It's not often that you are so taken with another persons business that you become their champion and advertise them for free to everyone you talk to. But Michael Hyatt is just that type of author and leader. I really enjoy reading his posts on a regular basis through his blog. His content is always timely and meaningful, and more importantly consistent with his core. We all need to be consistent with our core, who we are as a person, company, or brand.
I have learned quite a bit from reading Michael Hyatt's blog and I now share that resource with you as well. Please enjoy!
This picture was such a cool synopsis of everything I've been reading, hearing, and studying for the past 6 months on starting ANY business project, that I figured I'd take the time to share it with you. Enjoy.
It's not often that you are so taken with another persons business that you become their champion and advertise them for free to everyone you talk to. But Michael Hyatt is just that type of author and leader. I really enjoy reading his posts on a regular basis through his blog. His content is always timely and meaningful, and more importantly consistent with his core. We all need to be consistent with our core, who we are as a person, company, or brand.
I have learned quite a bit from reading Michael Hyatt's blog and I now share that resource with you as well. Please enjoy!
This picture was such a cool synopsis of everything I've been reading, hearing, and studying for the past 6 months on starting ANY business project, that I figured I'd take the time to share it with you. Enjoy.
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. 7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day." 9 And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always." 11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
HEAR:
As I ponder this Chapter, home of so much debate between strict Calvinists and the rest of the Church, I ponder our friend Israel. We can be sure through reading this chapter that God is not through with Israel. The Word says here that much of Israel was cut off and blinded. God turned them over to see but not see and hear but not hear. I can see how a person could get the idea that God had actively done this to them.
Then we read further and we see the real reason they were cut off. Unbelief. It was their own refusal to believe that cut them off and blinded them. God gave us a choice in Deut 30:19, Life or Death: Your Choice! That means that it's not God's choice whether you believe or doubt, get saved or go to hell, get healed or die sick... It's yours. Will you believe or not?
God clearly isn't done with Israel. He's brought them back into being as a nation and he's playing out the end times scenario in which they will play the central role. In fact, we are merely here during their Pause. He placed the nation on a type of Time Out. He's been dealing with them the whole time, but he has a specific plan he's working out.
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
We, the Gentiles, are merely here during this time of Grace between Jesus coming and the time when the last 7 weeks of Daniel is poured out. Let us not think that time in Daniel is about Judging Israel either, no, it's about saving them! Israel will come to believe on Jesus during that time as a nation.
So what does all this mean to us? To me? Am I guilty of unbelief? Have I spent so much time in Church, religious circles and meetings that I don't believe? Sure I believe in Jesus. I believe He died and rose again. I believe He is my Savior and Lord. I believe He paid for my deliverance from sin, sickness, demons, and fear. I believe that by His strips I've been healed from every sickness, disease, and injury that will ever try to come against me. I believe that He has paid for my provision and that My God is meetings all of my needs, wants, and desires according to His Riches in Christ Jesus!
But when the sickness comes on me, when finances misbehave... what is my response? Faith is a response. If I walk into a room and slap you on the back and say: "Hey man! I believe that!" But you haven't said anything to me yet. It's out of context! I can't have faith in what you say, until you say something to have faith in. So when finances go out of whack... what is my response. If I say I have faith that Jesus paid for my provision but I respond to the lack in fear or doubt... My faith is dead.
I've been cut off from The BLESSING. I may believe all those things with my head. I may very well be saved and going to heaven. But I'm not living out any of the benefits (Psalms 103) that come with being in Covenant with Jesus.
Faith is so simple, that only a religious person could mess it up! Talk to God, Hear God, Respond!
DO:
I must choose my response to thoughts, emotions, and situations today. The best trained professionals in any field are trained over and over, so that when faced with a real situation they will respond appropriately. Athletes, Medics, Martial Artists... They all train in order to respond.
I will choose to respond in Faith today. How will I train myself to do this?
PRAY: Faith is a response. Hear the spoken, as well as written, Word of God for my life.
Rehearse: Consider situations that I've had trouble responding in faith to in the past, and rehearse, just like an actor, a different response.
Imagine: Create a movie inside of my mind of my responding in faith and getting the results God promises in His Word!
Catch Myself: When I say something that is not of faith. Correct the response and behavior while reaffirming and reminding myself of who I am IN HIM.
Follow Through: When situations arise that are contrary to me, respond in faith. When I don't correct the response as soon as I am able.
PRAY:
PRAY: Faith is a response. Hear the spoken, as well as written, Word of God for my life.
Father, HELP! Emotions should not dictate to me how I respond to life. Help me see things from Your perspective. Help me calm down, be still, know that YOU are God, and Listen for what you would say to me... then respond.
1 A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. 3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord, When they hear the words of Your mouth. 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, For great is the glory of the Lord. 6 Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
"Your level of Thanksgiving is like taking your spiritual pulse" Unkown
Thanksgiving. This psalm of David shows us the heart of Thanksgiving. If you are lacking in Joy, Peace, Abundance... Check on your attitude of gratitude. It's likely deficient. How easy it is to complain, to focus on that which is not right about your situation.
"In one of my all-time favorite Peanuts cartoons, Charlie Brown complains to Linus that every day his lunch is the same. When Linus asks Charlie Brown who makes his lunch, Charlie Brown says. "I do".
As Kenneth Copeland's famous series has taught us: "You are the Prophet of your own life". How often are we using our words to prophecy more of the same, or worse. It's easy to complain. I work in an environment that is riddled with bitterness and complaint. Service complains about Sales. Sales complains about Service. Call Center Complains about Branch and so on. The sales goals are set so high, that the vast majority of people have resorted to do anything they can, not just to get a good bonus, simply enough to not get fired. Junk perpetuates Junk seems to be the way of the masses. Yet, could there be another way? Could a change of attitude, not environment, actually be what's needed to turn this around?
Today's meeting was insightful. Is it possible that our attitude is keeping us bound to situations that we've ALREADY been delivered from? Have we sometimes been in our situation SO LONG that we have lost sight of the truth because of the facts? This story in 2 Kings expounds.
2 Kings 7:7-17 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it. 9 Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household." 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, "We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound--only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact." 11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king's household inside. 12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.' " 13 And one of his servants answered and said, "Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see." 14 Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the direction of the Syrian army, saying, "Go and see." 15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king. 16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. 17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
Have you ever seen anyone give directions to someone? They rarely is ever use a closed fist. They point or use an open hand? Why? It's inviting, non threatening, and welcoming. It's in this spirit of openness with God that we must conduct ourselves. Open handed, thankful, inviting. If we spend our time secretly mad at God for the situation we find ourselves in, we will not find ourselves open to his deliverance. Also, if we are so focused on what we don't have that we never look outside our own walls, we may live like this Kingdom in 2 Kings: Provision just outside and living in starvation.
Psalm 82 1 A Psalm of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. 2 How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah 3 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable. 6 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. 7 But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes." 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.
In July and August of 2008 Pastor George Pearsons taught on Bulldog Faith. At the beginning of each message a short video was played in which a coach told the kids: "Did any of you see the points up on that score board up there? Well you earned every one of them!" To which the kids replied: "But coach? Those points were for the other team?!" To which the coach replied: "That's right! That's what I'm saying! Because you weren't playing out there! I think you've forgotten who you really are?! Who are you!" "Bulldogs" they reply sheepishly. "I can't hear you... Who are you!?" "Bulldogs!"....Have we forgotten who WE really are?
We are God's kids! Created in the Image and Likeness of God! We were bought with a price, and our value is determined by the one who paid for us and the price that was paid. We are worthy because HE deemed us worthy. We have EVERYTHING to be thankful for. When we allow things to come into our mindset and thinking that take us away from time with God or trust in Him, those things, however simple, are idols to us. We must remind ourselves who we are IN HIM and what price was paid for us. If Christ died to redeem us, you don't think he'd just as concerned with our light-bill?
The last verse of Psalms 138 says:
Psalm 1388 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Perfect: Mature, bring to Completion, finish, bring to pass.
Concerns Me: The primary message of concern is NOT worry. Concern means that which relates to, belongs to, affects the passions of, or in the interest of a person, place, or thing.
The LORD is deeply interested in me. He's not only touched by my worries. He's got my whole life on his mind. He's got His plans, which I haven't even fathomed yet, on His mind. He's endeavoring to bring me to the place that he can use me to heal a broken and dying world.
He will bring to completion the plans He has for me. And they are good plans! Jer 29:11. I have SO MUCH to be thankful for! So as I pray about the upcoming month ahead maybe I should ask Him what to pray for, instead of just barreling down my list of needs.
Jeremy Pearsons tells the story of how he first had to fly as his own ministry. The cost was estimated at $6,000. But rather than just barreling off several confessions, or choosing another mode of transportation as the cost was prohibitive, he and Sarah decided to pray about what to pray about. "Lord, how would you have us believe you for this?" Not only did the Lord tell them an amount to believe that was different than the estimate, only $4,000, which was still high. But they Lord sent the Check for $4,000 in the mail BEFORE they asked him for the amount! The Lord will BRING TO PASS that which RELATED to us!
Another parting thought. Jesse Duplantis says: "You can't have what you speak against." That means you can't have promotion in a company that you complain about. You can't have a good marriage with a wife that you complain about. You can't have a good relationship with a dog that you complain about. Anything that you speak against will not work for you but against you. It's the nature of the Words we were born with. This attitude of gratitude, and thanksgiving is SO important. We must make it our aim, and our goal, that we NEVER say anything negative. Will we always succeed? No. But it must be our goal.
Bill told us about this great video. It's not posted to be a spiritual video. It was posted as a simple "How To" for axe sharpening. But there are SO many spiritual things we can learn from it. For example, we must keep the metal cool while sharpening it, otherwise it will loose it's temper. The temper is the strength of the metal, which allows it to keep it's sharp edge. Amazing. How often have we gotten hot and angry and lost our "Temper" as Christians? What a great life lesson.
That's all my notes from today, what a great meeting! Remember, Thanksgiving is the key to a long, happy, and joy filled life.
Some time ago the world's news, especially the liberal press, went into violent outrage at the claim by Pat Robertson that Haiti experienced bad things because of it's ties to Satan. TIME magazine wrote an article regarding the differences between Haiti and Dominican Republic citing many natural causes for the countries differences. In response CBN put forth a response statement to all of the outrage.
Haiti is a land of mixed religions. Catholics Christians, Protestant Christians, African religions, Native Religions, even a few Muslims were brought in as slaves in the founding of this strange mixed up Island Country some 200+ years ago. Although the majority of the Island claims Christian Faith of some kind, it's more of a mix of Christianity, Native and African Religions all put together. To this day over 50% of the population practices some form of Haitian Vodou. For those unfamiliar with Vodou just think of the scene from Pirates of the Caribbean "Tia Dalma". Vodou is OVERTLY Satanic in origin and practice. Secular people, with no Biblical foundation for truth, cannot understand the link between Satan and Vodou, although it is more than obvious with even a casual understanding of biblical history and who the devil is and what he represents.
Haiti - "Pact with the Devil"
So where did this "Pact with Satan" come from, that Pat Robertson referred to? It refers to ceremony of "Bois Caiiman" led by a slave Vodou Houngan (priest) Dutty Boukman. He is described as a having a large warrior like appearance and a violent temper. This priest led a group of angry slaves in a ceremony.
A man named Boukman, another houngan, organized on August 14, 1791, a meeting with the slaves in the mountains of the North. This meeting took the form of a Voodoo ceremony in the Bois Caiman in the northern mountains of the island. It was raining and the sky was raging with clouds; the slaves then started confessing their resentment of their condition. A woman started dancing languorously in the crowd, taken by the spirits of the loas. With a knife in her hand, she cut the throat of a pig and distributed the blood to all the participants of the meeting who swore to kill all the whites on the island. On August 22, 1791, the blacks of the North entered into a rebellion, killing all the whites they met and setting the plantations of the colony on fire. However, the French quickly captured the leader of the slaves, Boukman, and beheaded him, bringing the rebellion under control.
This ceremony was the start of the revolution which ultimately led to the people declaring their freedom and killing and burning their way to freedom. So in that sense the people who began this uprising indeed began it with roots in demonic ceremony. Root of an event has much to do with the fruit of an event. To this day over 1/2 of the population of Haiti still practices forms of Vodou.
The slaves were right to be angry, as they had a right to be angry in the USA. However in the USA it was the Gospel of Jesus that led to the freedom of Slaves and eventually black equality. In Haiti it was a result of violent bloodshed and death. The blacks in the USA took longer to gain their freedom, but it was a lasting more peaceful freedom. This too could have come faster, but that is for another article.
Dominican Republic - Religious Background
Like Haiti, the Dominican Republic is composed of a large number of Catholics and Protestants. Also like Haiti Vodou is practiced with subtle differences in style. The practices of the people who do practice Vodou are of a firm belief in One God. However this is were we see a difference. Haiti calls this God "Great Master" in a distant way. Dominican Republic calls this God "Good God".
Dominican Republic - Origins: Freedom Through The Cross
La Trinitaria, founded by Juan Pablo Duarte on July 16th 1838 was a secret society formed to discuss and plan a declaration of independence of their half of the Island. The Flag of the Dominican Republic was designed by these "Founding Fathers", and it contains a white Cross over a red and blue banner, symbolizing their Christian Heritage.
Far from free, this land has many troubles of it's own. The same general people, language, occupations, hardships, and troubles have been consistent with both countries on the same Island. TIME magazine points to all of the natural reasons, geography, and social/political/language differences in the founding of these two wildly diverse nations. The UN Ranks the Dominican Republic 98 on their Human Development Index. Haiti is ranks 158th. There are 187 Countries on their list.
Since the time of Adam and the fall of man the Curse has been living in this planet. The BLESSING that was in Adam to BLESS the whole earth was turned to a Curse when separated from it's source in the God of the BLESSING. Generally sin is under a curse and it is judged. Jesus came to restore the BLESSING of Adam, Noah, and Abraham and redeem us from the Curse. Since the time of Jesus the earth has lived under a dual leadership situation, much like the Island of Haiti. Half the the island is in absolute poverty and the other half, known as the Dominican Republic is in relative abundance.
So it is with the whole word. There are places that live in various manifestations of The BLESSING and there are nations that live in various manifestations of The Curse. No nation is ALL BLESSED or ALL CURSED. This is because the state of a people is dependent on the state of it's people. Any one person can live in The BLESSING. If they do they can begin to experience measures of the Garden of Eden in their lives. The more people that bring the BLESSING into a situation the greater it grows.
Any direct act toward God as a group, no matter how small will bring His direct response to come in and protect them from the affects of the Curse. Any direct act against God and as any gentleman who is asked to leave would, He leaves. He removes His hand, partially or fully. His hand always brings the BLESSING. So when it's removed the Curse washes in.
A nation that refuses to seek God, be they Haiti or the USA, or Israel itself will suffer from The Curse. This is not because God curses them. It is because the Curse already exists and it's waiting to enter in at any opportunity. This is what happened to Job. He engaged in sacrifices, not out of faith, but out of Fear. Fear is faith in evil's ability to harm you. Faith is released by confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart. Therefore Job said: "...the thing I so greatly feared has come upon me..." Job allowed the curse to enter his life.
Therefore what TIME doesn't, and can't, understand is that the natural things they cited are the RESULT of the BLESSING on Dominican Republic not the cause. All natural results are from spiritual causes. Even people who hate God, but do what He said and abide by His principles, will receive some natural results from that obedience. There are subtle differences between Haiti and Dominican Republic, but what set them apart was a different root.
BLESSING or Curse
-
The Choice is Ours
God told us in His word the BLESSING and Curse are ultimately our choice. He told us what we could do that would bring us either response from the earth. The USA has been hit by catastrophes every time it's made a decision not to side with Israel. This is because God promised that those who stand with Israel would be BLESSED and those who stood against her would be Cursed.
The wonderful thing in knowing this, is that there is never a moment that is too late. God's mercies are new every morning. As any person, or nation, takes a stand and says: "God, I believe... what next?" God will lead them to their place in His plan. Haiti and the USA are both in a similar position today. Both nations, at one level or another, have turned their back on God at a certain point in history. Haiti did this in 1791. The USA did this in 1947. Both have a promise from God that they are reaching a turning point.
Haiti will not end as they began. Haiti will rise and become the jewel of God she is meant to be. Even now, Kenneth Copeland Ministries has been and will be working in Haiti to deliver not just material support but spiritual support to this nation. Many Christians from all over the world and from within the nation have taken their place to stand with and in Haiti. There has already been great change. There is much work to be done. This end times world is in desperate need of the Gospel of Grace. We, The Church, will be and are rising. It's time to take our rightful place as ambassadors of The BLESSING and change a world in preparation for the rapture and the return.
So I ask you two questions:
Are you working the BLESSING in your life?
Are you taking the BLESSING to the world around you?
Some time ago the world's news, especially the liberal press, went into violent outrage at the claim by Pat Robertson that Haiti experienced bad things because of it's ties to Satan. TIME magazine wrote an article regarding the differences between Haiti and Dominican Republic citing many natural causes for the countries differences. In response CBN put forth a response statement to all of the outrage.
Haiti is a land of mixed religions. Catholics Christians, Protestant Christians, African religions, Native Religions, even a few Muslims were brought in as slaves in the founding of this strange mixed up Island Country some 200+ years ago. Although the majority of the Island claims Christian Faith of some kind, it's more of a mix of Christianity, Native and African Religions all put together. To this day over 50% of the population practices some form of Haitian Vodou. For those unfamiliar with Vodou just think of the scene from Pirates of the Caribbean "Tia Dalma". Vodou is OVERTLY Satanic in origin and practice. Secular people, with no Biblical foundation for truth, cannot understand the link between Satan and Vodou, although it is more than obvious with even a casual understanding of biblical history and who the devil is and what he represents.
Haiti - "Pact with the Devil"
So where did this "Pact with Satan" come from, that Pat Robertson referred to? It refers to ceremony of "Bois Caiiman" led by a slave Vodou Houngan (priest) Dutty Boukman. He is described as a having a large warrior like appearance and a violent temper. This priest led a group of angry slaves in a ceremony.
A man named Boukman, another houngan, organized on August 14, 1791, a meeting with the slaves in the mountains of the North. This meeting took the form of a Voodoo ceremony in the Bois Caiman in the northern mountains of the island. It was raining and the sky was raging with clouds; the slaves then started confessing their resentment of their condition. A woman started dancing languorously in the crowd, taken by the spirits of the loas. With a knife in her hand, she cut the throat of a pig and distributed the blood to all the participants of the meeting who swore to kill all the whites on the island. On August 22, 1791, the blacks of the North entered into a rebellion, killing all the whites they met and setting the plantations of the colony on fire. However, the French quickly captured the leader of the slaves, Boukman, and beheaded him, bringing the rebellion under control.
This ceremony was the start of the revolution which ultimately led to the people declaring their freedom and killing and burning their way to freedom. So in that sense the people who began this uprising indeed began it with roots in demonic ceremony. Root of an event has much to do with the fruit of an event. To this day over 1/2 of the population of Haiti still practices forms of Vodou.
The slaves were right to be angry, as they had a right to be angry in the USA. However in the USA it was the Gospel of Jesus that led to the freedom of Slaves and eventually black equality. In Haiti it was a result of violent bloodshed and death. The blacks in the USA took longer to gain their freedom, but it was a lasting more peaceful freedom. This too could have come faster, but that is for another article.
Dominican Republic - Religious Background
Like Haiti, the Dominican Republic is composed of a large number of Catholics and Protestants. Also like Haiti Vodou is practiced with subtle differences in style. The practices of the people who do practice Vodou are of a firm belief in One God. However this is were we see a difference. Haiti calls this God "Great Master" in a distant way. Dominican Republic calls this God "Good God".
Dominican Republic - Origins: Freedom Through The Cross
La Trinitaria, founded by Juan Pablo Duarte on July 16th 1838 was a secret society formed to discuss and plan a declaration of independence of their half of the Island. The Flag of the Dominican Republic was designed by these "Founding Fathers", and it contains a white Cross over a red and blue banner, symbolizing their Christian Heritage.
Far from free, this land has many troubles of it's own. The same general people, language, occupations, hardships, and troubles have been consistent with both countries on the same Island. TIME magazine points to all of the natural reasons, geography, and social/political/language differences in the founding of these two wildly diverse nations. The UN Ranks the Dominican Republic 98 on their Human Development Index. Haiti is ranks 158th. There are 187 Countries on their list.
Since the time of Adam and the fall of man the Curse has been living in this planet. The BLESSING that was in Adam to BLESS the whole earth was turned to a Curse when separated from it's source in the God of the BLESSING. Generally sin is under a curse and it is judged. Jesus came to restore the BLESSING of Adam, Noah, and Abraham and redeem us from the Curse. Since the time of Jesus the earth has lived under a dual leadership situation, much like the Island of Haiti. Half the the island is in absolute poverty and the other half, known as the Dominican Republic is in relative abundance.
So it is with the whole word. There are places that live in various manifestations of The BLESSING and there are nations that live in various manifestations of The Curse. No nation is ALL BLESSED or ALL CURSED. This is because the state of a people is dependent on the state of it's people. Any one person can live in The BLESSING. If they do they can begin to experience measures of the Garden of Eden in their lives. The more people that bring the BLESSING into a situation the greater it grows.
Any direct act toward God as a group, no matter how small will bring His direct response to come in and protect them from the affects of the Curse. Any direct act against God and as any gentleman who is asked to leave would, He leaves. He removes His hand, partially or fully. His hand always brings the BLESSING. So when it's removed the Curse washes in.
A nation that refuses to seek God, be they Haiti or the USA, or Israel itself will suffer from The Curse. This is not because God curses them. It is because the Curse already exists and it's waiting to enter in at any opportunity. This is what happened to Job. He engaged in sacrifices, not out of faith, but out of Fear. Fear is faith in evil's ability to harm you. Faith is released by confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart. Therefore Job said: "...the thing I so greatly feared has come upon me..." Job allowed the curse to enter his life.
Therefore what TIME doesn't, and can't, understand is that the natural things they cited are the RESULT of the BLESSING on Dominican Republic not the cause. All natural results are from spiritual causes. Even people who hate God, but do what He said and abide by His principles, will receive some natural results from that obedience. There are subtle differences between Haiti and Dominican Republic, but what set them apart was a different root.
BLESSING or Curse
-
The Choice is Ours
God told us in His word the BLESSING and Curse are ultimately our choice. He told us what we could do that would bring us either response from the earth. The USA has been hit by catastrophes every time it's made a decision not to side with Israel. This is because God promised that those who stand with Israel would be BLESSED and those who stood against her would be Cursed.
The wonderful thing in knowing this, is that there is never a moment that is too late. God's mercies are new every morning. As any person, or nation, takes a stand and says: "God, I believe... what next?" God will lead them to their place in His plan. Haiti and the USA are both in a similar position today. Both nations, at one level or another, have turned their back on God at a certain point in history. Haiti did this in 1791. The USA did this in 1947. Both have a promise from God that they are reaching a turning point.
Haiti will not end as they began. Haiti will rise and become the jewel of God she is meant to be. Even now, Kenneth Copeland Ministries has been and will be working in Haiti to deliver not just material support but spiritual support to this nation. Many Christians from all over the world and from within the nation have taken their place to stand with and in Haiti. There has already been great change. There is much work to be done. This end times world is in desperate need of the Gospel of Grace. We, The Church, will be and are rising. It's time to take our rightful place as ambassadors of The BLESSING and change a world in preparation for the rapture and the return.
So I ask you two questions:
Are you working the BLESSING in your life?
Are you taking the BLESSING to the world around you?
You call your bank and the phone agent tells you your balance, or orders your checks and does what you called in for. Then they end the call by saying that they are going to bring a banker on the line for your free account review. You go into a branch and the make a deposit and the teller asks you to sit with a banker while the "process" your deposit so that the banker can "Review your accounts".
You go into a branch and you don't even make it to the teller because the banker says that they can process your deposit for you now, so they fill out your slip and send it with another person who disappears with it while they then turn to you after some small talk and promise they will review your accounts.
What is this new trend? What is going on here? Well as you should know by now, banks are FOR profit organizations. They must sell products to make a living. They also know that the more products you have with them the less likely you are to leave over some small issue that comes up when someone doesn't do what they were trained to do.
When a bank says "Product" they mean anything you use. Debit Cards, Online Banking, Online Bill Pay, Checking, Savings, Loans, Credit Cards, Etc... It's not just the things you would THINK make them money. It's anything you use. The more you use the more likely you are to stay and develop a stronger relationship over time.
So you sit and talk to a Personal Banker, Product Specialist, Account Specialist, Whatever they call the person, they are a Sales Agent. What is next? What is this "Account Review" and what should you expect? Is it worth your time? Maybe. Let's talk it through.
The Account Review
This person makes small talk with you and get's to know you, many times genuinely although they've been trained to do this. This will followed by the following things. Not all bankers do all of them, and not all bankers do them in this order, but this is the gist of the process:
Update Contact Information
To make sure they have the right information on file and to make sure they can contact you if anything comes up later that requires follow up.
Make sure you are in the right accounts... avoiding or minimizing fees and such.
General Consulting on financial principles (If the manager will let them go into this, generally they don't want them talking long if there are people waiting.)
Pros and Cons
Pros
Advice. If you are going to say yes to an account review: BE OPEN! ENGAGE the conversation. Don't close out any topic, no matter how personal. Otherwise don't bother. The agent is there with experience. They have their ears to the ground in the financial world. Things change. You may need to know something they know.
Contact Information. Many times your contact information IS out of date. When a joint signer account is updated by one signer the profile information of the other signer is NOT updated. Phone Numbers, Emails, Etc could all be old and out of date. This causes problems when they need to reach you for legitimate business reasons. "Why didn't my bank call me before shutting my card off?" Maybe they tried but you haven't updated your phone in 30 years.
Financial Check Up. MOST people are not financially literate, and most who are don't know everything about everything. It's helpful to have a trained set of eyes and ears to bounce things off of and make sure you are financially fit. You go to a doctor once a year for a check up, why not have a financial check up? The banker, if they are good, may be able to make some suggestions that will escalate you to a new level of financial health.
New Products and New Fees. There are new products ALL THE TIME. Banking regulations, placed by idiots in Washington, almost always turn around to hurt consumers. YOU will suffer anytime a new regulation is passed. Let the bankers see if you've been affected by some lame Washington DC scam (also known as Dodd-Frank Deformed Act and those like it). You may be paying fees. Account requirements may have changed. Make no illusions, banks are FOR profit. If Washington takes their profit away through interference, it will come out of YOUR pocket every time OR YOU will loose some great benefit, like debit card rewards.
Cons
Too Often. This isn't really something you need to do more than once a year in most cases. Banks are pushing this so hard that if you frequently call or go in you may be subjected to this every time. Politely tell the banker you have already done your review this year and move on. Be kind but firm. No!
Too Vague. Phone Agents and Tellers used to be trained to identify, through things you say or things they see in your accounts if you had a financial need that maybe even you didn't realize. This was a great thing. Now bankers just cop out with referring EVERYONE for an account review and they haven't actually seen anything that makes them thing you may need one. In many cases people are transferred who have no clue why they are being transferred, it's not being explained. They are not interested in this process when they finally are told what the process is, by then they've wasted several minutes of their time on a busy lunch break.
Inexperienced Bankers. Bankers are a high turnover position. Sell or get out! There are many bankers who are in it for the long haul and really know their stuff. Some may be new to the company but not to banking. Others may be so new they are reading everything off a script like an actor and have NO idea what they are talking about. Check how comfortable you feel with the knowledge level of the person you are talking to.
High Pressure Sales. They bottom line on paper is to help you with your finances. But really it's all about sales. You are going to be asked to "BUY" something almost ever time. Therefore the advice you get may be slanted toward the benefit of the banker and the bank. Do you really need a debit card for the account you never use just to loose it and risk fraud two months later? Do you need a second checking? Maybe it could help, but if you are overdrawn everyday a second checking is just a way to overdraw two accounts and pay two times the fees. Do you need Bill Pay if you still live with Mom and Dad and don't pay bills OR you are older and don't USE the internet which Bill Pay is based on?
TIME - MORE TIME. How much time do you have? A decent account review will be AT LEAST 15 minutes unless they uncover a real need or two and then you will be taking more time on an application. THEN you will be transferred to a sales banker from a service banker/teller and then asked to transfer yet again to a partner of some kind. Insurance, Mortgage, Student Loans, Identity Theft Protection, Business, Etc... How many times can I be transferred in one call? 5 minutes with a service banker, 15-30 minutes with a sales banker, then another 15-30 minutes with a partner? Your 5 minute call just because an hour or an hour an half. If you had real financial needs, that maybe you didn't even know to ask about, this could have been a valuable session for you. In about 9 out of 10 cases it's a TOTAL waste of your time.
That is the Account Review. It could be worth your time. It could save you time, save you money, make you money (Benefit Words). However it probably won't be, most likely you will be transferred by someone who has no specific idea why and without explaining it to you, to an inexperienced banker who will ask you question and not know what to do with the answers you give.
Your best Account Review will be done in person, in an office, with an experienced banker you already know and trust. If you find that banker, meet with them at least once a year, maybe more often, or as often as your life changes or you see things in the news regarding banks that you feel unsure about.
You call your bank and the phone agent tells you your balance, or orders your checks and does what you called in for. Then they end the call by saying that they are going to bring a banker on the line for your free account review. You go into a branch and the make a deposit and the teller asks you to sit with a banker while the "process" your deposit so that the banker can "Review your accounts".
You go into a branch and you don't even make it to the teller because the banker says that they can process your deposit for you now, so they fill out your slip and send it with another person who disappears with it while they then turn to you after some small talk and promise they will review your accounts.
What is this new trend? What is going on here? Well as you should know by now, banks are FOR profit organizations. They must sell products to make a living. They also know that the more products you have with them the less likely you are to leave over some small issue that comes up when someone doesn't do what they were trained to do.
When a bank says "Product" they mean anything you use. Debit Cards, Online Banking, Online Bill Pay, Checking, Savings, Loans, Credit Cards, Etc... It's not just the things you would THINK make them money. It's anything you use. The more you use the more likely you are to stay and develop a stronger relationship over time.
So you sit and talk to a Personal Banker, Product Specialist, Account Specialist, Whatever they call the person, they are a Sales Agent. What is next? What is this "Account Review" and what should you expect? Is it worth your time? Maybe. Let's talk it through.
The Account Review
This person makes small talk with you and get's to know you, many times genuinely although they've been trained to do this. This will followed by the following things. Not all bankers do all of them, and not all bankers do them in this order, but this is the gist of the process:
Update Contact Information
To make sure they have the right information on file and to make sure they can contact you if anything comes up later that requires follow up.
Make sure you are in the right accounts... avoiding or minimizing fees and such.
General Consulting on financial principles (If the manager will let them go into this, generally they don't want them talking long if there are people waiting.)
Pros and Cons
Pros
Advice. If you are going to say yes to an account review: BE OPEN! ENGAGE the conversation. Don't close out any topic, no matter how personal. Otherwise don't bother. The agent is there with experience. They have their ears to the ground in the financial world. Things change. You may need to know something they know.
Contact Information. Many times your contact information IS out of date. When a joint signer account is updated by one signer the profile information of the other signer is NOT updated. Phone Numbers, Emails, Etc could all be old and out of date. This causes problems when they need to reach you for legitimate business reasons. "Why didn't my bank call me before shutting my card off?" Maybe they tried but you haven't updated your phone in 30 years.
Financial Check Up. MOST people are not financially literate, and most who are don't know everything about everything. It's helpful to have a trained set of eyes and ears to bounce things off of and make sure you are financially fit. You go to a doctor once a year for a check up, why not have a financial check up? The banker, if they are good, may be able to make some suggestions that will escalate you to a new level of financial health.
New Products and New Fees. There are new products ALL THE TIME. Banking regulations, placed by idiots in Washington, almost always turn around to hurt consumers. YOU will suffer anytime a new regulation is passed. Let the bankers see if you've been affected by some lame Washington DC scam (also known as Dodd-Frank Deformed Act and those like it). You may be paying fees. Account requirements may have changed. Make no illusions, banks are FOR profit. If Washington takes their profit away through interference, it will come out of YOUR pocket every time OR YOU will loose some great benefit, like debit card rewards.
Cons
Too Often. This isn't really something you need to do more than once a year in most cases. Banks are pushing this so hard that if you frequently call or go in you may be subjected to this every time. Politely tell the banker you have already done your review this year and move on. Be kind but firm. No!
Too Vague. Phone Agents and Tellers used to be trained to identify, through things you say or things they see in your accounts if you had a financial need that maybe even you didn't realize. This was a great thing. Now bankers just cop out with referring EVERYONE for an account review and they haven't actually seen anything that makes them thing you may need one. In many cases people are transferred who have no clue why they are being transferred, it's not being explained. They are not interested in this process when they finally are told what the process is, by then they've wasted several minutes of their time on a busy lunch break.
Inexperienced Bankers. Bankers are a high turnover position. Sell or get out! There are many bankers who are in it for the long haul and really know their stuff. Some may be new to the company but not to banking. Others may be so new they are reading everything off a script like an actor and have NO idea what they are talking about. Check how comfortable you feel with the knowledge level of the person you are talking to.
High Pressure Sales. They bottom line on paper is to help you with your finances. But really it's all about sales. You are going to be asked to "BUY" something almost ever time. Therefore the advice you get may be slanted toward the benefit of the banker and the bank. Do you really need a debit card for the account you never use just to loose it and risk fraud two months later? Do you need a second checking? Maybe it could help, but if you are overdrawn everyday a second checking is just a way to overdraw two accounts and pay two times the fees. Do you need Bill Pay if you still live with Mom and Dad and don't pay bills OR you are older and don't USE the internet which Bill Pay is based on?
TIME - MORE TIME. How much time do you have? A decent account review will be AT LEAST 15 minutes unless they uncover a real need or two and then you will be taking more time on an application. THEN you will be transferred to a sales banker from a service banker/teller and then asked to transfer yet again to a partner of some kind. Insurance, Mortgage, Student Loans, Identity Theft Protection, Business, Etc... How many times can I be transferred in one call? 5 minutes with a service banker, 15-30 minutes with a sales banker, then another 15-30 minutes with a partner? Your 5 minute call just because an hour or an hour an half. If you had real financial needs, that maybe you didn't even know to ask about, this could have been a valuable session for you. In about 9 out of 10 cases it's a TOTAL waste of your time.
That is the Account Review. It could be worth your time. It could save you time, save you money, make you money (Benefit Words). However it probably won't be, most likely you will be transferred by someone who has no specific idea why and without explaining it to you, to an inexperienced banker who will ask you question and not know what to do with the answers you give.
Your best Account Review will be done in person, in an office, with an experienced banker you already know and trust. If you find that banker, meet with them at least once a year, maybe more often, or as often as your life changes or you see things in the news regarding banks that you feel unsure about.
