WHICH ANIMAL AM I MOST LIKE: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God?" by Lorilyn Roberts

  But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; and the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; and let the fish of the sea declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes its food?

—Job 12:7-11

Which animal do you identify with in Seventh Dimension – The Door? Do you perceive your nature to be like Worldly Crow; Cherios, the rabbit; Baruch, the donkey; Much Afraid, the dog; Nevaeh, the bird; or Lowly, the pig?

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“Will the king always be with me?”

“Always. The seventh dimension is within you. The animals represent parts of your character. Your suffering has produced good fruit. And always remember, the king is your heavenly father.”

—Shale Snyder and Astella, chapter thirty-seven

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All of us are multifaceted and complex, intricately woven together into extraordinarily complicated human beings. The Creator isn’t a novice at creating life. Look around you. He can breathe life into building blocks simply by speaking them into being.

Good and evil are at war against each other in the world and within ourselves. We will never be free of temptation until we enter heaven’s gates.

All of us at one point or another have been as wicked as Worldly Crow or as heavenly as Cherios, the rabbit, or Nevaeh—the unusual bird in the garden. Did you know that Nevaeh is “heaven” spelled backward?

Cherios comes from the word “charity,” which means generous actions to aid the poor, ill, or helpless, or to devote one’s life to love. Cherios gave her life as she praised the king before the demons in the Hall of Darkness.

The other animals were redeemed by the king. Baruch means blessed. In The Donkey and the King, Baruch was a temperamental donkey that struck out on his own and became lost. The king sent the sheep to find him in the wilderness, just as the king searches out each one of us when we become lost.

You may be feeling lost right now. Have you made foolish choices? The good news is that Jesus Christ won’t leave you there. Even if you’re as wicked as Worldly Crow, God still forgives if you ask for forgiveness. The king is in the business of fixing problems and situations that seem hopeless. The king’s way is even better than your way.

Maybe you’re like Lowly the pig. Do you feel worthless? God has given you everything you need to become the person he created you to be. Not one cell or gene is missing because God made a mistake. He’s gifted you with what you need to glorify him.

If you want to be a doctor, God has given you the brains and the ability to be one. If you want to be a dancer, God has made you graceful and athletic. If you want to be a teacher, God has given you the ability to teach. Not only that, he has given you the desire to want to do the things he created you to do.

If you enjoy painting, God made you to paint. God needs Christians in all walks of life. We can’t all be lawyers or bankers or chefs. Perhaps the job you will have when you graduate from high school, technical school, or college doesn’t yet exist. My profession wasn’t around twenty-five years ago. The world is constantly changing.

Perhaps you’re like Much‑Afraid, the dog that pursued Shale. The Bible tells us in I Peter 5:7:  “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

This is much easier said than done, but just as Much‑Afraid stood up to the demon‑possessed man in the cemetery, God will give you supernatural power to overcome your worst fears. He does not mean for you to live in fear of the future or regret about the past.

Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you want them to, but it’s not because God failed or you failed. It’s because if you put your trust in Jesus, he knows what’s best in every circumstance. Jesus cares about the process more than the outcome.

The only moment you have is right now. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. And we don’t want to look back on our past with regret. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:16 that we should make the most of every opportunity.

The devil and his demons won’t like it if you read the Bible or pray to God daily. Expect at those moments when you’re most like Jesus to be attacked. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 that the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

You must not give up. Shale was tested and overcame and you can overcome, too. The battle is a spiritual one. 

I imagine angels all around with swords in hand knocking down demonic strongholds. We must claim the power of the risen king to overcome demonic influence, the Worldly Crow part of us, and rely on the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is not in the tomb. He is risen. He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, interceding for you.

You have a future and hope. You were made with heavenly hands in your mother’s womb. When you start to doubt your value in God’s eyes, remember what Nevaeh whispered in Shale’s ear, “You’re a daughter of the king.”

http://bit.ly/dog_stories 

Thank you, Lord, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made— that you knitted me in my mother’s womb and knew me even before I was born.

I thank you for tall giraffes and whimsical butterflies and slimy snails and hooting owls. If this world can have so much vitality and variety, as darkened as it is with sin, I can only imagine the perfect world that lies in wait.

Let the animals teach me how to be kind. Help me to listen— to the call of the wild, the purring of a kitten, the roaring of a lion, or the cry of an abandoned dog. Help me to be your heart in a world that needs caring people to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.

May I grow more like you as I care for the animals I meet. May I be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove. May I remember that a kind person is kind to his animals even when no one is looking.

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Note from Lorilyn Roberts

I am busy writing my second book in the Seventh Dimension Series.  So if my posts seem a little more sporadic, bear with me. It's difficult to tear myself away from the writing to post on my blog. Summer 2014 is the projected publication date.