Dyno Domains Center

When you purchase a new suit or jacket, the pockets are usually sewed up and must be clipped in order to get into them. Without a proper philosophy of money and wealth, you won’t attract anything into your pockets because they’ll still be sewed shut. A proper view of finances will open your pockets to receive the abundance of life that God wants you to have.

A Lesson from the Future

In the television series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” 23rd century human beings have eliminated the need and desire for money. This has helped them transcend their roots in the Earth and take wing to the stars and other planets. However, even though humans have overcome the need and desire for money, there exists an alien race of mercenary merchants whose sole purpose for existence is to amass interstellar currency and whose sole measure of personal worth is the amount of their personal wealth.

Gene Roddenbury, the creator of Star Trek, was an astute analyst of the human civilization of the 20th century. In his futuristic alien race obsessed with and blinded by money, he saw a present-day parallel in societies all across planet Earth. These beings serve to teach the lesson that money is not a sound or solid basis for human endeavor or relationship. When money is the primary end that is sought through the energies of life, it soon becomes the means for measuring the value of those energies and of life itself. When this happens, life actually becomes impoverished because it no longer is seen to have dimension or possibilities or worth beyond the “bottom line.” Life is viewed as the ability, or inability, to accumulate wealth in order to secure worth. The absurdity and poverty of such an understanding of life is well summarized in the words of a bumper sticker I saw recently: “The one who dies with the most stuff wins.” I wonder what the prize could be.

Side Bar: Long ago it was realized that money could obscure a person’s self-worth and value to humanity. One day a rich man of a miserly disposition visited a wise sage, who took him by the hand and led him to a window.

“Look out there,” he said. “What do you see?”

“I see men and women and little children,” the man replied.

Then the sage took him to a mirror. “What do you see now?”

“I see myself,” was the answer.

“Behold, in the window there is glass and the mirror is glass also. But the glass of the mirror is covered with silver. No sooner is silver added than you cease to see others and see only yourself.”

Roddenbury appears to be asking the question, “what would civilized life be like without money?” Would it be some cosmic communist collective devoted to “share and share alike?” Where would the resources come from to support and sustain every human life? How would such resources be fairly allocated and distributed so that the ones with the greatest need would receive the greatest share? Would these resources be of sufficient quality to enable people to grow and expand their personal attributes and natural abilities? Would there be enough to go around?

Roddenbury answers these questions by introducing a machine called the “replicator,” a ubiquitous device that creates whatever one desires literally out of thin air. All required resources for living and growing could be summoned at the moment they were needed or desired in the necessary quantities with no waste or want. Of course this is pure fantasy. However, there is more to this story.

With the replicator, Roddenbury was able to divorce resource development, acquisition and distribution from all work activities. Twenty-third century human beings didn’t have to work in order to obtain the resources necessary to sustain and develop life. These celestial citizens worked for the pleasure of self-expression and to apply their talents and energies to making ever-increasing contributions to the greater good of human civilization. Work was an end in itself and not a means to obtain money in order to secure resources necessary for survival and development. By separating work and money, work became wealth because it no longer needed to be performed for money. Wealth and money were severed from each other for good. Instead of money, what one did to contribute to the greater good and to the accomplishment of the collective mission was the measure of personal wealth and worth.

I think we 21st century beings can learn a valuable lesson from the Star Trek generation of the future when it comes to how best to manage money and the resources it buys. If we could learn to view work as an end in itself and not merely as a means to obtain money, then the experiences of our work would become the wealth we acquire regardless of the amount of money it produces. The issue here is that work builds character, good work builds good character and good character is true wealth. Work, then, becomes the means for wealth not by what we get for it (money) but by what we become by it (character).

Good character produces a wealth of happiness, healthfulness and personal fulfillment that money cannot buy. There are many things money can buy and just as many it can’t. Money can buy a house but not a home, a bed but not a good night’s sleep. Those things it cannot buy must be attracted into one’s life by good character. Otherwise, they will remain elusive and, without them, life becomes impoverished even in the midst of monetary wealth.

Now that we’ve established a proper view of work, money and wealth, we need to examine the means of “fleshing out” such a philosophy. What does it take to actually practice building a “wealthy character?” In a word, it takes discipline.

Discipline and Regret

Aside from physical pain, there are really only two other types of pain that human beings experience. Both are more psychic than physical, although, in both cases, there can be unpleasant physical manifestations. One is the pain of discipline; the other is the pain of regret. The latter occurs as a consequence of the absence of the former.

Pain of Discipline

Author and columnist, Erma Bombeck, commented that the trouble with life is that it’s so “daily.” Likewise, discipline is a daily decision. As anyone who resolves to “lose some weight” or “get into shape” soon discovers, getting from “deciding to do” to “actually doing” can involve a tremendous amount of agonizing effort.

Once the implementation of the resolution occurs, the changed behavior results in pain because new behaviors must replace the old ones. Neurological research has indicated that when a person changes a fundamental belief or opinion which, in turn, determines behavior, the brain undergoes a series of nervous sensations equivalent to distressing torture. It is when this distress is fully felt that the attempts at changing behavior often fade into forgetfulness. Our natural desire is for comfort and predictability, not challenge and change. Aristotle recognized the courage and difficulty of self-discipline when he said: “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.”

Discipline can also be painful in that it is a process that involves giving up in order to go up. It is disconcerting to give up something of immediate desire in order to obtain something of value later. After all, there is always the risk that you won’t actually get the things for which you’ve sacrificed. But sacrifice is a required element of the equation that opens the pockets and attracts the wealth of life into them.

Pain of Regret

As both a businessman and a pastor, I’ve heard countless people remorsefully utter the following phrases: “If only I had . . .;” “I wish I had . . . ;” “I should have . . . .” These are words that express deep, soulful pain. When spoken, they proclaim the stark realization that life could have been better than it is now. They are blatant admissions that life is the way it is because of personal choices made and actions done or left undone. This pain of regret can endure throughout a lifetime and often causes the rest of one’s life to descend into bitterness and despair.

Hersell Wilson, an early 20th century social commentator, said: “The things you do that you don’t have to will always determine who you are when it’s too late to do anything about it.” None of us have to exercise discipline in any aspect of our lives. We are certainly free to choose to do nothing to make something of our lives – to wind up being a nobody by not helping anybody, including ourselves. Self-discipline is voluntary. But there is a heavy price to pay when discipline is not chosen in the area of finances. When it’s too late to earn the necessary money to pay the bills, the bills will arrive. When it’s too late to save enough for retirement, retirement cannot be taken.

The pain of regret is enormous in comparison to the pain of self-discipline. If your pockets are bare, check to see if the way you view money, wealth and work is actually keeping them sewed shut. If you determine that they are, indeed, sewed shut, what can you do to open them up in order to receive the abundance God has in store for you?

Side Bar: If your character is not attracting wealth into your life, ask yourself, “What’s really getting in the way of that happening?”

“An enemy I had, whose face I stoutly strove to know,
For hard he dogged my steps unseen wherever I did go.
My plans he balked, my aims he foiled, he blocked my onward way;
When for some lofty goal I toiled, he grimly said me, “Nay!”
One night I seized and held him fast, from him the veil did draw. I gazed upon his face at last and, lo, myself I saw.”

Steps to Receiving God’s Abundance

We are creatures fashioned in the image of God. To accurately reflect God in our lives, we need to yield to His desire for us. Whenever we submit ourselves to God’s desire for our lives, we broaden and deepen our character as spiritual beings and thereby become capable of receiving spiritual abundance, which includes all wealth.

The act of submission is in choosing to do what God does in relation to creation. What God does in relation to creation is to give Himself. We develop a good character by giving ourselves to others. It is this good character, developed in spiritual obedience to God’s desire for us, that attracts all manner of wealth into our lives so that we might be optimally equipped to serve others.

What do you need to do to broaden and deepen your spiritual character so as to attract more of the abundance of God’s wealth into your life? There are just two steps to take.

Step One:

Tell God that you submit to His desire for you. Do this every day. This is the primary act of giving yourself first to God so that God can give Himself again to creation through you. From this moment on you will receive God’s abundance so that you can give to others. Whatever you give to others is a sacrifice of praise to the presence of God’s abundant life within you.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he immediately replied, ” . . . you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31). It is fascinating that Jesus added a second commandment. He was linking love of God with love of others (a neighbor is anyone within “loving distance”). What must be kept in mind, however, is that there is an order presented here. The first commandment is to love God with all that one is (and not, incidentally, with all that one has); the second flows from the first. How often do we attempt to serve others without first 1) knowing if they can benefit from our service, 2) if we have what is necessary to help and not hinder them, and 3) establishing that God has led us to serve them above all others. After all, our personal resources of time, energy and money are limited. The point is that only when we first give ourselves wholly to God can God show us to whom we can most effectively give ourselves.

Never forget the divine irony: you can’t give unless you receive; but, in order to receive you must give. Our understanding of this seeming paradox is this:

You can’t give to others unless you receive from God; in order to receive from God you must give yourself to God.

Step Two:

The discipline that will keep attracting God’s abundance into your life is to daily give yourself to those to whom God leads you without regard for return or reward. Remember the words of Albert Schweitzer: “Do something for somebody every day for which you do not get paid.”

When you take these two simple steps on a daily basis, you’ll find your pockets full of God’s richness. You’ll also discover that your true wealth is a good character that not only thrives in this life but also is filled with the abundance of God’s eternal life.

Ken Wallace, M. Div., CSL has been in the organizational development field since 1973. He is a seasoned consultant, speaker and executive coach with extensive business experience in multiple industries who provides practical organizational direction and support for business leaders. A professional member of the National Speakers Association since 1989, he is also a member of the International Federation for Professional Speaking and holds the Certified Seminar Leader (CSL) professional designation awarded by the American Seminar Leaders Association.

Ken is one of only eight certified Business Systems Coaches worldwide for General Motors.

His topics include ethics, leadership, change, communication & his unique Optimal Process Design® program.

Tel:(800)235-5690 Claim your free eBook, “How to Do Better Than Your Best in Anything You Do” by visiting the Better Than Your Best website.

The Sabbath-keeping Church of God (that remains faithful to the plain truth of the Bible that Herbert W. Armstrong taught) has heard a lot about government, but many seem to have forgotten that God’s ONE government has TWO branches: Church (Priest) and State (King). That’s why many have difficulty reconciling apparent differences or contradictions between “the Law of Moses,” with its statutes and judgments that we’re commanded to REMEMBER (Malachi 4), and Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.”

The Law of Moses (actually, the revealed Law of God) consists of community or NATIONAL laws. That’s why the State can execute hardened criminals or wage war and be guiltless in God’s sight (Romans 13). The State is actually sanctioned by Scripture to take vengeance for God! They have authority to deputize, whether to uphold the law or protect the country. They’re to protect, serve, and defend the community and country, and to encourage obedience to God’s laws. The State isn’t only to make an example of those who fail to love God, king and country, but commend those who do!

However, Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” applies to INDIVIDUALS. It reveals an attitude of going the extra mile, of not being trigger-happy or always demanding our rights (there’s a time and a place and a way). But some have taken Jesus’ hyperbole to a pacifist and self-righteous extreme that Jesus never intended! Jesus didn’t say, “If someone rapes your wife, give them your daughter as well,” or “if someone steals your car, offer them your house too.” Christ commands that we love our neighbor as ourselves, not more than ourselves! And when He was speaking of enemies, He was referring to those with whom we PERSONALLY disagree; He was talking about INDIVIDUALS that we have conflict with. Christ was preaching about interpersonal relationships, NOT international affairs!

If someone carefully and prayerfully studies the Scriptures, they will see that these things are so. They will see that it is not wrong to call upon Joseph and Judah to OBEY GOD and not fear men; to cherish and not despise our birthright and inheritance; to never surrender our God-given Temple Mount, prophesied land possessions and strategic sea-gates and prominent place in the world (that enables us to do much good), ordained by God. And as a God-fearing nation, we’ll understand that sacrifice means sacrifice, that battles are battles, and that we must offer, if and when necessary to OBEY GOD, our blood, toil, sweat and tears!

It’s indicative of the curse we’re under when we’re afraid to battle national enemies and risk losing some lives in the process. The ghost of Vietnam haunts us. The pride of our power has been broken. Thank God for those who sacrificed their lives and their fortunes to found this great country of Manasseh! And we should be thankful for those who truly sacrificed that we might remain free from tyranny and practice our biblical religion as a free people in a free land.

Judah was also founded by such men and women who sacrificed all for future generations, and has been preserved by others of the same selfless attitude and actions.

May God bless Joseph and Judah, and may God bless His Church to recognize and respect the one government of God with its two branches!

The Caribbean is the site of another thing which some would call a mystery. Until a few years ago I would have been inclined to put it in the paranormal control of soul category and I still believe that is part of it. However, we have scientifically identified the use of sea urchin extract as the agent which allows apparent death and subsequent use of a body by means as yet mysterious to scientists who negate the possibility of ESP type brain connection or possessions.

Some would say that hypnosis might have something to do with it, but the witnesses and researchers think that is not the case; which does not mean it isn’t involved because there are similarities between possession and hypnosis. They act on different bodies however. The connection between the mind or brain and the physical body is part of the act of soul related possession. There are body related possessions as well. Clearly the stupor state caused by the drug does affect both bodies and it may impact the spirit as well.

As we proceed some of the issues will be dealt with but I cannot give a full explanation of what is involved, other than ritual magic and drug use. Having had possessions and ritual magic practiced upon me, I can honestly say I am certain it is able to affect such things on people who are suggestible and thus a person in a stupor has few (if any) defenses.

Having experience with exorcisms I am sure little could be done to counteract the possession of the body by the drug and the magician would simply re-possess the body once it had been psychically cleansed. A Total de-tox and subsequent therapy including building the ‘protection’ of soul in the victim is required.

Author of Diverse Druids
Columnist for The ES Press Magazine
Guest ‘expert’ at World-Mysteries.com

This is perhaps the most often asked question heard in connection with the second coming, at least for Americans. It a reasonable question for any North American to ask, but it is far from easy to answer. I would be remiss if I were to say that the Bible expressly names America in any passage from Genesis to Revelation. That some passages may refer to America is very possible but not provable and that is the very kind of conjecture I will not entertain.

Naturally all the events surrounding the second coming of Christ are global or universal in nature so they necessarily include the United States. That the antichrist rules America for the same short period he rules the rest of the world is covered in Revelation 13:7. How he gets this powerful and fiercely independent nation to cow to his will is probably the more interesting question to try to answer.

Some people believe that America will be forced to comply with antichrist after an invasion of our shores by a great Eurasian pact of nations. Mostly, the invasion idea stems from the vision of George Washington. In that vision it is said that Washington told this story to his aide who in turn told it to someone else just before he died at about the time of the civil war. Washington was told that three great calamities would befall the nation. Starting with the revolutionary war, following that the civil war and finally some future war where America would be invaded. My learned opinion of this vision is, “who knows?”

That America would require force to he pushed into the rule of the antichrist is easy to believe but the force in question could be of a different nature. The remaining two views of how the United States is forced into the final pact of nations are probably more tenable.

The antichrist does not act alone but he is aided by one the scripture refers to as the false prophet. Rev. 16:13. 19:20. 20:10 We know little about who this person is today, hut what is known about him is that he doesn’t come from the same region, country and perhaps even the same hemisphere as the antichrist. The antichrist rises up from out of the sea according to Rev. 13:1.

The false prophet rises up out of the land. Rev. 13:1 1-16. The antichrist rules from the revived Roman Empire or The European Union. Where the false prophet is stationed exactly is not known but some think it will be America. This of course is speculative, even though it is very possible. The false prophet will probably not be connected to any religion, but it is most likely he will be a political figure or a minister of science. What he is may he uncertain, but the influence he wields over the world is not. He is able to produce signs in the heavens and draw fire down from heaven at will. Whether he does this supernaturally through the aide of the devil or engages some star wars type pyrotechnical display is also not known.

What is known is that his antics are very successful in persuading the people on earth to give antichrist both credence and rule. Some biblical scholars have thought that he could come from America and while this is not known for sure, it gives rise to the idea that America will he assuaged to join with antichrist by his direct influence. But again, while it is very possible, it is still only conjectural at this time. A third and perhaps a far more likely scenario is that America will undergo a collapse of all of its markets and financial institutions. Following a collapse, a desperate nation may seek to join with antichrist’s emerging economic systems that will be so successful throughout much of the rest of the world at that time. Not long ago I asked some people the question, what do you think would be the most disastrous thing that could happen to America and what would change its nature significantly, an all out invasion of our shores or a complete and pervasive financial collapse? The majority answered that it obviously would be the collapse of our economy.

America is in the long stretch of the good times. We have many years between us and the dust bowl days and the stock market crash of twenty nine. World War Two is also far behind and the post war boom has become a post war glut. Any people that might decide to invade the shores of this powerful and fiercely proud nation would be in great peril. But take away what Americans really love, their affluence, money and material blessings and you could make them dance to just about any tune. This is the theorem that when applied to the question of how America joins the great evil new world order is the most believable, if not the most likely.

If the compunction to have more, drives a few to fraud, robbery and murder, then what will the lack of almost all consumer goods do to this nation? If history teaches us anything, the answer to this question is not a pretty one.

Rev Bresciani is the author of two popular Christian books, one on the second coming of Christ. He has hundreds of articles published both online and in print. Visit the website at www.americanprophet.com

When I was a new Christian, The Lord taught me many lessons about putting Him first. I was raising my daughter, and I was always so concerned about her well-being and education. It seemed that my life was revolving around her. One day, The Lord spoke to me that if I continued putting her first; He would have to take her home to Himself. He told me that she was “His” daughter, and that He had chosen me to raise her up in the way she was to go. I was putting my daughter on a pedestal without realizing it. Later, I was fixing up an old home, and it took me three months to paint the home, plaster the cracks and to clean it. I remember that I was just enjoying the home so much after I finished the work, and I would often think of how much I loved the home, the yard and the beauty there. The Lord again spoke to me, and He asked me, “Would you be willing to leave this home right now if I asked you to leave?” I thought about it for a second, and I said, “Yes, Lord”. He then allowed me to stay in the home for several years after that. God requires first place in our lives as He did with Abraham when He told Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son. We always talk about the blessings of Abraham, but Abraham was totally obedient to God in being willing to obey God. We will be blessed when we put God first in every area of our lives. The Lord taught me about money many times. I remember one day, when I was making plans to attend a Christian Breakfast Meeting that would cost $6.00 for myself and my daughter. At the time, I was going to school, and so it seemed like an extravagance, and I decided not to go because I needed the money for other things. The afternoon before the Breakfast Meeting, my good friend came to my house, and she told me that The Lord spoke to her to come to my home and give me a specific amount of money. She then took six one dollar bills and counted them out in my hand. My daughter and I went to The Breakfast Meeting, and I learned that where God guides; He also provides. Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Our main concern must be to seek what is important in God’s Kingdom above everything else. Most of all He requires our love for Him, and others, and to do His will in our lives. We must always be willing to say Lord, “Not my will but Yours be done”. If we are not willing to say and pray that wonderful prayer; we need to ask The Holy Spirit to reveal what is blocking our total surrender to The Lord. We are never to be striving after the attainment of money, reputation, prestige or titles because all that we should have will be given to us as we seek The Lord first. Our love for Him is first, and all else will fall into place when we love God above everything else in our lives. Many ministries have fallen because their emphasis was raising more and more money. They had gotten off of the straight and narrow road which leads to the Kingdom of God. Matthew 7:13, Many Christians have gotten off the straight and narrow road in order to seek after the things of the world. The love of the world lured them onto an insidious side road. 1 John 2:15, The Lord wanted the rich, young ruler to give up all of his worldly goods out of love for Him. We will all be tested in this area. God wants us to always care more for His commandments and His will than we do for our money and possessions. We must always be willing to give away all that we own if The Lord tells us to do that. 1 John 3:17, God doesn’t need our money, but money is a means of exchange, and when we refuse to use it according to The Lord’s will and for His glorious purposes; it can become an idol. Money is a common idol, but an idol can be anything that separates us from putting God first in our lives. An idol can be a husband, a wife, a child, our home, our savings, our jobs, our title, our education, our ministry and the list can go on and on. An idol is what we think about, talk about and seek after more than we think, talk about and seek The Lord, His Kingdom and His righteousness. An idol is anything that has become a god in our lives. For those in sin, it could be alcohol, sexual lusts and/or perversions, gambling, pornography, adultery, fornication, lying, stealing and the list can go on ad infinitum. We must always make sure that our source of strength, wisdom, love, joy, hope and faith is based in The Lord Jesus Christ. If we are looking to any other source for our contentment; we must repent and get right with God. We must come back to our first love of The Lord Jesus Christ. Today, He is looking for those who will be sold out to Him and not to this world. The world is everywhere, and it permeates every area of our lives, but we must look beyond the world, and the things in this world. We need to be like the five wise virgins, who were instantly ready and prepared to meet The Lord. The Holy Spirit in them was burning brightly. They had their eyes fixed and their hearts focused on their Lord. They were ready. Are you ready? Are you watching and waiting for Him? Rev. 3:3, None of us know when our time will come to meet Him. Our breath is as a vapor. (Luke 21:36),We are commanded by The Lord Jesus Christ to “watch and pray”. Why? So that we will be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come upon this earth, and to be able to stand before The Lord Jesus Christ. We are not to wait until a disaster comes, or to wait until we are ill or dying, but we need to get right with The Lord today. Now, during our good days; we are to seek The Lord with all of our hearts, and to put Him first in our lives. (Psalm 32:6), Some Christians during these times, think that they no longer need God or His wisdom, and some even think The Bible is old-fashioned, and that the things of God should be modernized. They use Madison Avenue techniques to raise huge sums of money, and they copy the music and entertainment of the world in order to attract people who love the world and its ways. (Matthew 7:21-23), These leaders cannot make true disciples of Jesus Christ because they themselves are not disciples of Jesus Christ. These “religious” leaders are making their own disciples which are manipulated into their own images. They are not making disciples of Jesus Christ because those that follow them will not be able to know or find the true love, fruit and character of The Lord Jesus Christ in them. They will find a counterfeit Jesus that is formed in their own image. Their main goal is to gain more and more popularity which then produces more money, power and prestige. They sacrifice the real truth found in the whole Word of God in order to win many people to themselves. They find Scriptures that entice their followers into believing that their luxurious lifestyles are Biblical. People who are not grounded in the true Word of God are easily deceived. Jesus Christ warned us about these hypocrites repeatedly in His Word. (Matthew 7:15-17), These religious leaders are not putting God first or His Kingdom because they are building their own kingdoms. All that they are building through their own efforts will be burned up as wood, hay and stubble. Only The Lord Himself can build His church, and then the gates of hell will no longer be able to prevail against it. These charlatans preach an easy salvation without the conditions necessary for true conversion. These religious leaders and those who think that their salvation is easy and light need to have a fear of the living God. We have heard about a God that is of our own creation, but we need to study the Word and find the real Jesus Christ, and the real Gospel message. (Phil. 2:12), The Word of God tells us that only those who obey God and endure to the end will be saved. The attainment of our salvation by Jesus Christ on the cross was not easy, and our denying ourselves, taking up our crosses and following Him will not be easy, but by The grace of God we can finish the race victoriously. Tit. 2:12, Our blessings are not automatic, but they are based on contingencies. These requirements are clearly stated by our Lord throughout The New Testament. Jesus commanded us to love Him first, to love even our enemies, and He said that if we loved Him; we would obey His commandments. 2 Tim. 3:12, Are you suffering persecution because of your walk with The Lord Jesus? Many true Christians throughout the world are suffering persecution because they follow the Lord. Many are being persecuted by the religious leaders and their many followers because they are preaching The pure and holy Word of God. When you put God first; you will no longer be a man pleaser. If you are still trying to please people for your own purposes; you cannot be a servant of Jesus Christ. Gal. 1:10, When we refuse to put God first and as Head in His church; the church will not have its needed power, authority and effectiveness. When we stop doing everything”our” way, and we start doing everything in the church His way; we will experience the magnificent, glorious power of God in The church. When The church becomes one, and it becomes all that God ordained it to be; the people of the world will know That Jesus Christ is The Son of almighty God. When they see Him and His love in His people; then they will believe and know The Lord Jesus Christ. Many “religious” leaders want to make their own doctrines, their own rules, and their own methods which are no different from the ways of those who never knew The Lord Jesus Christ. These are those who believe that they are rich, well-dressed and they think that they know everything and can see, but Jesus says that they are poor, naked, miserable and blind. It is very sad because those who have so much of the world’s goods, titles, prestige, money and power are unable to discern or understand their true condition. Jesus says to them: Rev. 3:17-18, Jesus is giving these “Christians” wonderful advice, and He is even standing at the door of their hearts trying to come into their hearts and lives. They have ceased to put God first in their lives. Wealth, prestige, possessions and power have turned their heads away from God. They think that they no longer need Him or His Truth. They have become very “prosperous”, but it is not the kind of prosperity that The Lord honors. God honors the prosperity found in a soul that is totally yielded to Him. God’s prosperity consists of having a pure heart, a right spirit and clean hands before Him. There are so many godly men, women and children who are humbly working out their own salvations with fear and trembling. They are following The Lord Jesus Christ every day, and seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness. These are those who will go through much persecution because they have chosen to live a godly life and live righteously in a world that is completely opposed to living a pure and holy life. Mat. 5:10, These are those who have put God first, and they will be greatly blessed.

The Lord came to earth with nothing, He didn’t have a place to lay His head and He was of no reputation. He came to set the supreme example for all of us as He said that we are to deny ourselves and take up our crosses and follow Him. He had nothing, but He accomplished more than all others by laying down His life, and by putting His Father first. He only did what His Father gave Him to do. He had given up everything in order to fulfill God’s glorious purposes. We are called and commanded to do the same. It is not an easy salvation, but it is a great salvation that cost God and The Lord Jesus Christ everything. Through God; we can do all things and nothing that He requires will be impossible to those who believe and trust in Him. Real success is putting God first in every area of our lives.