The Undefeatable Stratagem

None of this was planned, but over the past few months, the movies I have seen all had some sort of apocalyptic theme. For example, yesterday, I saw the movie, "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen." I cannot count how many Biblical similarities that emerged from this motion picture. The communities of transformers mimicked the spiritual realm, the exception being that it was visible to the human eye. As many of you know, I never take anything for a mere face value. I always look deeply into things and analyze them. Simply said, this film got me thinking.

In my opinion, I think it is impossible to devise a machine that allows time travel. We've all seen various movies, cartoons, etc. that portray these types of fictitious devices. To compose an idea of making these devices a reality would be completely asinine to me. In my mind, the past can never be changed; the future can never be accessed except when it is converted to the present. Humans merely have variable amounts of control in the present, and they can make provisions for the future, but only time will tell how those provisions will turn out.

Many times, when I study the Bible, I notice a common thread that's woven into the fabric of this incomparable work of literature. It is a tool that God often uses to defeat the intentions, philosophies, opinions, isms, etc. of man. I find it quite humorous, honestly. It's a simple tool that anyone really can use as long as he is persistent in a very long-termed manner. And also as long as he is not ignorant of this device. This tool is TIME. A "for-instance" that jumps into my head when I think of this occurs in the book of Exodus. After Moses slayed the Egyptian for assaulting a Hebrew, word got out about it. Pharaoh sought to kill Moses. But then Moses fled to Midian for safety, intending on staying for life. But God told him, via a burning bush, to return to Egypt. Why? The Bible says that God told Moses that all who sought his life had perished.

When God uses time, physical death is not always involved. People naturally change over long periods of time. It is said that a person dramatically changes over a period of seven years, aside from the fact that every cell in one's body is replaced in that amount of time. Pride in certain areas decrease. Self-esteem and confidence increase. Likes and dislikes change. Metabolism and general health statuses change. In many cases, opinions change. A prime contributer to these changes, particularly in regards to opinions, would be exposure, i.e., the erosion of ignorance. People learn a great deal of things over time. Several realizations enter the mind. Time ALWAYS reveals truth!

Perhaps there are loved ones in your life with whom you'd wish to share the Gospel; however, they won't hear it. It just doesn't move them. Perhaps it sounds utterly ridiculous to them. To us, who have not merely heard the Gospel, but have experienced it's undeniable power, there is nothing else like it. It is a source of life. On the contrary, myriads of people take it for face value, and/or find it to be nonsense, but those who dig deep and allow the Bible's doors of realization to open, they are exposed of the stumbling blocks of life which they brought upon themselves. We realize habitual mistakes we make in our lives that appear to be harmless, but in reality, they slowly kill us without us realizing it. Where you give most of your attention is your destiny.

My point in the previous paragraph is that our loved ones will one day realize the power of the Gospel. Too many of us try to butcher our loved ones with something they simply do not understand. In many cases, we don't even understand it. We're just doing something we feel obligated to do. I tell you, if we try to accomplish something we do not understand, the outcome - to us anyway - will be unsatisfactory, ineffective, and practically useless, but if we take the time to allow our minds to open up and understand the reasonings behind what we wish to accomplish, the outcome will be much greater. The final product will be much more appreciated and well-accomplished. But the key to truly win someone over to the Gospel, to the point where they cannot be shaken from it, is not attained by giving him or her a Bible study. The key is PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!! For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. (1 Corinthians 4:18)

We like to talk about God's love, but if we don't possess and express God's love, our words are in vain. How can we teach what we have not experienced? Some of the greatest teachers in the world are the ones who had the greatest struggles in their youth with the areas of which they currently teach about. They learned how to overcome problems by experience. It would be very unlikely for me to become an effective music teacher because music has always come easy to me. I never stayed on fundamentals very long. Once I learned them, I soared into becoming a prodigy. This has led me to the conclusion that people who have not suffered in the area they wish to pursue in, will only become performers. I feel now that I am a fairly decent Bible teacher because I have struggled so much with it. It took me years to realize why I do the things I do and why I don't do the things I don't do. My purpose is writing these blogs is to connect people to God by unraveling the confusion and making sense of what they do not understand about Him. I can declare to you in all confidence that those who hate God simply have never understood nor have taken the time to know Him. It is my goal in life to clear up all this mess in people's minds. The devil's greatest tactic of failure is to play mind games, at least in America. Overseas, countries are attacked in other ways, but America's way of being victimized by demonic forces is the most subtle of all.

There is a very dangerous thing that thousands are people are guilty of. Sharing the Gospel is a wonderful thing, but with the wrong motives, the result can be fatal. The biggest mistake people make in sharing the Gospel is by sharing it merely to compensate for their own guilt. Let me explain. Sadly, not very many people are confident in their walk with God. They carry a guilt that weighs them down. In some cases, it makes them physically sick. They feel like they can never please God. I always hear people express their concerns that they don't know what the will of God for their life is. Some of them get so depressed about it. Why is that? Because they want to feel important in God's eyes. Essentially, they wish to earn God's love and acceptance by doing works. It's like we're holding up signs on the street corners that say, "Will work for love." The truth is that God's love can never be earned, but it is a gift freely given. ACCEPT IT!!!

We must learn that no one can just jump right into ministry; it takes much preparation. God flat out told me that several months ago as I was praying alone in the prayer room at my college. This was during a time when I was heartbroken and depressed. I was seeking God's love because I felt unworthy. I wanted to do works for Him so He would love me. I wanted to know His will so I could feel like I had purpose in my life. Many of us in this generation may have been raised in households in which one or both parents held back their love from us until we made great accomplishments to impress them. It was a conditional love. We don't talk about this much in churches, but a lot of us, without realizing it, think that God's love for us is conditional. If we aren't doing much for God, then we feel like He is rejecting us. The truth is that the harvest in our area is not always ready, nor is the laborer always fully trained. Yes, a good worker comes by experience, but there is always someone above you teaching you how to handle situations, how to perform certain duties, etc., before they unleash you into the real world. The thing is that God's work is dealing with people. And people are the apple of His eye - His loved ones. He needs to properly train you. God talks to many of us through His Word. If we don't read it, study it, meditate on it, how can we expect to become good stewards? People, especially nowadays, will tell you all sorts of things. Therefore, one must search the Word of God himself. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Jesus said that the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. It's not merely the fact that some people are lazy, but it's also that many of the willing aren't properly trained. Why would an employer promote someone who hasn't learned the tricks of the trade? A promotion goes to the man who understands the motives of the company, upholds its mission statement, shows himself faithful and reliable, properly disciplines himself, and gives it his all. Even when he is promoted, there is further training ahead for him. Many of us have been stuck doing the same job for years.

God's company is different than secular companies. We don't work for money. We are a non-profit organization, as far as money is concerned anyway. What is the main reason people volunteer? It is because they have a great love for the cause in which they support. Another main difference about God's company is that He loves us. It is also a family-owned and -operated business. The work is not the main focus; unity is, esp. unity with God. Jesus calls us not servants, but friends. The focus is love. If we are loved, we'll produce greater results.

A few weeks ago, a Bible verse hit me like a ton of bricks and stuck there for quite a while. My work is to edify the Church body by doing what I am doing now, but a while ago, it wasn't as prosperous. This verse showed me why: ". . . knowledge puffeth up, but charity (love) edifieth." (1 Corinthians 8:1) I knew all sorts of things that the Lord revealed to me, but I didn't have much love in my heart for others. I used the work to judge those who were unlearned. It is not the work that wins, but the love. The work is only supposed to be complementary. We should take our "Will Work For Love" signs, turn them around, and write, "Will Love For Work," on them. Our work is not the reason why God loves, but His love is the reason why we work. God is more interested in YOU than in what you can do. He gave you your talents and skills, and He can take away the same, but He will not take away who you are. He gave you free will in which you can choose to become the person you want to become.

Once you are hired in God's company, it is His will for you to stay for eternity. He doesn't expect to fire you. Once you're in, you're in. The only reason God will let you go is if you voluntarily quit, though the doors are always open for you to return. He will greet you back in with tears of joy. There may come a situation in which a person becomes arrogant, causing trouble in the company, refusing to work, yet wishes to remain in the company. God may lay them off for a season and use time as a healer for them to get right. It is not His will to fire anyone. What keeps people in the company is their love for God. If one is like the laid off person whom I just mentioned, but has also come to hate God, then God, with a broken heart, will let him go. For he has no purpose in the company. God gets rid of what no longer is useful or has value (See John 15:2). Hell is not a place God throws people, but it is an unconscious choice humans choose. Jesus is an ark of salvation; Hell is a great flood. As Proverbs 27:20 says, "Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied." Behold, these days, the floods of Hell rise higher and higher. The time is now to get on the ark and remain there.

Time is in God's hands alone. No man can ever touch it. It has a beginning and an end. The end is soon approaching. It is my desire to awaken the generations to the shortness of time. Now is the time for unfinished business that has been neglected to be tended to. Now is the time for decisions to be made. Only God can add sand to the hourglass, but his grace is having trouble finding open doors with which to manifest itself. The key to God's grace is a repentant heart. Our world lacks that type of heart. In this manner, people separate themselves from the One who loves them most, finding pleasure in things that time will cripple and destroy. Jesus is the way to life everlasting.

People find fulfillment in careers, relationships, hobbies, and all sorts of things, but these things will perish. Once these things perish, these people are lost and hopeless. That which was reliable to them has failed them. All that they sacrificed to their cause was sacrificed in vain. In many cases, humans outgrow these things and retire and/or become unable to perform their favored task. But nothing can ever stop worship. The past can't be changed, but the present can, and the future can be shaped with present choices. Want to start again? With Jesus, you always can. The past shaped the present since the past, at one time, was the present, and the present was the future. Don't let history repeat itself. If you made the wrong decisions in the past causing your present to be a disaster, Jesus is able to help you make the right decisions now to bring about a brighter future. Jesus never saw people as they were, but as they could be. But since the extension of future is almost gone, we should work mainly on making the right decisions to prepare for eternity. Do what you need to do.

Let us not merely talk the talk, but let us also walk the walk. Faith without works is dead. We can talk about our faith all we want, but it's all in vain if we don't live it. God wants to raise up preachers, but it's useless for us to preach if we don't practice what we preach. If we feel the call to preach, we should start living the way we stand for.

The clock only has so many ticks left.