Occasionally, I find our QT book too formal, so instead of using it, I simply decide to have an intense conversation with God with a little bit of music in the background. Generally, my conversations with God has to do with questions I am incapable of answering, but even questions I feel I have a grasp on, I run them by Him.
Therefore, I often find myself pondering the future and what it holds for me. One of the questions I ask God is specifically about myself as a man. Precisely, I often ask God how I can become a better man.
Thus, that brings me to creative destruction, an economic theory popularized by Joseph Schumpeter, an adept of the Austrian School branch of economics. Creative destruction posits that innovation in a marketplace is necessary for long-term, sustained economic growth even if it destroyed that status quo.
Hence, this got me thinking about economic theory (something I am absolutely passionate about) could relate to my own life and my personal walk with Christ. What I came up with, was the deconstruction of man vis-à-vis his relationship to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
But before I could arrive at any substantive conclusions, I had to address the age old conflict concerning the condition of man's soul. This conflict has been a question that prophets, philosophers, and pundits have been pondering since time immemorial. The question has to do with the fundamental nature of man, was man born out of evil or is man inherently good? Then I realized how foolish I was to even ponder such a thing since it would not matter whether people were born good or bad, because God has the power to change everything to suit his own purposes. After all, the second law of thermodynamics states that, it takes massive amounts of energy to create complex beings, and so who am I to limit God if he wants to change someone that was born "bad."
It was after this epiphany that I realized that God was going to take me and radically alter my perceptions about myself.
The first lesson that God taught me was to understand the nature of sin. Essentially, what God revealed to me is that all sin, large, small, and all its numerous derivations were not simply a barrier between God and I, they literally removed me from his presence. Remember that, prior to Eve (always the woman causing trouble for the man ;-) ) and Adam sharing fruit from the forbidden tree, they were allowed to walk naked and blameless before God while residing in paradise. They communed with God daily without shame and were most beloved by God. It is important to note here that I believe that the ability to walk naked and without shame forms the basis for what we know today as faith. Why you may ask would I think such a thing? Remember that clothes are items of this world. They project a material image about ourselves. Our clothes are costumes we wear while performing in our everyday lives. When we purchase a new expensive purse or special order Jordan's, not only are we satisfying our material desires but they are also literally types of signals to other human beings about ourselves. So when Adam and Eve realized they were naked and became shameful, they depended on material things (i.e. clothing) to avoid or hide from judgement. Whereas prior to partaking of the forbidden fruit, they were not at all concerned about being judged, they simply relied on their faith as it pertained to everything in their lives. So faith has everything to do with how we think our environment should judge us when in fact we should only be concerned with how God judges us.
So from the instant they partook of the forbidden fruit and committed original sin, they were removed from paradise and were no longer allowed to walk with God daily. As Genesis 3:23 points out, "So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken." Quite painful indeed. So the lesson God wanted to impart upon me is that sin literally removes us from Him.
The second lesson God taught me was the meaning of pride. The reason pride is such a dangerous sin is because it blinds us physically and spiritually. Obadiah 1:3 notes that, "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'" It is as if humans have elevated themselves to the position of God. Pride is an extremely dangerous sin, because as the laws of physics make clear, what goes must, without fail, must come down. Yet, some of the biggest tumbles famous people have had, they did not see coming. That is why, regardless of how successful each of us become, it is important to give thanks to God first. When I say first, I mean literally first. The moment you hear any good news, get on your hands and knees and supplant yourself before God. Trust me, try this like I have and wonderful things will happen in your life. It is not easy at first, I surely was embarrassed the first moment I attempted it, but God saw my heart, was pleased, and rewarded me accordingly.
Finally, the most important lesson that God taught was how to pray. I have prayed employing many different forms, conversational to praying in tongues. But all types of prayers are essentially derivatives of one primary type of prayer. So God instructed me to first, ask for forgiveness of our sins. This is crucial so that we may return to a state of sinlessness before God. Second, we must come to God covered by the blood of Jesus because we can only truly come to God through Jesus. Third, have a humble heart. We are after all speaking with GOD! Fourth, ask God to imbue you with his Holy Spirit, because only then will you be led in the direction that God wants. Fifth, be specific! When I say specific, I mean know and understand ALL of whatever you are praying about. Sixth, become spiritually naked. Unshackle yourself from the burdens of the world or fear of your prayer not being answered. Those things are not important before God. I cannot stress this enough. Finally, enjoy the moment with God. Prayer after all, is us walking and talking with God while in paradise. When we pray sincerely and legitimately, we are returned to a state prior to original sin. This is reason to have joy and love in our hearts.
Your servant in Christ,
Me
P.S. God bless!
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