LEADERSHIP AS DOMINION

EACH DAY, THIS FLOCK OF BIRDS BEAUTIFIES THE BOARDWALK.  They skim the water, fishing.  Flying in a beautiful hierarchy, they move in and out between land and sea in a perfectly organized pattern.  On this particular day, one bird seemed to be in the leadership position.  It maintained its outlier position relative to the rest of the flock as they made their circuit of sky, sea, and land.

It got me to thinking:  How did these creatures decide who would lead?  There were no interview criteria; it did not graduate from the 'right' schools, nor did it have a wealthy pater to convince it of its intrinsic, unassailable right to lead.

God did it.  There was no infighting, no electoral college, no back room cliques or colluding to tell that bird "I'm in charge here."  Its dominion is functional, natural, and effective.  This is why it works.  It took on the responsibility, and its flockmates were willing to submit to its authority, simply because it was best for them.

Life in 'The Old Dominion' has been interesting.
 
Just because a form of dominion has existed for a long time does not mean that it is still relevant.  Dominion can become tyranny without too much trouble.

Just live it without nurturing it. Show no appreciation for it.  Become assumptive and entitled over it.  Lose your humility.  Then your Old Dominion could be perceived by other Americans as hidebound, backward, inhospitable and bigoted--and you would not even know it.  Or you would know it and imperiously not care that your collective demeanor has become frigid and stand-offish and very much a respecter of persons or their money.  

The Old Dominion seems very religious.  There are a lot of churches.  However, Neptune is "king" of the Oceanfront.  Jesus is a little guy in a landlocked boat fielded by the Methodists.  The homeless travel and live in packs and clumps of humanity while a third of the housing stock stands empty, and you'd better not ask why this is so.  This beautiful locale can be brutal.  If you don't fit into a certain social strata, you are invisible.  There are pockets of wealth where only one demographic dwells, and you'd better not drive there to have a look and ask why this is so.

 Not long ago, I was gazing out of my kitchen window after a freak rainstorm.  The air was saturated and oppressive.  Something generated a massive electrical charge--there was a full moon, and an eclipse the previous day, as well as a comet passing by.  Whatever it was hit the main transformer for the Mayflower Building with such incredible force that the neon "Mayflower" shorted out three times.  The thing shook like a picture of a building drawn on a sheet of notebook paper, rattled by a giant unseen hand.  The structure righted itself like a stoic who'd been punched between the shoulder blades.  King Neptune did nothing.  In fact, I thought he might have been rent asunder as that bolt from the blue made landfall.  Strangely, I had spent the previous day in prayer.  I hollered out to God as I spent several hellish seconds wondering if that building was going to drop with all those lives in it.  It didn't.  Even an edifice can know dominion.

The next day, twenty Dominion Power crew stood staring in mute stupefaction at the unscathed transformer.

That is how I know that even in the Old Dominion, GOD IS THE ONE IN CHARGE.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.

MANTLES OF SHADOW AND LIGHT

MANTLES OF SHADOW AND LIGHT

Esau Kills Nimrod

"On the day of Abraham’s death, Esau had been out in the fields as usual. He had lost his way and was trying to find his way back, when King Nimrod arrived with two servants. Esau hid behind a rock, and when Nimrod was left unguarded, he killed him and fought the two servants who rushed to the aid of their master. Esau escaped with King Nimrod’s clothes. These were Adam’s garments which later became the property of Noah; Noah’s son Ham, who was Nimrod’s grandfather, had subsequently become their owner, and finally Nimrod had acquired them. These divine clothes had made Nimrod a powerful and skillful hunter and a mighty ruler over all other kings. Now Esau had come into possession of the most valuable and cherished property a hunter could desire."

ESAU WAS A TAKER.

This study of Jacob and Esau from Jewish history site www.chabad.org describes Esau as a "man of the fields who resorted to any number of tricks to avoid studying."  He did not want to patiently learn his way into power. Esau took what he wanted, and in so doing killed King Nimrod, the mighty hunter, architect and ruler, and stole his vestments, Adam's own clothing (not reported in the Bible that I know of, but reasonable in light of the fact that God clothed Adam and Eve before kicking them out of Eden).  The clothing gave him incredible knowledge and power, but his manner of acquiring it showed a disrespect for divinity and authority.  It was dirty and bloody when Esau returned.

In light of this context, it is simple to surmise that Esau threw over his birthright because he had stolen Nimrod's mantle.

Having stumbled into proximity with Ham's grandson Nimrod, Esau's first instinct was to kill him and to take his influence, not to offer himself as a servant or an apprentice, and so earn his mantle.  Esau was cowardly and opportunistic in obtaining Nimrod's gear.  He hid and waited for an unguarded moment to kill the king and steal his goods.  Escaping with the king's clothing, Esau then sold his birthright to assuage his growling belly.

In many ways, we are as much like Esau as we are like Jacob.  Only when we are pressed by situations in life do we become willing to sit at the feet of Wisdom.  Why patiently and meticulously learn God's will for our lives when we can satisfy ourselves with the things that money buys?  Why fast and pray when you can FaceTime and WhatsApp?

Finding your Dominion, with a capital "D" means finding equilibrium.  There must be a balance between pursuit and and prayer as we seek to fulfill God's will for our lives.

"Understanding Seasons," Dr. Romero Maridjan

Dr. Romero Maridjan's YouTube Channel

Esau had no concept of the cyclical nature of God's blessings, mainly because he was a hunter, and no time of the year need be ruled out as good for going out to kill for meat. 

Jacob, on the other hand, was certainly more mindful of the times and seasons ordained by God to guide men through life successfully.  He listened to his father and grandfather; spent time with his mother learning the wiles of women, and Jacob was pious, as well as studious and reserved.  He maneuvered his older brother out of his birthright out of fear of God more than for his own gain.  

Esau's dating habits were already making God mad. (Genesis 36:2)

When we act out our fleshly desires, we become blind to the spiritual repercussions of what we are doing.  It feels good to buy that, date that person, hate that other person, ignore still another person--but we are surprised when favor favors the person right next to us, who has a more honest relationship with the Holy Spirit than we do.  Even though we genuinely love the Lord, if we are constantly blowing Him off for the pleasures His grace has afforded: cars, homes, vacations, beer--then how can we expect to know and follow His will for us?  How easy is it for Satan to step in and turn your blessing into a shopping addiction, or a money pit, or insurmountable credit card debt, or a massive gut?

We must live within the world's systems, that is true.  To do so according to God's rules requires commitment, integrity, and courage.  In exchange for this, God grants us mercy.  He shows us favor, and He gives us peace.  

When we have mercy, favor, and peace from God, we have obtained Dominion.  We can master any circumstance because we have surrendered all situations to God for disposal.  Both in the figurative sense of taking care of something and in the sense of getting rid of a thing, God can do it.  When we access this portion of God, we walk in dominion--over the world's systems, its economy, its pitfalls and its snares.  Dominion empowers us to show forth the Kingdom of God until Jesus comes, so it is important to pursue it.

DO NOT DOUBT: DOMINION IN DISGUISE

MEDITATION ROOM, DUKE CHAPEL, DURHAM, NC, USA.

Now Joseph has been put in prison.  Through no fault or misdeed of his own, he is not only enslaved, but imprisoned as well.  Joseph did not let go of God, however, and "the LORD was with him," (Genesis 39:21)

"The LORD showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.  So the warden put Joseph in charge of those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there."  (Genesis 39:21-23)

Like Joseph, you may be jailed by circumstances; enslaved by situations.  Ill-health, poverty, oppression, manipulation--these are prisons of the mind and of the flesh.  It is up to you to take dominion over these trials!  Even though the outward appearance may take a long time to shift, an internal shift toward mastery is always within your grasp.  Trust in God, and He will give you success.  That success may not look like victory by worldly standards.  You may appear to be on the ropes, for real.  But when you trust God to carry you, to be with you, to protect you--even when matters are the most bleak--it is victory.  It is dominion.

Do not fail to recognize the way out!  Joseph had been in the dungeon "a right good while," as my grandma would say, when the cupbearer and the baker were cast down with him.  Potiphar (Tellingly, the Bible stops using his name, and only acknowledges his rank at this point.  One does not imprison blessings because shenanigans.)

himself puts these two high-ranking officials into Joseph's care, "and he attended them." (Genesis 40:4)

Joseph never stopped doing his job.  You should stick with your program, however bad your situation may seem.  Toughing it out is grooming you for the time when things suddenly turn in your favor.  In Joseph's case, the breakthrough was precipitated by two more dreams.  There are those who don't believe God speaks in dreams.  If you encounter someone like this along your spiritual path, be assured, they do not take the time to study the Bible!

Below:  "Your Breakthrough is Coming!"

The cupbearer and the baker were two of Pharaoh's closest men.  One poured the wine; the other baked the bread.  It was they who assured the ruler that his food and his drink would not poison and kill him!  He had to trust them.  They had to maintain trustworthiness.  The two men dreamed similar scenarios.  The cupbearer dreamed a dream of growth and service:  The vine budded, ripened, and he provided the king with wine.  Joseph told him he would be okay.  The baker's dream saw birds helping themselves to the bread in the baskets atop his head.  Bad news for the baker.  Joseph told him without holding back.

Just as Joseph had interpreted, in three days, the cupbearer returned to Pharaoh's service.  The baker was hanged.  Joseph had told the cupbearer, "mention me to Pharaoh when all goes well with you!" (Genesis 40:14)

The cupbearer forgot.  Two full years passed.  Joseph continued to stick to his task.  Unjustly imprisoned, and in charge of everything.  Like Potiphar, the warden "paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care,"  (Genesis 39:23) because Joseph excelled at administration under any circumstance.  How many of us could focus on the job we have been assigned when everything about it is wrong and unfair?  How much time and energy would we waste complaining?  Instead of doing what comes to hand, would we not desperately search for a way of escape?  The Bible mentions none of this in connection with Joseph.  In many situations, it is the better part to remain stoic.  Either we trust God or we don't.  Joseph trusted God and did his job while enslaved, unjustly accused, imprisoned, and forgotten.  But then, Pharaoh had dreams, too.

No one in the land could interpret the king's dream, and finally, the cupbearer snapped to.

"Today I am reminded of my shortcomings..." (Genesis 41:9)  The cupbearer reminded Pharaoh of the time he had imprisoned him, and described how Joseph had interpreted the dreams of the baker and of his own.

Pharaoh sent for Joseph.  "God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires," (Genesis 41:16)  said Joe.

Joseph had learned some things.  He told the king, "I cannot, but God can."  He had learned humility.  His response to the ruler was not cloaked in arrogance, nor was it steeped in bitterness.  "God can do it," was all he said.

The king told Joseph his dreams:  "I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt."  You certainly have heard the account of the seven skinny cows devouring the seven fat, sleek cows--and still remaining gaunt and ugly.  The seven worthless grains swallowed the seven full, good grain heads.

In explaining and interpreting the dreams as God's plan to send seven years of famine after seven years of abundance, Joseph carefully controlled the narrative so that none but him could carry out the contingencies required to save the land of Egypt from disaster.  Doubled-down dominion was the result.  Pharaoh effectively turned himself into a figurehead of state and let Joseph run the whole country.

"Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." (Genesis 41:40)

This time, Joseph was ready.  

Armed with humility, diligence, perseverance, and a good reputation, he set about preparing the nation for the hard times to come.  He was not lulled by the incredible abundance of the fat years.  Consequently, he was able to concentrate the power and influence of the land into Pharaoh's hands when things got tight.

Joseph used the time he spent in prison to solidify his relationship with God.  The interceding of Christ and the groundwork of the Holy Spirit was not available to him.  That blessing had not yet arisen for the faithful; it was thousands of years in the future.  By the time he stood before Pharaoh, he was humble, yet self-assured and confident in relaying the mind of God to the ruler of Egypt.  Pharaoh clearly viewed him as a man of spiritual power, God-sent to help him rule.

"Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, '"I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt."'  

(Genesis 41:44)

Never lose sight of the plan of God for your life!  Even in your darkest hour, God is there.  For all you know, the breakthrough will not come without the times of testing.  The Almighty wants to prepare you for the good things He has for you.  This might mean a dry season (or many dry seasons) in your life.  Satan is crouched and waiting for you to give up before your season of testing and trial is concluded.  DON'T DO IT!

Joseph, from the moment his brothers flung him down into a dark well, had been chosen for a monumental task; he was destined for greatness.  First, he had to be betrayed, abandoned, enslaved, accused, imprisoned. When he was finally entrusted with the fate of an entire nation, he did not dwell on all the hardship he had encountered beforehand.  Joseph set about preparing for famine with the same work ethic he had shown in Potipher's house, and after that in his dungeon.  Two years of false imprisonment served as a lesson to him during seven years of plenty.  Joseph learned to trust God.  He learned to depend on God.  He learned to wait on God.

Whatever your current situation.  You can take these same lessons from the life of Joseph.  His greatest test still awaits:  his brothers are coming.  The famine sent by God serves to enforce Joseph's dominion over them.  His struggle to forgive them and achieve peace in his heart over their betrayal is the next life-lesson we will examine in our study of dominion.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog!

DOMINION DILEMMA: GO ALONG TO GET ALONG?

DUKE CHAPEL, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, USA

THE BIBLE HAS NOTHING TO SAY REGARDING JOSEPH'S TRANSITION TO EGYPT.

We are told only that Joseph was sold to Pharaoh's captain of the guard, Potiphar.  His position as captain of the guard was sort of like Colin Powell's when he made us to finally understand what the Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did.  If Potiphar wasn't the top man, he was certainly the most influential.  Pharaoh depended on him to keep the political intrigue under control, and to protect him from usurpers, interlopers, and would-be assassins.

Joseph did well in Potiphar's household:  

"The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.  When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.  Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned."

(Genesis 39:2-4)

• When the LORD is with you, you will prosper
• Powerful people notice God's favor in your life
• Influential people are intensely interested in the manifest favor of God

God caused Joseph to have success at whatever he was doing.  Potiphar took note of that, and soon turned the entire responsibility for the running of his household over to Joseph.  The captain of the guard now had a clear field to focus upon his duties, and complete confidence in the enslaved man--Joseph became an integral part of his success.  He gave Joseph authority over everything in his household, and went about his business of protecting and advising the ruler of Egypt.

Joseph had dominion.

This dominion settled upon him easily.  He had adapted and adjusted to his new situation, and purposed to make the best of it.  This determined attitude and diligent mindset soon caused Joseph to rise to a position as Potiphar's attendant.  He must have proven a trustworthy and personable assistant, for he "found favor in his eyes." (Genesis 39:4)  Nothing in his background had prepared him to do well in this environment; it was God's favor and his own personality and value system that caused Joseph to navigate these unfamiliar circumstances successfully.  Joseph was not afraid to take on these responsibilities and master them.  The customs and worship of the new culture did not cause him undue stress, either.  He never stopped following his faith, and he did his job so well, became so valuable to his enslavers, that no one even questioned it.  No one tried to impose the predominating culture upon him.

Joseph walked into his dominion fearlessly; he took it on with facility, and he manifested it with extraordinary results.  He was well-liked and respected by his master and his master's household.  

The young man Joseph handled his dominion so well that God even blessed the one who held him in chattel slavery.  Potiphar was astute enough to see God's favor on his young servant and not try to bust it up, or cause it to conform with his personal values.  He certainly showed respect for the Most High God--possibly even reverence that was rewarded :  

"The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in  the house and in the field." (Genesis 39:5)  The scripture says that it was because of  Joseph. (39:5)

DOMINION IS CONTAGIOUS.  It shines light on everything. Even an unbeliever can be blessed by the obedience and humility of one who loves the LORD.

On a superficial level, Joseph was in control.  However, being in God's favor and exercising His dominion stirs up The Enemy.  In Joseph's case,  he was "well built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice and said, '"Come to bed with me!"' (Genesis 39:7) The lustful, selfish nature of the boss' wife came against young Joseph's authority.  It was beyond his control.  

Still, with echoes of the same immaturity that got him sold off in the first place, he stated, 

"No one is greater in this house than I am."  (Genesis 39:9) 

Joseph lacked the wisdom to pacify Potiphar's wife before he refused her.  He let her know that everything was sooo great because of him.  His response to her advances was insensitive, and therefore unwise.  Possibly, if he had let her down more gently, she would not have gone to such great lengths to set him up:  

"He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed."   

(Genesis 39:14)

The servants most certainly were aware that the lady of the house had been hitting on "that Hebrew," (Genesis 39:14) as she now referred to him, but his lack of humility may have been just the thing that kept them from coming to his defense.

No one spoke up for him when Potiphar got home and found his wife snuggled up with Joseph's cloak, telling a lurid story about how "that Hebrew slave you brought us" (Genesis 39:17) treated her.  Apparently, Joseph did not try to defend himself to Potiphar either--possibly to keep from being executed, rather than merely imprisoned. He prudently refrained from pointing out the things he had told the man's wife.  Potiphar, angry and embarrassed, did not stop to ask himself any questions--about his wife or her motives, or why a slave who had never given him a moment's trouble suddenly began coming on to her.  Perhaps he knew his wife better than he was letting on, and so did not put Joseph to death.  To save face, and to hush his wife, he put the young man in prison.

As a practical matter, dominion without wisdom does not last.  If we lack subtlety, tact, and discretion, our dominion can vanish like smoke.  Like Joseph, we can find ourselves, literally or spiritually imprisoned by circumstances beyond our control.  Immaturity is lethal to dominion.  

We may obtain mastery over circumstances, but if we have not gained mastery over ourselves, our connection with God and His plan for our lives is tenuous, and easily broken.  The Holy Spirit is always there with us; the question is, are we available to hear and submit and be obedient to His direction?

We all want to achieve mastery over our lives.  No matter how ambitious or laid back we may be, the call to have dominion over our sphere of influence is pretty much inescapable.  Sometimes, it is hard to recognize where we hold or could be holding dominion.  When we finally get to that place, if we are not ruling ourselves, there is no way we can maintain mastery over the outer planes of our existence.  Temporal dominion cannot be maintained without spiritual dominion--over ourselves, over our relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit, and over our communication with them.  Joseph did not have the gift of communication with Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit of God.  You do!

Knowing this, there is no excuse for not discerning God's plan for your life on Earth.  The things that block, hinder, and stop you are the things that serve to prepare you for your ultimate victory; your dominion--but only if you learn from them.  Only if you overcome them.  As we will see, Joseph even had dominion in jail, because "the LORD was with him." (Genesis 39:21)

Dominion transcends outward circumstances.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.

DOMINION AND DESTINY

DOMINION IS DESTINY!

Jacob, now Israel had a favored son.  The story of Joseph is one of the most well-known Bible stories, and it is instructive.  Dominion was a long time coming for Joseph.

Israel received his dominion at Bethel in Canaan:

"God said to him, '"Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel."  (Genesis 35:10)

"And God said to him, I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number.  A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.  The land  I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."  

(Genesis 35:11-12)

None of us has been so fortunate as to have God Himself sit down with us and explain that He is giving us our dominion with such specificity.  Israel memorialized the time and the place accordingly, and after three thousand years, this place can still be visited. Part of establishing dominion is memorializing it for future generations.  Whether it is an heirloom, a road named after a hard-working ancestor (there is a lot of that here in North Carolina), or a given name that appears in each generation--I am the current William-holder in my fam--it is important to bring the efforts of past lives into the present for the future.

Corbett Athletic Facility, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.

Just because you get dominion, doesn't mean things get easier.  The next thing that happened to Jacob after he got his new name and the promise of dominion was that his beloved Rebekah died in childbirth.  Then his eldest, unloved Leah's child and Israel's firstborn Reuben, "went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it." (Genesis 35:22)  In the Bible days. a son slept with his father's concubines to establish dominion.  David's son Absalom did it with ten wives on a rooftop, in front of the entire city of Jerusalem.  He thought he was going to be king.  

Reuben did it as a sign of disrespect for his father, and to tell the world that one day he was going to be the leader of the tribe.  Dominion can be stolen, but not usurped.  Apparently Reuben disregarded what God told his father, and decided that he could just work around the Sovereign Plan.  Israel didn't mention it until much later.

Meanwhile, Esau also had twelve sons.  It says in Genesis 36 that Basemath was the "daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nabaioth."

  

The Mystery of Esau's Wives

This blog goes a long way in helping to sort this out!

The rivalry between Israel and Esau was NEVER concluded.  It rages on, after a fashion, to this very day.

Seventeen years later, Joseph began to learn the same hard lesson.  Achieving dominion is never easy. He was his father's favorite.  His brothers knew it.  So it did not help when he snitched on them at the beginning of Genesis 37.  Then, "Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more."  (Genesis 37:5)

Joseph's dream was one of dominion.  God told him that he would rule over his brothers.  Joseph never thought that maybe he should not tell them that.  When your dominion arrives, not everyone will be happy for you.  It is best to be prudent.  Better yet, just proceed to live it out, and don't say anything about it to anyone!  

"Here comes that dreamer!" They said to each other.  Come now, let's kill him...then we'll see what comes of his dreams."  (Genesis 37:20)

Reuben wanted to save him; Judah wanted to sell him.  "after all, he is our brother," said he. (Genesis 35:27)  So they waited for a caravan, pulled the young man out of the cistern where they'd imprisoned him and sold him for twenty silver shekels. Stripped him of his beautiful robe--the signifier his father's favor.  Reuben was not there to prevent it, and though he had impugned his father most grievously, he went and broke the news. Joseph was gone from them.  They  took the robe they were so jealous of and dipped it in goat's blood.  They likely ate the goat they'd slaughtered to supply the fake evidence, and then went and told Israel the story they'd manufactured.   It was a lie, but Reuben's distress was genuine.  

One can only guess at how Joseph felt:  first in the dark cistern, a dry well that flooded and stayed full after a rare desert rain--often for years; then callously sold by his brothers, and finally, carted off to an unknown land.  He was sold yet again, and wound up in Egypt.

As a practical matter, you could be anywhere along this dominion continuum.  You could be basking in the glow of learning that God has big plans for you.  You could be impetuously, imprudently bragging to your haters about those plans.  Or, you could be carried away on a swift tide of unforeseen events, traumatizing happenstance designed to prepare you for your destiny.  Dominion could appear far away on a dim horizon.  You could spend years trapped in oppressive circumstances.  Someone could take advantage of your brains, your looks, or your assets--and you might be helpless to stop them.

Just don't give up on dominion.  Stick to your values and your principles, as Joseph did.  Don't give up on helping people when opportunity presents itself.  Like Joseph, if you persevere, your dominion will come.

Your dominion can overtake you at any point in your life.  Joseph was a young man with a bright future.  Circumstances led him to his dominion and his destiny.  He was prepared by adversity to meet them when they arrived.

We will talk more about Joseph's road to dominion.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.

WHAT IS DOMINION?

Dominion is "supreme authority."  It is "the power to rule," according to Webster's Dictionary.  Webster's also provides us with the definition of 'dominion' as an order of angels in the Celestial Hierarchy.  They are fourth from the top, below thrones, cherubim and seraphim.  

Dominion is a state of holiness.

God blessed man with supreme authority and the power to rule in Genesis 1:28  He created us "in his own image" (Genesis 1:27), and God is the Supreme Authority on earth and in heaven.  Our authority mirrors His authority.  

If we recognize our dominion to the smallest degree, then we are able to become powerful agents for the work of the LORD.  

The dominion that God provides for us is pure in its intent and function.

As with anything God provides for us, free will is integral to that function.  Consider Esau and Jacob.

Esau was ruled by the flesh.  He was short-sighted and impetuous as well.  He is described in Genesis 25:27 as "a skillful hunter, a man of the open country."  He was also his father's favorite (25:28), a position he took for granted.

When we think of the traits of the hunter, we recognize him as stealthy; a solitary sort who wanders without considered direction in search of prey.  A hunter must be hard. He is a predator. Instinctive and cunning, he must hunt and kill without pity or remorse.  He is responsible to skin and butcher that which he has hunted, more often than not.  He cannot be squeamish. A hunter is not sensitive, though he may have high regard for the animals he kills for food.  

Clearly, Esau was not given to planning.  He had no contingency for the times his effort produced no results. Nothing salted and put away for later, it seems. Consequently, he was at Jacob's mercy one day when his skill at hunting did not serve him.

 "I am about to die," he exaggerated to his crafty brother in Genesis 25:32.  "What good is the birthright to me?"

And so he cast his God-given dominion away for a bowl of stew: "He ate and drank, and then got up and left."

"So Esau despised his birthright."  (Genesis 25:34)

"Offense: It's Not Worth It!"  Pastor Shyami Maridjan, Crusaders Church, The Netherlands

Because his belly was growling, Esau cast away dominion.  

Esau was rash and reckless to a fault. He married two Hittite girls, who "were a grief of mind" (Genesis 26:35, KJV) to Isaac and Rebekah, his parents.  Likely they were the only women who could contend with such a roughneck as Esau. He took no thought to the Hebraic custom forbidding intermarriage with other tribes, nor did he care that his parents were vexed by their daughters-in-law.  The Hittite 'sons of Heth' were a ferocious people whose ethnic label corresponded to "Sons of Terror;" literally, their name meant "to beat down."  Ancient tablets depict them trampling helpless opponents with their chariots.  Elon, Basemath's father, was a strong chieftain.  Beeri, his other wife's father was likely a rich man--his name means 'deep well.' 

http://worldlightreview.com/scripture-commentaries/bible/old-testament/

By the time their father was enfeebled and foggy-eyed enough to be deceived by the goat hair strapped to Jacob's neck and wrists, it was too late for Esau to make things right.  Long before, Esau had shown God how little his dominion as firstborn son meant to him. Circumstances will work against you when you choose not to appreciate the blessings of God.  Esau's eavesdropping mom pounced on the opportunity to steal his blessing and give it to her favorite.  Without compunction she schemed for Jacob to get it, and God permitted her to succeed with the deception because Esau had already shown contempt for His provision!

Isaac was not fooled.  Not completely.  He asked point blank in Genesis 27:24 "Are you really my son Esau?"  

"I am," Jacob lied, and Esau's dominion passed to him:

"Be lord over your brothers and may the sons of your mother bow down to you." (Genesis 27:29)

God has got His way.  He will DO stuff in a manner that is undeniable. "Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence" (27:30) when Esau appeared from the hunt.  In complete ignorance, he prepared the game for his father, fully expecting to receive his blessing.  It simply never occurred to him that relinquishing his birthright might have lifelong (not to say, historic, generational) consequences.

"Eat this, Pop, so I can get my blessing," (27:31) was Esau's attitude.

A shaken Isaac broke the bad news:  "I blessed him...indeed he will be blessed!" (27:33)

Esau was without introspection.  He "gave a loud and bitter cry," begged for a blessing, and squalled, "He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!"(Genesis 27:36)

So Esau hollered and cried as his father explained that not only had Jacob "supplanted him," as it says in the King James version of events, but Esau would be subject as a servant to Jacob, "and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion (my emphasis), that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." (Genesis 27:40, KJV)

Fourteen years passed before the brothers met again.  Jacob was terrified, and took steps to ensure the safety of his family group. Sending them on ahead, he tarried alone by the Jabbok stream. Jacob wrestled with God's angel all night prior to meeting up with Esau again, and came away with a limp.  Unlike Esau, who cried and begged for any kind of leftovers, Jacob demanded a blessing from the angelic man, who had to dislocate his hip to get him to quit fighting!  

His refusal to accept less than a blessing is an example for all Believers to follow.

Jacob, now Israel, knew how to take dominion over a situation.

Esau seems to have left all animosity in the past when finally reunited with his twin brother.  Jacob still did not trust him, though Esau embraced him and kissed him with joy.  The brothers wept. "Who are these with you?" asked Esau. (Genesis 33:5)
Israel introduced them and they all bowed down to Esau, who was mystified by the obeisance and the gifts.  He had grown wealthy. Possibly he thought he had received the birthright after all. Jacob had run off to Laban's house, leaving Esau with their father's wealth. Perhaps this is the dominion to which his father referred.    Subsequently, Esau became father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.  But, consequences tend to persist when their originating causes are not rooted out.

Esau's life typifies the principles of dominion.  Even though he achieved a surface reconciliation with his brother Jacob, his descendants never stopped opposing the Israelites.  They refused to let them pass through their land during the Exodus from Egypt; from that point on, any opportunity to oppress or impede their Israelite kinsmen was taken up.  Generations after the life and death of the twin brothers, God meted out His retribution against the peoples of Edom.  We can surmise that Esau's reconciliation with his brother never touched his inmost being, never took root in his soul. This lack of repentance was borne out in future generations.

The lesson we learn from Esau's callousness and lack of consideration is that it stripped his dominion from him during his lifetime, and caused generational ripples which led to the annihilation of his descendants.  There is no reason to think that our lack of repentance and humility will not cause the same kind of problems for our descendants.

NEXT:  Dominion and Destiny.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.

YOUR DOORWAY TO DOMINION

CEDAR CREEK GALLERY, CREEDMOOR, NORTH CAROLINA, USA.

YOU HAVE DOMINION!

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

GENESIS 1:26, KJV

One of the very first things God did for us was to settle dominion upon humankind.  He created everything except vegetation "because there was no man to work the ground," (Genesis 2:5).  God made the Garden of  Eden, and he put Adam and Eve in charge of everything in it.  Except that one tree.  Its fruit is still poisoning the minds of men and women today. Satan used the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to keep us from having the relationship with God that he and his minions repudiated.  His duplicity caused us all this trouble.

Still, you must understand: You were born to rule.  Not in the literal sense of  overseeing a monarchy, but in the spiritual sense of walking with God in obedience and humility, you were destined to hold sway over the circumstances of life--before the world began.

Very few people have achieved the dominion God planned for his creation.  Enoch.  Melchizedek.  Job.  Other than them, everyone has pretty much fallen short.  God gave Himself a do-over by the seventh chapter of Genesis. He sent a flood to wipe everything out except Noah and them.  We did not learn.

 A thousand and more years after that, He sent His Son.  

Jesus came "that we might have life, and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

Before Christ made that declaration, he warned us.  "The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy."  So you know then, that if you want dominion, you have got to fight for it.  Even though Jesus finished his work on the cross, providing the gift of salvation for any who want it, and all who believe in his life, crucifixion, death and resurrection, you still have to fight!

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  (Romans 6:23)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezebel

It's not just our own sin that puts us in a precarious position.  Generational consequences could be holding you back today.  Your slave-owning forebear, or his God-cursing slave could be the reason nothing is going right for you now. 


Your witchy Jezebel of an ancestor and her enabling Ahab of a husband could be influencing you with evil that was set in motion in a previous millennium.  Sound scriptural teaching tells us that Jezebel and Ahab spirits are not specifically female and male; if your blaspheming, conniving forebear was a man, the Jezebel spirit would reside with him.  Should his wife aid and abet his wickedness, the Ahab spirit would rest with her.    


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahab

You have no way of knowing if someone in your lineage set this curse in motion, but God knows.

This begs the question: What is it going to be for the generations of out-of wedlock children we are producing?  And the ones we choose not to bring to term at all?  How is that going to play out four generations from now?  Ten generations into a blasted, godless future, what will your bloodline be confronting?  If you are squandering your substance in drugs and debauchery today, will your great-great-great-great grandchild know that it is you who are the catalyst for his or her suffering?  

More than likely, that child will not even know your name.

Move From The Wayside! Pastor Romero Maridjan, Crusaders Church of Filadelfia, The Netherlands

This blog is about breaking that cycle.  There is an unborn generation desperately needing for YOU to pull it back in the road NOW.  

TODAY.

God promised us that He would look out for us.  He owns everything, knows everything, orders everything, creates everything, destroys everything, handles everything.  No matter that it looks like evil is winning.  

You can win.

Nevermind what blasphemies are playing at the movies.  You can win.  No matter the filthy utterances contrived as music--blasting from cars and yards and the earbuds of the youngsters.  You can win.  It doesn't matter what the politicians are doing.  It doesn't matter what the economy is doing.  It doesn't matter what's happening in the streets.  It doesn't matter what is happening in the church.  It doesn't matter what is not happening in any of these places.

You can have the victory.

As a joint heir to the Kingdom of God, you have dominion.  Over every besetting weight the world system can pile on, you have dominion.

However, you have to take it.  Take it.  The gift of salvation is free, and the burden of Christ Jesus is light, but you still must fight the good fight.  Just like Paul, who did everything wrong as Saul, but changed his ways and took dominion over the conversion of the Gentiles as the Apostle Paul,            you     have got      to      fight. 

Shipwrecked, flogged, stoned, slandered, hounded, conspired against, ill, imprisoned, victorious.  Paul had dominion.

Dominion is a mindset.  It conquers all outward appearance.

Today, make a commitment to begin your season of dominion.  Take back your power from the world's definition of dominance, and do it God's way.  

Don't ignore that stirring deep within you another moment.  

The door to your dominion is open.  Don't stand outside God's will another second.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.  There is more to come.  

Now is the time to break generational strongholds, strike the coils of the python, cast down the works of iniquity--and step into the Dominion that Almighty God has prepared for you.