WHAT IS THE RIGHT RELIGION?

A colleague once asked me:

“I would like to strengthen my faith in God. What do you think is the right religion that I should join in order to strengthen my relationship with Him?”

Her’s is actually a valid question. When we look at the world today, we are met with a dizzying array of options. Generally speaking, there are five major religions on this planet: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Beyond these, there are hundreds of minority religions. Even within Christianity alone, estimates suggest there are over 33,000 registered denominations, not counting the countless unregistered groups.

Every single one of them claims to be the “right way.” They all claim that membership in their specific group is the key to heaven and a stronger relationship with the Lord. However, logic dictates that they cannot all be right when they teach contradictory things. We must be wise. We cannot rely on human opinion or statistics. To answer the question “What is the right religion?“, we must consult the only authority that matters: the Word of God.

To understand what we are looking for, we must first understand what the word “religion” actually means. The English word comes from the Latin root “Religo”. This term literally means “to bind back” or “to restore us back to God.”

By definition, the very purpose of religion is to bind a person back to the Creator. But this definition begs a terrifying question: Why do we need to be bound back to God?

If we need to be bound back to God, it implies that at some point, we were detached from Him. It implies that a separation occurred. To understand the cure, we must understand the disease. We must go back to the beginning, to the Fall of Man in Genesis 3.

We know that because of the Fall of Man in Genesis 3, Man was separated from God. Because of the Original Sin committed by Adam and Eve, our spirits died and cannot be indwelt by the Spirit of God. Every person born in this world has a dead spirit (1 Cor. 15:22). We were all dead. Therefore, it is impossible for us to access the spiritual world. It is impossible to reach out to God, for reaching out to God is only through an alive spirit. We can no longer access the spiritual things. We can’t receive anything from Him. We have been “detached” from our Lord, spiritually speaking.

We are all dead because of the fall. Consider a dead body at a funeral. You can shout at it, slap it, shake it, or do anything on it, but it will still not respond. Why? Because it is dead to the physical world. Its five senses do not function and therefore cannot perceive anything from the physical world. In the same way, the natural man does not respond to the things of God because he is dead to the spiritual world. It cannot receive revelations or any spiritual things from God because it is dead spiritually, as stated in 1 Corinthians 2:14:

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

The natural man in this verse is a man whose spirit is dead. We need something that can quicken (give life) to our spirit (Eph. 2:1). We need something that can bind us back to the spiritual world because we have been separated from it. So that we can access it again. And this is the goal of every religion. They have introduced us to so many ways to bring our spirit back to life and to bind us back again to God.

Most religions today will offer you good works as a binding back. They will tell you to do this and do that in order for us to access the spiritual world again, in order for us to be attached to God again. Some even claimed that just being a member of their sect will save you. They offer so many ways to bind us back again to God. But the Word tells us that there is only ONE WAY to be attached to God. It is the only way that can “quicken” us—or make us alive again. It is a way to bridge us from the gap that sin has created. The ultimate goal is: to bind us back to the spiritual world we lost.

Before we tackle God’s only way, let’s first explore the different kinds of religions in the Bible invented by men.

Throughout history, mankind has recognized his separation from God. We feel the shame of our nakedness before God, and we instinctively try to fix it. In fact, the very first “religion” in human history was established in the Garden of Eden, not by God, but by man.

After Adam and Eve sinned, they realized they were naked.

Gen. 3:7 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

This act of sewing fig leaves is the perfect picture of man-made religion. It was Adam and Eve’s attempt to cover their own sin and shame through their own efforts. It was their own act of binding back to God.

Consider the nature of a fig leaf. It is temporary. Its itchy, it dries up, it cracks, it tears easily and eventually, it withers away. It requires constant maintenance and replacement. This symbolizes the religious systems of man. Whether it is good works, church programs, rituals, or moral philosophy, these are all “fig leaves.” They can easily tear apart. They are man’s attempt to say, “I can hide my sin, as if I have not sinned. I can make myself presentable to God. I can be saved through my own works.”

But just like the fig leaves, these coverings are easily ripped apart. They are a pitiful covering for the magnitude of sin. No amount of human effort can restore a dead spirit to life. No works of us can ever save us.

If fig leaves represent Adam and Eve’s religion, what about God’s religion? What is the correct way or God’s way to attach us back to Him? We find the answer just a few verses later. Even though man rejected God, He still made him coats of skin and provided the right way to cover sin.

Gen. 3:21 “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”

Notice the difference. In Genesis 3:7, man made aprons out of fig leaves. Genesis 3:21, God made coats out of an animal skin he killed. For Adam and Eve to be clothed in skins, an innocent animal had to die. Blood had to be shed. This is the first picture of the Gospel.

God was teaching us a vital lesson here: our own efforts (religion, systems, denominations) cannot cover our spiritual nakedness and sins. We can only be saved through God’s own works, not ours. No one can bind us back to God, but God alone. Only God’s own effort can provide the covering, and that covering comes through a sacrifice. This we will learn more once we will get to His ultimate sacrifice – the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. What He did in Genesis 3:21 is just a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice He will provide.

Cain practiced man-made religion. He offered the “fruits of the ground” to God. He thought that sim came from literally eating a literal fruit, and so he also offers fruits. His religion is not founded in revelation.

Just like Adam and Eve, Cain offered the work of his hands. You know, being a farmer at that time was harder than being a keeper of sheep like Abel. The ground was cursed as a consequence of Adam’s sin (Gen. 3:17), that is why it is hard to grow plants. Unlike being a keeper of Sheep, will you just let the sheep graze on abundant pasture since there are still no other people at that time aside from the four of them. There are also no carnivorous animals that will eat the sheep. So Cain’s efforts being a farmer are harder than Abel’s.

Cain might have thought, “These offerings are the products of my own hard work, God will be pleased by these.” But God rejected it. Why? Because again, it was based on human efforts. It is based on Cain’s own thinking and not on revelation.

Abel, however, learned from the mistakes of his Mom and Dad. He has a revelation of what really happened in the Garden of Eden. He knows that blood was involved in the Original Sin. He copied what God have done in Genesis 3:21. He copied God’s religion. He offered a blood sacrifice. It is a religion dependent on God alone. So God was pleased and respected it (Heb. 11:4-5, Gen. 4:4). This made Cain very wroth and killed his brother Abel.

In Genesis 11, we see another example of false religion.

Genesis 11:4 “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

The goal of the people in this verse is not to build a literal tower that can reach heaven. As we all know, no literal tower, no matter how high it is, can reach heaven. Their real goal is to use that tower they built so that they can perform their religion and through that religion, man can access heaven (the spiritual world) again.

Remember that the first being to be separated from God and from heaven (Spiritual World) is Lucifer and his angels (Rev. 12:8). They cannot access heaven anymore (Rev. 12:8-12). So they have been making attempts to access heaven again and to carry on with their original plan which is to conquer it (Rev. 12:7). In here, Satan is using people to build this tower where he can reach heaven again, along with his angels and those people. This is the religion of these people, in the leadership of Satan, in trying to reach God and heaven.

This is also the spirit of many modern religious institutions today. There is often a focus on building a “name” through human efforts and programs, focusing on organizational growth and on “climbing up” to God through rules and rituals. But just like the tower of Babel, it will not reach heaven. Instead, God Himself will destroy it (Gen. 11:7-8).

Many religious systems today are also patterned after these failures. They formed groups, organizations and grew in number. They claim that if you join their group, follow their programs, or pay your dues, you will be bound back to God. Pastors today are forming groups to declare that they are powerful and influential. They disfellowship those who will oppose them. But the Lord will start to crumble them for He is not in groups or organizations. The truth is, He hated them. In fact, during the Lord’s ministry on Earth, He did not visit any organizations or groups like those of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He is outside of those. And he is still doing that today.

If religion means “to bind back,” and we are dead in our sins, how do we truly get back to God? The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the definitive answer to this. He did not come to establish a denomination; He came to be the Way.

John 3:13 “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”

Man has tried so many attempts and ways to attach again to God and to ascend to heaven (like the Tower of Babel). They have invented so many religions today just for this purpose. But the Lord Jesus tells us that no man can ascend to heaven and bind us back to God. His words in John 3:13 are very clear: The only One who can bring us to heaven is the One who came down from heaven. In other words, He is the ONLY way.

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me.”

The Lord Jesus said, “I am THE way.” He did not say “I am a Way”. This means that there is ONLY ONE Way that can bind us back to God and can bring us to heaven. And that only Way is Him. He also did not say, “I will show you the way,” or “I will give you a map.” He said, “I AM the way.”

Therefore, the Right Religion is not a system, group or sets of dogmas – IT IS A PERSON. And that person is no other than our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only one you need to attach us back to God. This is why we need to possess Him because He is the only way Who can bring us to heaven. To possess the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, is what He calls “Being Born-Again.”

John 3:5-6 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

To be “born-again” is the ONLY WAY TO POSSESS CHRIST. It is a spiritual experience where His Spirit dwells in our spirit and quickens our dead spirits. It is allowing the Tree of Life to dwell in you. Once you are born-again, you are sure to go to heaven because the One Who can go to heaven is now one with you. He is the right religion.

If you want to know what the right religion looks like, look at the story of the thief on the cross on the right side of the Lord Jesus.

This man had no time to join a church. He was never water baptized. He never paid tithes. He is not a member of any religion. He had no “fig leaves” of good works to offer God. He was a sinner dying a shameful death. Yet, he looked at the Lord Jesus, believed and declared His faith to Him saying:

“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

He recognized the King next to him. This is because he is also a sheep (John 10:27). He recognized the only One Who can bring him to heaven. And that’s why the Lord Jesus answered Him:

“To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

This is God’s religion. It is the religion that saves the sinner not through the sinner’s effort, membership or any works. But through the Savior’s merit. It does not cage us in man-made dogmas, groups and membership. It sets us free from them. The religion of the Lord saves us from the cages of men.

Back to my colleague’s question: “So where should I join?”

This is the straight-to-the-point answer found in the Scripture:

You do not need to join any religion today; you need to be joined to Christ. ALL WE NEED IS CHRIST.

Becoming a member of the true religion of God is a matter of the Spirit, not of mebership or groups.

John 4:23-24 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

This does not mean we forsake gathering together. Fellowship is vital. But seek a fellowship whose main aim is for you to possess Christ. And not the secondary things like membership, tithings, church programs, groups, or anything that will take your focus on possessing Christ.

These are what you should look at for a fellowship:

Go with those who seek the truth. Do not settle for membership numbers or groups.
Go with those whose sole authority is the Bible. If a group puts the words of a leader, a prophet, or a tradition above or equal to the Bible, flee.
Go with the fellowship that has no man-made dogma. Look for a place that preaches the “Coats of Skin”—the finished work of Christ—rather than the “Fig Leaves” of human effort.

Remember this: Joining a church doesn’t take anyone to heaven. Only those who are joint to Christ. Be sure to be joined to Christ.

The right religion is not about a label. It is about possessing the Lord Jesus Christ. It is about realizing that we were dead, separated, and unable to bind ourselves back to God. It is realizing that Jesus Christ is the only “Religo”—He is the ONLY cord that binds us to the Father.

Stop looking for the right building or group, start looking at the Man on the Cross. That is where the binding happens. That is where life begins.

God bless you Bride of Christ.

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THE BORN-AGAIN EARTH

The story of Earth and Man mirrors one another. What happened to Earth will also happen to Man since Man was taken from Earth. What Man will do to Earth, he is also doing it to himself since he is made out of it. And what the Lord did to restore Earth in Genesis 1 is the same work He desires to accomplish in Man—He restores, renews, and brings life back to what has been destroyed.

We know that Heaven and Earth were originally created by God in perfect condition, as stated in Genesis 1:1. The prehistoric Earth—home to dinosaurs and ancient creatures—reveals that the planet was once a thriving, well-ordered habitation long before Adam was formed. But something catastrophic occurred between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Heaven remained untouched, yet Earth became “…without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” The once-perfect Earth was suddenly destroyed, along with all its inhabitants.

The cause of this destruction traces back to Lucifer and the one-third of angels who rebelled against God (Jude 1:6). After leaving Heaven, they seized Earth as their domain. In their pride, they attempted to ascend again and conquer Heaven, but they were defeated (Revelation 12:7–8). Cast down permanently to Earth and barred forever from Heaven (Revelation 12:8–12), they unleashed devastation upon the planet. Their rebellion turned a once-perfect world into a desolate sphere—formless, empty, and engulfed in darkness.

But then, in Genesis 1:2, we can read:

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

God did not leave Earth being in darkness, without form and void forever. His Spirit moved upon it. And this is now the start of how God will born-again (restore) Earth. From this point forward, God would spend the next six days rebuilding, reshaping, and refilling the Earth. Though He could have recreated everything in an instant, He chose to do it in stages. The question is: Why six days?

The answer is found in the pattern of our own Stages of Spiritual Development. Through the six-day restoration of Earth, God reveals the six stages of spiritual maturity every believer must pass through after being born-again. These six days are not merely historical—they are prophetic. They foreshadow the very process by which God restores Man.

Just as Earth was originally created in a good and perfect state, Man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). And just as Earth was ruined through the rebellion of Satan and his angels, Man was also ruined by Original Sin and is in need of restoration. With this understanding, we can now look at how God restored the Earth in Genesis 1 after its destruction in Genesis 1:2—for the same pattern reveals how the Lord restores us from the Fall.

Gen. 1:2 “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Before we examine the six-day restoration of Earth, we must first understand the initial and essential work God performed before His restoration began: the Brooding of His Spirit.

Earth was incapable of healing itself. Darkness covered it completely, and without God’s intervention, it would have remained chaotic, empty, and lifeless. The very first act of restoration was God brooding over the Earth—hovering, covering, and surrounding it with His presence. This moment is crucial, for it is the precursor to Earth being born-again. As Genesis 1:2b declares:

“The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

After Earth was destroyed, the Spirit of God “moved” upon it. The word “moved” in this verse came from the Hebrew word “râchaph” which means “to hover, to brood.” To hover unto something means “to cast a shade or shadow to that something” while “to brood” is what the birds are doing to their eggs or hatchlings, that is, they sit or cover their eggs or hatchlings to incubate them.

Before God can revive (born-again) Earth in Genesis 1:3, He needs to brood it first. This is the foremost requirement before He can born-again something.

This is also what happens to us before we are born again. Because of the Fall, Man—once created in a good and perfect state—became “without form and void,” spiritually empty and engulfed in darkness. Just as Earth lost its purpose and became inhabitable, Man also lost his original purpose and became spiritually lifeless. Darkness covered him inwardly, just as it covered the ruined Earth.

But God does not leave us in that condition. He broods over us, just as He brooded over the Earth. At this stage, you are not yet born-again, yet you begin to sense God’s presence surrounding you. You feel a warmth you cannot explain—like a mother eagle brooding over her eggs. The eggs are not yet hatched, but the brooding prepares them for life. In the same way, God draws you closer to His Word. You become exposed to spiritual things. His presence becomes unmistakable. His Spirit has not yet taken residence within you, but it is already moving around you, filling your environment and touching your heart.

This brooding mirrors how the Spirit worked during the Old Testament. The Spirit of God could fill the saints, but did not yet indwell them permanently. It surrounded them, empowered them, and guided them—but could depart at any moment (Psa. 51:11). Only after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ did the Spirit gain the legal right to indwell Man permanently. Now, through Christ, we can truly be born again.

Just as God did not abandon the old Earth, He does not abandon the fallen Man. He broods over him—the one who has become formless and empty—preparing him for transformation.

Only after this brooding did the six-day restoration of Earth begin. In the same way, this divine brooding marks the beginning of Man’s own journey toward full spiritual restoration—his “six thousand years” of perfection being completed under the hand of God.

Earth’s complete restoration was done in six days. It also reveals six major stages that God will accomplish in us for our complete redemption. This is our journey of separation, being fruitful, complete submission and finally, being perfected by the Lord.

DAY 1: EARTH WAS BORN-AGAIN

Gen. 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

After brooding over the Earth, the very first thing God did was to give light into it. This was not sunlight, starlight, or light from any created heavenly body, for the sun, moon, and stars were restored only on the fourth day (Genesis 1:14–19). This was a different kind of light—the light that comes directly from God Himself, the light that imparts life. As John 1:4–5 declares:

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

By introducing this light that gives life, Earth was born-again. And that light was introduce to Earth by God speaking the Word. The restoration of Earth started by God giving His Word, and it will also end by God giving His Word. The old Earth became a new Earth and it is now a new creation.

Just like the Earth, after we have experienced the brooding of the Spirit in our lives, God will then give us His Word. This is what the Bible called: The Quickening of our Spirit.

Eph. 3:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”

Our spirits were dead, but His Word quickened us. And we were Born-again. Just like the Earth, we were made alive. This is the time when the Spirit of God dwells in our spirit. It is the time that God indwelt man. Remember that we have nothing to do with us being born-again. It is solely the doings of our Lord through His Word. Just like the Earth, we were dead and cannot do anything. And just like the Earth also, we were quickened. As what the Lord Jesus told us in John 6:63:

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

The Word that quickened us, is actually the Spirit of God that give us Life. When you hear the Word, and you receive It, that’s also the time that It dwells in your spirit. That’s the time that the Spirit of God dwells in you. And the first thing It will do is to be a light, just like what it did to Earth.

2 Cor. 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

After we have received this Light, It then separated us from darkness (Heb. 4:12). Without separation, no spiritual fruit can be produced. People who were born-again have now two distinctions in their lives: Day and Night

Gen. 1:4-5 “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

Before we were born again, there was only one side to us—Night. We lived in constant darkness. We walked in sin without conviction, spiritually dead and unaware. But when God introduced His Light into our lives, a new side emerged—Day. This is why every born-again believer experiences an inner conflict: Day, representing the Spirit now alive within us, and Night, representing the old nature of the flesh. These two are in continuous opposition because they cannot mix (Galatians 5:17).

Just as God separated the light from the darkness, He also separates the Spirit from the flesh in us. Without this separation, spiritual fruit cannot grow. As the Earth was “born again,” so is Man born again. The Earth became new, and Man becomes a new creation.

Before salvation, we felt no resistance to sin because nothing within us opposed it. But after the Spirit of God indwells us, Someone now convicts, corrects, and calls us away from sin. This inner struggle is the evidence of spiritual life — two natures fighting within us.

Yet even after being born again, we begin as spiritual infants—weak, vulnerable, and easily swayed. Our spirit must grow stronger than the flesh, and the only way to strengthen it is through the Word of God, for His Word is the food of the Spirit (John 6:63). Only by continually feeding on His Word can we mature and move forward to the next stage of spiritual growth.

DAY 2: SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD

Gen. 1:6-8 “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”

The next stage is the creation of the firmament to separate the waters above from the waters below. This firmament (or atmosphere) was called “heaven” – a space that is in between the waters on Earth and the waters that surrounds the Earth in the outer space.

In the Bible, “water” always symbolies the world, as indicated in Revelation 17:15:

“And he saith unto me, the waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”

When applied to our spiritual progression, Day Two represents our separation from the world. This is the second stage of growth. After being born again, we must turn away from sin—and the only way to do this is by separating ourselves from the world, which is under the influence of Satan (1 John 5:19). The firmament symbolizes a space God creates between us and worldly influences. It is called “heaven” because it becomes a place of rest—a spiritual atmosphere where we are no longer dominated by the world’s pull.

We all experience this struggle daily. Even after salvation, remnants of our old habits and worldly attitudes try to pull us back. The firmament represents that spiritual space where God teaches us to resist these influences.

Interestingly, Day Two is the only day of creation in which God does not say, “It was good.” This is because separation, though essential, is often painful. It represents the tension, the wrestling, and the internal warfare believers face as they begin cutting away old behaviors and influences. This stage reflects those who are sincere in their faith but still battling the residues of their former life.

DAY 3: FOUNDATION, GROWTH AND MATURITY

Gen. 1:9-13 “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.”

After you are separated from the world, the Lord will take you to spiritual maturity. The spiritual meaning of the events that happened on day 3 is divided into to 3 stages: Foundation, Growth and Maturity.

A. Foundation: Land appears
After separation from the world (waters) in day 2, the “gathering of waters” and emerging of land in Day 3 signifies you have now a clear understanding between the world and the Word. The Word now become your foundation that gives you the stable ground (land) to walk to (Psalm 40:2). You can no longer be tossed to and fro by the waves of the world. You are founded on the Truth.

B. Growth: Plants Began to Sprout
As we remain walking on this firm ground, this is also the time that land could already sustain life. Grasses, herbs with seeds and fruit bearing trees began to grow in our lives. Your life becomes a source of multiplication, like seeds that grow. Then we mature.

C. Maturity: You Produce Fruits
Hidden within this third stage are the Three Levels of Maturity:

Grass: Represents early growth or simple faith. This is where evidence of life is already seen in you.
Herbs with seed: Represents the reproduction stage, where your faith starts influencing others. The Lord starts to use you to His ministry and to influence others.
Fruit trees with seed: You mature. You are used to feed others. Not only you are used by God to His ministry, the fruit of the Spirit is also clearly seen in you.

The phrase “whose seed was in itself, after his kind” means that you will influence other Christians too, producing faith the same as you.

DAY 4: BEING A LIGHT OF THIS WORLD

Gen. 1:14-19 “And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”

The fourth day marks the restoration of the lights in the heavens. Their purpose was to shine upon the Earth—one as the greater light and one as the lesser. The greater light, the Sun, was appointed to rule the day, while the lesser light, the Moon, was set to rule the night.

In the same way, once we reach spiritual maturity, the Lord desires to use us as lights in this world. Spiritually, the Sun represents Christ, the true Light of the world (John 8:12; Hebrews 1:1–3), the source from whom all light and life originate. The Moon, on the other hand, symbolizes the Church—believers who do not possess light of their own but reflect the light they receive from Christ (Matthew 5:14–16). Just as the Moon shines into the darkness of night, God wants us to reflect His light into the darkness of this world. He intends for you to shine, to illuminate, and to reveal His presence on Earth.

Now, unlike the Sun, the Moon has four different phases which symbolize the 4 different aspects of the Church being the light of this world:

1. New Moon
2. First Quarter Moon
3. Full Moon
4. Third Quarter Moon

New Moon happens when only little light or no light at all is reflected by the Moon to the Earth. This symbolize of us exposing little portion of our lives to Christ, that in return, we can also give little light to this world. During the First and the Third Quarter Moon, only half of the Moon are exposed to the Sun. And this is why only half of it also can reflect its light on Earth. These are the born-again believers who are still torn between the world and the Lord. They still cannot completely surrender their lives to God. Only half of it.

But during Full Moon, the Moon is fully exposed to the Sun and that’s why it is also fully reflects to the Earth the light that it gets from the Sun! This is the phase when the optimum purpose of the Moon, which is to give its full light to the Earth, is fulfilled. We should remember that the amount of light we can give to the world depends on the amount of ourselves we expose to Christ. How much of ourselves are exposed to Christ? Is it full? Half? One third? One fourth? Or None? Only those who can give their lives to the Lord fully are the ones that are optimally used by God to be a light to this world.

Aside from the four phases of the Moon there is also the Eclipse.

ECLIPSES represent spiritual deviations:

Lunar Eclipse: This happens when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon. The light of the Sun that should be reflected by the Moon is block by the Earth which is the reason why the Moon is invisible during this phenomenon. It can’t get any light from the sun. Spiritually speaking, this symbolized the Church placing the world before God. The Church can’t reflect the light from the Son because It is overtaken by the things of the world. Worldliness is proving to be an effective blocker in today’s Laodicean Church.

Solar Eclipse: This happens when the Moon gets in between the Earth and the Sun. The Sun’s light is blotted out for the part of the Earth that is under the Moon’s shadow. This eclipse happens spiritually when the Church or the believers start placing themselves in the position that the Son alone should be. The church has replaced Christ in the eyes of the people on Earth. People follow human leaders and not the Word of God. People start following their Pastors, Pope, Prophets and other spiritual leaders instead of the Word. The person or minister asserting itself as the ultimate authority, blotting out the light of the Sun (Christ).This is a subtle reminder of how spiritual pride, like Lucifer’s encouragement of one-third of the angels to rebel, can obscure divine truth.

As children of the Light, we need to be a Full Moon – fully reflecting the light of our Lord in our lives so that we can be an effective light of this world.

DAY 5: THE SURRENDERED LIFE

Once you have been used by the Lord to be a light of this world, He will then take you to the next stage, the Surrendered Life.

Gen. 1:20-23 “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”

On the fifth day, God created the living creatures of the seas and the birds of the air.

Fish and birds are unique in that they can travel great distances, moving freely across vast spaces. Spiritually, this stage represents a life fully led by the Spirit of God—a surrendered life. It speaks of allowing God to guide us wherever He chooses, whether near or far, familiar or unknown. It is the stage where we release control and let Him direct our steps.

After being born again and indwelt by His Spirit, God desires more than our salvation—He desires our surrender. Only a surrendered life can be fully used by Him for His purposes.

Romans 6:13 states:

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

We must offer all our members as instruments of God. The word “instruments” here comes from the Greek word “hop’lon,” meaning “armor, instrument, or weapon.” We are God’s weapon on Earth—His sword, His spear, and His arrow in the battle against darkness.

This Earth has been conquered by Satan’s kingdom, and the people of this world are under his control. However, our Lord desires to use us to reclaim this kingdom and to advance the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth (Mat. 6:10). Yet, we can only be an effective weapon of God if we are a surrendered weapon—a weapon that yields to His Will. This is what the Lord’s wants for us on this stage.

Remember this: We can only surrender our life to God if we surrender our soul. The soul is the heart of man (Mat. 9:4). It is where the throne of man is located. If we surrender that throne to our Lord, then He can take over our soul. He can take over us. The process of surrendering our soul to God is called Sanctification.

After the quickening of our spirit, the next step is the Sanctification of our Soul. The word “sanctification” comes from the Latin word “sanctus,” which literally means “to set apart for use or purpose.” Thus, our Lord sanctifies us by setting us apart and using us for His purpose. He wanted you be like the fishes of the sea and the birds of the air that are free to travel great distances so that He can use you fully. The purpose of man is to be indwelt by the Lord and to surrender our life to God. Every time we allow God to use us, is also the time we are being sanctified.

Consider the example of a cup. The purpose of a cup is to hold water so that we can drink from it. Every time we use that cup for drinking, we are sanctifying it because it fulfills its intended purpose. However, if we use that cup for something else, such as hammering a nail, we are not sanctifying it—instead, we are destroying it. A cup is not sanctified when it is used for something other than its intended purpose.

The same principle applies to us. If we do not allow the Lord to use us, or if we use our lives for purposes other than what we were created for, then we are not sanctified. We will be destroyed. The goal of our Lord is to take over our soul, and He can only do this through sanctification—by gradually using us for His purpose. Our role is simply to cooperate and surrender to Him. Absolute surrender to our Lord is the key to becoming a candidate for Glorification. Do not hold anything back from God. Give your all to Him so that He can glorify you. Let the act of surrender sweep through every interest, plan, power, and possession of your being.

DAY 6: GLORIFIED STATE

On the sixth day, God created land animals and finally, Man in His own image.

Gen. 1:24-31 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

The 6th day is divided into two parts: the creation of land animals and the creation of Man.

A. Creation of Land Animals
Remember that the progression of God’s creation moves from the simple to the increasingly complex, each stage reflecting greater purpose and design. This also symbolizes the development of the human soul. Although animals do not possess a spirit, they do have a soul—and the land animals created on the sixth day display a higher level of complexity than the fish and birds created earlier.

Spiritually, this points to emotional maturity and mastery over one’s desires. Just as the beasts of the field represent a more advanced soul, this stage symbolizes the believer whose soul has matured and is now fully governed by the spirit. After surrendering your life to God, He completely takes over your inner being. Your spirit now rules over your soul, directing your desires, emotions, and decisions according to God’s will.

At this point, you are fully sanctified—your soul is fully restored and aligned with the Spirit of God.

B. Creation of Man
Man is the ultimate creation of God. He is the only creation who has both the spirit and the flesh. In our spiritual growth, Man here symbolized our perfect state – the Glorified state, where the fusion of our Spirit and Flesh will happen. This is the highest spiritual maturity that we can ever achieve.

This is our state where all aspects of man – spirit, body and soul – are completely controlled by God. We will become what God meant for us in the beginning. This is the ultimate peak of the stages of our spiritual development – the perfect state.

SUMMARY

Day	Spiritual Stage	Description
Day 1	Born-Again	God releases His life-giving Light (His Word) into a person’s spirit. They are quickened, reborn, and separated from darkness. The new nature (Day) is now in conflict with the old nature (Night).
Day 2	Separation from the World	God creates a “firmament” symbolizing spiritual separation. The believer must be separated from worldly influences to stop living in sin. Separation is necessary but often painful.
Day 3	Foundation, Growth and Maturity	God establishes spiritual “land,” meaning a foundation on the Word. Growth begins (grass), then influence (herbs), and finally maturity (fruit trees). Believers begin producing fruit and affecting others in faith.
Day 4	Becoming a Light of the World	Like the sun and moon, believers reflect Christ’s light. The amount of light one gives depends on how much of themselves they expose to Christ. Eclipse illustrations show how worldliness or spiritual pride blocks God’s light.
Day 5	The Surrendered Life	Birds and fish symbolize believers who fully yield to God’s leading. This stage is about sanctification—offering oneself as God’s instrument and allowing Him to use every part of one’s life and soul.
Day 6	Glorified State	God creates land animals (symbolizing a matured soul) and finally Man (symbolizing Glorified state). This is when spirit, soul, and body are fully united and governed by God—perfected and restored to His original intention.

CONCLUSION

The story of the Born-again Earth and the story of Man are deeply intertwined. What God accomplished in the six days of re-creating the fallen Earth is the same work He desires to completely restore man from its original purpose. Each day of Genesis reflects a spiritual stage—beginning with the brooding of His Spirit, followed by rebirth, separation, growth, illumination, surrender, and ultimately, perfection.

This journey reminds us that spiritual maturity is not a single event but a progression. It is separation from what destroys us, growth in what sustains us, shining as a bearer of His light, surrendering our will to His, and ultimately becoming the person God created us to be—fully restored, fully governed by His Spirit, fully reflecting His image.

In the end, the restored Earth becomes a mirror of the restored Man. And just as God looked upon His finished creation and called it “very good,” He desires to look upon our lives—redeemed, matured, and surrendered—and declare the same. The six days of restoration are not merely a historical record; they are a divine roadmap for every believer. A reminder that God never leaves anything in darkness, and that the same God who restored a ruined Earth is still restoring us today.

The question is: On what stage are you?

May the Lord continue to reveal to us His truth is my prayer.

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HOW TO KNOW TRUE LOVE FROM WRONG LOVE

NOTE: DON’T GET MARRIED UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THIS.

(This article is dedicated to my son Von. I hope when the time comes, this will be a blessing to him.)

One of the reasons why there are so many broken families, early pregnancies, and failed marriages—even among Christian families today—is that very few are teaching about Godly relationships and how to distinguish true love from the wrong ones. If it is taught at all, it often receives little emphasis. This is an area where ministers of the Word should also focus on, since the enemy is attacking us in this aspect of our lives, especially the youth today.

Remember, marriage is not a joke. The man or woman you choose to marry will be your partner for the rest of your life. Let that sink in: FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. He or she will be your partner in building your home, and most importantly, he or she will become the father or the mother of your children. Our children cannot choose their mom or dad—BUT WE CAN. YOU CAN. That is why it is so important to choose wisely.

You must be careful and discerning in selecting your life partner. Make sure that he or she is truly your partner. Ensure that your relationship is founded and grounded in genuine love. You need to make sure that the two of you really love each other.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

The most abused word in the world today is the word love. This is because many of us do not truly understand what it really means. Everywhere we look, we find “love gurus” and “love experts” hosting podcasts, giving advice on love and marriage, not to mention the millions of social media posts and self-help books on this topic. But do not be deceived—these “experts” cannot compare to the true Expert, the ultimate source and originator of love Himself: our Lord God. As it is written in 1 John 4:7-8:

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

This topic is seldom tackled among churches. In addition to this, we have little knowledge about the Source of it. So in this article, we will concentrate on differentiating true love from wrong love. The aim is to guide the readers in making decisions in this major area of our lives. Remember that being in a relationship will make you encounter many complications. So you need to be equipped on how to deal with them. This has been a blessing to me, I hope this will be a blessing to you too.

In the Greek language, the Greeks have identified eight different words to describe eight distinct kinds of love. However, these eight kinds of love can actually be grouped into three main kinds: EROS, PHILIA, and AGAPE. In this article, we will focus on these Greek terms, as the English language has very limited words to fully capture the depth of what love really is.

1. EROS – this is the word used by Greeks to describe a kind of love that is deeply connected with physical attraction, sexual desire, infatuation and lust. It is from the Greek word “eros” which came the words “Error” and “Erroneous” which mean “wrong.” In short, this is the wrong kind of love. This kind of love is according to the flesh or physical aspects. You are attracted to the other person’s physical or material aspects. Its foundation is physical lust. Its results are always heartbreaks and problems.

2. PHILIA – this kind of love is also referred to as friendship love, family love or brotherly love. This is the kind of love that you feel for your family, friends, siblings, colleagues you respect or people you have the same values with. If Eros is based on the flesh or our physical aspects, Philia on the other hand, is based on our Soul or personality. You are attracted to people’s souls. You are attracted to those who have the same personality, values or character as you. This kind of love is deeper compared to Eros.

3. AGAPE – according to the Greeks, this is the highest form of love. It is also known as “the unconditional love or true love.” Most love has conditions, but this one doesn’t expect anything in return. This kind of love came from God alone (Romans 5:8). It transcends beyond our body and our soul. It’s the love that is coming from our spirit and sees our spirit. Because it came from God alone, one must possess God in order to give this kind of love. In other words, those people who can give Agape are only those who are born-again or indwelt by God. They are the people whose spirits are alive because of God’s indwelling. Without God indwelling you, it is impossible to give this kind of love. That’s why this kind of love is very rare to find.

Most people can only give Eros or Philia. It is very rare to find Agape, especially nowadays. That’s why if you want to have a strong relationship and a successful marriage, you need to be very sure that the love that you have in your relationship is Agape. The good thing is, love grows and along with it, we learn. So make sure that your love is true love before you commit to marriage.

Life is too short. Don’t waste your life here in heartaches and heartbreaks because of wrong decisions and wrong relationships. Don’t add to those broken families and children whose lives became miserable and without direction because of wrong decisions about marriage. Most crime in this world is committed by those coming from broken families. So don’t be deceived, being in wrong relationships will ruin your life (1 Cor. 15:33). Don’t waste your life being in relationships that will not nourish you.

The purpose of this article therefore, is to guide the readers on how to recognize Agape (true love), and to do away with Eros (wrong love). Through the Word of God, we will lay down here the signs and attributes of Agape from Eros. We will differentiate the two using the Bible. Again, DON’T JUMP INTO MARRIAGE WITHOUT KNOWING THESE THINGS FIRST.

Before we start, I want you to take a pen and paper. Then as you read this article, I want you to list down the attributes of love given here that are applicable to you or to the relationship you are in right now. Then later, we will tally them and determine based on your score, if what you have is really true love or not. With this, we will now dissect what 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says about True Love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

1. LOVE IS PATIENT

EROS – It starts quickly.

If it is Eros, then it will start quickly. Do you know the phrase “love at first sight?” That is, when two strangers first meet, and they have this first eye contact, and everything else in the room freezes, and boom! They knew!

Well, they actually don’t know. The truth is, what they have is actually Eros. The attraction is what meets the eye. It’s purely physical. The judgment only depends on what meets the eye. They don’t even know each other’s personalities yet.

It is the first characteristic of Eros: it starts quickly. And because it starts quickly, it will also end quickly. Most relationships that started like this, ended up like this also – quick. Because it lacks foundation, and it doesn’t experience the test of time, it will likely to crumble. Since it purely depends on physical attraction, that attraction will also fades when physical features fade or when the other person finds another person who is more beautiful or handsome than you are.

It is true that our first judgment of the person is what meets our eyes. Our attraction or unattraction to a person started in physical features. But don’t ever let physical features alone decide on the relationship that you will enter into. While physical features provide the initial spark, it is Agape love—selfless, patient, kind, and truth-seeking—that nurtures a relationship into a lifelong and fruitful partnership.

AGAPE – It grows over time.

True love doesn’t rush. It grows over time. That is why the Word of God tells us that “love is patient.” You can’t have true love at first sight. If it is “love” at first sight, then it is not love. It is actually Eros at first sight.

True love develops and grows. All growth always requires time. All genuine things in this world are not the product of speed, they are the product of time (e.g. diamond, precious stones). They develop through time. That’s why they are hard to find. If you can easily find it, then it means it’s not that valuable.

If love has a best friend, it would be Time. The more time you give to it, the more it will grow. That’s why we have the saying: “True love waits.” Unlike Eros which is quick, Agape on the other hand, waits. And this is why true love can stand the test of time.

Remember that time will test everything. It will challenge everyone especially our faithfulness. If I were a boyfriend returning for his girlfriend, time would be my best friend. This is because, it is only through time that I can tell if my girlfriend is faithful to me. The test of time will challenge everyone who claims that they love you.

Here is a scenario:

Suppose I will treat you to a dinner and money is not the problem. Where would you want that dinner to happen? Will it be in an elegant, fancy restaurant or in a fast-food restaurant? When you choose the fancy one, we will need to wait for about 30 to 40 minutes before we can have our food. This is because, they will first cook our food to make sure that they are freshly prepared when served on our table. Because it is served fresh, we can also guarantee that they are delicious.

But before you choose the fancy one, here’s the catch: you are already very hungry. Your stomach is already protesting. If you choose the fast-food restaurant, surely, we can have our food in less than five minutes. Yes, their food can satisfy our hunger quickly but the reason why they are called “fast-food” is because they are mostly pre-cooked foods or processed foods that is easily cooked, packed with preservatives and additives to prolong their shelf-life until their time to be cooked. Freshness is not in the option here. I know this because I am a Food Technologist.

So where do you want to eat? Would it be in the fast-food restaurant or in the fancy restaurant despite of our protesting stomachs? A 30 to 40-minute waiting will actually not pose anything serious in your health. But in order to solve this problem, let’s kill time by getting to know each other first. Or the best thing to do is, let’s share our Lord Jesus to one another and how He has changed our lives. And we will not notice our protesting stomachs and how time flies. We will just be surprised; our order is already right before our eyes.

This is what true love is. Remember, time is your best friend. Don’t rush everything. Be in love with the Lord first and be amazed by His majesty. And you will be surprised, the one He prepared for you is right before your eyes. Therefore, give love some time.

Lastly, remember that time and love are directly proportional to each other. The more quality time you spend with your love, the more he/she will love you and the more you will love her/him also. So if you wanted that your love for each other will grow, the secret is to spend more quality time with each other.

2. LOVE IS KIND

EROS – It makes you an unkind person.

Because Eros is deeply rooted in the strong physical attraction, sexual desire and infatuation with the other person, these strong feelings can blind the person experiencing them. It will make you out of focus and less efficient on other things because you are deeply focused on your partner alone. You are thinking of him/her almost all the time of the day which is a great sign of deep infatuation and not true love. You always daydream. You can’t even eat or sleep properly. It disorganizes your personality. You will be less efficient in other things and become irresponsible. If you are studying, you are out of focus which will lead you to many failing grades. If you are working, you will be less efficient at work.

You idealized him/her and you can’t even see any flaws on him/her anymore. You don’t care about the opinion of your parents, family and friends who are the ones who really care for you. You don’t even have time for them anymore. What matters to you is only your feelings for her/him. You will think that it’s you and him/her against the world which makes you an unkind person. And the worst thing that can happen is, you don’t even have time for the Lord anymore. This is the danger of Eros – it consumes you. It is like Samson who is consumed by his lust for Delilah. King David, King Solomon and other Bible characters who gave in to Eros have always had one end-point – failure. Eros has been a slayer of kings since time immemorial. It takes away the best version of you that God wanted you to have.

AGAPE – It makes you kind.

If it is Agape, then it will make you kind. Because true love is kind. It inspires you to be a good and better person. You became an efficient and responsible person. You excel in what you do. If you are studying, you excel in your class because true love inspires you. It gives you inspiration to be better. It inspires you to grow. You bring out the best in your partner and she/he also brings out the best in you. You are in control of your feelings and emotions and not the other way around.

Most of all, this kind of love draws you closer to God because Agape originated from Him alone. It does not pull you away from the Lord. If Eros’ main concern in the physical, Agape on the other hand, is your spirit. It nourishes your spirit and its main concern is your spiritual growth. This is the kind of love that builds you up and makes you a better person.

3. IT DOES NOT ENVY

EROS – It makes you envy others.

Since the attraction depends on physical aspects, Eros’ foundation is shallow. Once you find another person who is more handsome or more beautiful than your partner, you will go after that person. You will not be content. It will lead you to envy others. That’s why this kind of love always leads to heartbreaks. As Proverbs 31:30 says:

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.”

There is a danger about Eros. There are only a few things that attract you about your partner. And they revolve only around what you can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch about him/her. Superficial attractions like a beautiful face, a good voice and smells nice are what attract you. When these things are gone, you look for another. You will not be content with him/her.

AGAPE – It makes you contented.

There are many things that interest you about your partner. And that’s why you are contended in her/him. You don’t envy others. You don’t look for someone else. Yes you are attracted by him/her physically, but it goes deeper than just physical. You are also attracted with her/his total personality. You are attracted by “What’s in the body” and not just the body. Aside from your partner’s physical features, you also like his/her soul (personality). And Agape even goes deeper than the soul. You are also attracted to his/her spirit.

Like attracts like. If your spirit has been born-again, you will also probably be attracted to those whose spirits have been made alive by the Lord. If you have been born-again, your main concern now is your spirit, and that’s why you will be attracted to those whose concern also is the well-being of their spirit. You will be attracted to people who love the Word of God. This is why the Word of God advises believers to marry those who also share their faith (2 Corinthians 6:14). If you desire is to grow spiritually, choose a man or woman who also seeks spiritual growth—someone whose heart is concerned with the development of their spirit.

And these are the reasons why Agape love will make both of you feel secure. You do not envy others. This is because your love is deeper. It is not superficial. And that’s why it can survive many storms in your relationship. It is not only about physical. You love him/her deep down to her/his spirit. You love him/her because you can see God in her/him Who is the source of that love. This is the reason why literally, God is the great matchmaker since the creation of man. That’s why follow your spirit in selecting a partner. Don’t be deceived by your flesh.

4. IT DOES NOT BOAST

EROS – You date to boast.

You became a trophy girlfriend/boyfriend. Your purpose of dating him is because he is the campus heartthrob or a varsity player. You date a girl who is pretty and popular just to boost your ego. She may be selfish and demanding, but if she is the “queen” of the school, that will make you the “king” when you date her. The overall aim is always “how can it benefit me?” You don’t really love her/him, you just want to show off to others because it will hurt your ego if you can’t have the most beautiful girl or the most handsome guy on the campus. You are hurt if she/he is dating another man or woman not because you love her/him, but because you just can’t take it that you cannot possess her/him. Just like a child who wanted a toy but couldn’t have it.

Be careful with these kinds of people. These people who date to boast are often obsessive-possessive people. They are mostly the people who experienced childhood neglect or abandonment by their parents and developed the fear of uncertainty that’s why they became possessive in their relationships. Not all but most of the time, they came from a broken family. It became their coping mechanism. Do away with this kind of relationship. They are the people who haven’t outgrown their trauma yet.

Another sign of this is the need to update your partner about your whereabouts and what you are doing almost every hour of the day. Which is a great sign of insecurity. People in this kind of relationship are also often seen on social media, flaunting how “sweet” their relationship is. They are the ones who often show off on Instagram and Facebook stories of how “great” the relationship that they are in. Mature people don’t do this. Maturity will tell you that you don’t need to post everything.

AGAPE – It makes you humble.

Agape is the opposite of this. It makes you humble. You love your partner for what he/she is—not for what he/she can do to build your ego. You protect your relationship and not flaunt it everywhere. You seldom have a post about it on social media. You both value peace and stability over publicity and want to protect your relationship from outside judgment or interference. Secure couples often feel less need to prove their connection online. Their sense of validation comes from the relationship itself, not its appearance to others. The more secure you are in your relationship, the less you feel the need to prove it to the world. That’s why you became humble.

5. IT IS NOT PROUD

EROS – You became self-centered.

So the two of you have been in a relationship for a while now? Then describe to me how the two of you spent time together.

One way to know if you’re in an Eros relationship is through your own or your partner’s words. Statements like these are very common in an Eros relationships:

“During our dates, we watch a movie. He orders cheese popcorn, and I order caramel. His drink is soda, and mine is iced tea. After that, he and I go shopping. He carries my shopping bags like he’s the sweetest man in the world! Then he brings me to my house.”

Observe closely. What have you noticed in these statements? Notice the frequent use of the words: “I, he, my, me, mine, myself.” These are the words of individualism. This means you are still thinking of yourselves as two separate persons. You are still self-centered. You have not become one yet. You are still proud. You are more concerned with yourself than him/her.

This fifth sign of an Eros relationship is the sign that cannot be faked because it comes from your subconscious. You still see yourselves as two separate individuals and not as a couple. This kind of relationship is still shallow.

AGAPE – You think of yourselves as one.

You subconsciously use the words “we, our, us” in describing your relationship. You see yourselves as a couple and not as individuals. You are also concerned about your partner’s well-being, not just of yourself. You do things together and are happy doing it. When she/he asks you, your response is often: “I do not want to go unless you can go too”. This is how Agape relationship makes you humble.

So next time, if you want to know about the kind of relationship that person is in, let him/her talk about it, then listen carefully to the words he/she uses.

6. IT DOES NOT DISHONOR OTHERS

EROS – You become a bitter person, not a better one.

You became angry with those who don’t approve of your relationship. Your behavior toward others is no longer good. Because you idolized her/him, your world only revolves around that person just like the moon that revolves around the Earth. You don’t listen to your parents, friends and the people who really care about you anymore. In fact, you see them as a hindrance to your relationship. For you, it’s you and your partner against the world.

You became angry with your parents. You don’t listen to them and you don’t respect them anymore. This is how destructive Eros relationships are. Remember that this kind of relationship will not last, but the damage that it will create will really affect you. This relationship is a bad influence on you.

AGAPE – You don’t neglect your first love, you just add a new relationship.

Agape will not make your life revolve around one person only. Instead, it just expands to include your partner and not neglect the relationships that you already have with your family and friends. You became more realistic than idealistic. You consider the advice of your parents and those people who you know really care about you because they are after your well-being.

7. IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING

EROS – You have many incompatibilities.

Again, Eros is all about the self. This is characterized by the flesh as stated in 2 Timothy 3:1–2 and Galatian 5:17-21. Your main concern is what you can get from the relationship instead of what you can give. You still hang on to the relationship even though you have many incompatibilities because it feeds your ego.

Remember that in a relationship, opposites don’t attract; they repel. It is okay to have opposite preferences over small things. For example, my wife loves to eat egg white, while I prefer the egg yolk. I like this opposite about us. It complements. But it is another thing when we talk about values, faith and social status.

As much as possible, make sure that you have the same values. If you have high moral standards, make sure that your partner is the same, you will be living in misery if you settle for low morality of which you are not accustomed to.

Another major thing that you need to consider in your relationship is your faith. Make sure that you have at least the same faith. A Christian marrying a Muslim will more likely end up divorced even though the other was converted to the religion of his/her partner. This is why I strongly advise marrying someone who is in the same faith or in the same religion or sect as you. If you’re a believer, please don’t marry an unbeliever. Your faith is a great contributing factor if your relationship will last or not.

Another thing is the social status. A prince marrying a beggar only happened in fairy tales. It is seldom in real life. If it happens, it will probably end up with divorce, UNLESS, one is able to adjust. It is hard for the rich to adjust to the lifestyle of a middle-income person. The same as it is hard for the middle earner to adjust to the lifestyle of the rich. If they want the relationship to work, they need to make a lot of adjustments. And again, adjustments seldom happen.

AGAPE – You have few incompatibilities.

The most probable reason why a person is “attracted” to a person who is her/his total opposite is because his/her inner child hasn’t healed yet. You like people whom you did not experience becoming. Seeing a “good girl who likes a bad boy” is probably the result of this. They are the people who most probably grow up in a strict and conservative family who never experienced being rebellious, and that’s why they are attracted to rebellious people. This is mostly the result of years of trauma, father wounds and abuse. And this is very dangerous. Letting your “inner child” decide on your relationship will most likely end up in breakup. A child handling a major decision like your relationship is not a wise choice. It is most likely looking for thrills and not a lasting one. It’s not confidence, it’s confusion. You need to heal that inner child first before entering into relationships.

In Agape, it is the opposite – you are attracted to a person not only in a few things, but in many things about him/her. The two of you have many compatibilities because you have many things in common. You have almost the same family background, faith, values, interests and social status. It will not be hard for you to adjust to one another because there are a few things you have to adjust to. Fights and conflicts will most likely seldom to occur. This is the kind of relationship that will probably last.

The kind of opposites that are healthy in a relationship are the ones that complement. For example, I love cooking but I don’t really enjoy washing dishes. It would take me about an hour to wash a few dishes. While my wife Sarah, is an expert on it. It will only take her a few minutes to wash dishes and she even sings while doing it. But when it comes to cooking, our son always told me that my cooking is better than her mom’s 😊. And this is where our opposites complement each other.

8. IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED

EROS – You are easily jealous.

Because you are in a wrong relationship, most people who love you will disapprove of it for they are concerned about you. This is also the start that you will hate the world, you will hate the people around you. Eros will make you an angry person. This is also the time that things will start to become shaky in your relationship. You will think that everyone is against you. Mistrust will then start to develop. You don’t trust the people around you and a time will come when you no longer trust your partner also. You will develop the negative behavior of being overly jealous of other people.

We often hear young people say: “Oh he must really love me. He is always jealous of other guys.” The truth is, jealousy over small things (or the Green-Eyed Monster as they call it) is not a sign of love, it is a sign of insecurity and mistrust. You don’t trust your partner. This will then lead to frequent fights between the two of you. Your misunderstanding will become worst because you don’t trust each other. And as your relationship continues, it brings out the worst in you. The best thing to do is to stop the relationship.

AGAPE – You trust your partner.

There will be disagreements between you, but they will become less frequent and less severe. Because your relationship is well-founded, you know each other well and therefore, you trust each other more. Trust is directly proportional to how much you know the person. There are many things that you know about your partner because Agape is not superficial. This is why the green-eyed monster has no effect on you.

Other people think that jealousy is a sign of love, and that’s why they often test their partner with it. They will go for other guys or girls to make their partner jealous and to know if they he/she really “love” him/her. This is not the sign of Agape, it is a sign of immaturity. In the first place, you don’t put the one you love in a test just to prove their love to you. It only proves that you don’t really love them, you are just being selfish.

Agape will make you grow. You will learn how to solve problems along the way and it will bring out the best in you.

9. IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS

EROS – It reminds you of your past mistakes.

Because it is Eros, it always loves errors. It dwells in your errors. It will always remind you of your past mistakes and will always be looking for them. It might forgive you now, but it does not forget. It can never forget. And that’s why this kind of relationship is toxic.

Toxic people are mostly those who have experienced a lot of Eros relationships in the past. They are the ones who have trust issues because they have experience being cheated before, and they have experienced it a lot. They are the ones who think that all men or women are the same. And they tend to compare you with their past relationships. The tendency of people who have been to a lot of Eros relationships is that, they don’t actually respect you and love you. They themselves cannot move on from their past. A person who cannot move on from their past, does not know how to respect the present and the future.

AGAPE – You are respected and loved.

You need to know that there are two things that should always be present in a relationship: Love and Respect. According to Ephesians 5:22-29, the greatest need of a man is to be respected, and the greatest need of a woman is to be loved.

If you were to ask men to choose between being loved and being respected, men would always choose to be respected over being loved. In fact, when you respect a man, he feels loved. The best way into your man’s heart is through respect.

The reason why a man would leave the comfort of his beautiful home is because, he is not respected in his own home. Sadly, the same man you disrespect in your relationship is being honored and respected by other women at work. Ladies the devil is training the wicked women to steal your man’s heart by respecting and honoring them more than you do. God knew what he was doing when he said “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). If you are a woman and you plan to enter a relationship, you should know that the greatest need of a man is RESPECT.

On the other hand, if you are a man, you should know that the greatest need of a woman is to be loved. If she respects you, it doesn’t mean that you can already belittle her. Many men are doing this to their wives, exercising their authority with tyranny. Women are designed to be loved and protected. According to the Bible, the woman is a weaker vessel compared to men (1 Peter 3:7). That’s why she needs to be NURTURED, to be feel SECURE and be LOVED.

Men, do you know the reason why you are called the GROOM and your woman the “BRIDE” on your wedding day? Nobody calls the woman WIFE on her wedding day but BRIDE. This is because men will need to GROOM the BRIDE to become their WIFE. That is why the man is called ‘BRIDEGROOM or GROOM’ and the word grooming has to do with PATIENTLY NURTURING, TENDING, HELPING and LOVING the Bride so that she can be the best version of herself. (Take note of the word PATIENTLY).

It is therefore believed that a man who takes a woman to the altar of marriage is mature enough to patiently groom (love) his bride to become his wife. The man is not supposed to just expect the BRIDE to automatically become the WIFE, she must be loved first. If your woman is not in her best version, then there must be something wrong with how you treat her. So if you are a married man, before you think of divorcing your wife, ask yourself first: Have I really loved my wife?

10. LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH

EROS – It tolerates wrongdoings.

Love is the product of truth. You cannot have love if you don’t have the truth. And there is only one truth – it is the Word of God (John 17:17, Psa. 119:160). That’s why those who truly love also loves the Word of God, for love always follows the truth.

On the other hand, Eros will take you away from the truth. It hates the truth. It hates the Word of God. Eros relationship will take you away from the Word of God. This is the reason why Eros is easy to crumble, because it is not founded on a strong foundation which is the truth. You will be sure that you are in an Eros relationship if that relationship draws you away from the Word of God. You have no time to listen to the Word anymore. It has no concern about the Word. Eros keeps you in a bad company.

AGAPE – It draws you closer to the Word of God.

Remember that Agape came from God alone. It is impossible for someone to possess Agape without the Spirit of God dwelling in Him who is the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13). Therefore, you will know it is Agape, if it draws you closer to the truth which is the Word of God. Your relationship will always follow the truth. That’s why Agape relationship is impossible to crumble because God is in the center of that relationship.

Agape always follows the truth. Take for example Rebekah. Rebekah heard the message first from Eliezer, the servant of Abraham. That message of Eliezer pointed Rebekah to the Truth who is Isaac. She follows the Truth by following the message of Eliezer that leads her to Isaac. Then Isaac brought Rebekah to his mother’s tent and there, they consummated their love (Gen. 24).

Truth here is represented by Isaac and Love here is represented by his Bride, Rebekah. Only the Truth (Groom) alone can produce genuine Love (Bride). For Love always follows the Truth. The Bride (Love) is the product of Truth (Groom). The Bride is taken out of the side of the Groom. Love is taken out of Truth. The Groom is the head of the Bride just like Truth is the head of Love. You cannot have Agape if you don’t have the Truth. You cannot find Agape to people who are not in the Truth. This is why if someone truly loves you, he/she will always lead you to the Truth which is the Word of God (John 17:17).

This is actually the very essence of Agape relationship – it helps both of you to grow spiritually.

11. IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES

EROS – You don’t feel secure.

Eros relationships will always make you feel insecure. You don’t feel protected. You don’t trust your partner. You don’t feel that your relationship will last longer and that’s why you don’t persevere. You have so many doubts about your future because of so many uncertainties in your relationship. You cannot see your future with him/her. Your feelings towards your partner always change. And most of all, since there is no security, your relationship cannot survive distance.

You will know that it is an Eros relationship because it cannot survive the test of distance. Distance will make your heart go fonder – for someone else. You will try to look for someone else when your partner is away. This is because Eros is purely founded in what you can see, hear, touch smell and taste. Distance will take these things away. If your partner cannot give these things anymore because of distance, you will look for someone else that can give these things to you.

AGAPE – You feel secure.

You trust each other that’s why your relationship can survive distance and separation. If distance separates you, you don’t look for someone else because you are in love with the whole person and not only to his/her physical presence.

If separation cannot be avoided, you will know that you are in an Agape relationship because it will be hard for the two of you to move on. Why is this? Because the two of you have already become one in most aspects of your lives. You can notice this in couples who have been married for a very long time. Once one of them dies, sometimes it takes just days or weeks and their partner will also die. They have become one that they feel like they are no longer complete once their long-time partner dies. Something has gone missing in them.

You feel secure in this kind of relationship because both of you have become responsible people. The two of you will realize that you want to provide for one another. You will look for a source of income so that you can provide for your love. You will not be lazy. Remember that love is providing. Just like our Lord Who never hesitates to provide His self to us so that we will be saved, Agape relationship will also give you a provider mindset. If you really love a person, you will sacrifice and find a way to provide for their needs. You will not just depend on your parents to provide for you. You will become a responsible person.

So those are the 11 attributes of Agape relationship according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Here is the summary table:

ATTRIBUTES	EROS	AGAPE
1. Love is Patient	It starts quickly.	It grows over time.
2. Love is Kind	It makes you an unkind person.	It makes you kind.
3. It does not Envy	It makes you envy others.	It makes you contented.
4. It does not Boast	You date to boast.	It makes you humble.
5. It is not Proud	You became self-centered.	You think of yourselves as one.
6. It does not Dishonor Others	You became a bitter person, not a better one.	You don’t neglect your first love, you just add your new relationship.
7. It is not Self-Seeking	You have many incompatibilities.	You have few incompatibilities.
8. It is not easily Angered	You are easily jealous.	You trust your partner.
9. It Keeps no Record of Wrongs	It reminds you of your past mistakes.	You are respected and loved.
10. Love does not Delight in Evil but Rejoices with the Truth	It tolerates wrongdoings.	It draws you closer to the Word of God.
11. It always Protects, always Trusts, always Hopes, always Perseveres	You don’t feel secure.	You feel secure.

Using these 11 attributes of love, you need to score your relationship. Out of these 11 attributes, how many attributes of Agape apply to your relationship? Check those that apply to you and tally your score. Please be honest. Only check those that are evident in your relationship. How many Agape attributes you have got?

Here is the meaning of the scores:

9 to 11 = Probably Agape, will result in a good relationship.

5 to 8 = You need to give more time. Know each other well, then weigh things again.

4 below = Most probably Eros. Better to stop that relationship.

Note: Scoring high on this does not necessarily mean that you are ready for marriage. Your relationship may possess many Agape characteristics, but you may still be too young for marriage. Consider your future first. Again, marriage is not a joke. If you are in doubt…don’t! Don’t rush things. Always give time.

Before I finish, I just want to warn readers about this:

Scoring yourself using the things written in here is only applicable for relationships that have not yet done the forbidden thing – Sex.

Sex will ruin everything. It will impair your judgement. You will not be able to consider the things written in here if you have tasted or have been doing sex in your relationship. The lust of the flesh has a great impact on each of us once you have tasted it. It will draw you closer even to a toxic relationship. You will find it hard to get out of that relationship once sex is involved. It will blind you and will make you want to have more of it even if you know that you are in an Eros relationship. You will not be able to consider anything else. That’s why the things written in here will not be applicable to relationships where sex is present.

Avoid sex before marriage at any cost. Again, it will ruin everything. When you are in a relationship, avoid petting as it all start there. Avoid secluded places when you are in a date. Be wise and protect yourself from the pull of the flesh.

Someone asked me:

“Brother Bon, I will not remember everything that you have written in here. Do you have one ultimate formula on how to know if a person really loves you and what you have for each other is really true love?”

Well, if I were to summarize everything I have written in here, there is one formula on how to know if a person truly loves you:

Always remember that the goal of true love is to make you grow mentally, psychologically and most especially, SPIRITUALLY. The aim is for your growth, EVEN IF HE/SHE IS NOT THE ONE SHARING THAT GROWTH WITH YOU. So you need to ask your partner this question. And his/her answer will separate the men from the boys and the women from the girls. Here is the question:

“What if I love someone instead of you, and I know that someone will help me achieve the best version of myself, will you let me go?”

If his/her answer is “No”, then that person is still immature. He/she doesn’t truly loves you yet. But if his/her answer is “Yes, I will let you go.” Then that person knows true love and the most probable thing is, he/she truly loves you. All his/her concerns are for your own good.

Lastly, always remember that true love is to sacrifice for the one you love. The Lord Jesus summarized the greatest kind of love in John 15:13:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for the ones he loves.”

Always remember this verse.

A simple request:
IF THIS ARTICLE HAS HELPED YOU, PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR LOVED ONES, OR THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT, ESPECIALLY TO THE YOUTHS OF THIS GENERATION.

Until then. God bless.

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THE PREHISTORIC EARTH

In the history of Earth, there is what we call “The Prehistoric Era.” No one can deny this because of the overwhelming evidence of fossils from prehistoric plants and animals. According to radiometric dating, which is the process of determining the age of the Earth, our planet is now about 4.543 billion years old. And if we will determine the age of humanity from our generation up to the creation of Adam, it would be more or less 6000 years old. The question is, where will we put the dinosaurs, preshistoric plants, animals and prehistoric men in the Bible timeline? If Adam was only created about 6000 years ago, so what about the millions of years before that? What about the prehistoric men and ancient civilizations?

We will now delve deeper into this narrative that intertwines scientific understanding with spiritual insights, revealing a cosmic battle, divine purpose, and our personal connection to this prehistoric era. The prehistoric Earth, isn’t just a distant past; it’s a foundational chapter on the going story of man. Let’s explore therefore, this prehistoric Earth, and Satan’s intervention in the plan of God for His people.

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

When we turn to the creation account in Genesis 1, verse 1 says that “God created the heaven and the earth.” And in Isaiah 45:18 it says:

“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.“

It is clear in this verse that when God created the Heaven and the Earth, they were created not in vain, but to be inhabited. Both the Heaven and Earth in Gen. 1:1 were in good condition and were already inhabited. They were already creations inhabiting these two worlds in verse one. The angelic host inhabiting heaven and the prehistoric creatures inhabiting Earth.

But then something happened to Earth in verse 2. Take note that this only happened to Earth, nothing happened in Heaven. The Earth in verse 2 became “without form and void” and “and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” The Earth, which is in good condition in verse 1, became in chaos and in darkness in verse 2. Again, this phenomenon has only occurred to Earth. Heaven was not affected.

The original Hebrew words here for “without form and void” are “tohu va bohu,” which carry a much richer meaning than a mere absence of shape and inhabitants. Tohu signifies “waste” or “a desolation.” It speaks of something ruined, devastated, or chaotic. Bohu means “emptiness” or “empty.” It implies a void, a vacant space. Combined, “tohu va bohu” paints a picture of an Earth that “had become waste and empty.” Something happened to Earth between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 resulting in this devastated and disolate condition. And we know what caused it. It’s the rebellion of Lucifer and his angels (Rev. 12:7-8). Their fall got them to be banished to Earth and never to access heaven again (Rev. 12:9-12). It is them that made Earth to be “without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”

Genesis 1:8 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Another key word that leads to this interpretation is the word “replenish” in Genesis 1:28.The word “replenish” here means “to fill again.” If the Earth was to be “filled again,” it strongly implies it had been filled before. This linguistic detail opens the door to the concept that there is a prehistoric era that spans millions of years, were prehistoric creatures lived, before Adam was created and commanded to replenish the Earth.

It was Satan who is a destroyer (John 10:10) and his fallen angels, that made Earth to be in “waste and empty” state.

2 Peter 3:5 “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

The concept of a Prehistoric Earth is further supported by scripture 2 Peter 3:5 – 8 – The Earth of Old.” Peter speaks of an earlier Earth, destroyed by water, distinguishing it from the heavens and Earth that now exist. This suggests a history to our planet that extends beyond what many conventionally consider the beginning.

This “Earth of Old” could offer insights into mysteries like the Ice Ages, when Earth is surrounded by water. This intriguing idea connects with scriptural descriptions such as “Psalm 24:6 – Earth surrounded by water,” which speaks of God founding the Earth upon the seas and establishing it upon the waters. A canopy of water, perhaps, or a different configuration of Earth’s waters in its ancient past, could have significantly influenced its climate and led to multiple glacial periods.

The existence of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Men during the prehistoric era makes profound sense. These are integral parts of the “Prehistoric world” that existed before the “tohu va bohu” state and the subsequent re-creation. The fossil record clearly attests to these ancient inhabitants, and integrating them into a comprehensive, biblically informed understanding of Earth’s history enriches our perspective. It allows us to appreciate the vastness of God’s creative work across different dispensations and to see the evidence in the ground not as contradictions, but as confirmations of an ancient history.

2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Earth represents man. What happened to Earth also happened to Man. And what will going to happen to it will also going to happen to Man. Remember that you have two components in you – the heaven and the earth.” We are microcosms of the universe, possessing both a spiritual (heaven) and a physical (earth) nature.

Just as God divided darkness from light on the first day, so too does He work within us: God divides the Darkness from light when we were born-again. This isn’t merely about the sun appearing; it’s about a spiritual illumination. This divine light which is the Spirit of God welling in us is meant to shine within us: “until the day shine in your heart (2 Pet. 1:19).“ The story of the Earth’s creation and re-creation becomes a template for our spiritual journey – moving from a state of “tohu va bohu” (spiritual waste and emptiness) to being filled with divine light and purpose.

Genesis 1:6 “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

The creation account also speaks of order emerging from chaos. The Firmament that divides the water and the three heavens (2Cor.12:1-4).” The firmament creates distinct realms, separating the waters above from the waters below. This act of divine organization mirrors the structuring of spiritual realities, creating boundaries and order. The reference to “three heavens” from 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 adds another layer of spiritual depth, hinting at different spiritual dimensions or realms.

Finally, the gathering of the waters in Gen. 1:9 – “let the waters under the firmament gather together.” This act reveals dry land, making the Earth habitable and ready for life. It symbolizes God’s ongoing work of bringing order, purpose, and life out of any form of chaos or desolation, both on a global scale and within our individual lives.

The prehistoric Earth, far from being a dry historical record, is a living testament to a cosmic battle, divine power, and enduring purpose. By understanding “tohu va bohu” as a state of devastation, “replenish” as an act of refilling, and acknowledging the “Earth of Old,” we can integrate the existence of dinosaurs and prehistoric men into a richer, more comprehensive narrative. More importantly, this ancient story becomes intensely personal, mirroring our own journey from spiritual emptiness to illumination, guided by the divine light that shines in our hearts. The cosmic battle continues, but the promise of replenishment and new creation remains, for the Earth’s story is, ultimately, our story too.

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AND PETER

Mark 16:7 “But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.”

It was Sunday morning, three days after their hope was crucified and laid in a borrowed tomb, a small group of women – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome – carried sweet spices while walking against the heaviness of their hearts. The atmosphere in Golgotha was thick with sorrow that time. They went to the tomb, not because they remembered the words of their Lord that He would resurrect on the third day, but because they loved Him. Oh, how they loved Him! At the end of the day, even if hope is lost, even if faith falters and even if we forget everything – love still remains (1 Cor. 13:13). It was because of this defiant and steadfast love for the Lord, that they came to His tomb early Sunday morning to anoint His dead body.

This is also our ultimate goal. To achieve that ultimate love. And we can only achieve it, by knowing the Truth. Love follows Truth. We need to concentrate first on knowing the Truth. Then, someday, we will attain that ultimate love. Even if you forget everything, even if you forget the Truth, even if you lose hope and faith, because you have followed the Truth, love will always remain. Know the Truth first, and Love will follow. Don’t waste your time trying to attain agape love when we have not yet the whole truth.

Back to our story…

These three women reach His tomb. But lo and behold! There was no dead body! Instead, a radiant angel appeared unto them and delivered a message so profound that forever, it will not only alter their lives, but the disciples’ and most of all, the life of the apostle Peter:

“But go your way, tell his disciples AND PETER that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.” (Mark 16:7)

Stop for a moment here. Let those words sink over you. Read them again for I am sure, these words will become a blessing to your life too. It says not just “tell his disciples,” but a specific, intentional and breathtaking addition: “and Peter.”

So why? Why single out one man? And why Peter? Why not John, who is the most beloved disciple? Why not James, the Lord’s own brother? Why not Thomas, who wrestles with doubt on the resurrection of the Lord? Why not Mary, who I think, the one who is really suffering at that time knowing that she just lost a son? Why Peter?

The best way to answer these questions is to start from the beginning. Why is Peter singled out here? Let’s begin with Peter’s call.

Luke 5:1-3 “And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret. And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.”

Every pulpit is a fishing boat and the people are the fish. This is the first encounter of Peter with the Lord, where He used Peter’s ship to preach. Here is a seasoned fisherman, Peter, exhausted and empty-handed after a long night of fruitless labor. Then a carpenter from Nazareth tells him where to fish.

Luke 5:4-5 “Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”

Big fish came only from the deep waters. You cannot catch big fish in the shallow waters. The Lord told Peter to launch his net into the deep. The net is the Gospel. Only deep people will be attracted by the depths of the truth of the Gospel (Psa. 42:7). The Lord wanted us to go deeper for us to catch big fish for Him. We need to go to the deeper truths of the Bible if we want to attract deep people of God.

We need to remember also to always follow the leading of the Lord on where to drop our nets. He should be the one to lead us. It is He who draws the fish to the net. Our job is to cast the net. We must not claim that it is our fish. They are His.

So Peter obeys and casts their net. And he is not ready to the miracle he is about to witness.

Luke 5:6-7 “And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.”

Their net broke and their boat began to sink. This is what will happen on preaching the Gospel without the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection are the heart of the Gospel. Without yet the death and the resurrection of the Lord, the net will break and our boat will begin to sink.

Now, compare this event to what happened in John 21:1-11, where the Lord has also commanded the disciples to cast their nets; this time, His death and resurrection have already occurred. Their net this time did not break and their boat did not sink. This is how important the death and resurrection of our Lord is in preaching the Gospel.

Luke 5:8 “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

In that moment of great miracle, Peter was filled with awe, not of the miracle itself, but of the crushing awareness that he is a sinful man, and that he is not worthy of the Man before him. He falls at the Lord Jesus’ knees, wanting the Lord to depart from him because He is a sinner. He thinks that he can defile the Lord by his sin. But he is wrong, for wherever the Lord goes, sinners are forgiven, the unclean become clean and the sick are made whole. This tells us that light cannot be defeated by darkness. Whenever light is present, darkness always flees.

But the Lord Jesus’ response to him was not to agree or to depart. His response was to call him to be fisher of men:

“Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” (Luke 5:10b)

And so, Peter left everything and followed Him. Those fish they caught can give him fortune, but they left it and followed his Lord.

This is the same with us. Miracles are good. Signs and wonders are good. Material blessings are good. But they are not the goal. If your aim is just miracles, healing, signs and wonders, material blessings then you are in the wrong foundation. Leave the signs and wonders and go higher and pursue the Truth.

Upon following the Lord, Peter eventually became a dedicated disciple. The Lord didn’t call him because he was perfect or infallible. The Lord knows every stumble he will make. He knows that he will eventually deny Him three times. But He called Peter because His call is based not on our worthiness, but on His relentless, redeeming grace.

Mat. 26:33-35 “Peter answered and said unto him, though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.”

It was in Matthew 26:33-35 when Peter swore that he will never deny the Lord. It was him who swore he would die for the Lord Jesus. But just hours after that, Peter denied the Lord three times to the maids. His final denial of Him, punctuated with curses, is a desperate attempt to distance himself from the Man he loves so much. We must remember here that it was to Peter that the revelation of Who the Lord Jesus is was given (Mat. 16:16). So he knows exactly Who the Lord is. Still, he denied Him.

Then the rooster sounds — a sound that signaled not just the dawn of a new day, but the midnight of Peter’s soul. The Lord turned and looked at Peter, and in that gaze, Peter’s world unraveled. He went out and wept bitterly.

In his own mind, he was disqualified, unworthy and exiled. He did not just fail; he had betrayed his Lord. Not once, not two, but thrice. Among the disciples, his failure was the loudest. It was a sin greater than the sin of Judas. His heart was the most shattered.

But the Lord Jesus would not allow this. And so, after His resurrection, He sent the two most important words of grace to Peter: “And Peter.”

If the angelic message had simply been, “Go tell my disciples,” then Peter would have been drowning in the sea of his own shame. He would have surely concluded, “He means only them, but not me. I am no longer worthy to be counted among His disciples.” But the Lord specifically mentioned him! This would be the greatest redemption for Peter. These two words mean a lot to him. They are the words of forgiveness, hope and redemption.

And this is the same with us. At some point, all of us have been Peters. We have denied our Lord not only three times, but many times. Just like Peter, we think that we cannot be forgiven. But he said “And Peter”. And this what makes the difference, not only to Peter, but to all of us who are not worthy of our Lord. Because of these two words, we know the Lord still wants us. WE KNOW HE STILL LOVES US. “And Peter” – were the most beautiful words for us.

This is the Gospel. Our Lord loves us. Though it may be easy for us to forget Him or deny Him many times, it is impossible for Him to forget you, to deny you or not to love you. Our Lord cannot contradict His Word. And you are part of His Word. Although we may be discouraged, but He is never discouraged in us. If he is willing to die on the cross for us, then I am also sure that He will never stop loving us (Rom. 8:39).

Peter was encouraged because of the phrase “And Peter.” We should be encouraged too! These words are for all of us. And because of these beautiful words, Peter ran to the tomb. A ray of hope now shines in his heart. He was now redeemed!

John 20:3-4 “Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.”

After that message delivered by the angel, the Lord orchestrates one of the most tender scenes of restoration in all of Scripture! We can read it in John 21:15-17.

On another shore, by another event, Peter and the others have again fished all night and caught nothing. Then a figure calls out to them from the beach, and at His word, their nets are filled to overflowing. Peter recognized it. It is no doubt the work of His Lord. No doubt, it was his Lord! The Lord who forgives him!

Peter’s heart pumps faster. He can’t wait for the boat to draw near the shore. He throws himself into the water and desperately swims toward his Lord. And what does he find on the shore? A “fire of coals,” the very same kind of fire that witnessed his denial that night. But this fire is not for judgment; it is for breakfast. It is for fellowship. It is for healing. It is prepared by his Lord.

And there, in the gentle morning light, Peter saw his Lord. The One Who forgives him. The One Who restores him. That very morning, the Lord Jesus mends his broken heart. Three times he had denied his Lord. Now, three times, Jesus asks the question that matters most:

“Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?… He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.”

“He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?… He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Tend my sheep.”

“He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

For Peter’s every denial, the Lord gives an affirmation of love. For his every failure, the Lord gives him a new commission of purpose. The Lord Jesus doesn’t demand him an apology. He simply asks for his love and, in return, restores his calling.

The story of Peter is our story.

We all have stood by the fire of denial and compromise. We all have known the bitter tears of regret. We all have felt the sting of our own weakness. But the message that rang out from the empty tomb still echoes for us today: “And Peter.” Two words that transformed our lives.

Hear the tender whisper of grace for your own heart today. Whatever your failure, whatever your regret, whatever makes you feel disqualified, the Lord extends a personal invitation back into His presence. He is calling your name. This time, it is the most beautiful phrase in the language of heaven: “And Me.”

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HE SAT WITH ME WHILE I WAS BROKEN

There is a sacred promise in the pages of scripture that is just waiting for the moment that our hearts are shattered enough so that we can finally hear it. It is this:

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

This isn’t a promise for the strong or the brave. It’s a promise for the rest of us. It’s a promise for the nights that feel endless.

Have you ever had one of those nights? Where the tears won’t stop, and each one feels heavier than the last? Where your chest is so tight with grief or anxiety that it’s hard to draw a full breath? Where the silence of your room is so loud that it feels like no one in the universe—not even God—can see the depth of your despair?

If yes, then you have perfected the art of functioning while fractured. You smile around people. You say, “I’m fine,” while you feel yourself drowning on the inside. You are an expert at holding it all together, even as you are falling apart.

But let me tell you something today that perhaps nobody has said loud enough for you to believe: God doesn’t walk past broken people. He sits with them.

In our pain, we often carry a burden: the belief that our brokenness is a disappointment to God. We think that if we’re not okay, if we’re not healing fast enough, then we are failing Him. We pray for a quick fix, an instant removal of the pain, because we assume that’s what He wants for us.

But look at the ministry of the Lord Jesus. He never rushed healing. His first act was never to fix, but to connect.

He sat with the Samaritan woman at the well, engaging her story and seeing her soul long before He offered her living water. He didn’t just heal Mary and Martha’s grief; He entered it, weeping with them beside their brother’s tomb. He didn’t just shout a command from a distance to the leper; He broke religious and social law to touch the untouchable man before healing him.

His presence always preceded His power.

God doesn’t wait for your healing to love you—He loves you in the wound. He is not afraid of your mess. He is not put off by your tears. He is not tapping His foot, waiting for you to get over it. He is here, now, in this, with you.

The world has a very low tolerance for brokenness. It whispers lies that can sound like truth:
“You’re too broken to be useful.”
“You should be over it by now.”
“You’re not good for anything anymore.”

The world sees damaged goods. It sees a liability, a story that is over. But God looks at the very same pieces, and His response is breathtakingly different. He says:
“I’m going to use this part—yes, the broken, bruised, shattered part—to show my glory.”

For it is written in 2 Corinthians 12:9:

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

That depression that has held you captive? That heartbreak that leveled you? That grief that carved a canyon through your soul? That is the very place He is building from. That is the raw material for a miracle. The prophet Isaiah declared this beautiful, redemptive promise:

“…To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…” (Isaiah 61:3)

God doesn’t throw away ashes. He doesn’t discard the rubble of our lives. He gathers it with tender hands. He makes art from them. He builds cathedrals from our ruins.

There is one place where your mask is not required. There is one presence where your “I’m fine” is unnecessary. God can handle the full force of your honest heart.

He can handle your tears.
He can handle your anger.
He can handle your silent, stony withdrawal.
He can handle your confusion.
He can handle your complete and utter breakdown.

He is not scared of your questions. The heroes of our faith were honest in their anguish. Elijah, after a great victory, sat under a tree and prayed for death. Job, having lost everything, cursed the day he was born. The Lord Jesus Himself, in the agony of the cross, cried out the question that has echoed in every human heart at one time or another: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

And what was God’s response to their raw, unfiltered pain? He didn’t abandon them. He stayed.

And He stays with you, too.

A man asks, “Where was God when innocent people and children were killed in a plane crash?” He answers, “The same place I sat when John the Baptist my servant was beheaded. When Stephen my servant was stoned to death. When Paul my servant was murdered in Rome. The same place I sat when my only Son was brutally crucified, wounded, bruised and killed. I have not moved from my position.”

It is not the means of exit from earth that matters but the destination.

I believe if heaven could whisper to your heart right now, if you could hear past the noise of your pain, you would hear this:

“I saw you when they didn’t see you. I heard your silent cries when no one else responded. I have caught every single tear. And even now—I am still here. I didn’t leave. I’m not leaving. I am sitting right beside you… and I will stay here until you are ready to stand again.”

Cling to this truth. Let it be the anchor for your soul, especially when the storm is raging.

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Even if yesterday broke you beyond recognition… today still holds mercy. His compassion for you has not run out. It is new, right now, in this moment.

You don’t have to be strong today.
You don’t have to have the right words.
You don’t even need a loud prayer.

If all you can manage to whisper is, “God, please stay with me…”
That’s enough. That is an act of profound faith.

Because sometimes, the most powerful faith is not the kind that moves mountains, but the kind that simply doesn’t walk away in the dark.

So cry.
Breathe.
Rest.

He is not going anywhere.

He’s still sitting with you… in the dark… in the pain… in the silence. And He will not let you go.

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YOU WERE CHOSEN IN THE DARK

In a world that is drawn to the spotlight, we always want to be chosen. We learn to perform, to polish our resumes, to display our strengths, and to hide our weaknesses. We learn that being chosen is a reward for being seen.

But God does not choose like we do. His gaze is not drawn to the stage, to the spotlight, or to the polished performance. His gaze penetrates the shadows. He doesn’t choose based on the potential people can see; He chooses based on the sacred purpose He has already placed deep inside of you.

Before anyone saw greatness in you—He did. Before you were cleaned up, fixed up, or prayed up—He chose you. This is the beautiful, revolutionary mystery of being chosen by God. And it is confirmed in His own Word:

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” (1 Peter 2:9)

You may be tempted to believe that your calling began the day someone finally recognized you. The day you got the position, the promotion, the platform. The day people started to notice.

But that is not where your story began. Your true calling, your divine selection, did not happen under the bright lights of a stage. It happened in the shadows. It was sealed in the quiet of your obscurity, in the silence of your waiting, in the lonely tears you thought no one saw. When nobody clapped, when nobody noticed, when you felt utterly invisible to the world—that is the sacred space where God drew near and whispered, “You’re the one.”

This is the promise of God Himself, spoken to the prophet Jeremiah and echoed into your own spirit today:

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

You were chosen while you were still hidden. Your value was assigned before you ever had a chance to prove it. You do not need the validation of a spotlight to be valuable. You just need to remember the one who called your name in the dark.

Let’s be honest: your anointing, your unique purpose, did not come cheap. It was not handed to you in a pristine package. It was forged. It was forged in the fire of heartbreak that stole your breath. It was forged in the crushing loneliness that felt like a physical weight. It was forged in the seasons of anxiety and despair where you didn’t think you would survive to see the morning light.

And yet—you are still here. Why?

Because the very things that the enemy meant to destroy you, only revealed the true you. The fire that was meant to consume you only burned away what was temporary, leaving behind an unbreakable, resilient spirit, purified by grace. As the Apostle Paul, a man well-acquainted with suffering, wrote:

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

Your pain did not disqualify you. It prepared you. Your scars are not signs of your weakness; they are maps of your survival. They make you a threat to the kingdom of darkness because you are living proof that what is broken can be made whole, that what is dead can be brought to life. You are dangerous because you know the God who walks through the fire.

Perhaps the greatest lie we believe is that we must feel ready to be used by God. We look at our flaws, our pasts, and our insecurities, and we disqualify ourselves.

Moses stuttered. David was the overlooked shepherd boy who became an adulterer. Esther was an orphan in a foreign land. Paul was a murderer of the very Christians he would later serve. The Bible is not a story of perfect people. It is the story of a perfect God who delights in using surrendered, imperfect people.

Is your story messy? Good. That makes you qualified.
Is your past complicated? Good. That makes you relatable.
Are you acutely aware of your weakness? Good. That makes you powerful.

Your mess is your message. Your testimony is born from your tests. God intentionally bypasses the self-assured and the seemingly qualified to display His power in the most unlikely vessels.

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:27)

You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You are not second best. You were handpicked, by the God of the universe, for this exact generation.

Right now, let this truth settle deep into your spirit. Let it be the voice that silences every other voice of condemnation or fear:

You are not forgotten.
You are not too broken.
You are not too late.
You are not what they called you.
You are not what you lost.

You. Are. Chosen.

Chosen to rise again.
Chosen to break generational cycles.
Chosen to lead with compassion.
Chosen to speak life into dead and dark places.

You were chosen—on purpose, for a purpose.

Maybe you’ve been running from this calling. Not because you don’t believe in God, but because, if you’re honest, you don’t quite believe in yourself. You see the flaws, you remember the failures, and you think God must have made a mistake.

But today, your Father is reminding you:

“I didn’t make a mistake when I called you. I saw your flaws, and I still picked you. I saw your weaknesses, and I still sent you. My strength is made perfect in them.”

So come home. Not to a building, not to a religion, but to the unshakeable truth of who you are in Him. Your identity is not up for debate.

You were chosen in the dark. And now, it’s your time to shine.

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WHEN GOD SAYS “YOU ARE STILL MINE”

There is a quiet fear that haunts every human heart. It’s the fear of being disqualified. The fear that we could make a mistake so great, endure a trial so fierce, or run so far away that we would forfeit our place in the arms of love. We carry this fear into our lives, our relationships, and most profoundly, into our relationship with God.

But what if that fear was based on a lie? What if the voice of God was cutting through all that noise with a truth so simple and so powerful it could change everything?

Listen closely, for our Lord is speaking:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

It is not a suggestion; it is a declaration. It is the unshakable foundation upon which we can build our lives. To understand it, let’s imagine a scene:

There was once a child who, in a moment of carelessness, broke his father’s most prized possession—a handcrafted glass sculpture, a masterpiece of light and form. The sound of it shattering was deafening. In tears and terror, the child fell to the floor, bracing for the anger and punishment he knew he deserved. But the footsteps that came were not heavy with rage. The father knelt, not to inspect the damage, but to gather his child. He embraced him tightly and whispered, “Oh, my child. Are you hurt? You are more precious than anything you could ever break.”

That is a glimpse into the heart of our Lord. That is how God sees us.

We know the feeling all too well. It’s the shame that washes over us after we lose our temper. It’s the quiet ache of falling back into a sin we swore we had conquered. It’s the hollow feeling of missing Church again, of breaking a promise, of simply drifting away until God feels like a distant memory. We look at our spiritual lives and see the shattered pieces of our good intentions, and we think, “I’ve disqualified myself.”

But hear this today, and let it sink into the bottom of your heart: God’s love is not performance-based. It is covenant-based.

He didn’t choose you because He foresaw a future of flawless perfection. He chose you in the midst of your mess because He saw your truest self through the lens of His grace. He didn’t wait for you to be worthy; He made you worthy through the greatest act of love in history. The Apostle Paul states it with breathtaking clarity:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, KJV)

Read that again. While we were yet sinners. At your absolute worst, at your most rebellious state, at your most lost—that is the moment God chose to prove His love for you. He loved you then. So don’t you dare believe the lie that you are unloved now. Your failures are not the final word. His grace is. You are still His.

There are seasons when life itself feels like it’s burning to the ground. The phone call that changes everything. The job that is lost. The person you cannot imagine living without who is suddenly gone. The slow, simmering fire of chronic illness or a broken heart. In these moments of intense heat, it can feel like you are losing everything, including yourself. And the silence from heaven can feel deafening.

But God never promised to keep you from the fire. He made a much better promise: He would walk with you through it. His presence is the promise.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Isaiah 43:2)

The fire has power, but it does not have ultimate power. It can scorch you. It can scar you. It can change your life irrevocably. But it cannot touch your spirit. It cannot penetrate it. It cannot separate you from the One who holds you. You may feel unrecognizable after what you’ve been through, stripped of everything you once were. But the voice of your Father cuts through the flames, and He says: “You’re still mine. Not even this fire can take you from Me.“

Some of us are runners. We know the truth, we’ve tasted the grace, but when fear, shame, rebellion, or sheer exhaustion sets in, our instinct is to flee. Like Jonah, we board a ship in the opposite direction. Like the Prodigal Son, we take our inheritance and head for a distant country, convinced we can make it on our own. We run, hoping to outpace our pain or the call of God on our lives.

But there is a glorious, wonderful truth we must never forget: God runs, too. And He runs toward you.

We can see this in the father of the prodigal son. He didn’t sit on his porch, tapping his foot, waiting for a perfectly rehearsed apology. When he saw his prodigal son from afar, the Bible paints us a picture of breathtaking compassion:

“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20, KJV)

The father ran. He abandoned all dignity and ran to his broken, filthy son. He embraced him before he could even confess. This is the divine pursuit. Even when you are trying to leave Him, His love never leaves you. It is scanning the horizon, waiting, longing for your return.

If we will quiet our hearts for just a moment, if we will listen past the voices of accusation and fear, we will hear a voice speaking directly to us. I believe it will sound something like this:

“My child, I know your wounds. I know your regrets. I know what they said about you, and I know what you did. But none of it changes the truth: You are still mine. I still want you. I still have plans for you, plans that your past cannot derail. Come back. Or if you can’t run back, just turn around. I never stopped calling your name.”

This is not wishful thinking. This is the unbreakable promise that anchors all of history, secured by the cross and sealed by the empty tomb. It is the final declaration over your life:

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, KJV)

If you feel broken by your failures, if you’ve walked away and feel lost in the distance, if you’re scorched by the fires of life and numb and tired of pretending, then this is your moment of return. Return to Him. You are still His.

You don’t need to have the right words. You don’t need to clean yourself up first. Just lift your eyes. Open your heart. Because He’s been waiting for you the whole time.

And He is whispering to you now, in the deepest part of who you are:

“You are still mine.”

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GOD IS STILL IN THE WAITING

This article is for those who are already tired of waiting. May it be waiting for the return of the Lord or the long overdue fulfilment of a prayer.

There is a sacred ache that comes with longing for something only God can give. It’s the quiet desperation of a prayer that has lingered on your lips for months, or even years. It’s the silence that answers your cries, a silence that can feel so heavy, so empty, so much like abandonment. In the waiting, the world keeps spinning, but a part of you feels frozen in place, holding your breath for a breakthrough that has not yet come.

If that is where you are today, I pray this timeless promise from the prophet Isaiah would wrap around your soul like a warm embrace. In Isaiah 40:31, our loving Lord says,

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

This is not a hollow promise for the strong; it is a divine lifeline for the weary. It is God’s declaration that He is still at work, especially when you can’t see or feel a thing.

To our restless hearts, waiting feels like a delay. It feels like a cosmic pause button has been pressed on our lives, while everyone else moves forward. It feels like silence. But can I gently tell you that to God, waiting is preparation?

He is not ignoring you. The silence you perceive is not a sign of His absence, but often a sign of His deep, intricate work. He is building something in you before He gives something to you. Some blessings are not delayed; they are being lovingly and meticulously developed in the hidden place of your heart. Some strengths can only be forged in the furnace of patience. The prophet Habakkuk was told in a vision:

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” (Habakkuk 2:3).

Please hear this: God’s delays are not His denials. They are the proving grounds of your faith and the sacred cradle of miracles that are yet unseen.

Isaiah’s promise is breathtaking. He doesn’t say you will simply endure the waiting or collapse under its weight. He says you will “mount up with wings as eagles.”

Think about the majesty of an eagle. An eagle doesn’t ascend by frantically flapping its wings and exhausting itself. It soars. And it cannot soar until it has caught the right wind—a thermal current that it did not create, but has learned to rest upon. The eagle, in its wisdom, waits for the wind.

While you are waiting, feeling grounded and restless, God is building your wings. He is strengthening your heart, deepening your patience, and clarifying your vision. He is teaching you to recognize the movement of His Spirit. Sometimes, in the agony of our waiting, we are begging to take off, while God in His love is whispering, “Don’t rush the takeoff, my child. I am sending the wind. Trust Me.”

The promise in Isaiah 40:31 is layered with grace. It covers every season of our journey. Sometimes we soar. Sometimes we run. And then there are the times we can only walk.

Some seasons don’t feel like soaring. There is no majestic uplift, no breathtaking view from above. Some seasons don’t even feel like running; there is no exhilarating momentum, no finish line in sight. Some seasons are just walking—one weary, deliberate, faith-filled step at a time.

But look at the beauty of the promise: “…they shall walk, and not faint.” God sees your walk. He knows the effort it takes just to put one foot in front of the other. And He promises that if you keep walking in faith, you will not faint. If you keep trusting, you will not fall apart. If you just keep holding on to His hand, He will hold you up. Your quiet, un-celebrated walk is a profound act of worship, and it is moving you forward.

Perhaps the most tender truth for the waiting heart is this: you are not alone in the waiting room. God is with you in the long, quiet hallway, not just at the door of the breakthrough. His presence is not a prize waiting at the end of your trial; it is your comfort in the midst of it.

David, a man who knew the pain of waiting, wrote in Psalm 40:1,

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”

The Lord inclined—He leaned in close. He is leaning in to you right now. He hears your late-night prayers whispered into a tear-stained pillow. He sees your silent tears that no one else knows about. And He is working in the invisible places, orchestrating details you cannot yet see, even when the door of your promise hasn’t opened yet.

I know you may be waiting. Waiting for a healing that feels so far off. Waiting for a prodigal child to find their way home. Waiting for a financial breakthrough that seems impossible. Waiting for an answer to long nights of prayer.

But God is not absent. He is active. And your waiting is not empty—it is pregnant with divine purpose.

So I invite you, weary friend, to come to Him. Surrender your life, with all its anxieties and demands, into His loving hands. Come and receive fresh strength for the journey, not because you feel it, but because He promised it. And let this be the declaration of your heart today:

“Lord, even if I don’t see it yet, I will trust You in the waiting.”

Your waiting is holy. Your waiting is worship. And I promise you, your waiting is not in vain.

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I PRESS ON

There are words in the Scripture that feel less like ink on a page and more like a hand reaching out to our weary soul. For centuries, one such declaration has echoed from the heart of the Apostle Paul, a cry of defiant faith that has fueled revival, sustained martyrs, and given hope to the hopeless. It is found in Philippians 3:14:

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

This is more than a verse; it is a lifeline. It is a message for every person who has ever felt the crushing weight of their past, the exhaustion of the journey, or the pain of the present. It is the anthem of unstoppable faith, and it speaks directly to the part of you that is longing to keep going.

Before Paul was an apostle, he was a monster. This is not an exaggeration. His name was Saul, and he was a man with blood on his hands. He stood by and approved as Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit, was stoned to death. He breathed out threats and murder, trying with every fiber of his being to destroy the Church of God. His past was a battlefield of hatred, violence, and religious pride.

If a past could disqualify someone, it was Paul’s. The ghosts of his former life could have haunted him forever, whispering accusations in his ear. But the God who met him on the road to Damascus did not disqualify him—He redeemed him. He did not hold his past against him—He called him forward.

How could Paul move on from such a dark history? He gives us the secret himself, just one verse earlier in Philippians 3:13: “…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

This “forgetting” is not a passive amnesia; it is an active, moment-by-moment choice fueled by grace. It is the refusal to keep looking backward when your destiny lies ahead. Regret is a prison that will keep you locked in a cell of your own making, replaying your failures on an endless loop. But grace, my friend, is the key. Your past may explain some of your scars, but it does not define your soul. God has already turned the page. He invites you to do the same.

Paul uses a word that is full of tension and grit: “I press…” This is not the language of someone strolling through a park. This is the language of an athlete straining every muscle, lungs burning, heart pounding, pushing against the pain and exhaustion. To press means there is effort, there is struggle, there is a fierce determination to move forward against all odds.

The Christian walk is not always easy. There are seasons that will test the very limits of your endurance. There are seasons of weariness that settle deep in your bones, making every step feel heavy. There are seasons of delay, when the promises of God feel distant and your timeline is shattered. There are seasons of heartbreak that crack the foundation of your world. And there are seasons of opposition, when it feels like everything and everyone is against you.

In those moments, the temptation is to quit, to coast, or to just sit down in defeat. But Paul gives us a different response. Not “I quit.” Not “I coast.” Not “I sit.” He cries out from the depths of his being, “I press!” Why? Because there is a prize, and it is worth it all. The finish line is not just an end to the struggle; it is the beginning of a glory so profound that it will make the hardest race feel like a distant memory.

Listen to the magnificent scope of this race: “…for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

God did not save you from your past to call you to a life of mediocrity. He did not pull you from the fire to watch you blend in with the shadows. He did not break your chains so you could simply give up when the road gets hard. He called you to walk in power, purpose, and victory. He called you to come up higher.

Revelation 4:1 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

No matter where you have been, no matter how low you feel right now, there is a higher calling over your life. It is a calling to holiness—an intimate, set-apart relationship with Him. It is a calling to ministry—a unique purpose that only you can fulfill. It is a calling to be a light in the darkness—a beacon of His love in a broken world. Do not dare settle for the lowlands of compromise and comfort when God has called you to the mountain peaks of His glory.

We must never forget where Paul was when he penned these powerful words. He was not writing from a place of comfort and ease. He was in a cold, dark prison cell, chained and awaiting his fate. This was a man who had been beaten, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked, and repeatedly imprisoned. His body was a roadmap of suffering for the cause of Christ.

And yet, from that place of pain, he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). This is not the statement of a blind optimist; it is the roar of a man with bold, unshakeable faith. His joy was not based on his circumstances, but on his Christ.

He pressed on through unimaginable physical and emotional pain. That means you can press on through the fog of depression. You can press on through the crushing weight of loss. You can press on through the paralyzing grip of fear. Why? Because Christ is your strength. Paul’s most famous declaration follows in this same letter: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). The same strength that sustained Paul in prison is available to you right now.

My dear friend, there will be times when you feel like quitting. But in those moments, remember this: He who called you is faithful. So keep praying, even when the words won’t come. Keep praising, even when your heart is aching. Keep believing, even when you cannot see. Keep pressing.

The reward is not just a crown you will receive in heaven. The prize is also in the pressing itself—in the process of becoming everything God designed you to be.

If you have fallen, get up. The ground is no place for a child of the King. You are an eagle. Fly higher. If you are tired, lean on His strength, for His arms are strong enough to carry you. If you are discouraged, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.

The prize is still ahead. Your calling is still intact. The race is not over.

Press on.

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RELIGO

THE FALL

THE FIRST RELIGION: THE FIG LEAVES

GOD’S RELIGION

CAIN’S RELIGION

THE RELIGION IN THE TOWER OF BABEL

THE RIGHT RELIGION

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS: THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THE RIGHT RELIGION

SO, WHERE SHOULD YOU JOIN?

EARTH WAS DESTROYED JUST LIKE HOW SIN DESTROYED MAN

THE BROODING STAGE

THE SIX STAGES OF EARTH’S COMPLETE RESTORATION

WHAT IS LOVE?

THE THREE KINDS OF LOVE

AGAPE VS. EROS: HOW TO KNOW THEM ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE

SUMMARY

SCORE YOUR RELATIONSHIP

WARNING!!!

CONCLUSION

The Earth Became “Without Form and Void“

“Replenish” the Earth: A Clue to the Prehistoric Era

The Earth of Old and the Mystery of the Ice Ages

The Story of Earth is our Story

The Gathering Waters: From Chaos to Order

Conclusion

THE CALL OF PETER

THE FALL OF PETER

THE RISE OF PETER

God Is Not in a Hurry to “Fix” You—He’s Here to Be With You

The World Sees Damage, God Sees a Door

You Don’t Have to Pretend, Not With Him

A Promise to Carry in the Darkness

God Chose You in the Dark – Not on the Stage

You Were Forged in Pain – And That’s Why You’re Dangerous

You Don’t Need to Feel Qualified to Be Used

Heaven’s View of You

You are Still His—Even When You Fail

You are Still His—Even in the Fire

You are Still His—Even When You Run

The Voice of the Lord

Waiting is Not Wasting

You Are Growing Wings While You Wait

Even When You’re Walking, You’re Moving Forward

God Is Not Just in the Outcome—He’s in the Process

Your Past Does Not Disqualify You

The Christian Life Is a Race, Not a Rest

There Is a High Calling Over Your Life

Keep Pressing When It Hurts

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