JACOB'S LADDER

ADVERSARIES FOR OUR GOOD! SAY WHAT?

If you’re married like me, I’m sure you’ve had your share of extended family spats. Who doesn’t right? What’s that expression, “You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your families… nose?” Or something like that.

In any event, why does it seem, that families, who should be the most supportive and loving, usually cause the most pain and suffering. Well, this is the reason for this essay.

You see, Christ did say, he came to cause division. Dividing us from our CARNAL EGO so where two (Ego and Christ) once stood, now there is only ONE IN CHRIST! Well the truth is whatever is within is without, and vice versa. So while a work is being done within you, to separate you from parts of you which are “Names written in the book of life” (Which literally means NATURES NOT ROOTED IN CHRIST)… So while these “natures” in you, like pride, ego, hate, prejudice, lies, are being rooted out in your waking life you will see some separation as well. In fact, if you don’t have opposition or people who are coming against you in some way, you probably aren’t as far along spiritually as you may think. Scripture states many things about this, which we can take both allegorically and literally.

Luke 12:53
The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Now granted, I see this above scripture allegorically and spiritually. But, as I said, whatever is within is also without, people. God uses our lives, our victories, defeats, our joys, and our sufferings, to teach us. God knows, he is doing such with me.

It seems persecution and tribulation has been a better teacher than the warm embrace of love and fluffy pillows. God did chose the furnace of affliction to try us in after all. And in Hebrews it is written, that “he learned obedience through the things he suffered.” – In fact there really is no other way around it, because as carnal ego animals we don’t follow that Shepherd, the sheep dog needs to keep us in line.

Acts 14:22
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

As much as it stinks as a pair of dirty socks, making mistakes and paying the price really is a better teacher than anything else I have experienced in the world.

Forgiveness is one of the most important lessons we must learn. To do this, we must feel the sting of betrayal. This is so we will learn to find peace within and not outside of ourselves. If we want everyone to like us, then we are looking for “Life” in temporary things and that just won’t cut the mustard when the rubber meets the road. Because Carnal Mankind and it’s strength and friendships will fail you every step of the way. So to avoid us putting our faith in THE CREATION, as many idolators love to do, God makes sure you don’t find that acceptance and peace you so desperately crave from those OUTSIDE OF YOU. (Of course that isn’t to say, you won’t have loved ones, wives, husbands, children, and family members that accept you… but for many I have found even that is not the case)

Here is the reason, the TEMPORAL WORLD is the problem, the world WITHIN (the kingdom of God) is the solution. When a turtle is threatened it retreats into its shell, when we are attacked we retreat within as well. GOD HELP US, we pray.

You will find, if you change your thoughts, your world will Change.

Today, everyone, including myself, is worried about what everyone else thinks or says, this is why we SUFFER. Which is why I am here for yet another eye-opening rant about the tests God places in our lives, especially my own.

2 Corinthians 4:18
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We need to stop looking for approval and acceptance from anyone or any system outside of us, and start looking for God and His peace within (Note to Jacob: DO THIS!)

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The people who have been causing my wife and I a good deal of pain of late, are like the Pharisees who were so concerned with the outside appearance of things. On the outside they seemed to have it all right?

WRONG!

Like the Pharisees, they are hurting, they are sad, they are alone and feel empty. I know this by their actions toward us. They believe the more they have, purchase, or own, the more they build, conquer, rule over others or put down, that they will feel better about themselves and find peace. They believe the more they tear down those who are happy, they will feel better about themselves. So they shine up the outside of their lives, while the inside is a cold and bitter, broken, place. These poor people.

Matthew 23:25
You make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

You’ll also find those who put their faith in external things, hate those who put their faith in the internal/eternal things, like Me.

People hate what they don’t understand. A man who believes in God is hated by the one who wishes he had such passion and faith, but is bankrupt and empty. “The fool says in his heart there is no God”, and then he acts out of his lack by propping himself up as if he is somehow better for the way he lives, and for what he believes. He (and I use the word he to represent carnal mankind) will mock those of the faith and then find others to do the same. Nothing makes a sad a lonely miserable person feel better than “yes men and women”. The reason is, deep down they know their behavior is deplorable, but if those around them agree it is okay, then they feel are empowered and begin to believe perhaps they are just and right in their terrible actions toward people who believe differently from them. This is no different from bullies picking on kids who are smaller and weaker, or nerdier than them, the bullies actions always stem from their overwhelming feeling of lack and their need for approval from others.

But no matter how many broken, hurting, angry people surround these “bullies”, they will still be sadly alone. And when it all comes to the end, they will have nothing but a life of mockery and hate to look on, they will only have memories of haunting them of those they tore down as opposed to joyful memories of those they built up and encouraged.

If they learned that peace is only found within, and not without, then they would have what WE have, (which they so desperately want and yet hate) And they would no longer feel the need to attack us and tear us down.

Matthew 23:26
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is WITHIN the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

So something needs to be done so these people can come to this understanding. And there is no better teacher than TRIBULATION. Through much suffering we enter the kingdom. As a woman travails in birth with her child, the pangs of birth DRIVE HER TO DELIVERY. This happens for us all.

For the moment, many, including myself are enduring the attacks of these sad people, but I assure you this will be for our good. And when we learn, what it is we are meant to learn, then they will have to reap what they have sown as well.

If God didn’t allow us to suffer we would be addicted to our natural Form and the temporal world forever. This is why there is a FIERY SWORD at the garden’s entrance KEEPING US FROM ENTERING eternal life without DYING TO OUR CARNAL (EGO) the Dead Man called ADAM. We must go through the FIRE (a cleansing process) to enter the Kingdom (which is peace, righteousness, and power in the holy spirit)

This is why Christ had to come to divide father against son, etc… You see, God will tear you from your earthly attachments until you learn these great and nobles truths of the Kingdom. But just like Job your future state will make your former state pale in comparison.

What better way to learn to forgive a betrayer, or the meat-head (carnal) enemies that come along, and step on our feelings, then to have one’s own enemy COME from ones own home. (Which I know is also symbolic of our mind and soul)

But we MUST remember the ONLY ENEMY there is are the lies and negative thoughts we have about others and ourselves. It is seeing duality and division, instead of unity and knowing peace.

So, there will be enemies in this world for us to overcome. Without us and Within Us. Now as much as I know this will pain people to read this, I must be true to what I know to be true. So forgive me for sharing what I believe will help you. GOD is the One responsible for sending these enemies our way. He does this to humble us and prepare us for what is to come. Sometimes we deserve it. Sometimes we need it. Sometimes we should just ZIP OUR LIP and learn from it.

We need to stop worrying and allowing these painful situations to race over again and again in our mind. Because these situations, I promise you, are there for our spiritual advancement.

1 Corinthians 5:5
To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Most Religious leaders leave out this precious scripture, where we see the disciples saying, “Hey put this meat-head into the DEVIL’S HANDS, he’ll destroy the fleshy sin (foolish thinking) that is keeping him from the truth and his SPIRIT will be saved because of it.”

WHAT JACOB? The Devil saves? — Well, if not for a great purpose, God would not create the destroyer to destroy, would he?

Our suffering helps set us free. And when we see this we are free indeed.

When we realize our enemies are “unknowingly” doing the will of God to better our spiritual growth and helping enter into the Kingdom of Peace, we will rejoice!

Amos 3: 6
Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

God is preparing us as a trainer prepares an athlete before a big meet. The weights need to be added on to strengthen us for the fight to come. The stronger we get spiritually, the more resistance we will meet spiritually. (In the natural as well)

God did the same with Joseph, Jacob, David, Moses, Jesus, Paul, the list goes on and on. He even turned a Donkey against Baalam, a donkey was his adversary…. SIDE NOTE: A donkey is a symbol of a BEAST OF BURDEN, and there is none greater than the CARNAL MAN. The goods news is, CHRIST rides that Carnal Man into Jerusalem (which means “Teaching of Peace”) Carnal Man is the beast that the Child of God died for and is entombed within.

But the ELDER (CARNAL MAN) will serve the Younger (CHRIST IN YOU)

But even the Stubborn “Ass” that stood in the dumb prophet Balaam’s way, was motivated by God’s angel.

God is God people, He is behind it all. The sooner we learn from our sufferings, the sooner we can move forward and stop writing long blog’s about how mean these (adversaries for our good) are… Oh wait a minute, that’s me I’m talking about! DOH!

If resistance is the only way we become physically strong. Is it SO hard to believe spiritual resistance is the only way we become spiritually strong?

Yes, while we are under attack we do feel weak and helpless and it sucks big green eggs… (Not that I have ever seen a green egg, but if you mix that with some green ham I bet that would rock! Or at least I’ve been told by Sam “I AM” now there was a Dr. Seuss character who understood who he was.:))

Suffering is a good thing. Just look at the Butterfly after its long fight in the death of its cocoon. I think he would say it was worth the fight when flying high above the pain of his past. And guess what, without that fight to break free from that terrible cocoon, he or she (do butterflies even have a sex?:)) the butterfly would die. It cannot fly without the fight.

In our weakness we FINALLY allow God to be strong. And when God is our Strength we finally know Joy. “The Joy of the Lord is our Strength!”

It is when we scream, “I can’t do it anymore! I give up! I stink like an old mans shoe!” It is when we are the most broken that we are given the opportunity to be made whole again.

We must come to the conclusion that our CARNAL NATURE (ADAM/EGO) is vain and can profit us no longer. If we act as an animals act we inherit flees. If we act as the Child of God we inherit His Kingdom!

We must say, “I hate this world, I hate who I am, I hate my life (ego)!” You see people, where you may believe you are losing the fight, I see God frustrating you to GIVE UP THE FIGHT… And when you do, VICTORY IS MINE, SAYETH THE LORD!

John 12:25
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

But to get you to this point, sometimes, we need a Pharaoh or two to enslave us, torment us, and test us until we are READY AND WILLING to stand up and REST so we can allow God to set us free.

We all know that carnal man is always concocting devious plans, scenarios, and words to say, things to do, to show those bullies just what we think of them! … But that is not the voice of truth. That STRANGE WOMAN’S VOICE in our head (See my article; Strange woman), It is the voice of fear, hurt, worry and anger, it is the voice of lies, and Carnal Man’s Ego is the Father of all lies.

If I were to pick up a rock or stone and throw it at one who has stoned me first, guess what, I am no better than them and I better duck because another stone will be coming at me soon after.

This is what we wrestle against, not flesh and Blood, not mean people, but the NEGATIVE THOUGHTS (demons/principalities/powers within) that plague our mind, trying to get us to roll up our sleeves and GET READY TO RUMBLE!

Some would think even those who have so much monetarily, would be at peace and show more compassion and charity. But most don’t. Sadly, it is even worse with those who have made their money off a congregation. They really feel self-important, they look at their carnal man-made palace of a church and say, God has blessed me. But truly we know the blessed are those who GIVE UP EVERYTHING TO KNOW GOD! They don’t store up literal money and treasure, they store of wheat (wisdom/truth) so when the famine is in the land they can be like Joseph was in Egypt, a great Savior.

Now what about Justice Jacob? Well trust me when I say, whatever anyone does to you, they will receive it in return. I don’t know how, or when, I just know….

God is not mocked, whatever a man sows he shall also reap

Many don’t believe this. Because many don’t truly believe in God. But these words are a herald of sorts for them all.

“For soon, it will all come crumbling down around them, and in that day they will know they have done evil in the land.”

Sometimes family members or loved ones can take their abuses too far, this is something I am very familiar with. It can be abuse, physical, sexual, emotional, it doesn’t matter it is all very painful and hard to get over, but I promise you ALL WE HAVE ENDURED IN THE DARK OF NIGHT is setting us up to RULE WITH THE LIGHT in our lives!

So, instead of retaliating or trying to hurt them in return, as crazy as this sounds, WE MUST CHOOSE TO THANK GOD FOR THEM! I pray things will get better for them, I want restoration for them, not the division I see… Because let’s be real, their house is already DIVIDED and a house divided against itself cannot stand. News flash OURS IS STANDING STRONGER THAN BEFORE because it has been, and continues to be built upon the tried and tested stones of persecution!

So instead of bringing down the wrath of Jacob with the ugly truth about our adversaries, I prayed for them instead. As we don’t want other to cause suffering in our lives, it is not my desire to cause suffering in theirs.

You see, sometimes your life, who you are, will drive people bonkers. They don’t have what you have so they want to hurt it, tear it apart. How sad is that? The problem is they want what you have and can’t find it (Peace, Love, Life).

Deep down, our adversaries want to have a home filled with love, faith in something, they want their life to have meaning. They want what they cannot find, because the only way to find it is to first see how very wrong the egotistical death they are living is. They MUST lose their life/death to save their LIFE/CHRIST.

Here is an interesting side note: The third greatest reason for divorce is the interference of family members or third parties… People, Meat-head people, if you allow them, will destroy your marriage if you don’t recognize their attacks are actually there to bring you and your wife/husband closer together. You can’t let anything come between you and your beloved, as you shouldn’t let anything come between you and God.

If only more marriages that were struggling could realize, it is not the good times that proves a man and woman’s love, it is getting through the bad times, that proves their love. It is standing together, forgiving each other, looking to the moment and not behind, taking each others hand and saying, “I love you baby, and you are so darn HOT!” – Well that’s what I say at least.

Our present suffering will end (I PROMISE), but this suffering is the glue that brings families closer together, and our souls closer to Gods spirit. Two separate objects don’t want to become one naturally. It takes the brute force of the hammer, the piercing of the nail, the torment and splintering of the wood, to have two pieces of wood joined into one. Where two come together, there is always a torment of sorts that changes the two into one.

Here is what our “adversaries for our spiritual growth” don’t understand.

Even those in our own families, extended families, neighbors, employees at work, whoever it is who hurts us, tear us down, and attacks us, when these individuals are doing everything in their power to break up a marriage they are unknowingly strengthening the spirit of a marriage. When people come against us, attack us, mock us, they are unknowingly strengthening our spirit. And one day, we will be as Jesus saying “Forgive them for they know not what they do” – Then we will rise above our situation, and never return to allow our enemies to hurt us again. But FIRST we MUST learn this lesson, our adversaries are IGNORANT and they are THERE to help us.

Now this reasoning doesn’t make much sense to a person at first. They say, God would never want us to suffer. God would never allow hard times in our lives.

1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

They don’t believe God is in anything that hurts. Yet childbirth is not fun, and it is written that “we will not be saved in childbearing” – Remember what it is we are giving birth to people, CHRIST!

So, don’t plan revenge, plan for prayer, plan for things to get better in your life and the lives of those you love. Remember as the lead character of my novel “The Calling A Voice In The Dead Woods” said… “THOSE THAT HATE THE MOST MUST BE LOVED THE MOST”

So, I will not do anything to avenge myself, and I suggest all of you in similar circumstances learn this lesson and do the same. For God has bigger plans for us all.

Romans 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

We are not meant to take up the fight for ourselves. I have done this in the past and the results always backfired. Every bomb you drop on your enemy you drop on your own head…. Unless you are passing gas, and then by all means, God is cool with a drive by dusting of the knuckleheads in your life.

My friend Diane who BTW ROCKS, said we have a choice in life. We can choose to have PEACE or we can choose to be RIGHT. But, if we want to be RIGHT you have to get into the FIGHT. Oh what a wise sage she is!

So, I choose this day which God I will serve, not ADAM, but THE LORD OF HOSTS. And God says the fight is HIS, not ours.

Deuteronomy 1:30
The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

To win the day we simply sit back and let the Lord do his work. Sure, we will suffer the knucklehead comments of our enemies, and the sting of deceit and betrayal. This much we know to be true. However, there is only one-way to end such anguish and it is never found repaying evil with evil.

Matthew 26: 52
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

In dodge ball when the ball is thrown at you if you simply catch it your adversary is out of the game! You absorb their blow and you do not return it. While the ball is in your hands, you are safe. But the instant you throw that ball back into play, trying to hit someone to WIN THE DAY, you better watch out because that ball will be coming right back at ya!

When you repay evil with evil, you are simply prolonging your own suffering. This is why we must NEVER repay evil with evil but with Good.

Now this doesn’t mean you roll over and play dead and let these Meat-Heads walk, and talk, all over you. You have to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. When a fox is spoiling the vine, you find a way to keep the fox out. It may take a couple of different approaches, changing phone lines, moving, praying all the time LOL… but in the end, they will hear as Herod heard…

Luke 13:32
Go ye, and tell that FOX, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

The negative thoughts, the pain, the insecurities that these attacks caused IN US, will go away! We won’t let this nonsense bother us anymore. And God’s love is healing us from the wounds of our adversaries (who, by now, we know are there for our own spiritual growth) and finally, because of all we have endured, I say THANK YOU to those who have hurt me for on the Third Day I shall be perfected because your wicked devises have done a great work in me! Like the chisel to the stone! So I will learn to say…

“Father forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Or I will say

“I’m rubber your glue! I’m going to sit back and pray for you!”

We must “Do Unto others as we would WANT DONE TO US”

Like many of you, I have had my share of persecution. And every time I repaid injury for injury, I got hurt more. But when I stepped back and LET LOVE RULE as the Prophet Lenny Kravitz sang… I watched my enemies change, as well as their situations.

“You sit still down river long enough, you’ll see the bodies of your enemies float past you”

SO,

Matthew 5:25
Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Jesus gave us the keys of the kingdom, and those keys deal with reaping and sowing. If you want good in your life, start doing good. FORGIVE AND LIVE!

“If I say I love God and hate my brother, I am a liar.”

So, let’s start by following these simple rules and watch things in our lives turn around.

SOME GREAT KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

Galatians 6:7
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Luke 6 36-38
Judge not, and you shall not be judged.
Condemn not, and you will not be condemned
Forgive and you will be forgiven
For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Luke 6:29
And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

2 Corinthians 9:6
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

What we do to others, we actually are doing to ourselves, even when it comes to retaliating against our enemies.

This is why I will repay the (adversaries for our good) with the shake of the head, a shrug of the shoulders, and a prayer sent up on high…

Them silly kids, I’ll say. They know not what they do. Knuckleheads.

In every one of these article I usually receive some cool revelation and I hope you stuck with me to the end for this one. Because it JUST HIT ME! And it is good for you to hear this.

Matthew 5:38
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

We have been taught by Jesus that the “eye for an eye” philosophy needs to be thrown out.

But this is only in reference to the physical action of causing physical or emotional harm to one who has done such to you.

This DOES NOT mean that the law of Reaping and Sowing, Cause and Effect is not still a GREAT TRUTH.

Whatever we do to one, will be done to us, in one way or another. This is why Jesus’ advice is so important for us all to hear and implement in our lives.

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Why would Jesus say this?

Like my dodge ball story, (which I never got pick to play as a kid) If a man strikes you and you strike the man back… you will find you have another fist coming your way.

For one reason or another, God thought we needed or deserved such attacks and abuses. And if, after receiving these attack, we strike out and do the same to our enemies at the moment (for any other reason than self-defense) we are throwing the karmic ball back into play.

If someone talks bad about you, DON’T talk bad about them.
If someone mocks you, DON’T mock them.
Don’t repay evil with evil.

Romans 12:21
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Many don’t understand why Jesus was all about feeding your enemy and praying for them. Well the feeding part is really symbolic of showing them love and compassion. Showing them what they have not shown you. The BREAD FROM HEAVEN is the TRUTH and the Water is the SPIRIT OF GOD.

I would be a big fibbie pants if I were to say I am walking this truth out ALL THE TIME. I am not, but I am trying, and I pray all of you will let God be your Victor. So when trouble comes don’t get ready to rumble, just simply walk away. The bigger man is always the one who wins the day.

Peace everyone!
Jacob

http://www.jacobisrael.org
“The Truth Will Change You”