The unavoidable condition of humanity is the awareness of being aware. By preference, most humans deliberately choose to exist in the lives of other people. However, an infant cannot pretend to be another person. The older a child becomes the more susceptible to acquiescing to norms, within the environment, for convenience purposes. Everyone wants to be identified with a group, for security purposes. This is what has brought culture to the fore.
Misrepresentation is a falsehood that makes this world hell. For a problem to be identified as a problem, it has to contain falsehood. This is axiomatic of anything existing in this world. For instance, one cannot expect a petrol-engine vehicle to run smoothly, with diesel, disguised as petrol. Truth is unacceptable for whatever reason but being the only liberator of everything in the physical universe.
Each person is aware of the truth but forced to discard the truth, to avoid rejection by others. To be accepted requires conformity with the environment. Some people accept fictitious identities, although aware of such identities being untrue. Jesus was also awarded titles of other people’s identities, rather than His own.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosened in heaven.” Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. (Matthew 16:13-20 NIV).
Jesus was aware of the false identities given to Him. He could not have convinced anyone of those people that He was Christ. Jesus affirmed that Peter’s declaration that Jesus was Christ did not come from flesh and blood. This was one aspect of Peter’s ability to perceive and identify what ordinary people could not identify.
The greatest falsehood embracing humanity is the consideration of being physical rather than spiritual. How can one convince a person that he/she would be spiritual rather than physical? This is as difficult as Jesus advised His disciples to keep that truth to themselves (verse 20).
Those holding that truth are not of this world, just as Jesus was not of this world. It is impossible to convince a worldly person that his/her being is spiritual. The idea of revealing that truth is as dangerous as having caused Jesus’ murder. In Zimbabwe, many people were killed for attempting to reveal the truth.
Josiah Tongogara is probably one of those killed for asserting the truth, according to the prevailing historical events before independence. Chindori Chininga is another well-known figure, rumoured to have perished for attempting to reveal thieving in Chiadzva Diamonds. This explains the condition of the world we live in.
Most people avoid revealing the truth, due to fear of victimization. The spiritual awareness redeems people from the bondage that is induced by falsehood. Wicked mothers have gone further, assigning their children to different fathers. Witch-hunting may be unnecessary as this world is sustained by falsehoods.
For peace to prevail, it can be considered convenient that truth should remain untold. Hence, Jesus advised His disciples to avoid telling anyone that He was Christ. God’s children can never attain peace with those of this world, for the simple reason that truth and falsehood are alienated. To maintain peace with those of this world, one is advised to discard truth and maintain lies.
Conversely, to be at peace with God, one is advised to maintain the truth and discard falsehoods. Maintaining falsehoods grants peace, whereas, there is no settlement in maintaining truth. The only problem with maintaining falsehood is that it does not guarantee survival. The tribulations associated with maintaining the truth are redeemable and with guaranteed benefits.
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39 NIV).
The above statement affirms the reality that heavenly truth cannot be acceptable in a world sustained by falsehoods. The Jews’ hatred of Jesus for declaring to be God’s Son can be excused for their ignorance. They assumed to be exercising their righteous indignation. Such a mindset comes from the unawareness of there being no righteous indignation, in Christianity.
That period in history, where people were murdered in the name of Jesus, is unimaginable. Those people assumed that Jesus approved of their conduct when the opposite was true. The key to understanding people’s behaviour lies in knowing that all physical conditions are emotive. The spirit is not emotive, and carries no volatility, as manifested to Prophet Elijah.
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came to a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13 NIV).
The spiritual person is not intimidated by external forces. Yet the physical person’s reactive pattern is influenced by external forces. He prefers not to lose his body. The pain that comes before losing the body is unbearable to him. It can only be the spiritually conscious person who is willing to lose the body.
Within every physical person is a spiritual component that communicates the truth. Unaware of his spiritual condition, the person succumbs to that which threatens to take away his physical life. When intimidated, the person loses the courage to stand up for the truth. The person would be unaware that it would only be a matter of time before the physical death catches up with him.
Living in the physical body is death, as the body was designed for a short season. The spirit is an imperishable entity, which often succumbs to the concerns of the physical body. A person is as dead as physically oriented. The Biblical definition of death is physical existence, rather than being Spiritual. This definition was clearly articulated to Adam, in the Garden of Eden.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:15-17 NIV).
When did Adam die? The above Scripture denotes that he died on the day that he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That death reduced him to his assimilation with the earth. He would live for a season, but poised to be interned to the soil, according to God’s determination:
To Adam, He said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil, you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat the plants of the field. By the seat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:17-19 NIV).
The above describes the current physical condition of humanity. The person lives for a season, in that condition, but is poised to fertilize the soil. His glimmer of hope lies in the awareness of his spiritual condition. Spiritual awareness enables controlling the body, rather than the body controlling the spirit.
The physical person is controlled by fear and intimidation. This is why dictators use duress and intimidation to obtain control of physical humanity. Worshippers of other humans are persuaded by the aspect of fear and intimidation. The intimidated people cannot be led by conscience from their spiritual communication. They succumb, due to fear of losing physical lives.
Each person is a spiritual entity that knows goodness from wickedness. However, in his captured condition, that person cannot stand up for goodness and truth. He succumbs to corruption and wickedness. The person may have a powerful-looking body, but when defeated spiritually, he would not be different from a dormouse.
When aware of being God’s child, the person stops taking instructions from the physical body. His spiritual consciousness cannot be intimidated by anything in this world. He may lose his physical body, but not his spiritual life condition. From those aware of being God’s child, Jesus said He would build His Church.
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matthew 16:17-18 NIV).
The Church that Jesus was talking about is not comprised of cowed people under human leadership. That Church is comprised of those taking instructions directly from God. Such people may be persecuted, hated, or despised, by those treating them in that way, due to lack of knowledge. But they would be God’s Children.
The template of their ill-treatment was set by Jesus. The disciples endured similar treatments. The same applies to true Christians of today. To expect anything different would be revealing failure to appreciate the spiritual condition. A person who is aware of being spiritual cannot be driven by an appetite to be famous in this world. Those able to intimidate other people are the ones attracted to the desire to be famous.
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he is in God.
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment because in this world we are like him.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:11-21 NIV).
The decisions of a person who is aware of being spiritual are not influenced by the volatility of the physical conditions in his environment. That person remains causative at all times and can be a leader par excellence. This describes each person, created in God’s image. In their subdued condition, most people have assumed that wealth is more important than them. Their focus is more on wealth acquisition. The reason for this is the assumption that to be influential, wealth is considered necessary. This comes from those unaware of their spiritual condition.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
