Promise Seeds

By Carlton Jordan

Phillip, a middle-age African American man, talks with God. God grants Phillip spiritual sight. On the surface, all seems routine and natural in his first church, but as some members stand, he notices their spiritual bodies lag behind their physical ones. When they sit, the same lag occurs. He leaves that to

• Language: English
• Publisher: WordHouse Book Publishing
• Release date: Jul 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685471163

Carlton Jordan

My grandfather wrapped our house in prayer; my mother, in literary phrases. I can still hear her saying, "Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink." They tendered words and prayer as gifts. I love words. I became an English teacher and then a consultant with a heavy focus reading and rewriting, wrestling for the perfect phrase and living in global revision. In 2009 I got divorced. I lost everything and joined the ranks of the working homeless. I slept in my car when not traveling for work. I wrote school review reports in coffeeshops. Stripped of all things in the natural, the Lord reminded me through one of his servants that I hadn't lost him. I was stripped of distraction and could now see him clearly that his blessing was never in things amassed; his blessing was in knowing him, and I would write about it, exploring facets of him and his Word. I would write about God's promises and his children waiting on him in a firm belief that his Word cannot be broken and that he cannot lie. He wakes me up in the middle of the night at times, and I have to write. He'll point out when flesh rises in the writing-when the writing is too full of itself, and he's not in it and what needs to be deleted. I've learned to write under his guidance, to write in the spirit.

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promise seeds

Promise Seeds

Copyright © 2022 Carlton Jordan

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the products of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or historical events, are purely coincidental.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Authorized King James Bible.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission from the publisher or author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN

Paperback 978-1-68547-114-9

Hardcover 978-1-68547-115-6

eBook 978-1-68547-116-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022911605

Printed in the United States of America

101 Foundry Dr,

West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA

www.wordhousebp.com

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table of contents

chapter one 1

chapter two 9

chapter three 17

chapter four 35

chapter five 47

chapter six 61

chapter seven 71

chapter eight 89

chapter nine 95

chapter ten 101

endnotes 131

to Preston and Sommer Jordan

chapter one

The church pushed Phillip out. It served as a kiln in the spiritual walk of this inactive, nondescript soldier sitting comfortably in the pews. In his late thirties, he attended church, listened intently to the sermons, enjoyed the music, and remained contentedly deaf to God’s voice extending an offer for a position in his spiritual army.

Beyond the gates and just past the courts lay a place that forbade entrance to all flesh. Yonder, the old folks called it. There, one’s spirit bowed down in the light of glory while the body sat still or danced or stood with hands raised. Phillip never ventured into that place until two young people he hardly knew yielded to old behaviors we all fight to tamp down before they resurface and regain their former place. A division arose between the engaged. Phillip’s refusal to listen to gossip before and after services had provided the impetus he needed; it moved him out of a sedentary life of social church attendance in northern New Jersey and brought him back to Long Island unrecognizable to those who knew him as a timid young boy.

The gossip had sent Phillip scurrying fifteen years ago, and for the first time in a long time since calling heaven home, he had a genuine talk with God. Phillip stepped out of the house with his portable cassette player, placed his headphones over his ears, and began to walk without music. He had no destination or direction in mind. His feet took him throughout the community and beyond onto side streets and wooded trails he had never traveled before.

He walked to find peace and to clear his mind. Why follow a passive religion that just accepts life and all the rejection it throws at us? Why do Christians talk about the adversity others face as if we’re watching a movie, as if we can turn off the TV when the movie ends? That’s voyeurism, not Christianity. Jesus fought in the spirit against darkness, and he fought for people he didn’t know in his earthly life. God, I don’t know these two, but they’ve got to be more than fodder for gossip. I don’t even know their names, but I want to be like Jesus. I want to fight for those I don’t know. I want to be an active Christian, one intolerant of evil and of destruction.

Phillip had no idea he was praying, so he stopped, turned on the cassette, and began walking again. This time he spoke as he’d heard others do. Formulaic and structured, his words had the sound and the cadence of those used by the seasoned prayer warriors who opened and closed Sunday services in his church. But what appeared to work for an audience wishing to reach God did little for a man who never talked with him. Yet, moved by something he didn’t fully understand and that before this day would never have disturbed him, Phillip persisted, trying phrases others used and including familiar song lyrics. The tape he listened to now served as background, shutting out passing vehicles and the music blaring from them.

Phillip’s persistence proved more valuable than the words that formed in his mind. It communicated his earnest desire to reach the throne of the Most High, and God, who never turns an ear away from one wholeheartedly seeking him, altered Phillip’s walk. In the natural realm, Phillip stepped on grass, dirt, and asphalt, but in the spirit he stood still with arms stretched high to touch the one who served water from rock, made iron lighter than water, and promised healing with If thou wilt diligently hearken. Nothing that occurred would force passing drivers to stop, but in the spirit, the ground shook as the shackles holding Phillip broke and fell to the ground like rusty relics. He marched on unaware.

The song lyrics and the church service prayers circulating in his head gave way to honest and authentic words that fought the darkness. Phillip covered the couple’s apartments with the blood of Jesus and spoke God’s peace in and all around them.

With an authority he never knew he had until now, Phillip said, I speak peace! I break the hold of discord and wrestle joy from the hands that stole it! Cover them with your blood, Lord, for this day I stand in the gap and intercede on their behalf. I speak forth your light in their darkness and ask you by your Holy Spirit to sweep their homes clean. In his mind, he saw two apartments, presumably the couple’s, though this was all new to him. While in each, he walked from room to room, calling out evil and pulling down nests of festering hurt and runaway anger. Under God’s authority, he swept out everything.

As he turned down another street, Phillip prayed that the Lord guide his feet, move before him, stand guard, and send angels all around. He declared war. The Holy Spirit moved all over Phillip on behalf of what he was to become. In the larger scheme of things, the impetus to pray was irrelevant. That he prayed and entered the throne room of the Father was more important.

Lord, send your word, Phillip said. Let the two know ‘They that be with us are more than they that be with them.’ Though he knew little about these two, he joined them in the spirit. In the natural realm this made no sense, but in the spirit, he grabbed hold of a promise he never read or knew existed in the Bible. He spoke directly to both in the spirit as the music played softly in the background. Be strong, fear not: behold, your god will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. He pictured each and said this a second time.

It didn’t matter that Phillip hardly knew the couple. He saw something he couldn’t explain attack a pure, young Christian love. This was an attack on God, and it was all the motivation he needed to accept the invitation to join God’s army. Phillip thought he walked to fight for the couple, but in truth, his trek was a letter of acceptance. Each step confirmed in the spirit what his heart now spoke: I will war for you, God. I’m active on the side of Jesus.

Phillip walked down streets and hiking trails, pleading the blood and solidifying an air of peace in their homes. Though effective in the spirit, this strategy was new to him, so he repeatedly asked God to guide him as he walked in prayer and tore down wall after wall separating the two lives. Speaking with a growing sense of power, Phillip felt a lightness overtaking him. He recalled the Scripture passages telling believers to come boldly before the throne of grace, and so he did. He approached God’s throne as if he already had what he requested.

You’re in the apartment, he told God. You never left it, and you know the way to the deepest parts of her heart, Lord Jesus. You know this because you’ve been there all along. I command change. In your name I command the emergence of second and third chances. Knock on the door and enter. Meet her, Jesus. Hold her again. This is not new to you, Lord, but it is so new to us. We can see that something isn’t right. Lord, I’ve been told that we are not wrestling with flesh and blood. This fight is not natural. It’s spiritual. He doesn’t hate her, no matter what she’s been told. Who’s feeding her such garbage? Lord, I bind the airwaves and prevent that lie from taking root. I cut it down by the power of your word. Bring about a spring, a regeneration like a new season, Lord. You promised that you would look out for us, that you’d bless us. Lord, I’m searching; tell me if I’ve found you. We are in need.

Phillip knew that she had stayed in the church but that the young man had left. Many asked about him, but no one had found him. With this walk, Phillip now believed that the Lord could reach him. He didn’t know that Scripture supported his supposition that God knows all, but he believed as strongly in the Lord’s omniscience as anyone who’d ever read, Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men, or He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heavens. Phillip had never read any of these verses or heard them preached, but he believed in the pit of his stomach that the Lord could find this young man, reach him in the spirit, and speak a change in his behavior. He dialed up the woman’s fiancé in the spirit.

Lord, we don’t need a phone or face-to-face contact. I call him up in the spirit. I speak directly to him and say, ‘Call her up in the name of Jesus. I can’t reach you any other way, but I believe that God is able, and he’s a wonder. He works miracles. Since you need a miracle, I’m talking directly to you. You love her. You always did. The path to her house is laid straight with darkness swept away. You need only call. Early in the morning before darkness has a chance to enter again, call her up. Call her in Jesus’s name! Phillip said loudly. Call her tomorrow morning! Lord, I was told that you sent your word and that it healed our disease. Send your word to her home and ready her soul to pick up the phone when the call comes through. I bind her to the house, Lord. No morning errands, no family, friends, or business emergencies will pull her away tomorrow morning when the phone rings. Send your word, Lord, or we are all doomed.

Although this was quite true, this last statement felt forced, a little formulaic. Unknown to Phillip, he’d stepped out of the spirit and walked solely in the natural realm. The national reach didn’t feel right, so he let it go and returned to the spirit and to his new neighborhood of everyday folks. He entered his house from the opposite direction in which he had begun his walk. He was so concerned about the attack on God’s institution that he went to bed with prayer on his lips.

The following morning, Phillip woke up earlier than he normally did and for the first time paid attention to the birds’ songs. He sat in silence listening to their music. Lord, I could get up every morning for this, he said. He startled himself and said, God, whom am I talking to? He realized that he had again addressed God but not as so many others did. Phillip addressed God as a person, not as an omnipotent abstraction. He talked with God and thought, I’m here by myself. Why not? Moved by the music outside and remembering the length of his one-sided talk yesterday after church, he decided it was the Lord’s turn to speak.

Phillip remained silent until the sound outside changed. He was reminded of a crow’s call, but this sound was guttural, much louder and darker than any caw he’d ever heard. A second bird joined in, and Phillip recalled that the day before while walking he had prayed for peace, for the support of the blood that never lost its power. He had prayed for angels to be posted about both apartments to thwart the influence of dark forces so that the two could make honest choices. He remembered that he had nearly demanded that a phone call be made this morning, and something inside him suggested that the two birds might be signaling a delay in fulfilling that request.

In the past, a prayer was a prayer, something hardly remembered involving causes not worth fighting for, but in this instance too much was at stake. Phillip was emotionally and socially invested in the success of his prayer for this couple. So, he prayed again. He sat up in bed and fought what couldn’t be seen. He engaged the invisible, not the birds. He stood against the forces that called them to duty.

I fight against stubbornness, anger, and hurt. I bind them and release peace once again. I speak directly to the young man, reminding him that he has an appointment to keep, a call to make this morning. And, Lord, I might not know their names, but I know that you, who know all, do. Lord, I believe that you will speedily grant what I ask due to the time-sensitive nature of my request. Phillip got out of bed and began his morning routine.

Downstairs, he poured a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table. Phillip didn’t know if the two had spoken by phone, but he believed in his spirit that they had, just as he believed that reality existed in the spiritual realm and that the natural realm could be affected there. In the spirit a cry for peace and a petition for reconciliation brought change when aligned with God’s will; in the natural realm, absent a belief in God, one could hope.

His intervention had taken him from infrequent and formulaic prayer into the power of faith-based petition. He expected God, who keeps all his promises, to fulfill this petition. Phillip maintained continual contact with the Father. He read Joshua 21:45, which says, There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. God, Phillip learned, would lead him, guide him, and withhold no good thing spoken into his life. Phillip believed all would come to pass because God didn’t fail during the time of Moses and of Joshua and surely couldn’t fail now. He would perform just what he said he would.

With Phillip’s developing relationship, short scriptural passages became seeds that blossomed into power. Ask and it shall be given, a phrase quoted by many, germinated into a potent, unbreakable promise. For Phillip, coming boldly before the Lord no longer involved the length of his prayer or the volume of his voice. That first walk revealed to him that coming boldly meant coming without hesitation to a place where scarlet garments become glistening white through contrition, confession, repentance, and the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb.

The prayer walk was a spark that moved him from a middling Christian existence to an explosive and profitable one. Phillip believed that his prayer had initiated the call and that his wrestling in the early morning had stayed the garrison of demonic forces. And this hadn’t taken days. All he’d heard about patience and waiting and eagle’s wings seemed like an unspoken attempt to explain divine dereliction, as if such a thing could exist. Phillip asked that the Lord send his word, which healed all manner of physical, social, emotional, and spiritual diseases. He knew a word sent from above couldn’t be stopped. He believed all diseases were healed, hearts mended, and destitution stamped out when God’s children began their exodus. After all, the Word said, He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. Phillip prayed hard and long, like the woman who worked her way through the throng of people, like the blind man crying out for mercy to ensure Jesus didn’t overlook him.

Entering a new spiritual realm, Phillip spoke against retaliation from dark forces by calling it out and placing himself squarely in the Lord’s all-encompassing presence. A church hymn named God a stronghold in the day of trouble, a buckler, a hiding place, and Phillip hid himself in the Lord. He did this not out of fear but because he was drawing on something that couldn’t be seen. His walk in the natural realm was visible and easily traced, but his trek in the spirit took him higher and higher into the invisible. And before the sun set on the next day, the couple had avoided the pit dug for them, and the destruction planned for them was no more.

Months passed and the role Phillip played in their marriage faded from memory because in the natural world he played no role at all. The testimony belonged to the couple he prayed for; he owned none of it. He identified that day as the one on which he found his work in the Lord, a peripatetic ministry and a life of fasting, which kept him on the trim side. But it wasn’t an austere life. It worked beautifully for him. His walk with God was literal, and it could be said that he walked for God. While not every step was accompanied by prayer, each moved him closer to God.

Phillip was in church the day the couple spoke of the goodness of God’s keeping power and of how they found each other again after almost losing each other. They never mentioned Phillip’s name, and oddly enough he made no connection between himself and the couple. His role took place in the spirit, and he, like most in the congregation, listened as if hearing the story for the first time.

The two knew nothing of Phillip’s walk, nothing of his agonizing prayer, and nothing of his private stairway to heaven built through lyrics based on the Word of God that turned a large portion of Denville, New Jersey, into his prayer closet. They’d forgotten what caused their nearly permanent split, though on any given day, each could point to the hurt caused by the other. Though this hurt was all too real, they suspended these feelings long enough on the morning after Phillip’s walk to make and to accept a phone call after months of silence.

Out of the blue, they agreed.

What made me call? I don’t know. I don’t. Early in the morning, way too early to be decent I suspect, I woke from a dream about my dialing the phone. I just felt my hand reaching for it, and … I don’t know, he said.

Yeah, I just felt an emptiness, a loneliness. When the phone rang so early in the morning, I reached for it and picked it up. It was strange, she said.

They’d look at each other with smiles from down deep and say, Only God. Only him.

In this small church just off Route 46 in Parsippany, New Jersey, parishioners parked on the street. The white building had no parking lot. A cement path connected the steps of the church to the sidewalk. Members climbed four semicircle steps and entered the vestibule. Then, walking through a set of double doors, they entered the sanctuary. The church had orange carpeting. Three chandeliers were suspended on either side from front to back above the pews. One chandelier hung over the pulpit, which was flanked by choir stands. Four large stained- glass windows graced each side of the church. A large circular window lay behind the pulpit. Phillip’s favorite seat was in the