CHARLO, New Brunswick, January 9, 2024 – Beginnings are not always at the start, but they always come after an ending. There is a clear dividing line between ending and beginning. Spiritual rebirth doesn’t happen at physical birth; but if and when it does happen, it designates an ending of that soul’s cursed life and the beginning of its blessed one. The two lives don’t overlap. The parting of the Red Sea and the parting of the Jordan allowed for the mass movement of the children of Israel from an ending to a beginning, the narrow passage through each body of water not unlike a birth canal. The children of Israel were birthed into their new life in the wilderness at the parting of the Red Sea and then later birthed into their new life in the promised land at the parting of the River Jordan.

We were birthed into our new life at conversion. We left behind whoever and whatever we were to become whole new creatures – children of God. We’re not born children of God, we’re reborn children of God, and that by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. The ending of our old ungraced life powered by demons and the beginning of our new life of grace powered by God’s Spirit mark a definitive ending and beginning; there is no overlap. There can be no overlap, as God’s Spirit will not occupy the same soul that demons occupy and God’s Spirit can enter into a soul only once. If that soul loses grace, God’s Spirit will not re-enter it. The state of being after God’s Spirit has exited a soul Jesus describes as better not having been born at all. The exit of God’s Spirit from a soul is a definitive ending that is followed by the beginning of that soul’s eternal perdition, from which there is no escape and no end.

The Bible begins with a description of an earthly paradise and ends with a description of a heavenly one. The tree of life features prominently in both. In the beginning, the tree is guarded and prohibited; in the ending, it grows abundantly and is offered freely for the healing of the nations. If you’re reborn, you have eaten from the tree of life and have been healed.

You need to end what you are not in order to begin who you are. The world, from the time of our birth, molds us into something we were never meant to be. Note that I’m talking here about most people, not everyone. Most of us, for a time, allowed ourselves to be molded into what the world wanted us to be, not realizing that the world was under Satan. Very few escape the molding process. We called demonic influence “inspiration” and satanic-level rebellion “freedom”, not knowing any better, not knowing Truth. God knows this and doesn’t hold it against us. He allows for blaspheming of him and Jesus when we don’t know any better, but once we’re under his authority and graced with his Holy Spirit, we’re held to a higher standard that we dare not violate. Truth be told, we wouldn’t dream of violating it, because we know the Truth as God, and knowing God (as Jesus promised us) has made us free.

We love God with a fierceness we never thought ourselves capable of.

The ending of this life will lead to the beginning of the next that will have no end, whether in Heaven or the lake of fire. Every breath we take here – every word, every deed, every thought – moves us towards either Paradise or perdition. God doesn’t move us; we move ourselves. It is not enough to say: “We have Jesus as our savior”, any more than it was enough to say: “We have Abraham as our Father”. The fruit of our doings is either good or bad and we are judged on that – not on a description of what we hope our fruit might be, but on our actual fruit, with all its bruising and imperfection.

I want to hold God’s hand and protect him. I want to shield him from the cursing that spills so easily from the mouths of some people. When they’re around me, they curse more than usual and confess to doing so, not understanding why. If I told them why they wouldn’t believe me, so I just silently bless them as they blaspheme. This is the lot of God’s children. The same people who have no trouble respecting my earthly father have no trouble disrespecting my heavenly one.

I will end when it’s time and begin where I deserve. In the meantime, every second counts.