Process of Destiny

As of late, the notion of “process” has been weighing heavily on my mind. My most recent thoughts of this concept came a few weeks ago as I was exercising. I began to reflect on a time in my life where exercising was not so daunting as it is for me now. After having four kids, a host of injuries, and entering into middle-age-this area has become quite the challenge. You see, life happened; not as in some chance occurrence, but through decisions that were orchestrated by me or at the will of someone else. All of these things took me through a process. Becoming pregnant led me through the process of nurturing life. Exercising led me through the process of becoming fit. And well, becoming middle-aged led me through the process of making decisions to ensure that my life would unfold in a way that would continue to allow me to live. All of these things required me to initiate steps to reach my desired goal-end. Process itself is defined as “a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.”

When I think of my spiritual journey that too has been replete with the tell-tell signs of process. I’ve been a believer of Yeshua Hamashiach (Christ) for as long as I can remember. However, it is only up until a few years ago that I truly became a follower. And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

You see, I knew that becoming a true disciple of Christ would cost me dearly, and if we’re all honest most are unwilling to pay that price. However, the cost of following Him pales in comparison to the cost of being lost in a world system that only seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. So, despite not being able to see what lie ahead and not knowing the full measure of the cost I said yes. This my friend is the point at which process began.

Immediately, trials came and in some instances, I thought I would burst under the weight of them all. Initially, I didn’t understand what these trials represented and thought them to be an attack of the enemy, which wasn’t the case. In the midst of this adversity, the enemy wanted to infect my thinking hoping I would surmise that God isn’t good. However, when you have a true revelation of the L_ORD God Almighty, nothing can alter your view of Him. But guess what, even with this awareness those trials still hurt. So, I did as Deuteronomy 11:18 says, 

"You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.”

The more I did this, keeping the promises of God at the forefront of my mind, the more battles I was able to face and overcome. As I meditated on what the Lord was doing in me a picture of the children of Israel came into view. 

You see, there was a shorter way that the Nation of Israel could have taken that would have gotten them to the Promised Land sooner. However, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt” (Exodus 13:18). He led them by the way of the wilderness instead. The wilderness was the process by which the Israelites would come to be a people who could withstand any foe. The Promised Land, though a place of rest, being lush and bountiful was also one full of giants. Having been enslaved for so long, God knew that if they immediately possessed the promise they would have soon lost it through fear and intimidation, becoming enslaved yet again. 

You see, the process is always about us, and what God wants to do to us and through us to get us to our Promised Land. Yes, there are giants there but do you think your loving Father would send you into a territory powerless? Your ability to defeat the giants is the result of PROCESS! We must be as Caleb and declare-“We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”(Numbers 13:30)

If you find yourself in the wilderness, the throes of process know that God is working something through you. There is an end to the process, but if you fail to hold fast to the Word of God you will delay and even abort your process. Twelve spies were sent out but only Caleb declared victory in the face of the enemy. The Israelites still doubted even though Moses’ declared- “do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them”(Numbers 14:9). As a result of disbelief, a generation would die off in the wilderness, their children receiving the inheritance (Promised Land) in their stead. Know this and settle it in your mind once and for all, the battle is fixed in your favor because the enemy is already been defeated!

Where is God

The question was asked, if God and Jesus are real why do the vast of majority of people not see them? To which I replied, the reason we do not see them is that they (God/Christ) are to be reflected in us-His created image. Mankind was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). This means we were created to resemble God in terms of our physical/spiritual make up, but also in terms of our personality. Personality is defined as “the set of emotional qualities, ways of behaving, etc., that makes a person different from other people.” We were created with the ability to conduct ourselves much like Him. The first clue we see of this comes from Genesis 1:28. “God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” God’s rule is in Heaven and the earth He gave to man (Psalm 115:16). 

However, many can attest that the earth we live in is one that is in distress. We see that many do not value life as murder and/or the taking of life is rampant. Others whose only value is self often dismiss the needs of those bound in poverty and seek to keep them subdued rather than offer a helping hand. You see, while many have attempted to understand the behavior of mankind they can only offer insight into what is observable. That which we see does not often explain the why behind what we see. In order to answer this question we must journey back to the beginning of mankind. And no, we aren’t the result of some unexplainable big, bang. We human beings are intelligent in our design and thus can only be the result of an Intelligent Designer.

When God created mankind there was no division between He and them.They were able to enjoy each others presence. The divide that would come to exist did not happen until after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. You see, most people take issue with the fact that a serpent (snake) could speak and have the ability to deceive human beings. I must add, whether you believe in an actual talking serpent is not of importance here; the Bible often uses many things in a figurative sense. However, the original context of words and what they mean can sometimes be lost in translation, which happens a great deal in terms of the Bible. Serpent in Hebrew is Nachash and while it does mean to hiss, it also means divination or enchantment. It was in this enchantment that Eve, later Adam ate the fruit. 

The serpent (Satan) convinced them that if they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that their eyes would be open and they would become like gods, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5 KJV). It is important to note that they did not become evil through eating the fruit, they now had a knowledge of what it meant to be good and evil. On the other hand, the transgression of God’s command opened the door to which sin entered. Sin meaning, “an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law,” in simple terms to miss the mark, the mark established by God. It was at their disobedience of God’s command not to eat the fruit that expelled not only them from the Garden, but expelled God-or the Garden from the earth. You see, the Garden of Eden was the point at which Heaven and Earth met. Now with the introduction of sin Adam and Eve could not freely move between both realms, and neither could God. God is Spirit, and the inhabitants of a material world must be those made of material substance, which in this case is man. The only inhabitants who could live in the garden were those free of sin, thus why mankind was expelled. In this instance mankind had a new lord in that of Satan-so, instead of the earth being influenced with the goodness of God it became influenced with that of evil.

Many have trouble with the fact that Adam and Eve, along with the earth and all that were yet to come would suffer such a fate. However, even in this punishment God had a way for mankind to be redeemed through the Person of Christ (Yeshua-Jesus). Christ came to demonstrate the Kingdom from which we all originate and to provide the Way through which we could all have access. Through one man (Adam) sin and death reigned for all, but through ONE Man, Christ we are born unto righteousness, should we choose to make Him our Lord (Romans 5:17). The LORD, Himself came to the material earth in a material body! This act translates us out of the kingdom of darkness (Satan) to the Kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13). However, the aim of Satan is to keep people from discovering the truth of who he is and therefore who God is. "In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Because remember, if there is no devil there can be no God. Can good exist without evil or evil without good?

The powers that be which influence this world has and can only offer a fleshly existence; it denies the divine-God within us. Flesh is only concerned with pleasing and gratifying the flesh; it is the, “whatever makes me feel good,” existence. Its soul aim is to keep people from recognizing God within, the divine, the spirit nature. The spirit nature knows from whence it came and is always seeking to bring this reality into the earth. “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible”(Hebrews 11:3).

God is not absent, people have chosen to disregard Him. Although, He has been known as God from the beginning, many did not acknowledge Him as such (Romans 1:21). Many understand the notion of the spirit world, the divine, but lessen it using terms like the universe, consciousness, etc. Many have taken the principles of God, re-packaged them in a way that divorces them from their source of Origin, God. “He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.' Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.” (Acts 17:25-30)

We must understand the law of Oneness.  That all humans are created in the image and likeness of God-that God breathed His Spirit into Adam (mankind) and that one breath, the breath of life has continued throughout all the generations.  In this law of Oneness the actions of one affects all those around them. So, if there is poverty, it is due to man not taking care of his/her brother/sister. If there is murder, it is due to others not valuing life-not valuing the divine that is within us all. Did not Cain say to God, “am I my brother’s keeper?” Well, yes you are! Until we understand this law of Oneness the question of where is God will continue to be asked.