was reiterated at least 5 times in the Bible that he would be a father to many nations and that he would be blessed to be a blessing and that through him all nations on the earth would be blessed. The sign of this covenant is that the land of Canaan belonged to him and his posterity, again the covenant would extend to future generations. 

Abraham’s covenant was revised and broadened with Moses in Exodus 20/Deut. 5.  In fact the law that was given was the sign or confirmation of that covenant.  The Bible or Torah at the time was called the book of the law and viewed as the sign that confirmed the Israelites were God’s peculiar or specific people that were offered his love and protection in exchange for their devotion and obedience.  Again this covenant extends to the following generations.

God covenanted with David to establish David’s kingdom (through Christ) forever.  The sign of that covenant was the building of Solomon’s temple (Samuel, Chronicles) which we know did not last forever, but did extend to the next generation in the natural and continued through the descendant of David (Christ) and through him blessed all generations.  When we think of David, most of us consider the human covenant David made with Jonathan.  The promise to protect and bless the future generations of the other’s  line should anything happen to either of them and which was fulfilled when David invited Jonathan’s lame son Mephibosheth to dine with him at the kings table after Jonathan’s death ( 2 Sam. 7).

Baptism is a covenant, a commitment to identify and live our lives for Christ with the ceremony or the sign being the immersion in water and coming up out of it.  Communion or the Lord’s supper is a covenant ( Luke 22:20)  with the elements of blood and body or bread and wine symbolizing our oneness and remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice and coming kingdom.  Marriage is supposed to be a covenant, with the public ceremony usually confirmed with the sign or seal of a ring exchange. 

The prophet Jeremiah ( 31:31-34) speaks of God’s promise of a new covenant that is coming to the people of God. The people of God broke their end of the covenant, but God fulfilled his part and to accommodate for the lack on the part of God’s people he is announcing here in Jeremiah that he is going to revise the covenant and do our part too since we are unable!  He is going to make himself known and forgive sins which is the covenant sign of his following through and was accomplished through Christ.

  This is why Jesus declares during the last supper, this is the new covenant ( Luke 2, II Cor. 2&3, Heb. 8 & 13).  This new covenant replaces and supersedes the old covenant as Christ sacrifices and dies for us and we bond and re-bond ourselves to him every time we take the elements of communion.  Even so the blessings of those old covenants are accessed by faith for the people of God, funneled through the seed of Abraham ( Christ) in which all the nations of the earth will be blessed (Gal. 3-4, Romans 9-11). 

The power of the covenant in marriage is that it removes selfishness as you look beyond yourself to the next generations.  The covenant removes conditions and the possibility of emotional manipulation.  It makes us vulnerable and therefore real.  People married in covenant do not hold divorce or physical and emotional attention over each other’s head. 

Marriage is to be the deepest and most binding covenant we enter into besides our covenant with Christ.  It is a promise to love each other with the same covenant love with which God loves us.  Think about how God fulfills covenant and makes up both ends of the deal because we were unable to. This is the example to demonstrate and model for our children and their children.

With the understanding of marriage as covenant then, here are some principles that govern and define marriage:

1. Broken only by death.
2. You are willing to live and/or die for the other.
3. Promise of commitment and faithfulness, expressed in a selfless and giving lifestyle.  ( If  husbands have to enforce authority over wife, they are missing it).
4. You are in covenant for what you give, not what you receive.
5. Covenant is enforced by character (not contract) and intimacy of relationship.
6. People in covenant are transparent and vulnerable, teachable and correctable. They have a deep understanding (Yada) of each other.

That is why living together or Shacking up (“its just a piece of paper”) can never be a covenant relationship.  Many people who are indeed married, even good Christian people are not in covenant either as God has intended.  Instead the relationship is built on a foundation of fear and forcing someone else to meet your needs in a manipulative and selfish way.  “If you don’t behave like this for me then I am going to leave” is the sometimes unspoken declaration over the family which oftentimes contains children who are insecure and fearful feeling as if their family structure could disintegrate at any time. The power and commitment of a covenant marriage blesses the children with stability. Pastor Kris Valloton brings out in his excellent book “Moral Revolution” that one reason the woman has a hymen which breaks and bleeds during first intercourse is a covenant sign of the covering ( the blood) that Children were to be born into.  Without going into another topic completely, let me just mention that the marriage covenant was to be the boundary of sexual expression so that the fruit of the union or the next generations could be blessed. 

The transition from contract to covenant will revolutionize everything, and I ask for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation ( Ephesians) to reveal it to you and make it real.

Chapter 2- The battle begins

Chapter 2- The battle begins

            The smell was like rotten eggs, but worse.  It was the tangible smell of death, similar to when Charlene found the corpse of a decaying animal that had been rotting for a few days.  As soon as she stepped onto the Metro bus (route #22) from Kirkland to Bothell, Washington where grandma and grandpa Stallman lived, a stench assaulted her, yanking her mind and senses from plans to spend the weekend with her grandparents. 

            It was Friday night after eight PM, and she was already behind schedule with her plans, but the stench was so overwhelming that she was tempted to step right back off.   For a moment, she hesitated but before she could step off the bus, the door solidly closed behind her.  The bus quickly accelerated, forcing her to grab a handrail to keep from falling.  Since she resolved in her mind that it was too late now to get off, she sat down in the middle of the bus, accepting the fact that she would have to endure the thirty minutes of offensive rancidity.  Still, she couldn’t help but wonder where the foul waft originated.  She gazed around to find the source of the smell.  Only three other people and the driver sat quietly on the bus.  All of them seemed oblivious to the smell.

            The first couple Charlene passed on her way to the middle of the bus was an Asian man and woman.  She guessed them Koreans in their mid twenties.   She wondered if maybe they had just eaten some of that horrid Kim-Chi and the odor was coming out of their pores, but no, that wasn’t it, the smell was much stronger.  There didn’t seem to be anything originating from the couple, and the smell did not seem to bother either of them.   The couple’s attention seemed more focused on each other as they gazed lovingly into the other’s eyes.

            As she quickly glanced toward the back of the bus, she noticed a slouching long-haired man in the back of the bus.  They caught each other’s eyes and Charlene looked quickly away.  The Korean couple pulled the cord to get off at the next stop, and the man from the back of the bus stood up at the same time.  Charlene assumed he was getting off too, but was surprised and became uneasy when he sat down directly across from her. 

            It became clear that the fetid odor was from him.  She tried to casually cover her nose and mouth to keep from gagging, but waves of nausea continued to sweep over her.   She could not understand why the others in the bus had been immune to it.  She wondered if it was because she was more sensitive to smells now that she was pregnant.  She had very little spiritual discernment at that time in her life, but she began to wonder if the smell was not natural, maybe even a supernatural thing.  It was hard to tell since he looked like he had not showered in a few days – maybe even longer. 

            He was a big man, at least 250 lbs on a six foot plus frame that would have been taller if not for the slouching back and shoulders.  His hair held together with dirty rubber bands and his face had about three days worth of stubble to hide the filth of his unwashed face.

            Besides his calloused hands that were black with grime, the thing that stood out to Charlene was the slits that were his eyes.  He was obviously so stoned or drunk that he could barely keep them open, but still, they had a dark and penetrating gaze.   A hint of a smile gleamed in his eyes, but it seemed creepy to Charlene, not happy.  The next thing she noticed was his massive army boots and government-issued military jacket with his name “Miller” embroidered on it.   The stained khaki colored jacket opened to reveal a soiled tank top underneath, and the jacket had the oversized inner pockets, one of which had a bottle of cheap booze that peeked out toward Charlene.

            Charlene was starting to get scared, even terrified that this creepy man had moved directly opposite of her like a jaguar and she was the prey.  Charlene’s mind raced as she thought that maybe he was contemplating all the perversions imaginable on a young pregnant girl. 

            What Charlene couldn’t see were the evil spirits behind the actions of the man.  He had opened himself up and even repeatedly welcomed these spirits in his life out of his hurt, anger and rejection, most of which he experienced upon his return from the Korean war.  The demons of murder, fear, rape, and violence that tormented this man kept him at their beck and call for such a time as this through the medicating effects of the drugs and alcohol that he had become addicted to in an attempt to escape his pain.  Charlene’s angel heightened her spiritual sensitivity to their foulness via her senses- especially smell, so she would call for back up and call she did.  The hairs on her neck and scalp stood on end as the dark presence of the evil spirits writhed over her like spiritual snakes in an almost triumphant, relishing, pre-celebration of the trophy they were about to take down. 

            The battle for Scott had begun!  Charlene looked away from the man and toward the big mirror of the bus driver in hope that maybe he was watching and would do something.  She began to pray silently the only prayer she could remember from the Apostle Paul Lutheran church (Missouri synod) catechism.  “Our Father, who art in heaven…thy kingdom come”- that was all Volel needed to respond.

            Maybe the evil man would leave her alone she hoped in between her prayers, but she knew better.  His intentions were evil, and she could sense his plans to harm her forming in his sick mind.  The evil spirits behind his actions and ruling his life were on orders from higher up the chain to not only terrorize, but harm this girl.  They planted pictures and suggestions in Miller’s mind of having his way with her and then stabbing her in the stomach repeatedly until she was dead.  The evil spirits sensed that there was another life in her, and their command was to take it before anyone else knew about it and could protect her.

            What the enemy knew and feared is that all daughters of Eve who share in the life-giving process receive extra angelic reinforcements, so these evil spirits had to move fast.  Earthly explanations included the maternal glow, but even the most spiritually dense person knew that pregnant women had an extra portion of peace and joy that manifested in a mystical glow.  This was Charlene’s and every woman’s blessing from the Father for sharing in the process of bringing forth life and destiny.

            Charlene projected three more stops before hers, about fifteen minutes and the terror began to grow as she played the tape forward in her mind.  He would follow her off the bus and rape and kill her.  Should she stay on? Should she talk to the bus driver?  Just then, the bus stopped to pick up another passenger.  She was hoping the new passenger would be a policeman, but it wasn’t.  He was a physical manifestation of her guardian angel in human form and what she couldn’t see were the warrior angels that entered with him. 

            Volel took the form of a tall, strong doctor dressed out in light green surgical scrubs.  His muscles were huge and rippling as he walked slowly past Charlene, a natural representation of his spiritual strength and authority. His hair and face were perfect, reminding Charlene of Clark Kent.  The foul smell suddenly vanished, overshadowed by a floral scent, but she couldn’t distinguish which flower it was.  She literally burst into tears of relief and thankfulness as the young, strong doctor that seemed to emanate a glow sat right next to her.

            Saquerel had been there the whole time as well, but stayed invisible to Charlene. This was not his battle to lead, but he would assist.  Nothing would separate him from his charge of staying with and protecting the unborn infant.  The demonic spirits knew he was there, but the presence of just the one guardian spirit threatened them very little.  In fact, they were brazen in their approach and mistakenly thought that the girl’s angels were asleep on the job and wondered where they were, but not enough to stop them.  Saquerel was biding his time and waiting for the girl’s prayer to release him and her own angelic posse.

            The Father of Spirits in his infinite wisdom and sense of justice and irony had determined that the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve who relied on him and accepted his gift of grace offered through the agency of his Son and Spirit would have access to his resources, including his angel armies.  This included humanity’s authority over all the dark Spirits through him and the host of Spirits he commanded.

            The filthy Spirits energizing “Miller” felt the atmospheric change immediately and regretfully realized the girl had prayed for reinforcements.  They were furious that they would not be able to act out their natures of rape, murder, violence, and perversion.  They almost wanted to try anyway, but the swarms of warrior spirits that surrounded the young doctor immediately bound the demonic powers with a strength and authority that the evil spirits could not resist.  They had underestimated the importance of the target, timing and prayer support.  The warrior spirits also imparted some of their essence and natures to Charlene and strength and peace went into her like a spiritual IV drip.

            There were so many things happening in the unseen eternal spiritual realm that affected and changed the lives and destinies of people and nations in that twenty minute time span.  All Charlene could see in the natural, however, was the creepy man scowl in disgust and frustration as the doctor’s steel gaze penetrated him with the truth of his intentions to protect this girl at all costs.

            Neither man uttered a word, but Charlene knew she was safe somehow.  The special feeling she had was the very first time she had genuinely experienced the care and heart of God in a tangible encounter.  She had no grid to measure it against, but knew it was good.  The rising faith and even joy in that understanding made her respond in gratefulness and thankfulness in her heart which released even more back up angelic spirits.  That was the final straw for Miller and the spiritual leaches attached to him.  He got up and pulled the cord and scowled back at Volel as the rotten spirits made him exit the bus out of fear. 

            Volel had been waiting a long time for this opportunity to speak for Father, to release destiny and direction and before Charlene could say anything to him, he spoke to her with such gentleness, but at the same time, supreme authority and confidence that she could not help but to absolutely believe him.  He said, “You are a young woman, but you are going to be a great mother.  There is no greater calling than to partner with God and bring forth life and nurture that life with love” 

            Charlene wondered how he knew she was pregnant, since she didn’t show yet.  Was it because he was a doctor that he could see something other people could not?  All she knew is that after he spoke those words that somehow were more powerful than normal words, she didn’t feel so shameful and sinful anymore in regards to being a pregnant teenager.  God was somehow involved with her and the baby, even though the pregnancy may not have happened right.  This man’s words even gave her permission and authority to be a great mother, and that empowered her to fulfill that call.

            Charlene’s stop was the next one and before she could pull the cord, Volel did.  They got up at the same time, and he allowed her to go in front of him down the steps to the well of the front door exit of the bus.  She could see the porch light on at her Grandma’s three-story house which was only half a block up from the bus stop.  Charlene wondered where the doctor was going since there were no hospitals nearby.  Maybe he was just getting off work and going home which meant that he lived nearby.  As she pondered these thoughts and exiting the bus, Volel said from behind her, “Charlene, we are all proud of you and will be expecting great things from you and Scott”.  As she turned around to ask him what he meant by that, the bus doors closed behind her.  He was gone!  That was impossible thought Charlene in a panic.  She had just heard his voice behind her when they stepped out of the bus.  She checked the bus that was driving away and didn’t see him then quickly scanned to her right and left where streetlights illuminated the sidewalks.  He simply vanished.

            Charlene didn’t realize it, but he was still right behind her and would be there for the rest of her life.  She would be more aware of him in later years, but would never see him again with her natural eyes.  Charlene froze on the sidewalk under the streetlight for several minutes in a partial realization that something important and other worldly had just happened.   How did he know her name?  She backed up the tape of her memory and did not remember saying anything to him.  Then her skin turned to goose bumps when she realized the impact of his last words to her.  “We are all expecting great things from you and Scott…”  Charlene had only in the last forty-eight hours let herself begin to compile a mental list of names for the baby and had not told a soul.  She was thinking Alicia, Michelle, or Kristina if it was a girl and Jeffrey, Michael, or Scott if it was a boy.   She ran like a jack rabbit to Grandma’s house with a grin a mile wide.  Grandma Stallman was never going to believe this, or maybe she would.  Charlene didn’t even know if she believed this, even though it just happened to her.  One thing she did believe, though, was that she was going to have this baby and it was going to be a boy named Scott.

We need to be Gideon to get rid of Midian

I researched under a divine inspiration recently what the Bible calls the "high places" that many prophets  (i.e. Jeremiah) and kings (i.e. Josiah) reviled and commanded the people to turn from.  Many times throughout the Bible the conflict and tension between the worship of Baal and Asherah is contrasted with the worship of YHWH, probably the best example being Elijah vs. the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets or  priestesses of Asherah.  These Canaanite Gods which were male and female counterparts worshipped in fertility rites infiltrated Israel in large part due to the lack of Israel taking the land in the manner prescribed by God by utterly driving the inhabitants out, but instead allowing the Amorite false religion  to "mingle" with the worship of YHWH. There was a very strong temptation to worship these false gods because sex was involved and there was definitely a demonic anointing.  Temple prostitutes granted a sense of divinity and power over men by being the medium that allowed men access to divine knowledge and blessing of their crops and children. ( apparently it wasn't working too well or maybe the devil is a liar)

It may seem strange in that most of the Israelites saw nothing wrong with worshipping the true God as well as the false gods even side by side, but it is no different than someone today who fantasizes over pornography on his computer screen who also decides he is a Christian and goes to church. There is deception that has lead to bondage, a clear lack of identity and God is raising up Gideons to deliver these men from the Midianite oppression.


The high places were usually elevated locations like hills or mountains and were recognized by either trees or wooden poles that had carvings to identify them, much like our modern day totem poles you would find in Alaska or the northwest.    I wanted to understand what the high places were mainly because of the command the Angel of the Lord gave Gideon in Judges 6 to tear down the asherah poles and altars to Baal and use it as kindling and offer a sacrifice to the true God in that same location.   Little did I realize until after my study that one of those high places is where the Angel of the Lord met Gideon and that Gideon's father Joash happened to own the great tree or in other words was probably one of the biggest proponents of the Baal and Asherah cult. 

Here are some principles I gleaned from Gideon's example  for personal application:

-God is clearly addressing sexual sin as at least part of the reason that a nation endures oppression (midianites) and does not experience his blessing

-People of God hide in caves afraid of the enemy with no confidence in their identity or destiny when sex is worshipped in a nation.

- The enemy continuously robs the people of God of their food/spiritual food/word of God to the point they are near starvation until the Asherah poles are chopped down.

-The pain had to become great before they cried out to the Lord (instead of Baal or Asherah) and he was gracious to respond even though they were still double minded.

-Angel of the Lord comes to Gideon and meets him where he is at, at the high place/the point of the sin.  v. 11

-God works with Gideon even in his false religious understanding, but begins to ask  him to dismantle the false structures (altars) and build new ones, by using the destroyed altars to the false gods to burn the sacrifice to him.

-When Gideon takes a stand in regard to the sexual sin, it causes a separation and a revival.

-When taking a stand for the Lord against the oppression we can go back and forth between faith and fear and still be used by God, he is patient.

-Gideon asked for confirmation time and again for what he already knew God wanted him to do because of fear of man.

-God spoke his identity into Gideon until Gideon believed it.

-When he was finally sick of the oppression and devastation is when he heard God speak.

No Margins

I am one of those people who when I write become inspired as I reread to add secondary or even tertiary notes in the margin of my pages. Many times those afterthoughts become more important than the original thought and I have come to realize it is a good thing to use the whole sheet.  The original purpose of the margin is to focus our attention to the important content inside of the box.  Line everything up neat and orderly so its easy to see and understand, not messy and difficult. 

As so many of us say to ourselves and others, "God cannot be put in box" and I would add to that, neither can what God has created be put outside of that box in the margin.

mar·gin·al·ize

 /ˈmɑrdʒənlˌaɪz/ Show Spelled[mahr-juh-nl-ahyz]

verb (used with object), -ized, -iz·ing. to place in a position of marginal importance, influence, or power:

God doesn't write with margins when he writes our story.  He got it right the first time. In the book of Genesis, the very first statement the Spirit inspired words said about humanity was that both  man and woman were made in the image and likeness of God.  There is honor, nobility, royalty,value and respect due to each and every human being on the face of the earth if for only that one statement, let alone that Jesus thought we had enough value to die for.  Current station in life, prince or pauper has no bearing on that value and neither person has a more prominent or important part of the story God is writing.

Even so it is a terrible temptation for fallen humanity to dominate and "marginalize" others we deem as lesser or different, based on sex, sin, nationality, intelligence, social & financial status or even religion.  The example in Genesis is for the more powerful to give that honor and value to the weaker and all of us have the power to bless each other.  Selah. 

I was driving home from a prayer meeting on Saturday morning and stopped to get a cup of coffee at Starbucks.  Tall Americano with two splendas, which  I knew would cost $1.95.  I instantly realized that I had no money in my wallet, but I really wanted a cup of coffee.  Aha! I remembered the tray in my console where I always threw extra change and the side of my seat where there were always a few quarters when I got this desperate.  I became self conscious digging for 10 minutes for the  elusive silver coins my fat fingers couldn't get to.   I realized I was being watched by two homeless guys drinking coffee and cokes and eating Weinerschnitzel chile dogs and they were wondering what  I was up to.  One of them got up to get a free re-fill of coke at the am/pm minimarket and the Spirit of God spoke to me give them the tray full of pennies that I had separated from the silver coins.  It was probably two dollars worth.  So I did and just told the one  remaining man that I loved him and God loved him and that I felt like God wanted me to give him the pennies.  He looked like he had had a rough night, maybe a hangover, so he wasn't very enthusiastic, but he said thanks as I went in to get my coffee.

After I came out I realized I still had over a dollars worth of silver coins in my pocket and so I went over to the table where the guy who had the pennies was in deep concentration, busy counting them out into stacks of ten.  His partner had returned with  his soda and was a little more enthusiastic and said to his buddy, " Is this the guy?,  Is this the guy who gave us the pennies?"   He was so grateful, I couldn't help but smile and fill up with joy.  Then I remembered,  "here is some more I have left over after buying my coffee".  You would have thought I gave him a hundred dollar bill.  He grabbed my hand, looked up into heaven with sincere thankfulness and then straight into my eyes until it was almost uncomfortable and said " I love you man,  God is in the amazing business, glory to God"!  Then I told him I love you too, and just so he really believed it I asked him if he  knew why.  He asked me why and I told him because you were made in the image and likeness of God and I love God and he loves you, so I love you., A little dignity and worth entered him at that very moment. Then we had the battle of I love you's back and forth  and finally we both laughed and gave God glory for his creation of man.

/ˈmɑrdʒənlˌaɪz/ Show Spelled

Marketplace Christianity

Many young believers (at least I did) have a romanticized idea of what its like to be a Pastor or minister on staff at their church.  If you are a typical upward climbing and competitive American, getting on staff is the ultimate way to demonstrate your piety and spirituality, or so we think ( at least subconsciously). That is until you get there.  The best way to realize you are not called to be a Pastor is to become a Pastor, I highly recommend it if you have the time. You will know immediately that you made a big mistake if you are not called into that office gift, and then you can get on with your Spiritual growth, which the majority of us are supposed to experience in the marketplace.
There are a lot of limitations that Pastors lament, not the least of which is contact with the outside world, or what is commonly termed the marketplace.  Not many Pastors have the opportunity to call up one of their customers and ask them to stop sending them pornographic e-mails because they are offensive.  Pastors don't have the ability to interact with their office and take stands to be a witness for righteousness on issues like abortion, stem cell research & sex trafficking.  In many ways it is more powerful for an average or normal believer to bless when others are cursing.  To be joyful and at peace and demonstrate forgiveness and generosity when they don't have an official job that demands it.

Jacob loves Rachel- A Type of Christ and his bride

Reading in Genesis 29 last night, the Holy Spirit spoke to me the message of the Bride of Christ ( again).  I think he wants to make it really clear, he loves us, he is in pursuit of us, he notices us, he provides for us, he wants to abide with us, he wants to give us living water and refresh us, to be one with us and so much more.  Every type and shadow in the scriptures that  brings out the bride message has a special nuance and side message to enhance the bride paradigm.  The story of Jacob and Rachel  highlights Christ's determination to do whatever it takes to win his bride including rolling away the stone.


^{-Gen. 29:3} Jacob set out again on his way to the people of the east. He noticed a well out in an open field with three flocks of sheep bedded down around it. This was the common well from which the flocks were watered. The stone over the mouth of the well was huge. When all the flocks were gathered, the shepherds would roll the stone from the well and water the sheep; then they would return the stone, covering the well.
 ⁴ Jacob said, "Hello friends. Where are you from?"
   They said, "We're from Haran."
 ⁵ Jacob asked, "Do you know Laban son of Nahor?"
   "We do."
 ⁶ "Are things well with him?" Jacob continued.
   "Very well," they said. "And here is his daughter Rachel coming with the flock."
 ⁷ Jacob said, "There's a lot of daylight still left; it isn't time to round up the sheep yet, is it? So why not water the flocks and go back to grazing?"
 ⁸ "We can't," they said. "Not until all the shepherds get here. It takes all of us to roll the stone from the well. Not until then can we water the flocks."
 ^9-13 While Jacob was in conversation with them, Rachel came up with her father's sheep. She was the shepherd. The moment Jacob spotted Rachel, daughter of Laban his mother's brother, saw her arriving with his uncle Laban's sheep, he went and single-handedly rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. Then he kissed Rachel and broke into tears. He told Rachel that he was related to her father, that he was Rebekah's son.

There is always a well ( source of life and refreshment) in the field which represents the earth, where we live and work and operate out of, but access is sometimes limited. The average shepherd always has a reason why they can't water the flocks and take them to graze, why the stone cannot be rolled away so that the living water can come forth.  The greater Jacob is aware of all the sheep that need to be watered, but what he is really looking for, what captures his heart is when the Shepherdess ( his future bride) Rachel shows up with her flock that she cares for. He has been journeying, waiting and in an expectancy wondering what she would look like.  Her heart is to serve and shepherd and he loves that about her. The other shepherds don't see what he sees.  He alone,without the help of any other rolls away the stone for her and those in her care and it is his love for her, that gives him the power to roll the stone away when no one else could and also which ends up meeting the need of all the other shepherds and sheep as well.  The greater Jacob breaks down when he sees Rachel, he is emotional about her, his feelings are strong, he ends up working 14 years for her and it seemed like nothing because of his great love for her. He ends up going into the father's house to abide with her.

Life of Elijah- the path of the Justice minister

Elijah passionately embraced an unpopular position as he faced the prophets of Baal and Asherah in a showdown of righteousness and justice.  Licentious social opinion, ( Jezebel) the religious majority ( compromised Israel and the priests of Baal) and the head of the national government ( Ahab) in a unique, but not rare demonic alignment poised against him.

Elijah is not the exception, he is the rule. He is the example, type and shadow of every person that prophetically speaks up for what is right.  The situation back then is the same as it is today. False spirituality characterized by compromise and endorsement of murder of innocent children and sexual slavery all in the name of  religious freedom, tolerance and of course profit.

Elijah's love for his his God, his nation and righteousness compelled him unrestrained to stand up against the unrighteousness.  The brainwashed, medicated society is unable to see the issues as clearly as the Elijah's and will always accuse Elijah of causing the problems.  Why rock the boat and make a mountain out of a molehill?

The Elijah's stand on the word of God to declare his judgments and his grace and even in famine and drought caused by their own word and decision to step out, they are provided for by the Lord at the brook Kidron ( I kings 17) when all others are looking to Ahab and blaming Elijah. 

The Elijahs will be tempted to change their word from drought to rain, when the brook dries up, but if they listen to the Lord, they will be instructed to move into covenant relationship with the widows and orphans of Zarephath ( not the governors or kings), where not only the widows and orphans needs are met, but their own and the Lord will be blessed and honored.