Why Do We Live In Fear - The Great Divide

God designed us to live in a love relationship with him.
Our emotional and intellectual systems are fashioned to be motivated by the impulse of his love - unconditional love.
We are not designed to live independently.

When God created us, he intended our body, mind and emotions to take directions from his spirit - because his spirit was united with our spirit through the bond of love. In this setup, we lived in total harmony with God, ourselves and his entire creation.

When man sinned, God's spirit could no longer have fellowship with our spirit -when the spirit of God left man, man was left only with his spirit.

The problem with man's spirit was that it knew what was right and wrong but was not motivated to do the right thing because:

• Righteousness was not a priority; instead self-glorification was.
• Man's spirit became a slave to his emotions, desires and Godless reasoning. The spirit was neither motivated nor had the power to overcome this self-gratification.

So, began the great divide between man and God.

After God's spirit left man, man started to live in fear because he was never designed to be by himself- he was designed for a love relationship.

Man knows he is sinful, he knows God does not approve of him, he knows he is incapable of being perfect, he also knows he cannot go alone through life and beyond, he thinks he can't ask God for help because he has unsettled matters in his relationship with God - in short, he is lost and confused.

MAN IS DESIGNED THRIVE ON GOD'S LOVE. TILL HE SENSES GOD'S LOVE, HE WILL LIVE IN FEAR.

Knowing man's helplessness, God sent his only begotten son to bridge the gap between man and God. Christ's death on the cross, provides the justification that allows us to receive the holy spirit while we are still sinners and be transformed (coming out of sin and darkness) by love - and live in boldness and courage. This is the Gospel.

Also Read: God is not angry with us

RELEVANT BIBLE VERSES

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."  - 1 John 4:18

"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot." Romans 8: 6,7

"He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit." - Titus 3:5



 

We Don't Have To Work For Our Self-Worth

Why do we compete with each other for self-worth and value?
God loves each of us as if there is only one of us to love.
Shouldn't that make us realize how valuable each one of us is in the eyes of God.

We don't need to work hard to earn our worth.
The fact that we are the handiwork of God is good enough to show us our value.

We are never meant to earn our value.
God loves us too dearly to put us into a performance test to accept us.

All we need to do is allow him to show us how much he cares for us.
The only thing he is asking of us is to be totally honest about our sins with him and be willing to surrender our life to him in love.

We don't need to shy away from his majestic righteousness and perfectness... No.. Not at all
We have a picture of an strict God who is waiting to spot every error or sin - because we are like that to ourselves and others.
We should remember - God is not man whose love is conditional.
God is ever understanding to those who are consistently trying to please him but are falling back.
Nevertheless, God loves us as we are.

GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR A SINLESS PERSON; HE IS LOOKING FOR A PERSON WHO IS TOTALLY HONEST ABOUT HIS SINS AND IS WILLING TO WORK WITH GOD TO OVERCOME THIS PROBLEM.

RELATED BIBLE VERSES

"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5: 7,8

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." - 1 John 3:1
 

My Greatest Battle Is With Myself

The path to self-realization is by moving from self-consciousness to God-consciousness.
I did not create myself; God created me with great love and care.
Hence, the knowledge of my potential and purpose is not with me but with God.

When I try to find the answers to my existence on this planet by searching my mind, I will only become hopeless and desperate.
I exist only in relation to my creator; this means I am created by God and for God - any search for answers outside the entity of God will lead me to nothingness.

As long as I am looking at myself (which is what most of us are inclined to do), I am self conscious. This kind of consciousness does not lead me to the truth and an understanding of what I am created for - because I did not create myself.

As long the I am looking at God (which is what we have to ask God to help us to do because it does not come naturally), I am God conscious.
This kind of consciousness gives me a beautiful revelation of how much I mean to him, how much he loves me, how much he wants for me and so on - because he created me for himself.

I CANNOT MOVE FROM SELF CONSIOUSNESS TO GOD CONSIOUSNESS WITHOUT CRUCIFYING MYSELF.

I CANNOT ATTAIN SELF REALIZATION WITHOUT SELF DENIAL - A PARADOX INDEED!!!

The most difficult obstacle in getting close to my creator is myself. My self wants itself to be exalted, admired and glorified. Unfortunately, the self was created by the creator and any glory that the self has only belongs to the creator. Without God, the self would not have come into existence in the first place.

The greatest spiritual warfare that I will be fighting is surrendering myself to the will of God. This is the greatest battle because it is the root of all sins - the rebellion against God's leadership that started from the garden or Eden where man wanted to be like God.

AS LONG AS I AM LOOKING AT MYSELF, I WILL ALWAYS BE LOST. AS LONG AS I AM LOOKING AT GOD, I AM AT HOME.

RELATED BIBLE VERSES

"For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." - Genesis 3:5

"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well." - Psalm 139:14

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it." - Luke 17:33






















 

Let God Be God And Manage The World

When the world shows us calamities and misfortunes, we get blinded with hopelessness that we fail to see the deep restorative endeavour of God working from underneath.

The troubles that happen in the world usually happen suddenly - hence can be recorded. However, God's healing capacity works gradually over a period of time to heal the greatest wound or bring hope after the greatest loss.
 
The work of God cannot be recorded because God works in ways we cannot see or understand instantly; however, out mind can easily grasp the adversities that happen around us because the world operates at a level that we can see and understand.
 
The world records events from a tangible, finite and limited vision. But God's work happens at an intangible and deeper level that can only be experienced but cannot be easily recorded.


WHAT THE MEDIA SHOWS US IS NOT THE COMPLETE PICTURE; WHAT GOD HAS IS THE ACCURATE PICTURE; OUR VISION IS LIMITED; LET GOD BE GOD AND TAKE CARE OF THE WORLD; LET ME BE MAN AND DO WHAT GOD HAS CALLED ME TO DO.

 
The enemy loves it when we rely on our limited understanding and question the goodness of God


 RELEVANT BIBLE VERSES

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;" - Proverbs 3: 5

"Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!" - 1 Corinthians 13:9
 
 

We Are Meant To Be With God Eternally

When God says that he will not leave us nor forsake us, he is talking from an eternal perspective.

Life is just a journey. Just because I feel lost at times during this journey, that does not mean I am actually lost or it does not mean that God has forsaken me.

God does mind making my journey through life uncomfortable if that helps me get to the right destination. In other words, if God made our life too comfortable on this earth, we would forget that this is just a journey and place our hope on this temporal world - which will disappoint us ultimately.

When God says that he will not forsake us, he is telling that we are his forever and ever; we are meant to be with him eternally; that all that we are going through on this earth will not and cannot not separate us from him forever; that suffering is not permanent because this world is not meant to last; that he is calling us to see things through his eyes.

Death, destruction and suffering that we see around causes hopelessness to those who eyes are set on things that are not meant to last; but to those whose eyes are set on the one who is meant to last, life on earth is just a preparation for life eternal.

 ALL EVENTS ON EARTH ARE MANAGED BY GOD FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE; THIS EARTH IS NOT MEANT TO LAST BUT THE WILL OF GOD IS; JUST BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND DOES NOT MEAN IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

 

RELEVANT BIBLE VERSES

 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts."  - Isaiah 55:9

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18

God Wants Us To Choose What Is Good For Us

God wants us to have love; we choose power.
God wants us to have joy; we choose pleasure.
God wants  us to have peace; we choose excitement.

What God wants for us is good for our soul, mind and body.

What we want for ourselves good for our ego and desires.

I cannot choose to have what God wants for me without denying myself (ego and desires).

I cannot deny myself when I am a slave to my pride and desires.
I cannot come out of my slavery without the power of God's spirit working from inside me.
I cannot have the spirit of God inside me when I am full of sin.
I cannot have sin justified without paying the price.

And God out of his great love has sent his dearest son to pay the price, so that we might be justified to receive the spirit that will give us the power to overcome the flesh that is stopping us from having what God wants us to have.

Even when I receive the holy spirit, I can only experience the power of the spirit if I let the spirit take control over the self and not vice versa. - This is a struggle for many of us still.

RELEVANT VERSES

"I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." Romans 7:15

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there." Galatians 5:24

 

Sin Is A Motive

Sin is first a motive before it is an action or deed.

If I love God, my motive for every good action/deed is love - because God is love.
If I love myself, my motive for every good action/deed is pride.

Love and pride cannot coexist in a person.
I cannot live for myself and God at the same time.

In God's eyes only deeds done out of love matters - because it is a reflection of our faith in him.

RELEVANT BIBLE VERSES

"All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives." - Proverbs 16:2
 

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." I John 4:8

 
"If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:3