Are you a deep diver and I am not talking about putting on a wetsuit, diving mask, air tank, snorkel, fins…to go into the ocean. I’m talking about a spiritual dive like Jonah did in the belly of the fish, Jonah 1:17.

Some of us are created to dive in and go down pretty deep spiritually and some to stay shallow. God never gives us more than we can handle, one of the reason we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others is because a bad experiences in your life can make you stronger, but can traumatize and cripple someone else, especially if they’re not called and decides to just copy what they see others doing that looks so easy.

I like to dive in and go down deep, not because I could hold my breath for lengths of time, but because the Holy Spirit is my oxygen. When it’s power has taken complete control, falling fresh on me, opening my blind eyes so I can see, deaf ear so I can hear and dumb mouth to speak. Then and only then can I say, “ I do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” There’s no way I would be capable of doing certain things on my own or of my own strength without God’s help.

The spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding attained from being a deep diver can be too much for some to bear. So they judge and criticize when they’re only on the shallow end. Life is given to everyone by God with the ability for us to choose, and we’re ignorant in not using it wisely for good all the time. I guess destined to be balanced with evil we sometimes can’t help ourselves, goodness can’t last forever, not in this life. There’s the good and bad as long as we’re in this body, this thing called flesh covering the spirit. The imperfections of our existence will always remain, but we must have the balance. You can’t be good all the time, neither bad. It takes discipline to stand in righteousness and goodness unto the end for it is a battle, let’s face it. Ecclesiastes 7:16 “Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise- why destroy yourself?” 7:20 “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”

“Take a leap and dive in, go down deep, really deep, that’s where you’ll find God, and all truth and righteousness, when desire to be spiritual. To be shallow we’re in the flesh and to be spiritual you’re in the depth penetrating the flesh to the higher self the spirit, the image of God within; his breath he blew in us to make us a living soul.”

The flesh is shallow, but the spirit is deep. In the shallow we can see only the surface, but in the depth is dark and mysterious until you reach the light within.

Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

The fire is burning, the consuming fire of God, because the world is burning and we’re too busy to notice. Preoccupied with worldliness, money, fame, lust, greed, power…Eyes we have, but don’t see, ears, but can’t hear, hear and see what’s really going on. Have we drifted so far that the Lord who is tapping us on our shoulders metaphorically, to get our attention, we no longer feels his touch? So we don’t see, hear or feel God anymore? While our spirit is crying out to our Lord, who’s answering. We are walking around heavy burden with worries about our future and our present should be with the Lord to carry us through to our future.

The consuming fire is purification for sin in the world. The world is bleeding because we’re being cut, pruned. Whatever that’s going on in our world God has to cut, trim, so the new can come in. “Why fight it?” “Don’t you know bleeding is good!” We speak of the blood, the blood! It’s been poured out and now has a demand for reciprocity. We sing, dance praise and worship on the victory of the blood (Jesus crucified) and what a privilege and honour we are blessed with for our salvation. Now what sacrifice can we now offer in return? We don’t have time to think about it. The plague (Covid) is our pruning. Blood for blood, life for life. So many for one life, Jesus’s life he give for the lives of the world.

Our greed, our lust for the worldly things has taken over for what was once our true desire, God, Him and him alone, first in our lives. God who can deliver us from the burdens of sin, sickness, trials and tribulations, fears, doubts…death. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. We shall not want or desire anything, our God shall provide. But today power, authority and control, pride, fame, wealth…has crept into us unknowingly. We believe we’re going about life normally, but we are far from normalcy.

The fire is here to consume the worldly desires. The Lord needs for us to be focused on our life everlasting. The world is temporary, but his kingdom is everlasting and with no suffering and pain. We must stand our grounds and don’t lose sight, continue to build it up and be prepared for the return of Jesus. And the blood, the bleeding is the reminder of what’s more important for our salvation to be free from the bondage of sin, sickness, fears, hopeless, doubts…death, knowing from where comes our help when all else has failed us.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things God works for good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.