So since, due to my unusual life circumstances, no one in real life is throwing a Celebration of Life that I know of, the Lord Who wishes me to be remembered is throwing His own here.
He has invited the world at large since He is by nature inclusive.
I have lots of great friends around the world literally. No one local.
Maybe there will be something online after I go. All out of my hands. People will do what they wish.
So it is customary in a Celebration of Life to put up photos and so forth that characterized that person, and this literally falls to me to do while I have that ability.
Therefore, the stuff in this post is how I myself wish to be remembered, and the things I feel represent ME.
Dear Lord Jesus, You didn’t take long to answer. I scarcely finished speaking and got invited to an online Bible study.
It is super great You have brought people to the blog, Lord. Please do continue to bring everyone here You want to read my words. The more the merrier. All are welcome.
But ultimately this is a You and me thing. This is a place where I get my feelings out and work through my final days. Because these ARE my final days.
This is what You had to say, and my job just to report on what You are doing and saying, as You have called me to be Your witness.
Rest, My Child
You had a hard Word for me, Lord. You said, your labors are at an end. Time to rest.
To the other people at the Bible study, it was about the importance of resting. You anticipated workaholics so created the Sabbath and hallowed it.
Man needs to be made to rest, so You created a day of rest and commanded it be observed. Not for You; for us. Because You anticipated burnout and all the problems of the modern era.
For me it was, your body is at replacement stage and you know this. So you are done and I am commanding eternal rest for you.
I didn’t want to hear this. Fortunately, You are faithful so the Bible study continued.
Sermons Aren’t Random
If you manage to get to a church service live or online, that is a Divine appointment.
Yes churches have problems; I have seen them all by now. But He uses even the WORST ones. He really does!
The pastor has Divine authority. Take the preaching seriously. It might be wrong somehow, but the Lord let it be proclaimed.
So He had a reason for that, and some reason for getting you to that particular service.
Surrender Is The Key
What You showed me (at this GOOD church Bible study) and continue to show me is: it is all about SURRENDER. My will or Yours? What will it be?
Beware The Wolves!
There are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing leading ministries and churches. They look and sound godly, but they are serving poison! Don’t drink the Koolaid!
I am NOT talking about your brother or sister struggling with issues. Help him or her, pray for them, rescue them. You will need rescued yourself someday!
The wolves KNOW they are wolves and do what they do knowingly and deliberately. Those MUST be avoided and resisted!
Self Will Vs. God’s Will
The Bible says you shall know them by their fruit. Their guiding principle is SELF WILL so they will grow and bear the fruits of self will.
The Bible calls these poisonous fruits “the acts of the flesh” and lists them.
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factionsand envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” ~ Galatians 5:19-21, NIV.
Conversely, a true believer has the Holy Spirit as their OS (Operating System). Yes, the difference between success and failure in the Christian life is: are YOU your OS or is the Holy Spirit your OS???
The Holy Spirit, or GOD’S WILL, being the guiding principle of a believer can be discerned by that person’s behavior. Here is what the Bible says to look for.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” ~ Galatians 5:21-23, NIV.
Wolves obviously deliberately hide their true nature. Sometimes it can take time for the truth to surface. But it inevitably does.
The Three Areas To Surrender
I totally got all this from the Bible study and credit the pastor for his ideas. I am doing a blog post about his study. Thank you for your faithfulness in preaching, dear brother.
Sin
And that is where everyone stops reading haha. Oh boy I have to CHANGE. What did you just feel very uncomfortable about? You might need to do something about that.
We are ALL sinners. Nobody is perfect! Everyone is in exactly the same boat; I don’t care how good they look. The Lord sees the heart!
My sins were and are struggling with fear, doubt, worry, sadness and DENIAL. Denial is a big issue: it is my favorite defense mechanism and causes a LOT of problems.
I am constantly confessing those and asking the Lord to fix/remove them. Have made tremendous progress as a result, but NOT perfect and will not be while alive.
Self
The Lord hit me hard with this one. My SELF wants to live on in my body, and this is natural. I just want my body to go on and on like the Energizer Bunny. Just keep replacing the batteries, the mechanical parts, anything needing replaced.
My body can live forever!
Truth is the bunnies in those commercials are probably scrapped somewhere. Also multiple ones were likely made due to mechanical breakdowns.
That is the reality of all physical objects. Even stars die, Anakin.
Darth Vader HAPPENED as he couldn’t accept Padme’s approaching death. Anakin took matters into his own hands to save her; self will ruled him.
Instead of saving her, he became Darth Vader and personally brought her death about, as well as largely destroyed himself. Yes, in trying to AVOID her death, he ACHIEVED it.
She likely would be alive if he had just surrendered, accepted, and did his job!
Star Wars is FICTION but accurately describes the results of pursuing self will!
Death Is The Inevitable Result of Birth
My body will die and all are in denial. I will not die, meaning my soul. I will live on, go to Heaven, and get a new body someday.
People are acting like this is some special circumstance instead of something that will ultimately happen to ALL of them too!
I cannot believe I have to point out cemeteries are full of bodies that belonged to Christians. Clearly God DOESN’T heal everyone.
People Go A Little Crazy When Death Is Involved
It isn’t confined to Christians. Nederland, Colorado, USA has an annual festival celebrating the fact some guy had his body put on ice in hopes he could eventually reuse it someday.
It is called “Frozen Dead Guy Days” and they drink beer, dress in costumes, throw a parade, and party for a few days. Every year.
That body is good for nothing. It is possibly stew meat for cannibals, is probably degraded beyond scientific use, is badly frozen according to locals, and probably smells horrible.
But they pay for its upkeep and throw an annual festival around it. Because people are irrational when death is involved. And it’s a good excuse for a party.
My body is going kaput. Uncertain when but this is a happening thing. I have abundantly explained why in various entries here.
For me, crucifying self is accepting this.
Not looking for a miracle cure. Already miraculously alive. Even the Lord only repairs/replaces to a certain point. He said it is time to rest so it is.
My soul continues to be strong and getting stronger. Like I do not even understand what the Lord transformed me into, but praise the Lord for His amazing, wonderful work!
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” ~ Psalm 139:14, NIV.
EVERYTHING I do, unless it is a result of sin/self will, is done by Him through me. The writing, the art, photos, the video my friend helped with. Here, Facebook, LinkedIn, DA.
The Lord is throwing a Celebration of Life for me and inviting who He wants to come. If you are reading this, you made the invite list!
Stuff
This honestly isn’t much of an issue for me due to my radical life experiences. Most people are enslaved by their money and possessions.
Not surrendering your stuff to God, therefore, will make it available for enemy use. You will fight a lot of battles over money and possessions.
Almost everyone struggles in this area.
Conclusion
This is a process for me and I think everyone else too. The Lord is using the process of my death to teach fundamental truths about life.
Thanks to Pastor Ron of Kingdom of Hearts for the Bible study that inspired this post! You can find it here.
Jephthah's Daughter 