I went socializing with some neighbours, who are not church members at some neighbourhood club. In there, I found people of what is termed, different classes (see details in our message, “ Classes of men”), sharing a table, with each telling their kind of story on how much, one has achieved, and what they are aiming at. The whole talk was all about, self-positioning, with some feeling belittled by those who will Bragg more, while these most bragging feel elevated. I didn’t know exactly how to ship in because I could not agree with either side, i.e ,either the belittled or the elevated. After some while of listening, my spirit burned within me with a pushy feeling, insisting that I say something about the talk.
So I shot up with this question; and I quote: “ Do we know that we are not different from chicken eggs, so fragile that, if it slips from the hand, its all a smash-up, that you can’t recollect it? Do we know this to be the exact nature of the physical beings we are now?” Immediately after my question, one of them shot up, yelling, and asked me; “ who are you?” I was caught up unawares by the question, and so, I also answered back without much thinking and told him; “I am myself”. Some of the listeners laughed while the questioner never commented more on the answer. A silence ensured for some while. It is at that point that the question came back to me in my mind; “ Who are you?” In the cause of trying to understand, God revealed to me what became the message I am writing to share with as many as are desirous of understanding themselves better.
So, I am here posing the same question before you readers. Who are you? The struggles that we see with everybody in their daily activities, whether the God-worshippers or the pagans, do testify to the fact that, human beings are incomplete. Everyone, in their present condition is trying to become something else, trying to advance to a different position in all aspects of life, be it knowledge, strength, possessiveness, name it. Why? Why we are not contended with what we are now?
CREATURES IN THE MAKING
It was after this much questioning within myself that God revealed to me what I am sharing, being also my desire that we have fellowship together. God says, the ways of man are not in himself; they are not in one who directs(who does what he thinks) his steps-Jerem.10:23. Why is it that, man cant plan his ways and walk rightly by himself? Because in these physical bodies, we are not the creatures God had in mind when He created us, for He tells us that, our right-now being, is his first stage of making us what He has in mind-1 Cor.15:46. So, being in this first stage, we don’t know who we are, nor what we should be doing except only if, we learn from God our creator; a good reason why He is telling us that, many are the thoughts in the mind of men, but it is God’s purpose that will be established -Prov.19:21.
It was after hearing God reminding me of these informative verses that I realized, I was wrong to tell that man, I am myself. It is in the same understanding that John was inspired to write; brethren, it does not as yet appear what we shall be- 1 John.3:2. Paul also testified to it saying, right now, we see partially as in a mirror. If this be the case, what then should we entertain as knowledge of who and why we are, so that we may live the right and true life? Now that we know ourselves as beings that are in the manufacturer’s factory- Jerem.18:4-6, then, we should also accept that we are, the extend the manufacturer has built us, in which case then, though we have the same potential right now, we are not the same. Why?
WE ARE OUR CHOICES
For God to achieve us in His purposed plan, He planned that we should freely like to be so. Our physical-now-lives, are that choice-making and developing time( see our message, “ Why the physical bodies?”). We know that, it is not in man’s power to produce knowledge. We also know that it is stored-knowledge in the mind which one applies in doing, to form one’s way of life. Bearing in mind that, there are only two sources of knowledge from which man can choose, acquire and, stock his mind, then, to know who we are now takes, understanding the source of our knowledge. It takes the spirit of, either God, or Satan, to occupy one’s heart, and inspire one’s thinking with some knowledge, which the mind stores. Therefore, who we are now, is a stage in the process of becoming what we choose, be it obedience to life, or disobedience to death-Deut. 30:15.
Know and understand therefore that, each choice kick-starts a process towards some goal which once arrived at, then, we will rightly say, I am myself, because we will each have reached the permanent position( the end-result) of one’s choice. And this is also the reason why right now, everyone, godly or ungodly, is striving to become the goal of one’s choice. There only two goals of life, just as there are only two choices of knowledge which brings about two ways of living ( read some details from our message, “ Of which world?”). In this physical stage, our maker says, we are dust, short-lived and so at some point, we must perish and become dust again-Gen.3:19; Job.14:2-3; 1 Cor. 15:52.
For those who have chosen the physical life as their goal, and this, after accepting a lie that they are complete (like God), they are seriously striving to arrive at the pinnacle of this physical life which is to be the wealthiest, most famous, the highest in human positions, and putting on every kind of the physical glory- Porsche cars, magnificent buildings, best attires, and the best leisure activities ( for more, read a message namely, “Be watchful”). And this is done in the thinking that they are already themselves, and so they are not undergoing any process, which is not true, because we see them, seriously striving for something. What will they become at the end, as an achievement of their life-gaol, in which they will rightly say, “ I am myself”? Please, hear the answer God is giving you. If you live according to the flesh, you will die-Rom.8:12.
So, once you die, then you become dust. And now because the flesh is sinful, then we know that the ultimate goal of sinners is, to be burned into ashes in the lake of fire-Malach.4:3. Abraham was given to understand the ultimate goal of those who will live for the physical only. He says, it is, dust and ashes-Gen.18:27, because choosing the flesh means, choosing death-Rom.8:6. Friends, this is what those who struggle for the flesh only, who accumulate wealth for themselves, and are not rich towards God-Luke.12:21; Psalm.49:6,13, will achieve as their goal. It’s what they will be right to say, “ I am myself”. Right now, they are still struggling because they are not yet there, they are incomplete.
But they are deceived concerning the goal they will achieve. All this because, the spirit which they welcomed into their hearts, which became the source of their knowledge on what they are and what to live for, is a lying spirit, which gave them, a corrupt and destructive life-Eph.4:22.
THE GODLY GOAL
All human beings have fallen into this satanic trap, and every one of us has, and up to now is in a great way, practising this wrong choice. But God had fore planned to rescue man from this destruction. It begins in the heart, with the change of the occupying spirit, which changes the stored knowledge, and so changes the way of living, which of a necessity must change the end-result, the goal. From the beginning, God wanted, and up to now, He wants a man who is a spirit being like Himself ( see our message, “ man’s creation process”). So He is telling everyone who believes in Him; and just as I first, created you in this physical body, being the first stage, I will also advance you and make you a spirit being- 1 Cor.15:49,53. Brethren, this is what those who are godly have accepted and believed.
Are you one of them? Search your heart first before you answer please. It is what they are very busy striving to arrive at in this now-life. In the same way the fleshly will become themselves, when they become dust and ashes, so also, the godly will become themselves, when they become, glorious, immortal, everlasting beings-Rom.2:7. This is the alternative goal. What is it then that, they are now, which is what they endear the most? Watch out lest you be among those who darken counsel by words without knowledge-Job.38:2. This I say brethren because, when God was creating us, we were not there.
Therefore, we can’t know how He is furthering our creation unless He tells us, for, His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways, our ways- Isa. 55:7-8. It is very easy to darken counsel, and reject God’s work in our lives, when we think carnally and begin to question, the whys and whens, about the circumstances that happen to us. Isaiah calls it, turning things upside-down, with the clay asking the porter why he is shaping it the way He does, thus trying to suggest otherwise-Isa.29:16. Do we know that, as I write, we are greatly questioning God about how He is creating us spiritually, even though we may not be aware?
BEING CREATED THROUGH CIRCUMSTANCES
Every mathematical question has a formula on how to get the answer. Any time one doesn’t use the formula, he/she always gets it wrong. Brethren, this is what all circumstances in life are, I mean, mathematical questions. God has also made available, all formulas for all circumstances, and these formulas are the scriptures, for by them, you cant go wrong-Psalm.119:11; 2 Tim.3:16-17. John added weight to this truth, saying; in the word is life, and the life is the light of man-John.1:4. Yes, before God created, there wasn’t anything. He is the only life there was, and up to now, He is the only one, for, in him, all things were created, things in heaven and on earth. From him and in him, all things find their being- Col.1:16; 1 Cor.8:6. So, if we will live rightly now, and as a result, achieve our ultimate goal, we must restrict ourselves with all carefulness, to do what the word in scriptures say.
If anyone wants to know, the scriptures are the very manual from God, for man’s life- John.6:63. So now, you who have resolved to lead a godly life, who are you? We must answer according to what the scripture says. So who? You are… who?….nothing-Gal.6:3. Why? Because God has not as yet finished making you what He wants you to be. So right now, we are creatures in transformation, likened with aliens and strangers, who should avoid living carnally, for it will hinder them from becoming themselves- 1 Pet.2:11.
Remembering then that, every time we learn a new thing, it is calling for a change from an old-held-one, then who we are now, is merely a passing condition. So, we are the choice we make in every step. Know therefore and understand that, every time we deal in a circumstance of whatever nature, we find the two alternative choices before us. One demanding a doing according to the fleshly desire, which doesn’t use the right formula( the word), and the other which uses the formula( the word)-Rom.7:23.
Since in this godly choice, we don’t know who we are, that we only know ourselves through God’s word which tells us what we will be in the future, then, we don’t uphold the now, or fight for it (self), but rather, we fight for what we are being made, i.e, righteousness, faith, love, and peace- 2 Tim.2:22; Heb.12:14, the behaviours of what we shall be once completed. We know nothing about now, except for, to keep us going (training) to our goal. This means, we don’t have anything to defend here and now. We have everything to pursue. And that is where our lives, our hearts, and our efforts are- in heaven- Mat.6:20; for our common wealth is there, and we expect a saviour to come from there and change our now-bodies, and give us one like His-Phil.3:20-21. For we don’t have a lasting city now, but do look for a coming one-Heb.13:14. We are talking of and learning about the life of the coming world-Heb.2:5.
So in every circumstance that may confront us or, which we may find ourselves in, we don’t fear, worry, or complain about it. This is because, we have the word of God telling us what step to take, and what it makes us to be in that given circumstance. The word of God is who we are, and what we fear losing. Therefore, this word is what we fight for with all our being, for it is the only thing we know about ourselves, because, it is our lives-Prov.4:22. It is a lie for us to say we are ourselves now, for until we are made into what God intends to make us, which is what we are training to live by, and which is explained by God’s word, which is also why we obey it, we are yet to be ourselves.
The fear of God (obedience to his word, or, doing it), is the very means of becoming ourselves- Prov.19:23, and this will be, when Christ returns, and changes our vile bodies, to make them like his-Phil.3:21. In the same way those pursuing the physical will say, “ we are ourselves”, after becoming dust and ashes, we will also say, “ we are ourselves”, after becoming, everlasting, immortal spirit beings. Who are we now? We are what spirit we choose, which fills our hearts, and gives us knowledge of what we will be, which is what we are practicing in this physical life? Who are you preparing to become? It is defined by what you chose.
God suggests that we, choose life-Deut.30:19, that we may become what He created us to be. For if you choose, the now-physical life, you will surely die and become ashes.
Our Lord and saviour is the speaker here, pleading with as many as have ears to hear, wishing to lose none. He is doing so through His servant.