Katrina is hard on Big Easy (Part 6)

Cush the prophet

God sent Katrina to illustrate the spiritual solution for black America. In order to understand the Lord's specific solution, we must first understand what the Lord says about black people in Scripture. The black people who populated most of Africa are descendants of Cush, the first son of Ham (son of Noah):

"And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan" (Genesis 10:6)

The name "Cush" literally means "black" in Hebrew, and it is the Hebrew name for "Ethiopia". As shown in the verse above, Cush was a brother to Canaan, which reveals the strong influence of the Canaanite spirit on Cush and his descendants. This influence has been heightened by Cush's spiritual traits.

The first time that the Hebrew word for "Cush" appears in Scripture is in the following passage, where the Lord lists the 4 rivers that flowed from the garden of Eden:

"And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia" (Genesis 2:13)

[The word "Ethiopia" was translated from the Hebrew word for "Cush"]

As we have said before, flowing waters are strongly related in Scripture to the prophetic flow of emotions. The name "Gihon" means "bursting forth". Therefore, this river points to the powerful overflow of prophetic emotions. The fact that this river encompassed the whole land of Cush means that God has endowed black people with an ability to burst their prophetic emotions forth in a powerful way. Black people are inherently prophetic in their nature. As we have said before, the ministry most directly related with music is the prophetic ministry. Therefore, it is not surprising that black people have been so wonderfully creative and productive music-wise. Black music is not only creative but emotionally powerful, because it is endowed with a "Gihon" ("bursting forth") anointing.

This connection between black people and the prophetic anointing is reinforced in other passages, such as the following:

"The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold" (Job 28:19)

[Again, the word "Ethiopia" was translated from the Hebrew word for "Cush"]

The word "topaz" above was translated from the Hebrew word pitdah, which can be translated as "topaz" or "chrysolite". "Topaz" is the name given to a variety of yellow gems, and "chrysolite" is a mineral that usually comes in the form of green crystals; this is the reason why chrysolite is also known as "olivine". As you know, the colors yellow and green are quite similar, and they generally go very well together. Therefore, the minerals "topaz" and "chrysolite" both point to the color green, which in turn points to the prophetic ministry. As we have said before, oil, especially olive oil, is related in Scripture to the prophetic anointing. This is why it is not surprising that "chrysolite" is also known as "olivine". Therefore, Job 28:19 reinforces the fact that the "Cushites" (i.e.- black people) have been given a powerful prophetic anointing. As we have also said before, the color black is spiritually related to the prophetic anointing because of its spiritual connection to the "darkness of anonymity". This again reinforces God's prophetic impartation on black people.

Myrrh is a bitter gum and costly perfume that was extracted from trees or shrubs that grew in Arabia and Ethiopia. Myrrh was used to embalm dead bodies, and it was used to embalm the body of Christ after His death:

"And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight." (John 19:39)

Myrrh, therefore, refers to "sacrificial death", which again points to the prophetic anointing, since prophets are called to sacrifice themselves, i.e.- to shed themselves, for the sake of others. Therefore, it is not surprising that myrrh was extracted from trees or shrubs in prophetic Ethiopia. The fact that it was also extracted from trees or shrubs in Arabia points to the prophetic anointing on the Arab people, which we have studied before. This explains the natural affinity between Arabs and people from black Africa, and it explains why many blacks are attracted to the Muslim religion. Africa is a continent populated by Arabs (in the north) and blacks (in the middle and south).

The connection between Cush and the prophetic anointing also appears in Isaiah 18:1, when the Lord refers to Cush as the "land buzzing with wings":

"Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia" (Isaiah 18:1)

[The word "shadowing" was translated from the Hebrew word tselatsal, which literally means "whirring, buzzing"]

As we have said before, "flying" is spiritually related to the prophetic anointing, because it allows us to be liberated from earthbound limitations. Therefore, the reference to Cush as a "land buzzing with wings" emphasizes the great abundance of prophetic impartation that God has given to "Cushites".

The Greek word for "Ethiopia" (which appears in Acts 8:27) is aithiops; this word is derived from aitho, which means "to scorch", and ops, which means "face"; ops is derived from the word optonomai, which means "to see" (the English word "optics" comes from optonomai). Therefore, the Greek word for "Ethiopia" literally means, "scorched visible face". As we have said before, the "sun", when used in a negative sense, is spiritually related to "Girgashite oppression", and, as we have also said before, Girgashites focus their lives on the visible. Therefore, the fact that "Ethiopia" means "scorched visible face" in Greek means that black people have been called to bear the brunt of Girgashite oppression, suffering the reproach of those who judge based solely on the visible, and who are unwilling to accept the freedom of their prophetic anointing. Through the pain of having their visible faces scorched by the Girgashite sun, they pay a redemptive price that helps to liberate the prophetic anointing in others (if they endure that pain in righteousness).

Cush the evangelist

Besides the prophetic anointing, black people have also been endowed with another powerful impartation:

"¹Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: ²That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!" (Isaiah 18:1-2)

Unfortunately, verse 2 above was poorly translated by the King James translators. If you look in more accurate translations and in the original Hebrew text, you will see that verse 2 should be translated as follows (the highlighted words are the retranslated words):

"That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation tall and shiny, to a people feared throughout ; a nation mighty and downtreading, whose land the rivers have cleaved!" (Isaiah 18:2)

[The word translated as "shiny" above comes from the Hebrew word mowrat, which literally means "polished" or "smooth". In other words, it refers to something or someone who looks "shiny" as a result of "polishing".]

It is amazing how the true translation differs from what the King James translators wrote! Notice that Ethiopians (i.e.- "Cushites") are described by God as "tall" and "shiny"; they are also described as "feared throughout" and "mighty". As we have said before, "tallness" and "strength" are spiritually related to the evangelistic ministry, and the ability to instill fear across a territory is a manifestation of a "kingly endowment", which is also related to the evangelistic ministry. Therefore, it is safe to say that black people have been endowed with a strong evangelistic impartation from the Lord.

As we have said before, evangelists are given a strong impartation of "natural grace" in order to draw people's attention and to conquer those people unto God. This explains why black people have generally been endowed with physical tallness and outstanding athletic ability and strength. As most of you may know, the three most important professional leagues in America are either dominated or greatly influenced by black athletes; the NFL, for example, is 70% black. The greatest baseball players in history are mostly black. The best golf player in the world, Tiger Woods, is of black descent (on his father's side). A few years ago, the two most dominant female players in tennis were a pair of black sisters. This domination of sports goes beyond America's frontiers. The greatest soccer player in history, Pelé, is a black Brazilian. The French national soccer team became a dominant force only after it began including black players such as Tigana and Thierry Henri. Almost all of the great soccer players that Brazil has exported to Europe are black (or half-black), players such as Romario, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Cafú. Almost all of the great Latin American baseball players that have played or are playing in the major leagues are actually black, players such as Roberto Clemente, Vladimir Guerrero, and Sammy Sosa.

The fact that God refers to Cushites as "shiny", "polished", or "smooth" in Isaiah 18:2 above also points to a spiritual trait that God has placed in black people. Things that are "shiny" or "well-polished" inevitably draw people's attention, which correlates with the Cushites' evangelistic calling. This "shiny" or "smooth" quality explains why black cultures are prone to wearing very colorful clothing and "multiple jewelry". It also explains why it is very important among black cultures to look and talk in a "hip", "spiffy", and "cool" way.

Notice that Isaiah 18:2 speaks of the "rivers of Ethiopia" that have "cleaved" its land. This again points to black people's endowment to flow in the prophetic anointing. The word "land" towards the end of verse 2 was translated from the Hebrew word erets, which is also translated as "earth" throughout the Old Testament. Therefore, the reference to the rivers of Ethiopia "cleaving" or "cutting through" the land is a prophetic figure of how black people have been endowed with the spiritual ability to completely shatter structures of Girgashite earthliness and traditions through their God-given prophetic anointing. As we have said before, prophets and Girgashites are spiritual "arch-enemies", and God has endowed "Cushites" with the ability to violently "burst through" the rigid methodologies of Girgashites through their "Gihon" anointing (Genesis 2:13). No wonder God used a black man, William Seymour, as the leader of the Azusa Street revival of 1906 that caused a Pentecostal manifestation of the Holy Spirit that eventually spread around the nations of the Earth.

From all of the above, we can see that black people have a strong impartation of the two "grace ministries": the prophetic ministry that imparts spiritual grace before God, and the evangelistic ministry that imparts natural grace before men.

Nimrod

As we have said before, evangelists are spiritual conquerors. Therefore, it becomes evident from all of the above that black people have a strong conquering nature about them. This is why the Lord says the following about Cush's descendants:

"⁷And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. ⁸And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. ⁹He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. ¹⁰And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ¹¹Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, ¹²And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. ¹³And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, ¹⁴And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim." (Genesis 10:7-14)

Notice how Nimrod is portrayed as a mighty conqueror and a "mighty hunter" (v8-9). Hunting is spiritually related to the evangelistic ministry because it involves "seizing" or "conquering" a weaker opponent. In a sense, evangelists are hunters that capture souls unto God. This is why God correlates evangelism with "fishing" (Luke 5:9-10), which is the act of "hunting fish".

I have heard many preachers who speak about Nimrod in a very negative way. This is because the "traditional doctrine" of the Church portrays him as a figure of the anti-Christ. However, these Girgashite parrots (who do nothing but repeat human traditions and literal interpretations of Scripture) have failed to notice one very "interesting" detail in verse 9, which says that Nimrod was a "mighty hunter before the Lord". The word "before" was translated from the Hebrew word paniym, which literally means "face". In other words, Nimrod was a "mighty hunter before the Lord's Face". As we have said before, the Glory of the Lord's Face causes death to any unrighteousness that stands before Him, meaning that Nimrod could only stand as a "mighty hunter" before God's Face if he was operating in God's righteousness. Nimrod is a prophetic figure of what God will do through a restored black America. As black America is processed through judgments and restored unto God's righteousness, it will stand as a "mighty hunter before the Lord". This is the reason why Nimrod is mentioned separately from the rest of Cush's descendants in verse 8 above. God will break the curse of unrighteousness that has been passed from generation to generation in black America, and He will raise up a black America that will abide in Noah-style judgments and righteousness. Why? Because it will be birthed through Noah-style regeneration. This applies not only to the black people in America but to black people around the world.

The name Nimrod literally means "rebellious" or "valiant", which again points to the prophetic anointing. As we have said before, prophets are designed by God to be defiant of human authority. Unlike Girgashites, who become cowardly fearful of death, prophets are unafraid to rebel against Amorite kings, even at the price of their own death. Through the shedding of their "blood", prophetic people lead to the destruction of human structures through their righteous rebellion against long-held traditions.

As we have said before, people with a strong impartation of the prophetic and evangelistic anointings, but who are also submissive to God's apostolic judgments, turn into spiritual "wild asses" that are rebellious against the glory and recognition of human titles, submitting only to the Anointing of God. These wild asses lead to the manifestation on Earth of Yeshua the Messiah and King (Matthew 21:1-11). Therefore, the fact that Nimrod was an evangelist-prophet speaks of what God will do through black people in these latter days.

The general problem

Given that black people have been given so much grace, why has black America (and black people around the world) been enslaved in so much misery and despair throughout the centuries? The answer can be boiled down to one phrase: the rejection of "right-handedness". As a people, the "Cushites" have allowed all their God-given grace to alienate their souls from the "right-handed" ministries of apostle and teacher. Why? Because these ministries set limitations, and Cushites are generally unable (or unwilling) to distinguish between the limitations of man and the limitations of God. The Lord has placed black people on Earth as a powerful force designed to shatter the Girgashite limitations of man, but not as a force to defy the limits of His judgments and laws. Cushites are so loaded with grace that they often feel that that grace is enough to get them "through the day". God's apostolic judgments and His teacher methods seem "unnecessary" to the natural mind when one is blessed with so much grace. However, God's laws cannot be denied. Without a foundation of judgments, all grace becomes ephemeral and purposeless, no matter how much grace it may be.

The Hittite problem

As we have said before, prophets turn into Hittites when they stray from God's righteousness. Therefore, since Cushites (as a people) have rejected God's "right-handedness", they have turned into Hittites who release spiritual power with no eternal purpose. Hittite spirits are spirits of deceit, meaning that black people become susceptible to believing "falsehoods" because of the strong emotional impact that those falsehoods may produce. Cushites also become susceptible to "false rumors and innuendos". As we have said before, God's prophets are the Lord's "secret service", and they are called to spread "spiritual rumors in the dark" that wreak havoc against man's structures in the spirit realm. However, when prophets turn into Hittites, they become "sources" and "spreaders" of false rumors. This is the spiritual reason why so many false and exaggerated rumors were spread in New Orleans after the Katrina disaster.

"⁵So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. ⁶And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. ⁷Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. ⁸So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. ⁹And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying," (Isaiah 37:5-9)

[Notice how Tirhakah (v9), king of Ethiopia (i.e.- Cush), is mentioned in the context of spiritual rumors. In verses 6-7, the prophet Isaiah releases a spiritual rumor into the atmosphere that will counter the Hittite fear that the king of Assyria was trying to instill within God's people through rumor-words of psychological warfare (v6). Notice how the king of Assyria then warred against Libnah because he heard the rumor that "he was departed from Lachish" (v8). Notice also that he heard the rumor that Tirhakah, king of Cush was coming to war against him (v9).]

This Hittite susceptibility to "false rumors and innuendos" has also led to black America's "discrimination paranoia". In the early 1980s, a famous sports commentator, Howard Cosell, was doing a Monday Night Football game broadcast on TV. After a wide receiver made a great play, Howard Cosell said in a jubilant voice, "That little monkey". Unfortunately for him, the wide receiver happened to be black, and he was harshly criticized by many, including black "leaders", who denounced the comment as "racist". Howard Cosell argued that he was using a common expression used by the Irish to refer to someone in an affectionate way. Few people defended him, and it took some time for the problem to "fade away". Some years later, I was watching a cartoon from the 1960s, and I was surprised to hear one of the characters joyfully referring to his son as "That little monkey" after his son had made him proud. I then realized that Howard Cosell had indeed told the truth. This, therefore, was a clear example of the "discrimination paranoia" that black America suffers from as a result of its Hittite influence. Prophets are designed to "see the invisible", but, when they stray from God's judgments (and turn Hittite), they begin to "see" things that are not there, even in the spirit realm. It is problematic to "peer into the invisible" when you are not tempered by God's judgments. Prophets who reject God's judgments, therefore, turn into false prophets who are swayed by deceitful emotions, because they are not after the impartial truth. "Discrimination paranoia" is strong within the black culture in America because it serves as a shield to hide from the painful truth of self-accountability.

This "discrimination paranoia" was also evident after Katrina. Many black writers in America, who look and sound like well-educated and intelligent people, were quick to label George W. Bush a "racist" because of the slow reaction to Katrina. These same writers completely ignored all the ineptness and callous indifference shown by the mayor of New Orleans (cursed is this arrogant fool), simply because he is black. When confronted for more evidence, these writers are quick to say, "New Orleans is mostly black; federal aid was slow; ergo, George W. Bush hates blacks". The interesting thing is that these people are sincerely convinced that they are making a valid and evident argument. How long will you go on deceiving yourselves, you Hittite fools, for God is hearing your stupid words, and He is coming against each one of you, for we are all accountable for every idle word that comes out of our mouths:

"³⁶But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. ³⁷For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37)

[The word "idle" was translated from the Greek word argos, which is a combination of the prefix a meaning "without" and the word ergos meaning "work, labor". In other words, argos literally means "without work, without labor". Finding the truth requires work. Searching through the facts and seeking the discernment of the Spirit requires effort and travail. When we reach simplistic conclusions without making the effort of weighing all the facts and separating fact from fiction, we draw the wrath of God. Not all truths are "self-evident", and those who immediately believe something because it makes them "feel good" are bound to say many stupidities that they at some point will have to pay for, often dearly.

Through Katrina, God has come against the spirit of "ease" (or "deliberate idleness"), which is quick to promote the uttering of idle words. No wonder so many stupid things were uttered in the aftermath of Katrina, not only by many black writers and "leaders" but by most pastors in the Church. Through Katrina, God has evidenced the idleness (or "ease") of their clueless words. They have been pronouncing these idle words for centuries, way before Katrina!]

Prophets are called to shed their life in sacrifice. Therefore, when prophets distort into Hittites, they are quick to shed their lives for false causes. This explains why black Americans are prone to dying so young, many of them for wrong "causes" such as drugs and gangs. Prophets are endowed with a "spiritual bravado", and that "bravado" is intensified when it is combined with the evangelistic "conqueror" anointing. However, when they stray from God's righteousness, they are prone to impulsive actions where they sacrifice their lives (figuratively and literally) for stupid and meaningless reasons of no eternal weight. This is why so many youths are dying for pointless reasons inside black ghettos throughout America.

As we have said before, prophets and Hittites are "spiritual snipers". Therefore, it is not "coincidental" that there were (confirmed) reports of snipers in New Orleans shooting at rescuers shortly after the Katrina disaster. Wherever Hittites are allowed to fire snipe shots, an atmosphere of uncertainty and despair ensues. Therefore, the New Orleans "sniping" after Katrina is a prophetic figure of the Hittite atmosphere of purposelessness and despair in America's ghettos, where prophetic callings (as well as literal lives) are dying every day.

The Amorite problem

As we have said before, evangelists who stray from God's will turn into Amorites. Therefore, since Cushites are also evangelists, they are very susceptible to Amorite tendencies. This Amorite influence can be seen in the black culture's tacit acceptance of braggadocio. For example, after making a great play, many black NFL and NBA players are quick to make effusive displays of celebration. This is not inherently wrong, and it is generally a manifestation of the Cushites' prophetic and evangelistic nature. However, on a great number of occasions, these displays are unhealthily geared towards drawing attention towards self. More than a healthy display of joy, these displays are explicit ways of saying, "Look at how great I am; look at how I humiliated my opponent; look at how I overwhelmed him with my undeniable superiority; look at how I made him look like a fool when he challenged my grandeur". This is an obvious manifestation of Amorite pride and self-exaltation. Scripture clearly shows that It is not wrong to rejoice over the destruction of unrepentant unrighteousness and Amorite pride that defies God (Revelation 19:1-4, Malachi 4:3, Isaiah 63:3-6). It is wrong, however, to rejoice because you feel that you are "inherently superior" to others.

This spirit of Amorite pride can also be seen in much of "rap" music, whose lyrics focus mostly on the singer's own "success". If you listen to the lyrics, you will notice that a large number of songs are about the singer achieving "this", and the singer achieving "that", and the singer achieving the "other". This narration of the singer's "achievements" is not geared towards inspiring others to excel, but rather to emphasize the singer's "greatness". Most rap videos feature the "rap star" surrounded by scantily clad women who are "drooling" all over him. As we have said before, Amorites are like roosters who like to have a "harem of adoring hens" around them. Amorites love to humiliate others in order to stand out themselves. This is one of the spiritual reasons why they like to have the women scantily clad around them. To "undress" a person is to humiliate him or her. An "undressed" person exposes his or her "human weakness". Therefore, when the well-dressed and "jewelry-flooded" rap "star" stands in the middle of the scantily-clad and weaker women, he is declaring his superiority over the weakness of others. He is declaring that he can control others and use them, because he is too strong to be resisted.

Rap music also emphasizes the importance of having expensive jewelry and cars. As we said above, "Cushites" were created to be "shiny" people. Because of their evangelistic calling, black people are designed by God to draw attention to themselves. However, just like the "burning bush" that drew Moses' attention in the desert (Exodus 3-4), evangelists are designed to temporarily draw the attention of souls in order to immediately redirect that attention towards God. After being mentioned 5 times in 3 of the first 4 verses of Exodus 3 (Exodus 3:2-4), the word "bush" is not mentioned again in the rest of the book of Exodus. This is how we are to act as conquering evangelists. We are to draw souls unto ourselves, but, once we have their attention, we are to allow God to shine through us as we disappear from those souls' consciousness. 

From all of the above, it becomes evident that rap music, which is one of the strongest influences in American black culture, is infested with Amorite pride. Rap music, as it stands now, is a massive begetter of proud Amorites in ghettos across America and the world.

As we have said before, Amorites are opportunistic fornicators. There is a spiritual difference between "fornication" and "adultery". A "fornicator" takes advantage of another person's weakness in order to derive personal benefits from that person. Once the person is no longer "useful", he or she is thrown out the window as so much "garbage". A fornicator is not interested in the person; a fornicator is only interested in what he (or she) can get out of the person. On the other hand, an "adulterer" tries to possess the other person, even when she (or he) does not have a legal right to possess that person. The adulterer is interested in having the person's illegal "affection" and "loyalty". While fornicators dump people after using them, adulterers suck people up and never let them go (1 Kings 13:11-31). To fall into the arms of an adulterer is like falling into a Sheol prison with no "exit" door:

"²⁴Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. ²⁵Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. ²⁶For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. ²⁷Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." (Proverbs 7:24-27)

[The word "hell" was translated from the Hebrew word "Sheol"]

While fornicators are Amorite-Girgashite "black holes" that suck up people's "things", adulterers are Canaanite-Amorite "black holes" that suck up people's "emotions" and "loyalty". While fornicators possess by exhibiting their strength, adulterers possess by ironically denuding their own weakness. Fornicators possess others in order to be pleased by them; adulterers please others in order to possess them.

Because of the Amorite influence in black America, a great number of black young men across America are "fornicators", spiritually and literally. They like to sleep with women in order to derive cheap thrills from them. Many of these women become pregnant, and the biological father is no where to be seen. Why? Because a fornicator doesn't care about people after getting what he wants from them. After using a person, an Amorite fornicator simply moves on to conquer the next "victim". This has led to the high rate of black children raised by single mothers and grandmothers. According to studies, some 70% of black children are born out of wedlock, meaning that most black children are raised without a responsible father figure at home, and no one at the NAACP seems to care about this long-standing display of Amorite irresponsibility by black America. Even when black "leaders" talk about this issue, they always see it as "an issue", not as one of the key issues. These cursed black "leaders" never go so far as to say, "We are responsible for our current condition". Even when they talk about the sins in the black culture, they always wrap it up in a wider message that lays the blame on others, as if to say, "If we are doing these bad things, it is because the white man has cornered us into doing them". God's curse is upon these stubborn black "leaders", for they refuse to understand that black people have a sacrificial calling to break external barriers on this Earth for others, and such barriers are broken through prophetic sacrifice, not through excuses. As long as black people run away from their sacrificial calling, they will continue to be hounded by the curse of Canaan.

The Canaanite problem

Because of the lack of a responsible father figure, another spirit has become dominant in black America: the Canaanite spirit, which abhors righteous judgment from others.

When God shows Himself as a "Father", He does so as a "correcting" Father, i.e.- a Father who judges His children. Therefore, anyone who rejects God's judgments is rejecting His Fatherhood:

"⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ⁸But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." (Hebrews 12:6-8)

"For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth" (Proverbs 3:12)

"Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding" (Proverbs 4:1)

[The word "instruction" was mistranslated from the Hebrew word muwsar, which literally means "discipline, chastening". Therefore, it speaks of "character-molding judgments".]

"¹⁶And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. ¹⁷And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; ¹⁸Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? ¹⁹For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." (Genesis 18:16-19)

[The Lord considered Abraham his friend (v17, 2 Chronicles 20:7) because Abraham was a man of justice and judgments who would not hesitate to judge his children in God's righteousness (v18). Notice that God declares that He "knew" Abraham (v19). To be "known by God" is to expose ourselves to the scrutiny of His truth and judgments. Those who love God are willing to constantly stand before His Face and "be known" (i.e.- scrutinized) by Him (1 Corinthians 8:3). And, in the measure that we allow ourselves to "be known" by God, we shall know Him back all the more (1 Corinthians 13:12, Hosea 4:5-11).

Those who only care about the temporal "blessings" of spiritual dynamis power do not allow themselves to be "known by God", which means that they will, in turn, never know God. They will be cast away from His presence for eternity (Matthew 7:22-23), and will be piled up in a heap of useless stones outside the New Jerusalem (Isaiah 17:9-11).

In the verses prior to the passage above (Genesis 18:9-15), the Lord was announcing to Abraham and Sarah that they would soon have the son He had promised to them. Therefore, it is no coincidence that God speaks of Abraham as a judgment-making father a few verses later (v19). Abraham could be trusted with the "seed of the promise" because he abided in God's justice and judgments.]

There are cases where single mothers have been able to provide their children with "fatherly correction", but, for the most part, mothers have a natural tendency to turn "Canaanite" and "overprotective". Canaanite mothers become pandering mothers whose sense of self-value is attached to the child's approval. Since they need to have the child's "affection", they tend not to judge their children for fear of scaring them away. They then turn into "SuperMom -- Defender of the judged", shielding their children from any external negative judgment. To Canaanite mothers, their "baby" is always the "victim". This has fostered generations of black Americans with no sense of personal accountability. Any external criticism is immediately equated with "racial discrimination", which leads to spiritual stagnation, since it is only through God's judgments that we can truly grow.

Black America will not know God until she allows herself to be scrutinized by God's fatherly judgments. It is useless for black America to speak of the lack of "father figures" when she is always defensive about judgments from others. To reject judgments is to reject fatherhood, which means that the lack of "father figures" will continue until black America lets down her Canaanite guard and allows herself to be judged by God.

The Canaanite spirit leads to a strong emotional attachment to the local culture and to a deep resentment of anyone making judgments against that culture. As we have said before, Canaanites make judgments based on emotionalism; if something makes them "feel good", it is "good"; if it makes them "feel bad" or "sad", it is "bad". This has created levees of "protection" around black America that prevent God's explicit salt judgments from coming in. Black America continues to pay the price of its own unrighteousness, but it refuses to have that unrighteousness explicitly denounced. Just as New Orleans' levees were unable to hold the salty waters of Lake Pontchartrain, so will black America be unable to hold the waters of God's explicit judgments against her unrighteousness, for the time has come for black America to be restored, and restoration can only come through judgment (Isaiah 1:26-28, Amos 5:24).

The Hivite problem

So far, we have seen that black America is plagued by Hittite, Amorite, and Canaanite spirits. If you revisit the "triangle of evil", you will notice that these 3 spirits correspond to the left side of the triangle. Whenever any group of people allows the left side of the triangle to dominate, the manifestation of the left-handed Hivite spirit becomes inevitable.

The Hivite spirit is a spirit of indulgence that induces people to "live it up" and enjoy inherited grace. In essence, the "spirit of ease", which God came against in New Orleans, is a Hivite spirit. This spirit drains away all spiritual "ambition" and produces people who just want to "have fun" as they enjoy grace inherited from others.

As we shared before, Hivites are prone to playing the "victim card" in order to draw others into favorable covenants with them and to escape the fullness of God's judgments (Joshua 9:3-27 -- the Gibeonites were Hivites, according to Joshua 9:7). This is what black America (as a people) has done. Black leaders have induced black Americans into wearing the abhorrent discrimination and oppression of years past as "old rags" that make them look like victims to whom society owes perennial "reparations".

When the Israelites were freed from Egyptian bondage, God did provide the exiting Israelites with riches from the Egyptians:

"But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians" (Exodus 3:22)

Notice that every Israelite woman (not man) was to borrow of her Egyptian neighbor. In Scripture, "woman" is a figure of the soul and of human weakness. In other words, God had given the weak and (genuinely) dependent Israelites the authority to request the help of the Egyptians. That help was intended to make the Israelites strong and independent; it was not intended to make the Israelites permanently dependent on that help.

Notice also that the Lord uses the word "borrow" in Exodus 3:22, which was translated from the Hebrew word shaal; this word can be translated as "ask a favor", "enquire", "borrow", or "beg". Notice that shaal has the connotation of someone asking for help from a disadvantageous position to someone in a more advantageous position; it does not have the connotation of a "petulant demand". It also has the connotation of a "business investment". To start up a company, many people borrow money from a bank. When the bank gives out the loan, it does not see the loan as a "gift", but rather as an investment in that person's new enterprise. The loan becomes a tool that allows the borrower to produce on his or her own (through the new company) and be independent. No one can walk into a bank and demand a loan. He or she must walk in and ask that the bank believe in him or her. If the loan is granted, the borrower becomes accountable before the bank for what he or she does with that loan.

Therefore, the Lord is declaring in Exodus 3:22 that the riches that the Israelites would receive from the Egyptians was a one-time investment unto independence, not a permanent "pension payment" from them. The Israelites were not "retiring slaves"; they were slaves freed unto independence and self-reliance. God never told the Israelites to go back to Egypt every year to collect "reparations" for the 400 years of slavery they had been under. Instead, God told them that they would never see Egypt again:

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever" (Exodus 14:13)

In Egypt, the Israelites were serving the Egyptians, but the Lord set them free so that they could serve Him instead:

"And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear" (Exodus 7:16)

The word "serve" above was translated from the Hebrew word abad, which is almost identical to the Hebrew word for "slave". Therefore, the Israelites' exodus from Egypt signified a change in the master, not an end to the Israelites' "slavery". They would now be independent from man in order to be slaves of God. Their exodus was not a direct ticket to the Hivite "good life", but rather a ticket to the wilderness where they would come under God's molding judgments. Through the wilderness process, they would learn to produce on their own and conquer their own Promised Land. In short, the exodus from Egypt was not a ticket to "easy street", but rather a ticket to the "lonely and difficult wilderness" where they would be prepared to conquer the Promised Land. Even after the wilderness experience, God did not simply "grant" the Promised Land to them. They had to fight for that Land and conquer it in God.

The Hebrew word shaal used by the Lord in Exodus 3:22 (above) also appears in verse 3 of the following passage, translated as "borrow":

"¹Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. ²And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. ³Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. ⁴And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. ⁵So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. ⁶And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. ⁷Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest." (2 Kings 4:1-7)

[Fellow believer, verse 7 hides a powerful spiritual principle which most believers ignore. Notice that God told the widow to pay her debt first, before she could use the money for herself and her children's expenses. We are to make every effort to cover our debts first (Romans 13:8). We are to be like a river flooding a street with potholes. When the waters come, they fill up the potholes first. After that, they begin to rise above street level. In the same way, we must make every effort to fill our "potholes" (i.e.- debts) as quickly as possible before we think of rising above "street level" (i.e.- consuming, or investing in new ventures).

This applies to all types of "debts", not just financial debts.]

Notice that God did not drop "shekels" from heaven on the widow's lap. Instead, He told her to do all the following work:

	Borrow all the vessels she could get from all her neighbors
	Get her children to bring the many vessels to her
	Pour oil into the vessels
	Sell the oil
	Go pay her debt (which obviously included returning the borrowed vessels) -- notice that she was to proactively seek out her creditor in order to pay him, instead of waiting for the creditor to come to her.