Envy of the Island

Greetings in the Lord~

Well, for a while now the Lord has had me living and working out in the South Pacific, so I would like to share what the Lord has been putting on my heart for Samoa.  The first word I got was actually a vision of a giant tsunami hitting pretty much the whole northern coast of Samoa--from Apia down to the airport.  Now in the natural, they tell me that it is usually the south end of the island that ends up taking the brunt of those types of natural disasters.  So, I wondered in my heart--"Is this a literal tsunami, or is this a figurative image for let's say, a sweeping over of AI technology or modernism hitting the island?" 

Well, over time, I received more prophetic words along the lines of a natural disaster, so I discern it is more of a tsunami or major storm that will come and do great damage, much along the lines of how Hurricane Katrina hit in the U.S.  I will give some of the accompanying prophetic words to go with that vision. 

First, that 2-3 angels will be dispatched to come and "protect life and limb," for this is a type of judgment and discipline from God.  Next, the Lord will raise up certain churches to reach out and help in the aftermath, like what took place in New Orleans.  In fact, if you recall, government assistance was unable for quite some time to even be a help after Hurricane Katrina and the Church was all they had.  The prophetic word I got at that time was from Isaiah 3, and it talked about no one official being able to help in the complete destruction of material things and homes, etc.  I received this passage for Samoa as well.

It is important to remember, the hope in the majority of God's judgments is that many will return to Him and His ways after the destruction takes away every other thing they put their trust in.  It is not about offing people, per se, but it is about destroying those things that are leading them astray--including idols and pagan altars.  You see, much like New Orleans was known for witchcraft and divination, Samoa has a real problem of "Christian" witches and traditional shamans and paganism and the like.  Maybe it could be compared to Haiti, where it's 90% Catholic and 100% voodoo.      

Now that may seem strange to those who know anything about the image Samoans like to tout about their little island.  They love to talk about their cultural customs and traditional values of love and respect and all that, and maybe it is somewhat true among their own families and villages, but when it comes to white foreigners who live or visit the island, especially Americans, no way Jose.  And the reason is simple--envy.  It is a principality that sits over this place and is a driving force behind much of the witchcraft, violence, theft, and lying that is so, so epidemic here.  

Actually, I knew that was the case before I even arrived as the Lord had given me Psalm 73 as a preparation scripture: 

"Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.  But as for me, I almost lost my footing.  My feet were slipping and I was almost gone.  For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.  They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong.  They don't have troubles like other people; they're not plagued with problems like everyone else.  They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.  These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!  They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others.  They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth.  And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.  "What does God know?" they ask.  "Does the Most High even know what's happening?"  Look at these wicked people--enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Psalm 73:1-12.

Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the psalmist was struggling with bitter envy and was talking out of delusion and hatred.  Sure, somewhere there may be some people that have that kind of exessive wealth and live a life of ease and have wickedly forgotten God, but the reality is--most people do not have that life.  And when we make such broadsweeping judgments about whole people groups, we will surely be making a costly error, for embracing such hatred will make your faith hollow and worthless.  You will give lip service to God while your heart is full of hate and anger and jealousy, which will give rise to wicked behavior.  You will end up forfeiting your salvation to appease your evil envy--all while thinking that you were the righteous one!!  

Yes, hypocrisy is the top deception of the religious spirit--you condemn others while having a wicked heart and doing much evil yourself.  But this bitter envy and self-righteous hatred is not uncommon in the world today--in fact, much of the liberal mindset pushes this narrative ad nauseam, and Islam gets a lot of mileage out of this flawed principle as well.  All hate is wrong, and bitter envy leads to hate, simply put.  You cannot please God with this heart condition.

Well, a little later in the passage, the psalmist finally comes to that conclusion: "Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.  I was so foolish and ignorant--I must have seemed like a senseless animal to You.  Yet I still belong to You; You hold my right hand.  You guide me with Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny."  Psalm 73:21-24

Yes, God is no respecter of persons--if you love Him and follow His ways with a pure heart, you will be blessed!  You will be favored!  You will be filled with every good thing that a Heavenly Father desires to give to His children!  That is a guarantee from a good God.  And likewise, it is also true, that those who do desert Him and His ways and live to pursue their own selfish ambitions, prestige and earthly weath, they will persish; in the end they will not attain eternal life with Jesus Christ.  The psalmist wasn't wrong in that assessment, but he was flawed in his application because he had not examined his own heart first.  

Religious pride will do that; it will blind your spiritual eyes so you can't see your own sin.  Psalm 73 is clever in that it addresses both the envy and spiritual pride of the psalmist!  He judged someone as wicked because he perceived them through the lens of envy as having a perfect and luxurious life.  This was the same evil heart condition of the Pharisees who wanted Jesus killed.  

It is interesting that verse 24 mentions "destiny," for one very common tactic of the people using witchcraft in Samoa is to 'destiny swap' with someone they deem as having a better destiny than themselves.  They typically try to curse their finances, marriage, and careers, then health and so on, all the while not realizing that an undeserved curse returns to the sender.  That's probably why funerals are the most common social gathering there is--every weekend, there is a funeral somewhere on the island.  The excessive amount of funerals is a sign that something is wrong!  

At any rate, the widespread use of witchcraft here is ridiculous, and definitely, that's where the extreme use of lies and slander stem from.  I have seen this countless times and it makes me sad for them, especially when I think about all the hours that they spend in church.  But really, at a certain point some of them know they are witches--they are just hiding in the church so as not to be found out.  And they hide in the different ministries of government as well, using their witchcraft to seek promotions and get rid of their enemies and others that are more qualified then they are; it's really quite disgusting.  And the betrayal!  Practictioners of witchcraft believe getting close to someone makes their spells more powerful, so they act so nice and friendly and trustworthy--all the while spellcasting against these same people!  I've been watching this firsthand all year and it is truly diabolical.  Lord, help the people of Samoa to root out this demonic behavior, in Jesus name I pray.

I'll say it again--God is no respecter of persons.  Anyone who loves Him and follows His ways will be blessed, period; the promises of God are yes, and amen to those who live with a pure heart before Him.  But until Samoans believe that and live accordingly, as it stands now, they are on track for some major judgment, and that is no joke.  

Again this week the Lord gave me Jeremiah 6, and I'll condense it, for it is quite lengthy but very direct: "This is the city to be punished, for she is wicked through and through.  She spouts evil like a fountain.  Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction.  I always see her sickness and sores.  Listen to this warning (Jerusalem), or I will turn from you in disgust...Even the few who remain (in Israel) will be picked over again, as when a harvester checks each vine a second time to pick the grapes that were missed."  

To whom can I give warning?  Who will listen when I speak? Their ears are closed, and they cannot hear.  They scorn the word of the Lord.  They don't want to listen at all...."For I will raise My powerful fist against the people of this land," says the Lord.  "From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed.  From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.  They offer superficial treatments for My people's mortal wound.  They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.  Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions?  Not at all--they don't even know how to blush!  Therefore,...they will be brought down when I punish them," says the Lord. Ps.73:6-15.

The passage goes on to give the remedy to those who are lovers of the Lord and true friends of the Most High: "Stop at the crossroads and look aound.  Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.  Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls." But they refuse: "No, that is not the road we want!"  No, instead it is a combination of either esteeming their old pagan, i.e. cultural traditions--the ones they were supposed to leave behind with the conversion to Christianity, or embracing the love of the world, the one we are supposed to live separate from.  It is a similar situation for most Christian countries, to be honest,  but in Samoa, the performative Christianity is to a level that the hypocrisy is way more glaring.  Either way, the "godly road" is the one less taken.

Anyway, overall, I really identify with the prophet Jeremiah in this passage.   He recognized their obstinance right away and knew they wouldn't listen to his warnings, but alas, in the end he still had to speak it out.  And later the Lord had made Jeremiah a "tester of metals" that he could "determine the quality of My people," and so it has been for me.  So, what's the verdict?  Well, by in large: YUCK-- consistently evil behavior, over and over and over and over again.  Definitely on the scale of what it is to be a Christian in a tenaciously Muslim country, or a Christian conservative in Democrat held cities of the US, or a white, female Christian in the UK or Sweden or elsewhere.  Just hate, lies, and violence---stemming from envy and greed.  Bullies get promoted and gaslighting is normal in Samoa--even the "good" people are oppressed by the rampant evil and stand idly by when they see wrongdoing, fearful of retaliation if they were to say something, forgetting that they join in the sin by their complicity.  

"They are the worst kind of rebel, full of slander. They are as hard as bronze and iron, and they lead others into corruption.  The bellows fiercely fan the flames to burn out the corruption.  But it does not purify them, for the wickedness remains.  I will label them 'Rejected Silver,' for I, the Lord, am discarding them."  Jeremiah 6:28-30.

Yikes--tough word, but as you may know from my prophetic ministry over the years, this is the type of calling and prophetic word the Lord gives me to share.  And it's hard sometimes, especially when you spend two years with a people group; you do grow to love them as well, flaws and all, just like family.  So today, I close this long post with a simple prayer: Lord, have Your way.  Let Your good and perfect will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, for we can trust Your ways, and know that You have a good plan to prosper and build us up in You.  In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

~Be blessed to be a blessing.