Making beauty out of ashes

​Is that even possible? Have you ever been to a museum and seen things that looked like garbage turned into art? I have. I have been to different museums and, upon seeing certain pieces, wondered, "What in the world? What kind of art is this?" Random things most of us would easily dispose of for lack of value are turned into something precious by someone who has vision and sees worth in apparently worthless things.

​The truth is, nothing on this planet is truly worthless. "How?" you may ask. "The trash is worthless." But do you know that trash is recycled for other uses? Trash is even used to generate electricity.

​Let’s talk about something else you may think is truly worthless but, in truth, has value: animal waste. What can one do with animal waste? Do you know that it is used as fertilizer and even fuel in some places? So you see, even the lowest and worst things you can think of can be put to good use. The main reason everything in this world has value is because God made it, and He made everything for a specific purpose.

​The issue you and I may have is in not knowing how to bring that use out of them. You have heard stories about materials people thought had no worth until someone came along, spent time with the product, and tried different things until they found a way to make it useful. I have heard stories like this about John D. Rockefeller and how he thought of every possible way to make a profit and increase his business empire. Rockefeller didn't believe in such a thing as waste. In the oil refining process, crude oil yielded many byproducts.  Gasoline, petroleum jelly, lubricants, tar etc.. At the time many of these things had no commercial value in the eyes of many. They used to throw Gasoline in the river because it was considered worthless. Can believe that ? Gasoline worthless. But Rockefeller invested in finding ways to make something out of them. Petroleum jelly evolved into Vaseline. Lubricants powered machinery and Gasoline is well a key product in the world. No such thing as waste .

​In this fast-paced and impatient society of ours, how does one find beauty?

​"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."

— Proverbs 31:10

​Nowadays, I hear many complaints about how difficult it is to find a good wife or a good husband, but I think the issue lies in our understanding of how things work. We approach life with a consumer mindset rather than that of an artist or an entrepreneur. A wife of noble character is difficult to find because, like a ruby, one has to put in the time to dig deep beneath the surface of her flaws and life experiences to find the genuine beauty buried within.

​Sometimes, the man or woman you thought had no value is seen later blossoming with someone else. Why? Because that someone else saw a glimpse of beauty in them, put in the necessary work, and brought a piece of art—worthy of the greatest museum—out of someone you previously thought was worthless. Now, you admire them and would pay any price to have them back.

​The truth is that everyone on this planet has value, intrinsic worth, and glimpses of beauty. The problem is that, at times, they don't even recognize or cultivate it themselves. Because our society focuses so much on evil, people tend to focus on their own negative character traits, becoming like the environment around them instead of developing the beauty they possess—traits such as kindness, tenderness, and humility.

​If you are willing to put in the time and invest in people, you will discover many precious gems and many priceless beauties. The person you see as impatient can learn patience. The cold hearted can become tender. The foolish can become wise. The unloving person can become the most loving. Are you willing to invest in the human project ?

​God Himself is the greatest Artist. He sees value in every single one of us. Didn't the Lord create man out of the dust of the ground? He took something apparently worthless and made a king and queen out of it. The same God is able to bring beauty out of your broken life. He is able to bring beauty out of the ashes of your self-worth. God is in the business of making masterpieces out of wasted materials.

​We can be like God in our encounters with others in the "school of art." Whether you are married, single, or otherwise, deal with people as a master artist would. Look for value in them; look for worth in them. Seek to develop their inner beauty to the best of your ability and make it shine. We can be coworkers with God in making this life more pleasurable and in restoring beauty to this desert of human suffering. A wasted life can become a current of electrical love to others if we are willing to be entrepreneurs in the business of restoration.

​Let us strive to treat people as valuable and seek to bring true beauty out of their brokenness. Focus on the good and not the evil—on their strengths rather than their shortcomings.

​As for you: focus on God and the beauty of His character. Pray to be like Him, and ask for the strength to be a shining light of beauty in the lives of those around you.

The death of Me! Cry of liberty

 The Death of Me! 

When does freedom begin? Does it begin when I have plenty of money? Am I free because I have plenty of time? Am I free because I get to travel the world? Do I find freedom simply because I live in a free country? Will I be free if I get to live out all of my dreams and desires?

What makes me free and what makes me a slave, and who is my slave master?

You see, many of the things we are taught to pursue in life don’t actually free us, but increase our bondage and reduce our liberty. Having more money might improve your financial freedom, but enslave you to the fear of loss. Having too much time can easily enslave you to idleness. Living in a “free country” like the United States subjects one to countless laws and regulations. You can’t do this and that to your house unless you get permission from the city. Sometimes, the more civilized and “free” a society is, the more rigid are its rules. Traveling all the time will soon enslave you to boredom. None of these things bring true freedom, but with them some other form of bondage.

And what is the worst bondage of all? Living for my own desires, to accomplish my own will in life. Desire, while not necessarily bad, can easily become a chain of bondage. The greatest bondage one can find himself under is the bondage of his own desire, and the greatest slave master is the self.

A Clash of Gods

God made us and gave us all we have, and He asks for us to put Him first. But we have a choice: choose Him or something inferior to Him. An angel, the self, a spouse, an ideal, a nation, some material aim. The question we all face is: who do we believe has our highest good in mind, and who will bring us the greatest joy and freedom?

The answer to this question determines who we worship.

The truth is, on the surface, most people will say, “I choose God.” But the reality is the first person we worship is “Me.”

We are our own “I am.” We are our own gods. We serve the self, and the self has led us into bondage.

The problem with the self is that it is limited, short-sighted, and doesn’t really know what will truly please it. Why, you ask? Because we didn’t make ourselves and don’t truly know the real aim of life.

The self is the product of environment, experience, etc., and it is corrupt, as we all are. The self was born empty, and it fills itself with the things society dictates and holds us hostage to these standards, expectations, etc.

Living for self and following the dictates of self is the worst bondage anyone can find themselves in. It not only isolates you from others, but it isolates you from God Himself. The self becomes a rival to God. It seeks to exalt itself above Him. It says, "My will be done." And yet the self is only following the will of nature, society, and behind that, the devil. To follow nature is to become degraded to the level of nature, for nature was created below mankind. For a man to follow his natural instinct is to sink lower. To follow society’s dictates above God is to live and define life according to the opinions of others. And to follow the dictates of Satan is to follow a path of self-destruction. To follow self and live for self is to assign to oneself three cruel tyrants: nature, society, and Satan. You can never be free; you will never reach true joy in that condition, but will continue to degrade more and more. Self-rule is the puppet Satan promotes in order to rule from the shadows.

To be truly free, I must come to an end. To be truly free, I must die to self and live unto God.

When I begin to die to self, I begin to die from the weight of my own expectations and the expectations of others, and I begin to live for Christ, who created me and knows the things that will truly bring me joy. Christ rescues us from the bondage of servitude to created things and lifts us up to fellowship with the Infinite.

Your perspective begins to shift, and you begin to see things for what they truly are.

Physical things cannot satisfy a spiritual being, and man was made a spiritual being. Sex, money, travels cannot satisfy a being who was made to fellowship with God and angels. Multiple PhDs cannot fulfill a mind that was made to contemplate eternal things. Dying things cannot fulfill someone who was made to live eternally.

The self, as the most effective agent of Satan to enslave the soul, blinds us to these realities and makes us believe that God is the true enemy of our happiness and that we, by our own wisdom, can bring joy to ourselves. It is a cruel lie that has destroyed many lives.

Analyze your life closely, and you will see that the one who has brought you the greatest sorrow is yourself and your own refusal to rise higher by submitting to God and to walk in fellowship with Him.

If we want to begin to enjoy life and begin to have true freedom, we must break free from every slave master that hinders us, and the most powerful one is the self. Not even Satan and his host can hold a determined freedom seeker in bondage. The only one who can is the self. Let our cry then be, liberty or death. Let self die so that I may live again. Let self die so I may be free.

Support for Israel and the gospel

 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  Genesis 12:3

First of all, we support the right of Israel to have their own homeland. The Jewish people as a result of their collective sin have been dispersed and persecuted throughout the nations. Having a place, they can call home is a wonderful thing. They have a right to this earth like any other people group and for anyone to call for their destruction is a truly evil thing. Matter of fact no one who tries to destroy them will ever succeed. The fact that the Jewish people are still here after countless attempts to destroy them is a Divine miracle in itself.

Nevertheless, we are opposed to the dangerous theology that result in many Christians blindly supporting the actions of the Jewish states.

The verse typically used by these Christians is Genesis 12:3, where God told Abraham that He will bless them that bless him and curse those who dishonors him. And in him all the families of the earth shall be blessed. The first thing we must understand is that Abraham was a friend of God. Bible says in Romans 4:3-5, " 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

James 2:23, " and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God."

Abraham was a righteous man and a friend of God. As a result, the Lord blessed him, protected him, promised to bless those who blessed him and curse those who curse him.  When God said through Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed. He was prophesying the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ though whom, all humanity will have access to God and thus the fulfilment of the promise given to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, "the seed of the woman who would destroy the serpent's head." 

In Deuteronomy 28, God through Moses warned the Israelites of the reality of the covenant, the blessings and curses. If they remain faithful, God will bless them and protect them from their enemies, but if they rebelled and become disobedient the reverse will be true, they will be cursed and overcome by their enemies. 

In the course of time, the Jews came to believe they were special no matter what, by their own merits. So they came to believe God would bless them no matter what.  Through ought the Bible we see them rebelling against God, while waiting on Him to deliver them. A perfect illustration of that belief is found in the Book of Samuel. Israel was in rebellion against the Lord and the philistines came to battle with them. One thing to notice is that when a nation or people are in rebellion with God, they will have no peace with their neighbors. 

So, Israel came to battle against the Philistines and were defeated. So, in 1 Samuel 4 they went and get the Ark of the covenant from its place and brought it to the battle, thinking that having the symbolic representation of God amongst them, despite their sinfulness would be the key to victory. The Ark was carried by the sons of the high priest Eli, wicked men already warned of judgment by God. The end result? The ark was captured, the two sons of Eli perished with a huge number of Israelites in the battle. The lesson? There is no blessing in disobedience.

Ezekiel 33:24 -26

“Son of man, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.’ 

Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: You eat flesh with the blood and lift up your eyes to your idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land?

You rely on the sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife; shall you then possess the land?

Here we find the Jewish people who were facing the judgments of God looked back to Abraham. And they concluded because Abraham was blessed, "Abraham was one man and yet he got the land, surely we who are many will receive it." But God said, this is not the case. Again, Abraham was a righteous man, he obeyed God and He blessed him, gave him victories. But the Jews at that time were wicked, practiced all manner of wickedness and relied on the sword, on violence. 

One look at the nation of Israel now and you easily see it is a wicked nation just like other nations. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1988, the state recognizes foreign same-sex marriages. Israel is considered the most LGBTQ-friendly country in the Middle East, with Tel Aviv recognized as a global gay-friendly, city. Wikipedia.

Modern Israel "rely on the sword," not on God. They do all these wicked things like any other nations. Are they blessed by God? Will Christians be blessed by supporting such wickedness?

But the greatest sin of the Jewish nation is the rejection of the very blessing God promised to Abraham. Let's go back to Genesis 12:3.

 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  Genesis 12:3

The Jews rejected the "One through who all the families of the earth would be blessed." They rejected the source of all blessings, "the Desire of all nations," The Messiah, The Prince." As a result the Jews as a people were cut off from the Vine of God's special blessings and the curse pronounced in Deuteronomy has followed them since throughout the centuries. Are Christians blessed for supporting a nation in darkness ?

John chapter 8. They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did

In a conversation with Jesus, the Jews claimed to have Abraham as father, but Jesus refuted the notion and said, " if they were Abraham's children, they would do the works of Abraham, they would do works of righteousness." If they were Abraham's children, they would be obedient to God and would have accepted Jesus as Messiah. If they were Abraham's children, they would receive God's blessings and those who blessed them would be blessed. But Jesus made it plain, by not doing the works of Abraham, they were not his children and were not entilted to his blessings.

While we are to support the Jewish people's right to exist, we must recognize they are a people in darkness, spiritual darkness. And someone in spiritual darkness will do evil things, will rely on the sword and promote wickedness. While as Christians we are to support all people's right to live in peace, we cannot blindly support anyone, less we become partaker with them in wicked acts.

The best way we can support the Jewish people, the nation of Israel is by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. To call them to repentance, to call them out of the darkness of modern Judaism. The Jews are wasting their time waiting for a Messiah, when He has already come, wasting their time to build greater Israel. Because the Jews have ignored the fact that the Messiah has already come, they are in danger of being used by Satan to start religious wars with the Muslims, over Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, land etc. that would lead to countless deaths and sufferings. And woe to us Christians who would support such carnage in the name of waiting for a blessing but instead would receive a curse.

Those who are preaching support for the current nation of Israel no matter what they do are leading Christians to support all manner of evils and are also doing a disservice to the Jewish nation by supporting them in a life of darkness. Christ is the light of the world and all who reject Christ are in darkness, including the current Jewish state.

Being a physical Jew, born of the flesh means absolutely nothing and there is no special blessing in supporting the current nation of Israel. Israel has rejected the true blessing, Jesus Christ. The best way to support the nation of Israel is to bring them back to the true blessing, the Lord Jesus Christ and to show them the way to become the true Israel of God.

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:29

Is the United States a Christian nation?

 Why calling the United states a Christian country is detrimental to Christianity. 

The United states was clearly influenced by Christian principles; The pilgrims were escaping persecutions from Europe and while many of them practiced Christianity, they were still suffering persecution in Europe from state churches.

The founding fathers, some being Christians, made sure to separate the church from the state. They well knew of the carnage that comes as a result of having a state religion. And so, the US became one of the rare countries without a state religion. Each person was left to follow the dictate of his own conscience. 

When you call a country by a specific religion, people associate all of its behaviors with said religion.

Note this example: Slavery was an institution in the United states; this would also mean that the brutality of slavery was accepted a Christian precept. Even the mistreatment of the Indians would have been considered a Christian precept. In fact, all of the wicked acts that our nation has committed would be considered “the work of Christianity” instead of something that brings dishonor to God. 

Many people have turned away from God because of the behaviors of so called “Christian countries”. The crusades of the Middle Ages, the persecution of so called “heretics” burning at the stake, tortures, all being done by nations who claim to be Christian. Heinous crimes that should never be associated with the loving Jesus who gave His life that men might be saved.

“They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.” (John 16:2-3 NIV)

Jesus said people who commit such crimes know neither Him nor the Father. Did these so called “Christian nations” know Jesus?

This is why Jesus said, "..give back to Ceasar what is Ceasar’s and to God what is God’s.”(Matt. 22:21 NIV)

Christianity is focused on the kingdom of God, while the government is focused on maintaining earthly order and dominion. If it uses religion, it will use it to that end.

True Christianity on the other hand is not concerned with national greatness, but with the advancement of the kingdom of God. 

True christianity would condemn slavery, the mistreatment of the Indians and other injustices commit by the state. True Christianity would recognize that we are all one human family and we are to treat each other the way Christ would treat us.

Furthermore, one is not born a Christian, but must be born again through an encounter with Christ. One is not a Christian simply because he is born into a certain country or family, but he must be born of water and of the Spirit. And so, it is difficult to have a Christian country since the majority citizens in any so called “Christian”

 country” are not born of water and of the Spirit.

How do I know ?

Their fruits reflect it. A Christian country would be a heavenly place, a little heaven on earth. It would be a country where everyone is under the control of the Holy Spirit. Picture it: full of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.

It is possible to have a Muslim country, a Buddhist country, even an Atheistic country (as these belief systems, being earthly, can be enforced by the state). Even Islam, a religion that focuses on external behavior, can easily be enforced by the state; but it is impossible to have a Christian country. True Christianity can never be enforced by the state because it requires an internal transformation.

It is impossible simply because to be a true Christian means to be born from above.

While the United States is founded upon many Christian principles, it is not a Christian country because a country cannot be born again, only repentant individuals can.

We have Christians in the United States, but it is not a Christian nation.

The Christian does have a country, but it is a heavenly one.

If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:15,16 NIV)

God judges nations

 

Nations rise and fall! Why ? Because sooner or later they abuse their dominions and become unjust, cruel and warmongering.  Then the Lord judges them,and overthrow their powers.

We have seen it with many different empires throughout history. Egypt, Babylon, Rome, Spain, Ottomans, the mongols etc..

For hundreds of years, the European nations exploited, killed and enslaved millions of people.

African slavery, colonization etc..

Europe was a terror to the world. 

But the Lord did bring judgment upon them .

For hundreds of years, the European nations exploited, killed and enslaved millions of people.

African slavery, colonization etc..

Europe was a terror to the world. 

But the Lord did bring judgment upon them .

In a short amount of time, from 1914, to 1945 two devastating world wars wreck havoc upon Europe, destroying millions and laid many nations to ruin.

The evil they had exported upon others came back upon their own heads.

And so it is friends,God empowers nations for a time, give them dominion. But when they abuse such dominion and bring misery upon others, know for certain the Lord will judge them. He will either allow them to fight amongs themselves (civil war ) or bring other nations against them. Sometimes weaker nations.

Babylon was a great nation, appeared invincible, but the Lord use the Medes and Persians to overthrow them.

Rome was mighty, did wickedly, but over time was attacked by barbarians and splintered. 

France oppressed African slaves in Saint Domingue (Haiti), but the slave eventually rose up and defeated the French army, massacred the french colonists .

America had africans in chains for centuries, a devastating civil came upon them. The civil war has been the deadliest war for the United States.

God judges nations. The Lord doesn't change.

The same God who judges nations in the past for their oppression and tyranny will judge nations today.

America is now the greatest nation on ths planet. If It continue to abuse this power, wage war om whoever, destroy whoever it wishes under false pretexts, then sooner or later the judgments of God will begin to manifest against it and ruin will follow.

The lesson is when God give us power, it is meant to help others, be beneficial to them and not abuse them because they are weak.

God will judge on behalf of the weak.

Jeremiah 18:5-10 MSG 

Then GOD’s Message came to me: “Can’t I do just as this potter does, people of Israel?” GOD’s Decree! “Watch this potter. In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you, people of Israel. At any moment I may decide to pull up a people or a country by the roots and get rid of them. But if they repent of their wicked lives, I will think twice and start over with them. At another time I might decide to plant a people or country, but if they don’t cooperate and won’t listen to me, I will think again and give up on the plans I had for them.

Ezekiel 12

12 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying,

13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:

14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.

15 If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:

16 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:

18 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.

A world deceived

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:9

The Bible says, "the devil deceives the whole world." What does it mean by it? Is it figurative speech, or is this a reality that all of us are deceived?

I don't think the Bible is speaking figuratively when it says that. The truth is, all of us are deceived in profound ways; In ways so deep that only the Spirit of God can reveal to us our deception.

The devil deceived the whole world by his initial act of deceiving our first parents in the garden of Eden. At that time, there were only two human beings and both came under the dominion of Satan. Satan deceived Eve by telling her that satisfaction exists outside of God; That one can find true development in opposition to His will.

Life in the flesh 

Deception continues by the fact that we are born in the flesh. What does it mean to be born in the flesh? Life in the flesh is simply life with man at the center. With me and my needs as the highest priorities.  Before sin, God and His will were the priorities for Adam and Eve. But as we can see with the temptation, Eve's priority became food in the physical sense and a desire for self-exaltation in the spiritual sense. (Some women really love food and eating brings them great joy and helps them in dealing with depression, anxiety, etc..)  For Adam, he exchanged a God-centered life for a woman-centered life. His wife instead of God became the source of his joy and he chose to follow her. 

A downward look for satisfaction 

We can see that the mind of the flesh is a mind that seeks satisfaction in other things or people rather than in God. The angels of heaven who fell were deceived into exchanging satisfaction from Christ the source of infinite goodness, to finding satisfaction from Lucifer, a created being and themselves, even lower than Lucifer. The man was supposed to be the head of his wife, with Christ as his head. Meaning the man was supposed to look to Christ for satisfaction and strength, then bring satisfaction to his wife and uplift her. But in rejecting God for his wife, he rejected satisfaction from the source of all satisfaction to making his wife (the weaker vessel) the source of his satisfaction; Therein began a life of frustration for many men. We can also see that the seed of female objectification began; Using a woman's body as a means of satisfaction, which never truly lasts. 

The woman also looks towards other things for satisfaction. The woman, in rejecting Christ, became the focus of her own satisfaction. And she finds that satisfaction not necessarily in her husband, but in other created things, like food, money, jewelry, materialism, etc. While the man is seeking satisfaction in the woman, the woman is seeking satisfaction in other things, and frustration piles up for both genders. Men use women for their bodies and women use men for what they can provide, and so, genuine love is hard to find.

Satan has deceived the whole world by removing God from the center of our lives and placing anything else there. It can be money, marriage, a career, pleasures, religion, etc.. No one who is born in sin is born with God at the center. When we wake up in the morning we think of our wants, hopes and needs instead of God's wills, plans, or His glory. Here is the snare of Satan, here is the root of his deception.

A life with man at the center is death. It's a life centered solely on material and physical activity instead of the inner spiritual life. A life focused on man as the center will continue to degrade man, for man has no life in himself to give. As human beings, we like to take more than we give because we truly have nothing to give. As a result, we go through life looking for what we can take and from where. A life of constant taking is a life of emptiness. A life in the flesh is a life of emptiness. Satan himself is empty, and this is why he is a robber and a murderer; He seeks to take in order to fill up his own ego and emptiness. Love is far from his heart, for a taker cannot be a lover.

Life in the flesh turns everything into idolatry. Marriage has become an idol because many think it will satisfy their inner longings. They go into a marriage not to give, but to take. To use someone else as their means of fulfillment. Anything that the mind which has self as its object & man at its center touches, becomes a curse. If an angel from heaven, disconnected from God cannot bring true satisfaction, how much less can a man or woman born in sin bring satisfaction? And how much worse can material things such as money, cars, jewelry, or food bring true satisfaction? Can we see how great our folly is in exchanging God from the center and placing anyone or anything else there?  The most successful fleshly person is but a failure. 

The way of escape 

The way to escape Satan's deception is to go to God and ask Him for the renewal of our minds. We need a mind that puts God and His will alone at the center of our lives.

What does that look like practically?

It looks like seeking God day and night as if life depends on it. To accept the conditions and situations that God put us in. In John chapter 9:3, Jesus, in speaking about a man born blind explains how the man was born blind for the glory of God. God allowed this man to be born blind, to go through a difficult life so that He can reveal what true spiritual eyesight looks like and shed light on our condition as spiritually blind people. Putting God as the center will cause us to submit to God in whatever situation He puts (allows) us to be in because we know that it is working out for His glory. God will use my situation to teach eternal lessons to the universe and to bring others to Himself. The story of the blind man is still teaching us today; When God becomes the center of our lives, our stresses and anxieties start to fall away because we submit to our trials and difficulties which brings us ever closer to God as we remain in prayer.

A man with God as the center no longer looks for a woman as the source of his satisfaction, for God is. But if it is God's will for him to be married, he will look for a woman he can bless and work in harmony with to bring more glory to God. Such a man will be in no rush to find a wife because he is already satisfied in God. Such a man will not seek crooked ways to make money or do other evil things, because he is satisfied in God. Such a man will be a blessing to others because he is not seeking to take from them out of his deficiency, but give to them out of his fullness.

A woman with God at the center will no longer be selfish, seeking out her own satisfaction and using men as the means to attain it. Such a woman will have less drama in her life because she is satisfied in God. She will not use manipulation as a way of controlling those around her. She will not be an attention seeker because God has already given her all the satisfaction she needs. Such a woman will no longer see marriage as some status symbol to uplift herself above other women while neglecting caring for her husband, but she will see marriage as a way to fulfill God's mission for her. She will seek to bring satisfaction to her husband and not expect him to be her slave. A life with God as the center is a life free from deception and full of blessings. Things and people become satisfying when they are no longer the source of our joy, but the benefits of our joy from God.

We all need deliverance from deception because all of us, whether we want to admit it or not, deeply believe that we can find satisfaction from things other than God. Most of our prayers are centered on God helping us to fulfill the desires of our flesh,  which is the reason why most of them are not answered. The reason for so much suffering in our lives is our refusal to let go of the plans of the flesh in exchange for the plans of God. This why Satan is lost; He put his plans, his will, above God's and being a finite being, all he has found is misery. The transition from a self-centered mind to a God-centered one is a difficult one and is only possible through persevering prayers and a constant abiding in Christ. It is foreign to us - we who have been idol and creature worshippers from birth.

Satan sought to take from God, to use God for the fulfillment of his own plans. All those whose thought processes are centered around taking from others to fulfill their own desires are deceived by Satan. Such are and were all of us.

We need deliverance, and true deliverance will only be found when we begin to pray the prayer Jesus prayed in Gethsemane: "yet not my will, but yours be done."

When God calls you. The fiery way to God

 "Why is my life so hard? Why are these things happening to me? I pray to God for healing, but there is no healing. I pray for better finances, but no money is forthcoming. I am so tired of these struggles; I am on the verge of giving up. I might as well live life the way I want to and hope to die soon.

Have these thoughts ever come to your mind? These are thoughts many will encounter as they ascend the mountain of God.

For many of us, life began well. We had a great time in our youth; we believed in love, we believed the future was bright, and we felt whole as a person. But somewhere along the way, hardship showed up. An illness, a broken heart, the death of a loved one, or broken aspirations sent us into despair and grief. Suddenly, life became dark and hopeless.

But then, we heard the voice of God. We heard someone preach, 'Come to Jesus and all will be well; come to Jesus and He will give you the desires of your heart.' So we came to Jesus, hoping that we were back on the right track and would finally achieve our desires. In the beginning, we felt rejuvenated, excited, and happy. We saw the Lord working in our lives, giving us victories and helping us in different areas. We got 'on fire' for God, sharing His Word, and we could see heaven right ahead.

But then, hardships returned: health problems, relationship issues, or financial struggles. We began to experience despair and think, 'Maybe God is not with me anymore.' As the problems grew, many of us started losing hope, neglecting prayer as depression began to dominate us.

What is happening?

The Lord has begun the process of purification in earnest. The problem is that we are filled with pride. Even when we come to Jesus, pride still reigns in our hearts, and deep down, we think we know the best way for God to lead us. It was pride that caused Satan to be kicked out of heaven; therefore, for us to enter heaven, pride must be removed from our lives.

In His mercy, God allows severe trials to show us that unless we depend entirely on Him, we cannot overcome. These trials are meant to turn our eyes away from ourselves and toward Jesus. They are designed to lead us to our prayer closets. The closer we draw to God, the more you will feel you are losing control of your life and your plans. This is exactly the Lord's work, for unless we lose control, God cannot be in control.

For God to be God in my life, I must stop being a god in it. Like the plagues of Egypt, God will allow hardship until we bow down and acknowledge Him. In order for us to be whole in Christ, our wholeness in sin must be broken. It is only as His guidance increases that we experience true joy.

When faced with a trial, we should ask: 'Lord, help me to see the issue in my life within this trial, and help me to endure as You purify me.' Each trial is a blessing in disguise, designed to remove specific things holding us captive. Anything that brings us closer to Christ is a blessing.

The call of God is a call to purity. God is a consuming fire, and you will feel the burn as you ascend to Him. Do not give up. Allow the dross to be burned away and your pride to be laid in the dust. Draw near to God, and He will consume our filth with His fiery trials. Stay faithful, for 'without holiness no man will see the Lord' (Hebrews 12:14). Being holy means being in God, and God being in you."