Saturday 7 October 2017

EXPLORING THE MINISTRY OF AN APOSTLE………… Ephesians 4 vs 11

INTRODUCTION 
Well mon people it is that time of the month again.  The I AM GOD!! Pastor Moses asked a specific question in Exodus 3 verse 13 - And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 
And God answered in verse 14: 
And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. 
Just to ensure that they got it right God reminded Moses of the old name that they knew Him by The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob verse 15. However, the intention of God from the beginning of creation is to have a personal relationship with man. Moses got to know God personally so you never heard him say in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses had a personal relationship with God so he just spoke.  The I Am name became a memorial to him. Context, pretext and post text. 
Who is in need of the I AM GOD!! Do you need land? He is the maker of the heavens and the Earth. Psalm 2 verse 8 - ask of me and I will give you the heathen for your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for your possession. 
Do you need destiny helpers? Look to Father Abraham, he said I would not take a latchet from your shoes lest any man say he made Abraham rich. 
Jesus which is our perfect example – We need that no man teaches us anything.  What I have done is what I have seen my Father do. 
So, people if you are holy be holy still, if you are righteous be righteous still. Wait on God, though the vision tarry it is yet for a season. Wait I say on God.
I was recently reading Actes 20 in the French version of the Bible BDS. Just practicing my pronounciation and vocabulary.  In the course of reading I started recognizing some familiar vocabulary fenêtre, mort, tombalevez-toi! etc. I realized that that I was reading the story where the young man fell asleep and fell to his death. The dangers of falling asleep in Church. I read over the story.  Then something struck me for the first time.  The Apostle Paul raised the dead and then went back to conducting the Bible Study. It was not even a blip on the radar of those present. I contrasted what happened then to what would take place in today's church.  The modern Pastor and church would build a monument to the man of God.  They would be very careful to ensure that all his titles would be included.  He would be Apostle, Prophet, Pastor James Hezekiah Smith, DDS, MDS etc. On the monument would be noted the date and time the miracle had taken place.  The man of God would write books on this miracle and would start teaching from the books instead of the word of God. The sale of the book would be paramount.  People would make pilgrimage to the church to 'ooh' and 'aah' at the mighty miracle. However, I suspect that the Apostle Paul would have been in trouble if the young man had not come back to life, based on what occurred in  Acts 5 verses 12 -16. 
I am thinking to myself how far have we fallen as a church we are having problems praying for the very common headache much less cancer.  We need to start enforcing the salvation package.

I am sure you were expecting me to write about church wickedness after last month. Sorry to disappoint I am no Uzzah. I leave God's business alone. He said the wheat and the tares have to grow together until the day of harvest.  He also said He is building His church.  There is no vacancy on the throne and there will never be.  


REFLECTIONS 
How did I come up with this topic? When I was writing the Blog 'The Ultimate Mastermind Group and Inner Circle'. I read in the book of St. Luke 6 verse 13 that he called them Apostles. I am sure I have read that scripture many times but it was the first time it jumped out at me. I said 'wow' I need to know more about that. In addition, I really don’t know what is happening in the Body of Christ but there seems to be a preoccupation with titles. Titles for rent apply within, choose which ever you like. I am happy I did this research.  The Holy Spirit is certainly leading in these topics. The demons certainly got riled up after the Blog on the high places. The spirits came after men in droves but, I had no intention of crying like King Hezekiah I am very prepared. This Blog is coming to you through great challenges my cloud drives have been breached G Drive and OneDrive.  My phone has been breached. I tried to do some research on the phone only to realize that the articles were rewritten, utter garbage.  The YouTube videos I wanted to use last month was removed after I had listened to them. This month I listened to one by Richard Breaker which was total foolishness.  I had to depend on an ancient in the form of Pastor Kenneth Hagin. 

I have just had to stop going to seminars once I turn up the presenter is unable to complete his presentation and will take questions from the audience instead.  The word is out this lady knows too much. We have to stop her in her tracks.

I am wondering why there is such a great resistance to my Blog. I am just sheep. I just speak and write as the Spirit gives me utterance.  

PREAMBLE 
Let me say from the outset that I believe the ministry of the apostle is still alive and well based on my research. From where I am sitting all I am hearing is 'order.' What is the order that has been established by God.  Everything that is out of place and is not working is because of the abondoning of scriptural principles. Once again let me reiterate that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not the gospel according to North America. 
We also have to be mindful of the fact of not trying to water down the office of the Apostle. It is a very powerful office.  I hear it been likened to that of missionary but an Apostle is a missionary and more. 

CRITICAL DEFINITIONS 
Apostle – The Greek apostolos – envoy, ambassador or messenger commissioned to carry out the instructions of the commissioning agent.  Another definition is the 'one who is sent out.' 
The noun apostolos appears seventy-nine times in the New Testament (ten in the gospels, twenty-eight in Acts, thirty-eight in the epistles; and three in Revelation).  The majority of these occurrences are found in Luke-Acts (thirty-four) and in the Pauline epistles (thirty-four). 
There are two primary usages of the word apostle. 
  • Specifically referring to the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ 
  • Generally referring to other individuals who are sent out to be messengers/ambassadors of Jesus Christ. 
Missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to proselytize and/or perform ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem (nom. missio), meaning "act of sending" or mittere, meaning "to send" The word was used in light of its biblical usage; in the Latin translation of the Bible, Christ uses the word when sending the disciples to preach in his name. The term is most commonly used for Christian missions, but can be used for any creed or ideology.
  1. Fantastic video by Pastor Kenneth E. Hagin 

THE TWELVE 
Jesus had a large number of disciples during his Ministry, but not all of them were Apostles. Twelve were chosen from the group to be with Jesus as disciples and to be sent out to preach and teach as Apostles. There are four lists of the twelve in the New Testament, one in each of the three Synoptic Gospels,  St. Matthew 10 vs 1-4,  St. Mark 3 verses 13 - 19 and  St. Luke 6 vs 12-16 and one in  Acts 1 verse 13  The lists are basically the same and vary because of the early oral tradition. Different Lists of the Apostles
Matthew and Mark identify the twelve as Apostles only once, and in each case, in the context of a missionary journey St. Matthew 10 verses 2 - 4 and St. Mark 6 verse 30. Here the word designates function rather than status. Luke, however, frequently and almost exclusively calls the twelve 'Apostles' 6 verse 13, 9 verse 10, 17 verse 5, 22 verse 14, 24 verse 10, Acts 1 verse 26, 2 verse 43, Acts 4 verses 35 - 37, Acts 5 verse 2, Acts 5 verse 12, Acts 5 verse 18, Acts 8 verse 1.  Except for St. Luke 11 verse 49 and Acts 14 verse 14, Luke applies apostolos only to the twelve.  Because they had been called by Jesus throughout His ministry and had witnessed His resurrection, they possessed the best possible knowledge of what Jesus had said and done. Commissioned by the risen Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, they became witnesses to the saving work of God in Christ.  The identification of the twelve as Apostles finds its basis not only in the use of this title for them in the Gospel narrative, but also in the post resurrection task given to them by Jesus St. Matthew 28 verses 19 - 20, St. Mark 16 verses 15 -18, St. Luke 24 verses 48 - 49, St. John 20 verses 1 - 23 and Acts 1 verse 8.  Thus, the essential qualification of an Apostle is being called and sent by Christ. 

This specific type of Apostle is not present in the church today. It was the twelve apostles who were the first messengers of the Gospel after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It was these twelve apostles who were the foundation of the church - with Jesus being the cornerstone Ephesians 2 verse 20.
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

QUALIFICATIONS TO BE AN APOSTLE 
 In Acts 1 verses 12 - 23 After the ascension Jesus in the Upper Room the Apostle Peter proposed choosing a new Apostle to replace Judas and laid out the qualifications of such a person. Based on the original criteria not everyone could be considered for an Apostleship. 
  1. Candidates needed to have been with Jesus during the whole three years that Jesus was among them.  The person had to be an eye witness Of Jesus's baptism the Heavenly Father validated Jesus' person and work. 
  1. He needed to have heard Jesus' life-changing teachings and been present to see his healings and other miracles. 
  1. He needed to have witnessed Jesus' sacrifice himself on the cross and to have seen Jesus walk, talk and eat among the disciples again after His resurrection. 
These were the pivotal facts of Jesus' life, the heart of the message they were to teach, and personal witnesses were required to verify the truth of the good news.  
Two were nominated that met these qualifications Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. They used lot to determine which person was to fulfill the post.  The lot fell to Matthas and he became the twelfth Apostle. 
Then a few months later we had the conversion of Saul/Paul Acts 9 verse 15 Acts 22 verses 14-15. Saul was called by Jesus who used him mightily among the Gentiles. The Apostle Paul wrote half of the New Testament.  Pastor Kenneth Hagin has shed some light on the controversy as to whether it was Paul that should have been the twelfth Apostle or Matthias to take the bishoprick of Judas Psalm 109 verse 8. The best explanation of the scripture I have heard to date.  The book of Revelation Revelation 21 verse 14 speaks to the twelve apostles of the lamb. Paul does not fulfill the requirement of being one of the 12 based on the criteria expounded by Peter in Acts 1 verse 12 – 23. 

NONE FOUNDATIONAL APOSTLES 
Beyond the unique twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ there were also Apostles in a generic sense. Apostle Paul uses the word in more than one sense. At times he employs the term in the broader sense of messenger or agent. Examples Barnabas in Acts 13 verse 2 14 verse 4; Andronicus and Junias Romans 16 verse 7, Titus in 2 Corinthians 8 verse 23, Epaphroditus in Phillipians 2 verse 25. 

CONCLUSION 

In concluding, the books of Ephesians 4 verse 11-13 
Ephesians 4:11-13 King James Version (KJV) 
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 
This passage speaks to the five-fold ministry gift and the reason for them perfecting, working and edifying. 
In I Corinthians 12 verse 28 
1 Corinthians 12:28 King James Version (KJV) 
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 
These are Epistles written by Apostle Paul, however, if one says there is no need for Apostles in the church today that would clearly be contrary to scripture. 
The question is do we have people with 
  1. Outstanding spiritual gifts and abilities to work signs and wonders 
  1. A personal indepth experience with the Lord Jesus. When you know that you know that you know that Jesus is all that He says and can do all that He says. 
  1. Power and ability to establish churches, the gift of governance. 
  1. Adequate spiritual leadership. 
Missionaries to some extent fulfill this role but I see the role of an Apostle as more autonomous. Look to the Apostle Paul there were no strings or support coming from Jerusalem. He went out and stayed with those churches until they were established. Missionaries today to a large extent are supported by the mother church. 

Bonus for your holiday My CRA Report

REPORT
ON
EMPLOYMENT WITH CANADA REVENUE AGENCY
JANUARY 11, TO APRIL 30, 2010

My contract commenced on January 11, 2010 and was terminated effective May 3, 2010. My Orientation Session on January 11, 2010 was facilitated by Veronika Dishazy and Christina. My Trainer for the period January 12, 2010 to February 2010 was Shermaine Raymond.

The Team leader assigned to Team Victoria of which I was apart was Peter Toone. The Program Services Manager for the period of training was Jim Weir. The other administrative persons in the background were David Jean and Neil Shellapata.

The Orientation Session took place over a day at 1 Front Street and it was onto Bay Street for the actual training. The appointed Trainer Shermaine Raymond was quite knowledgeable in the matters related to the job. However, one was given the impression that her strings were being pulled every step of the way by someone in the background. Ms. Raymond was constantly being called to meetings in the middle of the class and every time she returned the quality of the class deteriorated. We either went off topic, were given some irrelevant examples or spoke about something totally unrelated. As such; I was alerted to the fact that it was not business as usual, I had to be very vigilant. This was evident by the fact that a class which was far ahead of the other classes fell far behind.

We were changed from one classroom to a next in February; a very inconsequential reason was given. My own personal evaluation was that they wanted to monitor me closer and with the cubicles separating us all they could not. I discovered this when the fellow that sat beside me Jason Smith advised that he had done no tests or interview to get the job. I was taken aback because I did two (2) tests and one interview and had to wait over one (1) year to be called. I realized Mr. Smith was a plant, when he sat beside me and was continually sending text messages about what I was doing. At one point in particular I was on a French Website doing some reading, Mr. Smith fiddled with his phone and it was not long after that Ms. Raymond asked about those who spoke French and would like to be tested. Mr. Jude Laws (an employee of the CRA for over twelve (12) years) and I said we would. Up to the day of my leaving I did not hear anything further on the matter. Subsequent to this I changed my seat and sat at the front, since I realized what was taking place.

During the training period when persons were wasting time I sat and wrote out relevant tax information and ordered my thoughts based on the material that was covered and the material that needed to be covered based on information gleaned from the teacher. People would snoop in my notebook and would constantly hear from the trainers, Mr. Downer and Mr. Weir trying to dissuade me from doing this. Fortunately, for me I ignored them. This diligence assisted me in the final run when we were placed on the telephone and we



realized how inadequate the training was. I was able to call on the necessary skill sets which I had garnered over my life time and navigate the rough seas skilfully.

In February I was also reported to Mr. Jim Weir because a person stopped by our classroom one day, the sex of the person was indeterminate – spoke like a woman and was dressed like a man. So I enquired about the sex of the person. Next thing I know I was being called in a meeting about the matter. However, Mr. Weir would not ask me a direct question. So I got directly to the point. So I cleared up all the issues about my being homophobic. Mr. Weir should be able to confirm this meeting since it was his meeting.

DISCRIMINATORY BEHAVIOUR OF RESOURCE OFFICER

The behaviour of Kim Do as a Resource Officer (RO) was clearly discriminatory. She had proven herself to be very unprofessional during my training period. She attempted to give me contrary information on the preparation of a T1Ben during the period we were taking calls as trainees. I advise her that I would proceed as per the training. She was none too please.

In February shortly after completion of training on the second occasion I had reason to ask her a question because my assigned RO Puneet was at break. The question was on Bankruptcy, the first thing that happened was that one of her team members a gentleman of Asian descent came while I was waiting on her and she proceeded to deal with him first and to brush me aside without handling my question properly, resulting in my not dealing with the Taxpayer properly. I spoke to my RO about the Ladies attitude and he said I should deal with Mr. Toone a route I did not take because they were all associates. Ms Do was also constantly following me around the place, I would go to the washroom she would turn up there, I would go to the kitchen again she appears. It was too frequent to be coincidental.

On another occasion in March when I worked overtime with her on the third floor when I needed her to resolve a matter I could not find her even after searching for five (5) minutes. This can be verified by checking your in house overtime scheduling records.

Subsequent to the training, on the final occasion, before I wrote an email to Mr. Toone advising that I am requesting that I not be scheduled for overtime when Miss Do was working. I worked overtime on the seventh (7



th) floor she was the Resource Officer I asked her a question about Mismatch Accounts she gave me an inadequate answer. On going to look for her to have a further discussion on the matter, she was nowhere to be found. I had to go looking for another Resource Officer (along with Mr. Raviraj another Taxpayer Services Agent), we found Mr. Noel who explained the matter comprehensively. Hence, I was able to coin the phrase Mismatch. So I wrote Mr. Toone and copied her Manager Veronika Diszhazy and Mr. Jim Weir who I taught was still the Programs Services Manager. All these emails are to be found in my email box under my CRA email address.

COMMENCEMENT OF JOB

During the orientation and training we were advised that we were allowed:
to be at our desk fifteen (15) minutes before our shift began
that there was a break between shifts in the case of desk sharing
reading time of fifteen (15) minutes were allotted during the course of the day

In the first instance I was placed on a team on which I was the only Jamaican among many other nations predominantly Pakistani and Indians. The Team Manager Peter Toone was obviously taken from the Traffic Department not for his skills as a Team leader but for his knowledge of the Traffic Programme so that at all times while on the computer I would be monitored.

We were placed on the floors after the buddying period in the last week of February. On the floor we shared space with another team-Team Edmonton. We were advised that they finished at 2:45 p.m. and that we started at 2:45 p.m. and we should be there by 2:30 p.m. and be ready to sign on at 2:45 p.m.

Since I have every intention of garnering as much knowledge as possible to be at my most effective; I enquired about the reading time and was told by Mr. Toone that there was none allotted. We were expected to use the few minutes available between the last call after 9 p.m. and going home at 9:15 p.m. in the event there was any time available. I asked for that in writing and he sent out a convoluted email to the effect. This is also stored in my email records at my CRA email address or Mr. Toone should be able to retrieve it.

However, I worked around this by using my break time and coming in early even though I was expected to be there only fifteen (15) minutes before the time) and going on the computer and getting caught up with the current information and going over any area that I did not handle well.

At this point my surveillance was heightened. I was placed on the Ninth (9th) floor just below the Director’s Office. The Director started to work the night shift. I had a Security personnel occupying the booth across from me.




One day I went to the kitchen the Director and her Security Personnel came in. She washed her hands, stared at me and the Security Personnel did some fancy move to dispose of a piece of paper in the garbage bin. I don’t know if I should have been intimidated I was more amused This behaviour for management was strange to me.

This was my life while I worked in booth 9-080 - Several feet from the Director’s Office on the Ninth (9th) Floor

While I am in the booth someone is always checking up on me every ten to fifteen (10-15) minutes. They were Mr. Neil Shellapata, Peter Toone, David Jean, Puneet Aurora, Edmonton Team Manager, Security, The Director, Sheryl the Executive Assistant, Raviraj, David Gallant and the relief Resource Officer. I noticed Mr. Shellapata and David jean followed me around constantly especially while I was on training. As soon I was off the phone I would see him popping up somewhere. When I was coming from the washroom he would also just be coming through the door. Thank God for the invention of the cellular telephone there would always be someone texting in the hallway. It happened too often to be a coincidence. While I was on Call Simulation training in February Mr. Shellapata came before my desk and walked from end to end for about half an hour listening to me. I saw him doing this to no one else.


When I went on break or went to the washrooms you had various members of the different teams following me around. Another Caucasian girl I did not get her name; Kim Do, who worked with Veronika Diszhazy – Manager Winnipeg Team On two (2) occasions in April I saw her putting Hannah a black girl from my team Team Victoria in the room that I sat and took my break. I moved out of the room and went into a little quiet area. I saw Veronika placing Hannah in this area.

I would go to the prayer room to pray during the days. When I started to use the room it was always empty except for some gentlemen that would come in and then leave after a few minutes. When everyone realized that I prayed regularly at least twice per day while I was on the building the room began to have a constant stream of Muslims. There was a young man by the name of Mark Umadat from my team who religiously followed me to the prayer room every evening during the month of April. I changed my time to test my theory and sure enough once I headed that way two (2) minutes and he would be in there with me. The problem with this Umadat person is that he was always making some intelligible sounds that were not conducive to quiet meditation. So I left the room to him and stayed on the ninth (9



th) floor. Hence, I saw Veronika, Hannah, Peter Toone and an Indian who read the Bible. The Security gentleman also turned up in the Computer room next to the quiet room I occupied. So being tired of this constant harassment I stayed at my desk during my break time and knelt in my office and prayed to my Jesus. Everyone was still watching but at least they could not encroach on my three (3) feet of space.

I also had people who constantly followed me to the washrooms and lunch rooms. It did not matter what floor I was on once I entered the building people were informed so I had people awaiting me in the passages etc. I had a Caucasian lady who would just come and sit in the lunch room and watch me. I am sorry I did not get her name. Obviously I was using too much paper towel and soap because I noticed this was not replenished when she stopped coming. Various people took over from her. An Indian gentleman, a guy in a wheel chair, Kim Do and Ian the young man of Jamaican descent from the Winnipeg Team managed by Veronika Diszhazy who was constantly in the lunch room trying to quiz me on personal matters. He had the gall to ask me if I shopped at Food Basics. When I saw that he was getting a bit personal I just did my break at my desk.
When all this did not work a long time friend of mine who I had placed as my emergency contact turned up on my email; (See Exhibit 2) asking me about the job. I said I was good. Then I saw her turn up at my desk. I greeted her and she left. Then she started turning up on the same floor as I. She met me in the washroom (supposedly coincidentally) she said nothing I said nothing. I did what I came to do and left. Do you know how many emails I have sent this young lady just greeting her and inviting her to things and she ignored them because she knew I was down on my luck. My last day at work on April 30 she was placed directly across from me.

The other person David Gallant was a spy who did not leave me. He copied everything I said and reported on everything I did. He did not leave his desk once I was at mine. His booth was adjacent to mine.

The other person Raviraj was also a plant who must have been seeking extension of his contract because he started following me around in April. He was particularly disgusting.

I will now outline a number of specific violations of my rights:

January 21 -We were advised that Ms. Raymond the Lecturer was ill. There was nothing planned for the class. The Assistant Atif Khan did something. This was the same gentleman who started harassing me. Telling me that I was pronouncing his name incorrectly. I was saying ‘Oohtif’ instead of ‘Aahtif’. By doing this the gentleman was stereotyping me. Indirectly saying that I was putting



an ‘o’ where an ‘a’ should be. This being a speech impediment of many Jamaicans. It was after the second incident on the 9th that I realized what was happening and started calling him Mr. Khan.
February 27 -I did overtime for the first time on the eight (8th) floor Newfoundland desk number 153. I was given an extremely slow computer. I had to report this to Mr. Richard Caddoo. It took over twelve minutes for the computer to start working.
March 10 -Puneet Aurora my Resource Officer started watching me
-lost a call because someone was playing with the phone
March 11 -At a Team Meeting chaired by Mr. Toone we were advised of timings in operations. We now had had Fifteen (15) Minutes Reading time
Thirty (30) minutes lunch – not paid for
Fifteen (15) minutes miscellaneous
Fifteen (15) washrooms etc
I was advised that my adherence was too high. This was going back to the original policy as per Orientation Session.
March 18 -Systems problem up to 3 p.m.
Box was plugged out
Switch was plugged out
Telephone and computer equipment were disconnected.
8:02 p.m. Peter Toone listened to my calls and could not find any fault
March 20 -Overtime Saturday I was given a desk that was like a pig sty. I could not believe that of all the hundreds of empty desks in the office I was targeted and given the dirtiest desk in the office. The odour and filth started affecting my breathing. I had to speak to Carole Willis who said there was nothing that could be done about the environment. This was my first introduction to this lady. So she suggested that I changed desk because I told her I could not continue to compromise my health by sitting at that desk. During the week I noticed a memorandum was sent out on email about the clean desk policy. This because they knew their plans. However, my question is how can you have a clean desk policy that you know is being clearly violated?
March 29 -Veronika Diszhazy and Kim Do in charge of overtime.
April 06 -I was assigned desk 7-016 on the seventh (7th) floor. However, when I turned up Raviraj was in my booth. He behaved quite arrogantly when I told him he was in the wrong booth. I wasted an extra ten (10) minutes waiting on him to get off the computer and signing on. I sent an email to the person in charge once I was live. This was the first time it had happened so I did not realize at the time that this was a part of the strategy to harass me. I was also fed a steady stream of Canadian Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) calls. I handled them well seeing I had not gotten any training.
April 07 -Overtime – I was assigned Desk 3:074 when I arrived the desk was occupied. The person sitting at the desk said it was her assigned desk. So I was



moved to Desk 3:066 instead of 3:074. The assigned Resource Officer Andrew Lee was no where in sight. So I had no Resource Officer. I went to the Manager Shazia, who advised that he was walking the floor. Of course I am the only black person all this is happening to. I am also the only Jamaican in the vicinity. All Indians, Pakistanis and Caucasians.
April 09 -I went to the bathroom after doing my time sheets. I took an extended break. There were already two (2) ladies waiting for me to turn up. I just ignored them as usual and did my business.
April 12 -Another method of harassment was to have me on hold for an extended period in the process of transferring calls to the different tiers. I advised my Manager that I would only be making warm transfers. So when I called the different tiers I would be kept on hold for an extended period with the other person at the end of the line. So on this particular date Centre of Expertise (COE) kept me on hold for eight (8) minutes before the person at the other end answered. This happened time and time again. On a particular occasion on doing a transfer Christina the person who is supposed to have been one of the Trainer; asked if I had made a note pad on the call. I advised her that this was not necessary as told by her when I was being trained since it was a straight Taxpayer transfer. She behaved most inappropriately by sending me an email which I referred to my Resource Officer. The emails are to be found on my records. The emails between Raphleta/Christina/Puneet
April 13 -I had a sloppy call from a supposedly difficult old lady. This was supposed to be a training call but I found this person particularly offensive. She was not out to train but to harass and humiliate. When she saw that she could not get through to the Jamaican black woman she did all sort of foolishness. I have never come away from any of her calls feeling edified; only feeling intensely harassed.
April 16 -Tier 2 blocked all my transfers.
April 14 -I was again stationed on the seventh (7th) floor -All I had were CCTB and Tier 2 calls. All these people tried to do was frustrate this Jamaican black woman but they did not seem to realize that I like a challenge. In addition, all the Resource Officers were working because it became ‘All Hands o Deck once I hit the floor. So I sat and waited on the Resource Officer that was the system after all. The management has no regard either for the Taxpayer or this Jamaican Black woman. Their sole job was to harass me every opportunity they got. I also had problems with the TSAD this being the main software system. It started disappearing from my desktop.
April 15 -On this day I was given a letter to say that my contract ended on May 3, 2010.
April 19 -Overtime Desk assigned Seventh (7



th) floor - 7-080. The young man Mark Umadat that follows me all around and into the prayer room was at my desk signing on. So after I had spoken to Mr. De La Cruz I wrote him and told him to have them desist from doing this. I told him to have those guys in traffic stop wasting my time; since this was happening to no one else but me; the Jamaican Black Woman. I also noticed that they had surrounded me with all these Indians, Pakistanis and Caucasians to spy on my every action and repeat my every word because the training was so poor.
April 22 -There was a meeting to say who would be extended; of course all the spies were extended. So I congratulated them on being successful in being extended. We all knew it had nothing to do with performance. I did not say the latter. Unfortunately, everyone seems to have been dissatisfied that I was not upset.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

In April, I was handed a completed Performance Appraisal and told to read and sign. It was obvious that whoever had put the review together was not quite aware of my sex because it mentioned him in one section.

It was also a very negative appraisal in which my strengths were reflected in a very negative light. Case in point ‘Your adherence is too high’, a rational individual would write that Miss Taylor meets and exceeds performance targets. The conclusion to the assessment was that the Manager was “unable to assess” my performance. I found that matters had gotten quite ludicrous.

So I refused to sign the appraisal and in my own comments wrote that I would be more than willing to sign when the appraisal was done in an objective manner based on the core values of the CRA which were Professionalism, Respect, Integrity and Consistency, and handed it to my Manager.
Unfortunately, I was not given a copy of the Performance Appraisal; however, I requested a copy after my dismissal and was told by Mr. David Jean that it was sent to the Best Buy Store closest to me. I can get a text of the conversation from my phone company if the Agency desires it.


CULMINATION OF THE MATTER

On the 27th April, I wrote Mr. Peter Toone advising that I would be coming in late on the 29th because I had some business to take care of.

On the 28



th I got an email from a person by the name of Sandra Zabda this is the first time I am knowing of this person; the topic of the email was that she wanted me to attend a ‘Fact Finding Meeting’. So I advised that I already had an appointment for the 29th and was unsure that I would be able to make it to her meeting. She replied demanding that I make it to her meeting and that I take a Union Representative. I have not completed three (3) months in the organization but this lady wanted me to get an Union Representative.

In addition, my contact with persons such as Matt Downer who had just become a Director in the Union had left me very sceptical about any sort of impartial representation. On the 29th when I returned to work Mr. Toone called me into his office and was questioning me about my activities where I went and who I saw and was getting very personal and seeking my time lines.

So I gave him very scanty information about my times at the Subway because I knew his questions were a violation of my privacy. On the 30th I was called to a meeting in Sandra Zabda’s office. I went and she had the Administrative Assistant Sheryl (I think her name is). After the formalities about the meeting being a fact finding meeting and the fact that they can get Union Representation for me; she brought up three incidents:

Incident I

Mention was made of the email I had written to Mr. Toone about my not wanting to work overtime when Miss Kim Do was the Resource Officer and copied Jim Weir and her Manager Veronika Diszhazy. I have already explained her behaviour.

I said no comment.

Incident 2

The fact that I asked Mr. Toone to tell everyone to ‘cough’ softer; when he told me to stop playing CDs, because this was against company policy. I asked him to provide me with the regulations because when I went into his office he was always playing music. When Mr. Noel acted as Resource Officer he also played music.

I started playing my CDs because after getting my end of contract letter on April 15, and I wrote in my journal of work that I hoped they would stop harassing me and I continued working to the best of my ability in a bad situation. The team started chain coughing. The young man at the front would start. Then everyone else would continue one by one on a continuous basis. So when Mr. Toone kept telling me to turn down my CD even when it was at the lowest level. I advised him that to turn it down any further he would have to advise the other members of the team to cough softer.

I said no comment




Incident 3

After the fourth (4th) incident of going to my desk 3:018 on April 28th and being told by the person sitting there that she would be training and being advised to go to the seventh (7th) floor to the Traffic Department to find out what is happening again. I saw Mr. Matt Downer lurking in the background out of sight thinking that I would not see him. Mr. Peter Jeffrey asked me what was the problem and Andrew Lee and another little young man who seems to be a major idler were following me all over the place.

So I went to the seventh (7th) floor and I told the young man in the traffic Department (I gather from the meeting that his name was Louis) that they should stop wasting my time. I could be window shopping. I also asked him to ensure that the next day I was assigned to a desk. He proceeded to find a desk for me on the seventh (7th) floor with all the ladies as my body guard and I was given a lot of Tier 2 calls. I am always very courteous to the Taxpayer knowing that it is not their fault for any mishaps taking place internally.

I said no comment

The meeting took five (5) minutes because I had no comment to make. I asked if I could get a copy of the Minutes of the meeting and was told I should have taken my own notes. I left and went back to work.

In the afternoon Mr. Toone came to my desk advising that Ms. Zabda had sent me an email asking me to come to her office. I told him I had not seen any. He told me I should accompany him. I found out while accompanying him that he wanted the pleasure of taking me to her office openly to be told that that I would not be rehired. No email was sent. I also saw Carole Willis, Andrew Lee and another young man.

I went to my desk and continued working. In the evening I handed over my equipment and I came home. Now I am suing for wrongful dismissal because it is very clear that I was targeted because of my case with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario against the Region of Peel and the VPI which mentioned the CRA. Obviously people thought after I was offered the work at CRA one (1) year and two (2) months (See Exhibit 1) after I should have been hired in a flimsy contract I should have been so grateful that I should have dropped the case. It is also apparent to me that members of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and people at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are in close contact. That is the reason they wanted to know where I went on April 29 because I called the HRTO from where I was to ask about my file. The case with the Human Rights has now been dropped but for some reason the all round harassment continues.

In all of this I would like to highlight some positives:




Mr. Jeffrey a very knowledgeable, impartial and professional person. The only problem is that he should keep his personal opinion of the management that way personal.
Aaron the trainer of the other class. A very prudent young man which if channelled properly has a far way to go in the organization.
Michael a very knowledgeable and professional Resource Officer. The Agency needs to take advantage of his no nonsense attitude and his knowledge base. He should be a Manager.
Last but by no means least Ms. Raymond, a brilliant young lady quite knowledgeable, she needs to channelled and groomed properly



Raphleta Taylor (Miss)


Once again, this is me Lillene’s baby girl coming to you from up here in the true north. 

Monday 11 September 2017

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIGH PLACES......Numbers 33 verses 52 - 53


INTRODUCTION
Oooooooooh la la, mon peuple it is that time of the month again.  More hard food, people we want to prevent high places developing in our lives and based on the discourse attack those that are present. As promised in last month's Blog we are dealing with household wickedness which is ever so present in my life at this time. Let us start by listening to Making War in the Heavenlies - by Ron Kenoly


Household Wickedness
I tell you people the Holy Spirit had to do a Nehemiah on me again in order to wake me up.  I remember one gentleman writing me an email in 2009 and accusing me of carelessness.  I had not a clue what was taking place. Now I have learnt to trust the Spirit, and when I don’t I am in trouble.
A number of things have been taking place in my accommodation. However, I have been so busy learning French vocabulary, conjugation of French verbs and trying to develop a business I got very careless.  The same reason I was so slow in catching on with the tapping of my telephone. Have my apologies my friends.  I put you all to great risk for that I am truly repentant.
After having my ears boxed and the few hairs that I have left yanked I sat down and started evaluating.  This is that small inner voice: Raphleta, Raphleta remember what took place in Mississauga.
  1. The pink stubs on your hairbrush are not leaving because your hair has grown taller or thicker in fact it is quite the opposite.  You have been losing hair recently and we know why. Don’t we?
  2. Your toothbrushes have not been losing the middles because your saliva has suddenly become acidic. God forbids!
  3. Your body wash is not full of soap suds because they have changed the formula. Raphleta!
  4. Your lily (my plant) when it came into your room was flourishing, Raphleta, remember persons tried to kill your plants.  That is why your plant has been changing colour.  People, I keep a piece of lily everywhere I go because they are a hardy plant that does not need a lot of care.  All I have to do is speak to the plant and it flourishes (yes people I speak to my plants and the birds etc.).  It also reminds me of Jamaica everyone has a piece of lily.  In addition, it reminds me that Jesus in the Lily of the valley and bright morning star etc.
  5. I had a necklace it suddenly developed wings and flew off, it is nowhere to be found.
  6. My favourite BLACK jeans that I left in my room was torn up. I mean my BLACK jeans. Can you believe it? MY BLACK JEANS!! That is high treason!!
  7. My USB fell to the floor in my room and said I would look for it at a more convenient time.  The convenient time has come and it nowhere to be found.
  8. My Tide laundry detergent getting lighter and I am not using it.
I am aware of what is taking place because the Pastor of a church I used to attend would say I am a Pharmacist by training and he had other Pharmacists in his leadership. I have been the victim of not only serious African bush medicine but the synthetic one also. Setting wicked things before his eyes and then talking about "Jesus Christ is the head of this Church.
Let me give you examples of what has taken place in the past why I am so adamant that these people have to be stopped in their tracks. I will look at five instances.  I will be brief and just treat this as a trailer to my book.  The book outline is 28 pages. In Jamaica I had written the final chapter but my loving brother borrowed my USB and it came back with my last chapter deleted and a virus on my USB. Everything that I will be writing can be verified by seeking documents from the Landlord and Tenant Board at Robert Speck Parkway in Mississauga, The Ontario Human Rights Commission or the Canadian Human Rights Commission.  If you need my signature all you have to do is ask. Here goes:
3267 Crimson King Circle, Mississauga L5N 8M8
Quite a few things took place at this accommodation most nights I had to call the Region of Peel Police of course, I got nowhere because of the collusion. Most times I came home my door was opened these people just went in and out of my residence with impunity.  The Region of Peel Police have the list of occurrences on file. Things came to a head one night in October 2008 I got up one morning and the floor looked very glassy.  When i placed my foot on the floor i realized that that my basement apartment was flooded. I got up went and looked in the other apartment across the way and found that the pipe was left on. I touched nothing.  I went into my apartment did my devotion got dressed and left. My books which were on the ground was destroyed and a piece of garment. When I returned in the evening the apartment was dry. The judge at the Landlord and Tenant Board ruled against me.
3928 Rippleton Lane, Mississauga
Things went well in this accommodation only for a season. I had to go to the doctor because things were being placed in my food and water without my knowledge.  It became so bad I could not use the bathroom. People are trying the same thing again but this time I have Dr. Cindy Trimm’s prayer. I went to the walk-In Clinic at Meadowvale Town Centre.  The one at Winston Churchill Boulevard.  Dr Ipshad (or whatever her name is) would prescribe the most expensive medications for me. When I went to the pharmacy the Pharmacist asked do you have any money? Why did the doctor prescribe the most expensive medication for you? There are generic brands. He gave me a bottle of the generic brand. I started working shortly after unfortunately, I wrote my goals in my journal.  You think i would learn by now to stop writing down things. The next thing I knew after I had paid the lady all the money I owed her. I came home one night and the door was closed, there was a note on the door saying I had been evicted and my things were in the garage.  The garage was closed. This was February 27, 2010 at 11:30 p.m. I had just completed a two and a half hour commute from Toronto.  February is one of the coldest month in Canada.  In fact there was a snow storm the next day which was a Saturday. It was my birthday that is why I remembered so clearly. I had to get the police to assist me to get my panties. I subsequently had to take out a restraining order against this lady because she decided that she had not terrorized me enough. This lady is a Christian. Lord help my Holy Ghost!!
80 Acorn Place, Apartment #1, Mississauga
All those pictures that you have seen were taken in this location. The ones where I was cringing under the blanket because of the cold. The Pastor of the church said he had to put newspaper in his window in England to keep out the cold.  The seals on my window were broken and the temperature lowered. I placed my coat in the window seals to no avail. The ones with my hair sticking up you have to speak to God about that he gave me kink hair. I am in my bedroom it is my business how I want to keep my hair. The nude ones you are also going to have to speak to God about them. He made me.  I just thank Him that I still have all things and they are all functional. I know people who would not complain about being as complete as I am. The ones with my little blouse; one morning I got up and my chest was full of fungus. I told you i wash the victim of bush medicine.  I went to the Walk-In Clinic again, this time Dr. Ipshad did not deal with me, a young doctor did.  He prescribed a dandruff shampoo and a useless cream. I used to walk around with the prescription. I burnt it so that people would leave me alone, to no avail. I had to use garlic to get off the spots I still have three. I could not wear any clothes. I would have made a nice garlic sandwich if you place me between two slices of bread. Now, people you can ask then to show you the pictures of me in church. I know some of you have already seen them. I see you dressing like me. All they did I missed not one week of church.
3170 Dover Crescent, Mississauga
My heart really went out for this lady because she was ill and the people harassed the life out of the lady and her son with all their evil. Persons knew that I like President Obama so with their sarcastic selves they placed a picture of his beautiful smiling face in the dining room right by the door where I exited or entered the room. For they know not what they did!! Every time I passed I would salute and say Le président or El Presidente. The sick lady would be in her bed and would be looking at me. I am sure she was saying people are trying to destroy this lady and she is saluting President Obama. I did it for the better. I knew not where and when the picture disappeared.
In that house I had to throw away 16 pounds of rice.  I left a bag of rice and when I came back it was opened, people were trying too hard to kill me so I disposed of the thing.
180 Chalkfarm Drive, North York, ON
By this time I had realized a little of what was happening, so all the booby traps were ineffective. Resulting, in persons wanting to displace me by fair means or foul.  The Landlord did all kinds of illegal things eventually the police came. I remember I called the police and an officer came.  This big Caucasian officer went into the kitchen and said “I see a roach”. I said “ Yes and that is one of the reason I called you I am being harassed.” When the two officers came they were reluctant to displace me because they realized that what was  happening was illegal. So, headquarters sent another officer. Ooooh la la, all I saw was the Gestapo, Taser and all. For those of you who don't know who the Gestapos were.  They were the enforcers of the Third Reich (Nazis).  They did all Hitler’s atrocities, gas chambers, mass shooting experimental human operations etc. I was also reading how someone was Tasered to death at an airport.  I got up and went patiently saying girl, you will live to fight another day.  Not being satisfied with my just walking out the apartment.  Rommel (the Gestapo police officer) told the other officers to handcuff me.  I was placed in the back of a police car and driven the long way to the police station.  I was released after 9 p.m. shaking my right fist and shouting amandla!! amandla!! I then went in the week and got my mug shots.
Persons have a tendency to deliberately set up believers specially to do all sort of despicable things and then talk about walk in love, when their weapons come to naught. This serpentine spirit to break down one's guard in order to attack again.  Dr. Cindy Trimm mentioned it in her "Atomic Power of Prayer" and I quote
"I take authority over human spirits which are being used as demonic host hotels and guest houses, whether they are friends, relatives, business partners, colleagues, associates, spiritual sons and daughters and protégés. Father expose their hearts, expose their motives and intentions of fake friends in the name of Jesus and associates and employees and colleagues. Bring their masquerade to a halt. Uncover their true identity, expose their hidden agenda. Reveal the driving forces behind their diabolical assignments. Let evil enquiries, fault finding mission, astral-projections and suggestions fail (X2). Let them fail NOW!... In the name of Jesus, Father we decree and declare that your hand is stretched forth causing the evil eyes of satanic surveyors and surveillance to be blinded. Destroy envious rivalry and competition. Break the backbones of conspiracy, tyranny and treachery. Blind satanic watches, and those that interfere through the use of astrological and cultic devices. Cause the ears of eavesdropping spirits to become deaf. We resist antagonistic spirits and ancient spirits, irritating spirits, irrational spirits, argumentative spirits, frustrating spirits, retaliatory spirits, provocatory spirits, lying spirits, defying spirits, deceptive spirits, hallelujah to be destroyed. Every abortive spirit, Philistine spirits, Amorite spirits, Pharoahic spirit be destroyed.  We come against mind numbing and controlling spirits and prohibit you from operating. Divide their tongues and bring their plans to naught.   Put to shame those that seek our demise, in the name of Jesus."
Read the prayer in its entirety it is right on!! I was lead to it by the Spirit of God when I returned to Jamaica.
Dr. Moses Aransiola has said and I agree, after you have turned the second cheek the Bible is silent on what to do.  This is not about black and white but about people's misguided notions of domination.  The Crusaders did it to the Moors, Hitler did it to the Jews, Botha did it to the Africans and McDonald did it to the First Nations.  Good people turned their backs then they will continue to do so now. Whatever demonic and diabolic contracts people have made among themselves they need to go and sort it out.  I was not a part of the negotiations. I left Canada and returned home not knowing that the Nazis had gone ahead of me and formed demonic alliances with the gun runners and drug lords in Jamaica other wise called politicians and businessmen who harassed the life out of me. I have returned to finish this. I took no money from anyone in fact they have stolen all that I have. Like Naboth in 1 Kings 21 I plan to die for my garden if I have to. We are going to tear down every high thing that wants to exalt itself against the knowledge of God.  I have left your churches leave me alone. As I have already said the person with the experience is not at the mercy of the person with the argumentation.
You can bring all the dogs you want with your Hitler selves so I can feed them with poisoned samosas.
REFLECTIONS
As per usual going through the Bible and of course as one goes through the books of I and II Kings one of the significant event in the lives of the Kings which determines their righteousness was if they pulled down the high places. The Bible would say King so and so walked in his father's footsteps and did evil in the eyes of God and cause the children of Israel to sin and to worship in the High Places or king so and so did right in the eyes of God and worshipped God and pulled down the high places.
We will be looking at a definition/description of high places and look at the modern day high places which are in people's' hearts.
CRITICAL DEFINITION
High Places – mentioned in the Bible 117 times. The word literally translates in Hebrew bamah, or plural bamot. Bamah means "place of worship". Mountain top, open-air altars on elevated knolls near towns. According to I Kings 14 verse 23, the Canaanites "built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree." Based on this scripture it would indicate that the high places are all encompassing and speak to the intent of the place. In Genesis 21 verse 33 Abraham built a grove and worshipped and there was nothing wrong which indicates also how a good thing can become bad.
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE HIGH PLACES
  • It was often on the hill above the town, as at Ramah I Samuel 9 verses 12 - 14
  • There was a stele (matzevah), the seat of the deity
  • A wooden post or pole (asherah, named after the goddess Asherah), which marked the place as sacred and was itself an object of worship
  • There was a stone altar, often of considerable size and hewn out of the solid rock or built of unhewn stones (Exodus 20 verse 25 on which offerings were burnt (mizbeh, lit. "slaughter place")
  • A cistern of water
  • Optional low stone tables for dressing the victims
  • Sometimes a hall for the sacrificial feasts
WHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE HIGH PLACES
The high places were places of religious worship.  Five religious activities occurred here:
  1. Animal sacrifices 1 Kings 3 verse 2
  2. Prostitution Jeremiah 3 verse 2
  3. The burning of incense 1 Kings 3 verse 3
  4. Sons and daughters walking through fire  Jeremiah 32 verse 35
In addition, it appears that there were sacred pillars at the high places 2 Kings 17 verse 8 - 12. These appear to be carved pillars depicting the female goddess of fertility and male deities. It appears that each high place had priests Numbers 22 verse 41.
Not all high places were dedicated to idol worship. They played a major role in Israelite worship, and the earliest biblical mention of a site of worship, later called a “high place,” is found in  Genesis 12 verses 6 - 8 where Abram built altars to the Lord at Shechem and Hebron. Abraham built an altar in the region of Moriah to sacrifice his son there in obedience to God Genesis 22 verses 1 - 2. This site is traditionally believed to be the same high place where the temple of Jerusalem was built. Jacob set up a stone pillar to the Lord at Bethel Genesis 28 verses 18 - 19, and Moses met God on Mt. Sinai Exodus 19 verses 1 - 3.
THE GODS WORSHIPPED AT THE ANCIENT HIGH PLACES
The Jews were commanded by God to tear down every high place.  Today we might not have physical high places in terms of the Christian religion (I can't speak for the others). The parallel today would be 'ism idols' - rampant materialism, impure sexism or me-ism.
Moses' exhortation to destroy the High Places Numbers 33 verses 52, 55.
Why was God so concerned about these mythical Canaanite deities? Below is a list of just some of the gods that were worshipped in these high places.
  • El—supreme head of the Canaanite pantheon of gods, supposedly the father of creation.
  • Baal—lord of earth and rain (prerequisites for successful harvest in a dry land).
  • Ashtoreth—goddess of fertility. Canaanite farmers visited her shrines to mate with cult prostitutes to guarantee crop fertility.
  • Dagon—principal god of the Philistines. Dgn means grain in Hebrew and Ugaritic and is associated with wheat harvest. In 1 Chronicles 10 verses 8 - 10, when the Philistines found King Saul’s dead body on Mount Gilboa, they “fastened his head in the house of Dagon.” This was the same Dagon in 1 Samuel 5 verses 3 - 4 that fell before the Ark of  God and when they placed him upright again he was decimated he lost his head and his palms.
  • Molech (Moloch, Milcom)—Ammonite god to whom children were sacrificed. At Gezer, archaeologists have found clay jars containing the charred bones of babies.
  • Chemosh—a Moabite deity, “honored with horribly cruel rites like those of Molech, to whom children were sacrificed in the fire” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary).
  • That’s just six of 26 major Canaanite gods and goddesses! Thank God for Jesus I have trouble keeping up to the one, I don’t know what I would do with so many. High places were not harmless shrines—God’s people were seduced to flagrant sin at these altars. Isaiah rebuked them: “Are you not children of rebellion … who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter the children in the ravines?” (Isaiah 57 verses 4 - 5).
King Solomon succumbed to wheedling from his Canaanite wives and built a high place for Chemosh and Molech on the mountain east of Jerusalem.
DEALING WITH THE HIGH PLACES – TWO EXEMPLARY KINGS.
King Hezekiah put paid to 800 years of idol accommodation he reigned from 715 to 686 B.C. 215 years after Solomon's collapse 2 Kings 18 -20. However, I prefer the story of King Josiah to say he was thorough is an understatement 2 Kings 22 - 23. This young King was classical far surpassing King Hezekiah his great grandfather. He reigned 641 to 609 B.C.
  • REPENTANCE
The Canaanites were dispossessed because of their wickedness not because of the goodness of the Jews. Deuteronomy 9 verse 5. God is not casual towards sin especially idol worship.
The Jews were casual about idolatrous high places for 800 years. For example, King Solomon as he grew older his wives "turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God" 1 Kings 11 verse 4. And then he built a high place for his wives.
The idols in King Solomon's life which ultimately lead him to idolatry.  There is nothing wrong with being wealthy some of the fathers of faith were very wealthy, Abraham, King David and Job. However, if your possessions become more important than the God you serve it is an idol.  I am of the opinion that is the reason most rich Pastors can't speak out these days.  They are too bound by the system.  You can't challenge a system that you depend on.
King Solomon's idols according to 1 Kings 10:
  1. Power and control – All the kings around him were subdued.
  2. Money and riches – Silver was as stone (some of us can't even buy an ounce now).
  3. Knowledge and wisdom – Wisest men in the Old Testament.
  4. Sex and women – The fellow had stamina seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.
Like King Solomon, we might give ourselves permission to float with temptation but still try to retain a vibrant heart for God. But King Solomon, could not and we cannot either. The more we entertain worldly high places in our hearts, the more our love for God slips away.
The first thing King Josiah did was repented when he found out that the nation was in deep sin.  He tore his garments. This is reminiscent of Daniel 9 for we have sinned.
  • DIRECTION FROM A TRUSTED GODLY SOURCE
Overcoming of sin is difficult when one dwells in the sin. However, if you trust in the character of God through His word especially 1 John 1 verse 9.  However, having confessed where does one go from there because the Bible says in 1 Peter 5 verse 8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
From King Solomon to King Hezekiah thirty kings (twelve in Judah and eighteen in Israel) did not remove the high places. Kings Asa and Jehoshaphat failed to remove the high places from the land. However; Kings Hezekiah and Josiah were of a different ilk in his walk with God and told himself that past failures should not dictate their future.
King Josiah went further than King Hezekiah the Priests who should have been the trusted spiritual leaders in the land had obviously missed it terribly.  He sought guidance from a trusted Prophetess relative to the keeper of the wardrobe 2 Kings 22 verse 14.  Thank God for the Rhoda's (in the book of Acts while everyone was praying she went to look for the answer, the expectation of the righteous shall not be cut off) and the Huldah's able to maintain their purity even in time of apostasy. God will not leave Himself without a witness.
  • DECISIVE LEADERSHIP
I love this one, there's an old African saying: To travel fast – go alone. To travel far- go with others.
Instead of haranguing the nation to avoid the high places.  King Hezekiah recruited the Levites. In every Church God will have a remnant. The task of the Levites was skinning animals and assisting the Priests in holy convocations. Within sixteen days the Levites dramatically cleaned the temple in Jerusalem of Canaanite worship paraphernalia.  King Hezekiah then had a massive celebration and the Levites "sang praises with joy" 2 Chronicles 29 verse 30.
Then, King Hezekiah invited everyone to a Passover Celebration in Jerusalem, the reaction to this was mixed. Some came some did not. However, a historic seven-day Passover Celebration was held in Jerusalem. The people were so moved they spontaneously traveled to the cities of Judah to breakdown Asherim poles and destroy the high places and altars 2 Chronicles 31 verse 1. It started with a few persons who were sold out to the purposes who were willing to support King Hezekiah in following the Lord wholeheartedly.
However, in contrast King Josiah took the leadership of the nation church and state (one and the same) along with the people and went directly to the temple went over the law and sought wholesale repentance. The people repented and an extensive clean up began right back to the days of King Solomon. Even the things that King Hezekiah had overlooked. 2 Kings 23 verse 7 – they cleared the temple of the male prostitutes there is nothing new under the sun, they are in the Church no fire in the pulpits. Read about the full clean up in 2 Kings 23. King Josiah was motivated.  I like a person who is motivated. If anything is worth doing it is worth doing well.

It is highly recommended not to walk alone spiritually.  The book of Proverbs says "iron sharpens iron"  Proverbs 27 verse 17. The Master Himself sent out His disciples in pairs. St. Luke 10 verse 1 . The ideal situation would be to study with friends or attend a Bible study of substance.
The other thing would be to have a Pastor that one can confide in. However, the scriptures say there are many instructors but few fathers 1 Corinthians 4 verse 15
 
  • KEEP THY HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE

Kings Hezekiah and Josiah didn't merely exhort people to stop going to high places. Instead they restored true, God-centered worship at the temple, and the people realized that they need not worship Baal or Ashtoreth  2 Chronicles 29 - 30

When dealing with sin one has to find a God pleasing substitute instead of focusing on the sin. It follows logically focusing on a negative situation only magnifies it. Focus on the solution and magnify the solution.  Psalm 34 verse 14

CONCLUSION
I am so glad that I have done this topic because I have had questions about the matter of walking through fire.  One popular motivational speaker does this practice and a number of persons who have done this have been recommending it. This is a heathen practice.
Let us be reminded of one of the second commandment in the Bible
Exodus 20:4-6King James Version (KJV)
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Believers today avoid obvious high places but indulge in respectable sins.
Galatians 5:19-21King James Version (KJV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Even though Abraham and Moses did things in the mountains; coming into the promise land the reason the Canaanites were disposed was because of their evil practices.  God is light and there is no darkness in Him.  If You don't trust His hand trust His heart. The directive given by Moses in the topical scripture was for their protection.
In like manner the instructions are still relevant today we are at an advantage we have the Holy Spirit residing on the inside.  We are the temple of God 1 Corinthians 3 verses 16 -17.
The artificial high that is sought through things outside of God will not work whatever the besetting sin there is only one solution nothing outside of God will satisfy.
I would like to look at church wickedness next month but I think I have sensitized persons enough this month.  However, I have a title for a book I would like to write PEAS AND RICE – An anthology of stories of the Afro-Caribe experience in Canada. You can all mail your stories anonymously. My information is on social media.
Next month I will be looking at one of all these titles I see people taking unto themselves.  My question will be "Are you willing to say like the Apostle Peter, crucify me upside down I am not fit to be crucified like my master." Lets end with Mr. Ron Kenoly - We Are Going Up To The High Places
 
Once again, this is me Lillene’s baby girl coming to you from up here in the true north.
À bientôt!
REFERENCES

What is the Significance of High Places

What Were the "High Places"?

Seduced by the High Places

High Place