Every religion has to have their appeal; all have their glitch to draw people, if not masses to their front door. All will tell the delusional belief that theirs’ is the truth and the way to be in fellowship with God. I’m not talking about most religions or denominations; I’m talking about all of them, every last one. Most will tell me this is true, but the church that they attend is different, but not so. And to make sure I spread this completely world-wide, this includes all the home studies and off-the-road home churches. Every single one of them has something that says ‘if you come here you will get the whole truth’, or you’ll just enjoy it better, learn more, or we are not as judgmental, or we believe the whole Bible, maybe even this one is run by a proclaiming prophet, but anyway, all will have a glitch. All will have something that says to the people that this is the place you ought to be. They have to, if not, what is going to set them apart. What ever happened to having a relationship with God through His Son Jesus, in the closet as He taught? If there is an exception, and I’m sure there is, I don’t know about it.
All kinds of strategies have been put forth to draw the masses, or even the few, to their new found methods. Come to our group and you’ll make it to heaven, you’ll live in victory, you’ll be healed, so therefore all have a motto that entices those that are wandering to step inside their door.
Some might ask me; is this what I’m trying to do? No, it is not. I certainly don’t want anyone to follow me, nor have I been placed in charge of any. I’m just one of the plain people that love his Daddy, enjoy my relationship with him, and want to share the things that God has brought me through, and brought me too. There is no ‘pie-in-the-sky’ attitude in my voice, and as you read on, you will become acutely aware of this fact.
To please the Father, that is God; the way I see it, is that it will cost you your life, that is, there is no material profit to be made. We’re not talking about being loved by the Father, but walking in a complete relationship with Him. A ‘laid-down-life’ is what Jesus asked for and to follow Him. In my opinion and from my point of view, and what I can tell thus far, it’s darn well worth it.
Let me just stop a minute and express a few of the things about the trials and tribulations of the life that we all have on this earth.
Most will say that when something goes array that the devil is out to defeat us. This is not true. Romans 8:28; And we know that all things work for good to those that love God… None of us in our flesh are perfect, that is to say complete, but all in the flesh have fallen short, for the apostle Paul says that our righteousness is as filthy rags. But God is processing those that seek Him, and He uses trials and tribulations to temper and teach us, this is good. If God is in control, and He is, of every situation that is presented to us, then why do we belly-ache so much when something happens, that we didn’t order up? The world calls this a silver lining in every dark cloud, so we as children of God call it a blessing that has been disguised. A moment of tempering, adjusting, flexing, and building on the man within, to raise him up to be used in the forwarding of the Kingdom of God. This is a special time that God uses to help and prepare us for the true walk with Him, a blessing. But religion and their so-called devil has taught that these things ought not to be happening, and wouldn’t if the one that it’s happening too would straighten up. Well, we all need to straighten up, but the act of a tribulation is to bring us to a closer intimate relationship with the Father, and it will to those that view it as God’s in control, and we’re not.
We all say that God is almighty, but we mostly say it because that is what we’ve been taught to say. God is almighty, and that’s a truth, but to say it, verses realizing it, is two different things. So since all might, power and strength belongs to God, every action and reaction is His. So how is it that when a trial or a tribulation comes along, we attribute it to the devil, or it’s just an accident, or a happenstance? You see, we’ve all been taught to say things, but really never come to believing many of them. The list of the stuff we ‘ve been taught to say we believe, and the long line of things we do as some ritualistic, religious act, is completely different from what many truly believe. I’m thinking that when the inner man has been changed by the hand of God, our outward begins to follow that which happened inwardly, and there is no effort in doing it.
I said all that to say this; A tribulation or a testing trial in our lives is not some accident, or just a circumstance by Murphy’s law, it is an act of God, or at least used by God to train and teach us of a new life. It has been said for centuries that only those with enemies will rise up to be strong. The bigger or the more powerful an enemy is, determines how strong the one being attacked will become. That is true about the United States or Israel, and it’s true about most individuals that will listen to what is being said through them, (the trial, that is). When a tragic event or when someone gets into trouble or just about anything else that bothers us happens, God will use it, the circumstances, to purge us, teach us, redeem us back from the world and the way it solves its problem, to the only God that was in control of them anyway. The Scriptures say that patience comes from tribulations, and we’ve again been taught through the religious system to avoid patience because of the tribulations. Folks, they can’t be avoided, without them we would all be doomed to this useless life that many live while still in this flesh.
Have you ever noticed, and I’m sure you have, that young kids raised by parents who keep their children so protected, and on a short lease, and help them up each time they fall, are raising kids to become adults in age that can’t stand on their own and whine about everything that they think is bad. And then we wonder why so many can’t solve the problems in their lives, much less be in a position to hear what God is saying to them. Trials, problems, accidents and tribulations are certainly several of the tools that God uses, even sets before us, to bring us back to the dependency that we lost, or gave away at the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When He said that on the day that you shall eat of the fruit, you shall surly die, we surely did, and this testing is one of the ways that He procures to bring us back to the Tree of Life that was given up. So when you see someone going through a trial or something ‘bad’ in their life, I’m thinking we might want to second guess our self before lending a helping hand. It just might be that Gods’ most unique Hand is already upon them, His redemption may be at work in their life, and I’d hate to be the one that prevented it. So unless we hear God telling us to do something about it, it might be better to let them go through their hell. Watch for the silver lining, the blessing in disguise, the final straw that may bring them to a more victorious life, it takes many, but God is surely starting somewhere and the next so-called tragedy might be the one to get a life moving in the right direction.
I’d like to try to express the true inner desire that many of those that do lend a helping hand, do it for. There are exceptions to ever rule and most folks will say that they are the exception, but are not. I’ll start out with the obvious and then attempt to move a little deeper.,
Have you ever see some organization on T.V. write this eight foot long check to give to some charity? All lined up with their best clothes on, smiling as if they are some hero. I’m not saying that I’m not glad that the money is going for a good cause, it is, but would like to point out the show, prestige, power and status that they feel doing such a good deed and getting the recognition for it, is a game, and a game mostly played on themselves.
You ever sit around the break room or on the front porch and listen to someone brag about the wonderful help they gave their neighbor or someone stranded on the side of the road? Maybe even hear how they gave money ‘til it hurt to some institution or organization? The literal meaning of the word charity is; Love. So is it hard to see that the above examples are not love, but recognition? We live in this cruel up-side-down world that has taken ever ‘good’ thing and perverted it. Someone is always coming up with a new scheme to exalt themselves, maybe get a little more business, or even worst, just plain and simply hide the inner value of the act, that is, they want attention. If someone didn’t want the attention, only God would know what they’ve done. Yes, we make excuses for why we have to brag about it, but the end result is always the same, we either have a need that needs to be filled or just want someone to think highly of us.
Perfectionism is a disease and some are known to brag about theirs, as if it were some attribute. When we criticize someone, we really are telling our self and others that they are inferior, therefore making self, superior. This is all done at the expense of others, so we think. There is no free lunch, what-so-ever a man sows, that must he also reap. But many feel good to tear down another’s work, in the hope that they themselves may look good, but it don’t happen that way. What’s given out, seems to always come back.
Therefore, moving a little deeper, let’s look at the real reason that people help when someone they know is going through some hell. If the person themself is important to them, and they have a love for them, and they understand that God be may purging them to walk in His Kingdom, we might want to back away unless God’s voice is heard, to intervene.
Who was itthat placed the travail upon Adam and his wife, or gave Moses the misery of the wilderness, or Joseph the prison term, or King David to have to hide out in a cave? It was God. He was loving them in a backwards way, (or at least that is what I call it), to teach, purge, and rid them of the old man, which is inside of each and every one of them and us. Just look at any of the Bible characters, and you will find that God had to prepare each of them to be fit for the vessel He chose them for. And He’s doing the same for us. When we don’t allow our loved ones to stumble and fall and maybe even have their backs pushed up against the wall, we could very well be hindering them from the preparation and blessing of God, and what He has in store for them. So the next time you see a brother or sister going through some hell, talk with God before you reach your hand out.
Maybe next time a certain situation comes around, an accident, or a problem of any kind, instead of looking around to see who’s the blame, let’s remember that God may have engineered, orchestrated and custom designed this event just for you.
No, there is no pie-in-the-sky, just a lot of Gods’ work for those that want to listen to Him. Very few things are what they seem, and as long as our mind is in the flesh, we will never know.