Comments on: They’re More Afraid of You Than You Are of Them…

By: Michael B.

Michael B. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:55:02 +0000

In the middle of enjoying your series on time and chance, the eths of God, I read an article in an investment newsletter about a book titled “The Fourth Turning” written in 1997. This “coincidence” is certainly from God! The authors argue convincingly that the American (& evangelical) view of history as purely linear, progessing to continued glory or to an apocolypse, is flawed. They define and illustrate a seasonality to the entire American history that has in fact followed this remarkable pattern. Based on this analysis, they accurately predicted the “crisis” we have been in and its effects 10 years before it happened.

Eccl 3:15 “That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.

Eccl 3:1 To EVERYTHING there is a season…..

I think it is clear in the Bible that we are moving in a linear fashion to the end of time when Jesus returns, but in this progression there are seasons which have similarities. Can we as Christians mine this wisdom from the past to help us through this season of winter or crisis to influence the inevitable spring that will come? If we plant the tulip bulbs of God’s Kingdom in the winter then we will have flowers bringing glory to our God in the spring.

Father, let us be like the sons of Issachar, understanding the times. Give us knowledge of what we should do.

By: Brenda Moore

Brenda Moore — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:52:04 +0000

Thank God for his eth. Last week, my team of sales agents were believing God to enter into a new market. We made our plans but it was truly about the eth. We met with one business and God open up more doors. It was not our strength but God’s divine Grace. Thanks for your conformation. I cant wait to here more.

With Christ all things are possible
Brenda

By: sue

sue — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:57:43 +0000

This talk of “eth” had been revelational. I had a picture of being in a hot air balloon, in the wind stream and moving silently ( apart from the burners) through the air. We are the balloon, the holy spirit is the wind. If we are in the ‘eth’ we are in the wind as the wind, moving where he takes us. NO stress, no push, just peace.
However when I get wound up in my own flesh and my powerful engines are running,I launch, up wind, down wind, slipstream, wherever I thin I need to be, and the result? Stress and expensive mistakes! I have missed the ‘eth” and am moving in my own strength.
I am desparate to stop moving in business outside of the ‘eth’ of God, its expensive! Thanks for sharing this revelation, it is timely!
Many thanks
Sue

By: Doug Caton

Doug Caton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:22:22 +0000

Thank you for your “eth” stories. Our family just experiences what we believe to be the first of a series of victories that the Lord has given us wisdom (not any of my collective genious I assure you). We had six liens (notices) recorded against our name at the court house. We knew that they were legally insufficient and did not know how to confront the Clerk’s office. God gave me the courage and the wording for a legal notice in the form of an affidavit. We filed it against all six liens and copied the clerk with a certified letter and they were all removed from the records in less than two weeks. It was the Lord’s movement on our behalf. We were told “it won’t happen”. But God!

By: SWW

SWW — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:04:16 +0000

Here’s my current “eth”

I took a sales manager job at an Acura dealership in 2002 but quit and went back to the previous dealership I work at in 2003. BIG MISTAKE! I lasted only 5 months at the old dealership. At the same time, my wife left me and all sorts of bads things happened in my life. I call it “My Job moment”. My boss from the Acura dealership stayed in touch with me but the timing was never right to go back there. Now May 2009 - out of the blue my partner and I were let go at the dealership I had been working for for the last 4 1/2 years. The GM thought she could do better bring in a new management team (it’s not working for here).
After I lost my job in May I called my old boss to see if he knew of in jobs that were available. He didn’t and I just kept praying for God to open a place for me where He wanted me. 3 weeks later the owner of the Acura dealership called and wanted me back! This came totally out of the blue! I was miserable at my previous job, it was actually a blessing getting fired! Now I’m seeking God to see why He wants me back at Acura, what is it He has there for me. He is always faithful!

Scott

By: Kara Harris

Kara Harris — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:46:28 +0000

The REAL “eth” I remember happened 20+ years ago when another Christian woman told me I should teach abstinence! Me, teach? Abstinence? I was a high school drop out, before they knew what ADHD was, or learning disabilities. Me, abstinence? I had been pregnant and single at 16 years old, giving birth shortly after my 17th birthday. Me? For the first six years every time I walked on a high school campus my heart would palpitate and my palms broke out is a sweat. I HATED high school. It turned out I loved the kids.
BUT, GOD in HIS wisdom, and mercy knew where HE wanted me. 20+ years later, being the old “(no)sexlady(until marriage)” I KNOW I didn’t miss this “eth.” With a county full of kids/adults who hollar, “HI, sexlady” and wave I know I have not missed on this one.
The hardest thing I deal with is the fact this is a missionary position, and I earn little money at it. I cannot quit as no one else wants to do it. I have worked a full time job in the past to supplement the income, almost killing myself (I am too old for this). I have tried to start other side endeavors, wondering where my “eth” is there. My poor little car just turned 194,000 miles on it as we live in a rural county and I drive many miles. I am also teaching a weight loss group in a border community (motivational) at a federally funded clinic dealing with a lot of diabetes patients. The money I receive for this class is not much either, and also adds 130 miles weekly to my car. But I love this also. I have put in a proposal to the Sheriff’s department to do the same for his deputies, who are also needing weight loss motivation. I have not heard back from him after writing him a proposal.
One more BUT here. But, I am truly blessed with a husband who does not pressure me to go out and get a “real” job. He does allow me to be who GOD has called me to be. I just wish I could contribute more financally to our household as he does not earn a lot either. I praise GOD he has given me a man that allows me to follow GOD’s leading even though he could be a real jerk. I am just praying I don’t overlook any “eths” either.
Blessings MP, keep up the good thoughts! In HIM, Kara

By: Lorisa

Lorisa — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:04:59 +0000

Great post Jon!! Thanks for sharing - it sure spoke to me!

By: Jon White

Jon White — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:06:11 +0000

This is a general comment on the Eth series and (hopefully) an encouragement to other readers of Michael’s blog.

I too have been feeling The Lord prompting along the way, giving me some specific timing, small nudges and more than a few unexpected stops along the way.

I recently finished a project and found myself looking for what to do next. I had a limited (in my estimation) amount of capital and needed to make it profitable. I had been very specifically asking The Lord before my paying project came to an end: “What next?”. I felt led to buy some local food produce and take it north where it was not available, turning the money over quickly and then to look for a return product to bring back and sell.

I excitedly told my wife that The Lord had spoken to me and had given me direction, and over the course of the next 2 weeks made contacts with local producers and lined out my first trip. I took my youngest son with me, and we set out on our adventure.

Well, to make this long and exciting story short… When I got back home, and balanced out our income and expenses, our net LOSS was exactly the amount of capital that I had budgeted for the venture!

Where did I miss you God???? Everyone is looking at me, now I will have to rationalize the trip as “a lesson”. “I didn’t really hear God”, or “I jumped ahead of what God was showing me”, or “add your own lesson that I should get out of this here”. If you knew me, you would not call me impetuous, I tend to overthink before acting. In my despair, I heard that small voice tell me to continue to have peace, trust Him with the big picture, even if I failed in the process, He would not.

I tried to go back and find the one “instance” where I had missed Him and gotten off course, but it did not come. What I did remember was the great time that I had with my youngest son, and how that I had never allowed myself to be so spontaneous raising my older grown children. God had given me an Eth with my son, and it was worth 1000 times what it had cost. My son got to see his dad trying to walk out in faith what he was led to do. He told me that it was the best time that he had ever had, and couldn’t wait until our next trip.

I could bore you with all of my analysis of the hows and whys, but it would be pointless. God does not want to be narrowed down to a set of principles, or methods, or 21 Ways to be Successful at… Just like my son who trusted me to protect and provide for him, Our Father wants us to trust HIM not our own ability to understand, or be obedient, or….

Since my return. several doors have opened, (just in time timing) and I will go back to being busy. One lesson that I have learned, is that I did hear rightly, and maybe in time will see all of the why’s. Until then I will not limit God’s movement in my life because I can’t see or understand where the immediate profit in every situation is. This is a hard concept for a business person who always need to limit the unknowns and maximize the returns. We are for His purpose, He can’t just be one of our needed ingredients to have a successful life.

Be encouraged that God is well aware of how you will react when you are tested and through HIS righteousness HE is able to move us to where HE wants us to be, God could be positioning you right now to be the Eth in someone else’s life.

Psa 127:4 As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth.
Psa 127:5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be put to shame, When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

We are arrows in our Fathers hand.

Thanks for listening,
Jon

By: Jeulet Noyes

Jeulet Noyes — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:17:48 +0000

I too have been so extremely moved and taught by all these posts pertaining to the “eth” of God. I have even cried reading some of them, because I am seeing and recognizing the truth of what Michael is sharing and am learning as my eyes are being opened to both the ones I’ve missed and the eth’s I am hoping for. I have been in the most difficult financial and work related situation that I have ever been faced with…no income at this time, bills being left unpaid, and good credit being ruined as a result of it. I am a hard worker when employed, although all my experience and expertise is in the creative arts, which is a field already difficult to support oneself in with or without a sour economy. I am so pressed into the Lord right now and am certainly not losing faith, I am doing all to “stand” since I have done all else. I am a Writer, Director and Designer who strongly believes the Lord has called me to the world of theatre to be a mouthpiece and a visual aid in that arena. I am passionate about writing as it is what makes my heart sing..I would ask for anyone who feels lead to pray, that doors would open and that I would be in position for the eth of God that aligns me for the implementation of my vision and what I believe I am assigned to. I too have neither strength or equipment to knock down “walls” right now. I don’t know whether to march and shout or to be still. I definitely need some “time and chance” and humbly wait for it.

By: Sherrill Lindsay

Sherrill Lindsay — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:47:29 +0000

Eth
I think I found one in Mathew 20. It is the story of the householder who goes out to hire workers. Now that is a business man if I ever hear of one. Of course it is also Father God. But in the store, he has a harvest that needs to be brought in by the end of the day (eth). He hires help and sees he needs more to get the job done. He hires more and more and more, to be sure he hits his time. He pays everyone the same pay. Of course we know that with God that is our salvation he is talking about. But if you read the story from a business man’s perspective it has some real instruction in there.

We see some real attitudes show up. I think you can figure them out when you read the story. I have worked with many of them. But in the end, if the workers who started early had “the mind of God / Business owner” as their mind, then they would be rejoicing that the harvest had been completed in time. Not complaining that their contract had been breached (which it had not).

As both a business owner (with my husband) and a worker/sales manager (for my boss) this is encouraging to me, that during a particular time, I must keep my mind in tune with that of the owner to retain peace. Money comes and money goes, but peace of mind is a treasure not to loose!

There are lots of things to see in the passage… Old testament people standing in linage of time, waiting to receive their payment (first is last) only to see 20th century Americans who are sinful, prideful, lustful, lazy, and on and on simply say forgive me (last is first), and receive God’s salvation (same pay as what they had to work for). It could turn into a problem if they don’t have the desire to bring in that harvest for God.

The subtle difference in working for the pay and working for the same goal makes such a difference in my attitude! I hope you can see it and receive the same peace of mind too.

God bless,
Sherrill