Worm, Part X

Just before I wrote Worm, Part IX God spoke to me this morning and I quickly typed it out. This is what He said to me...

"You have heard in my word to consider the ant, now consider Jacob, Joshua, Abraham, Jesus, Ruth, and every other man or woman who I have told you about. I designed you. I created you. I did not create you for you... but for me. I created you and designed you to be one people. Yet, just as Lucifer did to me, mankind does likewise. I designed you Jezreel. You can operate within that design or choose another way. I made you perfect but sometimes, you are not happy with that and seek to become more."

"Did Joshua not suffer? Did my Son not suffer, Have I not suffered? Oh... how I have suffered your race! I made you for good not for contempt. If you live outside of what I designed you to be, you will destroy yourself. There is nothing wrong with being a servant and nothing wrong with being a child of God! This is the meaning for suffering, pain, and destruction. These things have their purpose. You would never submit to me without them nor would you do any good. Yea, even Satan has his purpose, for I use him to bring about my will though he never sees or understands. Just as a father punishes his child to keep them from going down destructive paths, so do I. I do not do it because I hate them, I do it because I love them. Does not your own culture teach you that? Selfishness is at the heart of evil. Selfishness beyond the boundaries of the design are corrupt and vile. Accept who you are, which is nothing, embrace your weakness, and I will make you to be more than you ever thought possible."

^{Exodus 10:3-5}

³ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him,

"This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. ⁴ If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. ⁵ They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.

 He also reminds me of this scripture:

 Proverbs 14:12-13

¹² There is a way that seems right to a man,
       but in the end it leads to death.

 ¹³ Even in laughter the heart may ache,
       and joy may end in grief.

Worm, Part IX

God's hand is upon me this morning and He is teaching me things I never could have possibly understood on my own. The bible is hard to understand but there is no greater truth than what I am about to tell you. The bible is first about Jesus. The Old Testament and the New Testament is all about Him. However, it is not just about the man who was the Son of God. It is also about how He lived and the nature of His character. It is about the light of life and the other side... darkness. Every single story is about humility and arrogance. Humility and fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Humility is the light and arrogance is the darkness. I am the creature, not the creator. I don't make the rules, He does. I am a servant, not a master.

Inside of us there is a struggle. We want to run things on our own, we want to achieve great things and this through our own power and merit. We are fierce creatures trying to make our own way on our own terms. Inwardly, we rebel and want to be independent. We don't want anyone telling us what we should be but want to have the freedom to decide things for ourselves. We want what we want and we want it now. We want to decide what is good and evil. We do not want to be inferior to anything. We think life is about status, strength, accomplishments, keeping up with the Joneses, money, achievement, survival of the fittest, fitting in, etc. However, life is not about these things. These things are meaningless. The core of the truth is simply humility.

It is a powerful thing to one day wake up and just simply embrace who you are and who you were created to be. It is important for us to accept who we really are. If you resist, as most men and women do, you will be destroyed by it. Darkness and depression will ruin you and take over your life. You can achieve things your way or God's way. You can fight authority or submit to it. The suffering in your life is necessary because suffering and pain must come first. Once the pain breaks your arrogance and shows you how weak you really are... you are now ready to accept Him as King and once you do (submitting to Jesus as Lord), He will lift you up and call you an Heir to the throne and give you eternal life. Jesus came the first time as a humble servant and the next time He comes... He comes as a mighty King! God has highly decorated Him and will put all things under His feet. It is time for us all to become the worm. There is no shame in this, but glory. It is not a bad thing but a good thing.

^{1 Peter 5:5-7}

⁵Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
   "God opposes the proud
      but gives grace to the humble." ⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Worm, Part VIII

Life is so frail. In an instant, cancer can rock your world to the core. The death of a loved one can send you spiraling into depths of despair. Crime and violence can put an end to hopes and dreams. A simple virus can forever change your life for the worst. Your life can end without notice as a result of your own actions or even the actions of another. Our life can change from good to bad so quickly. We are all in the same boat and as much as we would like to think all things are in our control and that we are resilient, it is obvious that we clearly are not. We think we are strong, intelligent, civilized, but in reality we all share the same weaknesses. It is important for us to understand our weakness and the frailty of life because if we don't we will never see the strength and goodness of God.

 

For everything that we have that is good is as a result of God's mercy and love and everything that is wrong with this world is us. It is our own social structure (built on top of God's creation) that causes us the most problems. Think about this.... where do our problems come from? Bills, credit problems, people in our life (conflict), meeting goals, achieving status, the job, deadlines, commitments, stress, even our own possessions enslave and bring us into bondage. Of course, the problems mentioned at the start of this post can also ruin you which are totally out of our control.

It is a wonder we even exist from second to second and that wonder IS God Almighty. Strength is a joke. Your degrees mean nothing. There are millions of people that are smarter than you but are clue less about humility, which is the beginning of wisdom. You are going to die like everyone else. Sound depressing? You must realize (not dwell on and live in fear every moment of your life) but only realize how weak you truly are so you can see that God is good and provides you with all that is good in your life. He shines his goodness on the evil and the good so that he can shame us all into repentance. His power and wisdom are found in what men think is foolishness.

^{1 Corinthians 1:20-25}

²⁰Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²²Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

Worm, Part VII

Humility is the key. Yet, it is not solely about putting one's own self in it's proper place but also showing God His place in our lives. God is creator of life and that is a powerful statement as it includes not only the life of the body but everything within nature that supports such life. Basically, all the natural elements of the world both seen and unseen were created by God. Though God is creator, He is also a sustainer of life as He provides for us out of His great love.

God not only maintains life as we know it but also protects our life. Lastly, God has saved us even despite our own selves through Jesus Christ our Lord. He is Creator, sustainer, maintainer, protector, and saviour.

Sounds like a pretty important guy wouldn't you say? It is with this thought process that we come to the conclusion that God is important and that we were created by Him and for Him. It makes absolute perfect sense that God would want to be revered and thought of in this way. I am positive that God takes great delight in His children showing Him just how important He really is to them. To know our place... (He is God and I am not). To treat God as if He is the most important person in your life and the one thing that you can not live without may take some serious thought on your part concerning humility. He is King, Lord, Saviour, Friend, Protector, Creator, Provider, and God. We should always encourage ourselves daily to put Him up on the pedestal and exalt and glorify Him instead of ourselves or anything else around us.

^{Psalm 35:26-28}

²⁶ May all who gloat over my distress
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
be clothed with shame and disgrace.

²⁷ May those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, "The LORD be exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant."

²⁸ My tongue will speak of your righteousness
and of your praises all day long.

Worm, Part VI

One of the first steps as a new believer is to realize that each of us were not created for ourselves but instead we were created for God and by God. Submission is a key to a walk with Christ and the God of the universe. The free choice is ours, influenced by the Holy Spirit to walk after Him. Our life is no longer about our cause but now it is about His cause, His honor, His glory, and making Him a true Lord over our lives.

It is probably the hardest lesson of all to learn. How to lay down ones own life to serve God and worship Him daily even at the expense of our own desires. This life and world drives us to self-glorification. It keeps us trapped and burdened down with obligations. It never lets up... and this is the battle we fight. The world's way through Satan (who still has power over the culture and structure of this world) constantly drags us down. It saturates us with fear, doubt, commercialism, and self-indulgence. It keeps us blind.

It is not a battle only against such powers but also against the body itself. The body (flesh) is accustomed to getting it's way and it hates honoring God. It is the primal survival mechanism that drives us, although we rarely recognize it's influence in our daily lives. To love God is to live for something better and above our meager ambitions. To walk in humility and fear, making Him King and Lord over our life. Putting Him first no matter what the world tells us. Setting our eyes on a greater hope and a better promise in the world to come.

^{1 Peter 2:25}

²⁵For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.