Maritime Lessons

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12 Tribes of Israel, Barnacles, Business, Economics, Harbor, Month of Sivan, Naval Mines, Prophecy, Zebulun

The end of May marked the beginning of the Hebrew month of Sivan, which is affiliated with the Tribe of Zebulun, whose typical symbol is that of a ship. When I learned these details last weekend, while listening to Glory of Zion’s sermon on Sunday morning about the month of Sivan, it added substance to some details God was revealing to me, but of which I did not have the frame of reference to place them. Now, that I have a better understanding of why the Lord was leading me to learn about Naval Mines and Barnacles, I can see clearer, that this month is about maritime issues and the Lord is preparing us to be ones who can carry the wealth of the nations. However, in order to be effective carries of these resources, there are some things we need to watch out for, so these are the maritime lessons the Lord has taught me and I want to share with you. I believe they are prophetic warnings of which we can deal with in prayer and they are for our personal lives as we progress into the new that is upon us.

Naval mines are bombs that the enemy drops in waters just outside a harbor that explode when a ship comes in to harbor. These bombs are placed on the ocean floor and are detonated by the presence of the arriving ships in order to blow them up before they can dock. Naval mines are used by many nations around the world to protect their own harbors from enemy ships approaching their harbor. As I studied these naval mines, I realized that when ministries, people and nations rise in financial power, the enemy detonates these bombs in order to destroy the ship carrying those resources. Some naval mines blow up because of people who do not have the character to handle the cash they are called to carry; others have enemies that plant these mines in their lives prior to them become cargo ships, so when they get big enough it triggers the naval mine to cause the explosion. No matter the way, the reality is, Zebulun, is a money ship and this ship is coming into harbor and will be going out of the harbor and the enemy is willing to wait for an opportune time to blow up our lives.

The Lord revealed these naval mines to me and then had me study mine sweeping. Mine sweeping is taking a simulated ship and sweeping the bottom of the ocean so the naval mines detonate prior to the real ships moving about. I believe this is where we have been. God has been mine sweeping our lives from naval mines the enemy planted when we were young, waiting for the opportune time to detonate them. I also believe prayer, fasting, bible reading, worship and silence are all tools God has used to mine sweep our lives, so they enemy cannot blow us up after we set sail into what God has prepared us for.

The second lesson the Lord taught me is that of barnacles. I sense very strongly we need to beware of the barnacles. As I heard these words from the Lord, “beware of the barnacles”, I knew, like the naval mines, the Lord was seeking to protect me from an intruder that would seek to destroy what God was going to release into our lives. Barnacles are marine animals that tend to live in shallow and tidal waters. Barnacles attach themselves to hard substrate. Barnacles in the natural attach themselves to solid things like ships, dock pillars, and jetty rocks. Here is what I did not know, barnacles have no true heart (can you hear what the spirit is saying). “Barnacles are of economic consequence, as they often attach themselves to synthetic structures, sometimes to the structure’s detriment. Particularly in the case of ships” (Wikipedia.com).

Knowing I heard the Lord say, “beware of barnacles” and then learning about the function of barnacles, opened my eyes wider to the reality that Proverbs 30:15 says, “The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give” (KJV). Barnacles are going to try and attach themselves to your life for the sake of what they can get from you and it will produce an economic consequence, so we need to beware of the barnacles. Barnacles, I believe can be people, credit cards, poor financial choices, bad investments, a variety of things. One of the lessons we must learn, who are going to carry the wealth of the nations is cost benefit analysis (CBA). If we aren’t good financial managers, we will not be allowed to carry great amounts of wealth, for the money will destroy us, just like the barnacles.

In this month of Sivan, whose associated tribe is Zebulun and whose symbol is the ship, which is associated to economics, business and money, the Lord is preparing us for an increase, by warning us of some maritime issues, which are very practical and prophetic simultaneously. The Lord delights in the prosperity of His children (Psalm 35:27), that is why He prepares us in so many ways before He releases to us what He wants us to enjoy. I hope this was helpful, insightful and practical. We are entering some very exciting times that is the reason for the maritime lessons.

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The Father’s Business

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Apostles, Business, Joshua, Kingdom, Prophecy

What is the Father’s business? Many who are in full time ministry would say they are doing the Father’s business, others who desire to be in full time ministry would say they are wanting to work in the Father’s business, so what exactly is the Father’s business? I saw a statement someone made this week that said, serving the Lord is the highest priority in life, everything else comes second. The one and only comment under this statement was, “Are you married?” This is the context in which I asked the Lord, what exactly is the Father’s business that many claim to be doing, that many claim to value so highly, Lord, what is the Father’s business. His answer, Luke 2:46-52.

Luke 2:46-52 says, “After three days of separation, they finally found Him—sitting among a group of religious teachers in the temple—asking them questions, listening to their answers. ⁴⁷ Everyone was surprised and impressed that a 12-year-old boy could have such deep understanding and could answer questions with such wisdom. ⁴⁸ His parents, of course, had a different reaction. Son, why have You treated us this way? Listen, Your father and I have been sick with worry for the last three days, wondering where You were, looking everywhere for You. ⁴⁹ Why did you need to look for Me? Didn’t you know that I must be working for My Father? ⁵⁰ Neither Mary nor Joseph really understood what He meant by this. ⁵¹ Jesus went back to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. His mother continued to store these memories like treasures in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus kept on growing—in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with others.”

The Father’s business is sitting, listening, learning, asking questions, listening to answers, gaining wisdom and deep understanding. This is the Father’s business. Paul did it when He spent 14 years in the Arabian desert; Moses did it when he spent 40 years on the backside of a mountain, before he picked up the Israelites to lead them through the wilderness; Mary did it when she sat at Jesus’ feet and was told she had the better portion and it would not be taken from her. Scripture is riddled with people who were doing the Father’s business of listening and learning, so they had deep understanding and wisdom.

Today people will say they are doing the Father’s business as they build another church, preach another sermon, establish another program, go on another mission trip, but this is not the Father’s business. The reality that the majority of leaders in the church are not doing the Father’s business is evidenced in the multiple echo’s we hear, but next to no voices. Preaching something someone else has been saying for years, because building something external is more important, more glamourous, more visible than building yourself inside strong and building others the same way. Paul spent more time traveling than he did preaching and he was more effective than all the preachers on the earth today. Why? Because he like, Mary, Moses and Jesus all knew what the Father’s business was and they worked in it.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people ^[a]who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The healing of our land starts with humility, humility is admitting you are not who you think you are and you are not doing what you think you are doing. Humility is a nice way of saying, repent. Repent, return to the Father’s business, stop being busy doing nothing, for you may feel important, but it is evidenced to the world and the church alike that we are not about our Father’s business.

I know it is not glamourous; I know no one will see what you are building; I know that it is not evidenced right away; but the apostles among us, that have been doing the Father’s business are not being trained to have sudden prosperity, they are being trained for a battle that is about to ensue. When Joshua was handed the role of leader when Moses died, it was not for prosperity, debt cancellation or some other suddenly blessing, it was for a battle. The first thing Joshua did was go to battle against Jericho, a thickly walled city. This is where we are headed, to a battled with a thickly walled people, who have been wounded by the echo’s, the empty promises, the pain of many experiences that have gone unhealed. We are headed to battle, this is why the Father’s business is building people inside strong!