I am very fortunate to know my Creator, personally. I had been brought up Roman Orthodox (Catholic) and then given the opportunity to explore other parts of the body before returning to my roots.  In that time I experienced total submersion baptism, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and God’s immense power and love. So why have there been so many hills and valleys in my life. Just maybe, I am not giving God all the Glory when I, with His help, overcome the tribulations placed in my life.

Daniel 1:17a “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom”

God has been very gracious to me in the wisdom and skills He has allowed me to learn. He has given me a brain many would wish they had.  He has given me understanding in many worldly aspects, as well as His word. He has given me the means to overcome in all matters. The older and more decrepit my body becomes, the more strength He makes available to me.

Daniel 2:47  “The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.”

Nebuchadnezzar

In the Babylonian orthography Nabu-kudur-uzur, which means "Nebo, protect the crown!" or the "frontiers." In an inscription he styles himself "Nebo's favourite." He was the son and successor of Nabopolassar, who delivered Babylon from its dependence on Assyria and laid Nineveh in ruins. He was the greatest and most powerful of all the Babylonian kings. He married the daughter of Cyaxares, and thus the Median and Babylonian dynasties were united. An excerpt from Eaton’s Commentary.

"Modern research has shown that Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest monarch that Babylon, or perhaps the East generally, ever produced. He must have possessed an enormous command of human labour, nine-tenths of Babylon itself, and nineteen-twentieths of all the other ruins that in almost countless profusion cover the land, are composed of bricks stamped with his name. He appears to have built or restored almost every city and temple in the whole country. His inscriptions give an elaborate account of the immense works which he constructed in and about Babylon itself, abundantly illustrating the boast, 'Is not this great Babylon which I have build?'" Rawlinson, Hist. Illustrations.

A king who had all, who stood proud and mightily before his people, who was a heathen who believed in “Wise Men”, Magicians, Astrologers, Soothsayers and Chaldeans, for his walk in life. Here we have a man, an idol worshipper, who we believe these days to be on the opposite side of God. This man acknowledges that our Almighty God is the “God of gods, and a Lord of kings”. He gives all Glory to the Most High, our Heavenly King, and our God Almighty. So, why can’t we do the same when God brings us out of the turbulences in our lives?

Daniel 3:25  “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God”.

Daniel 3:26  “Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.”

Daniel 3:28  “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.”

A power beyond all powers. Once again the king, Nebuchadnezzar, after giving praises to his home built idol, after showing his power to his people and conforming them in his ways to worship this idol he had just created, has also now before his people has given Our Almighty God all the Praise and Glory He deserves. He (Nebuchadnezzar) acknowledges in verse 25: “the fourth is like the Son of God”. This is Old Testament belief that Jesus Christ existed even in their times. We cannot accept He is still alive and working, through His Holy Spirit, in our lives today.

Daniel 4:9 “O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.”

Nebuchadnezzar has seen the fruits of the Spirit in Daniel. If Daniel were alive today, he would be known as a true Christian. The fruits of the Spirit would be manifested in him and he would be worshipping, praising and giving God all the glory, as we should be doing.

Daniel 4:34-37  “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”

God gives and only God takes away, or He allows turbulences in our lives. I am now at the point Nebuchadnezzar was at then, where God has closed all the doors to me, so that I can return to Him and He can restore me to my rightful place. I don’t know about you, but I have been brought out of many problems, sometimes a little scathed and other times not, and I still did not give God all the glory.

Let me take you back to November 11, 1992. I had finished a full twelve hours at work doing Emergency Rescue and Body Removals for the company where I had been working. For the last four months I had also been on after hour standby to remove the deceased from private homes, private and state hospitals, state mortuaries and accident scenes, and take them to a private mortuary and funeral home in Johannesburg.

I had been doing emergency rescue since the beginning of 1972 where I started as a Cadet, in the South African Red Cross, to that specific early morning, where I was now an Officer and qualified Ambumedic. Due to the amount of private rescue companies opening in 1992, business was a little slow and we had accepted the “Removal of the Deceased” contract from a private mortuary and funeral home, to tide us over these slow periods. It turned out to be a very lucrative contract to the business.

On the morning concerned, about 04H00, I received a call from one of the State run Emergency Services to proceed to a private home in Regents Park, south east of Johannesburg. I was to take the business’ Doctor with me as we were not sure what to expect at the home we were sent to. When we arrived on the scene we found our “patient” had already passed away and proceeded with our usual routine expected of us under these circumstances.

However, we had an unexpected visitor who flew into a rage, on finding out what had happened to her mother, and unbeknown to her, she had lashed out driving her fists into the midriffs of both the doctor and I. The results of her actions were to ensure I would never practice in the Emergency Services again. I had been left crippled from the waist down. After two spinal operations and a few months of learning to walk again, I found myself facing a rugged world without work.

During my time in the services I had not been idle. I am not a believer in television and had forbidden one being brought into my home. My wife had accepted my decision as she enjoyed reading. In my spare time I had found courses to study, one of them being Human Resources Law with another being Sales and Marketing. God had given me the wisdom and insight to study further.

He had brought me through a great trauma. He had given me my legs back and He had given me more knowledge and skills than you can ever imagine. What had I given Him? He should have been given all the praise and glory. He gave me the opportunity to start my own business that continues today.

Having a wife, with the wants of little security and no ambition, started to slow me down. She had also realized that we were growing apart as I worked long hours and she, being a home executive, had little to nothing to do all day. She decided to find an extra marital activity and in December 2002 we were divorced. The marriage had lasted a mere eighteen years. To me they were happy years. I had thoughts of being married till the ends of time. Another storm and heart break I had to endure. The Lord Jesus had me cross the path of a wonderful woman who helped me through the divorce. I have much to thank Him, and her for, during this period.

I was single again. I was a wealthy business man, with a lot of money to spend, as well as a bevy of women to spend it on. This was the results of my being single and concentrating on my work. I hated eating at restaurants on my own. I loved eating out as I couldn’t stand the cooking for myself and the washing up afterwards. Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking, just not for myself. I did, however, enjoy the food. So I would invite the female friends, in my life, to go out to dinner with me. I travelled a lot in those days and would befriend women all over the South Africa. I had a mad bout of women and food for a period of nine months. Fortunately, alcohol and I were enemies. However, my behaviour after hours needed much to be desired and I am sure my God was not too happy with me.

On August 31, 2003 that came to an abrupt halt. If you read my Hub, “Why do people hate God”, you will see why. A death defying experience, I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, took place in my life. My whole world had come to a crashing end once again. This time I lost everything. I had to leave Natal, where I was living at that time and start a new life in the Eastern Cape, on a family farm. This time the recovery took a lot longer. He did, however, leave me without the ability to drive again. I had to start from ground level up.

Living and working in East London wasn’t easy and to ease my burden, God sent me a beautiful living angel, who would show me what God had manifested in me in the form of knowledge and skills, as well as how to use them. It was only in my third year in the Eastern Cape that I realized how Gifted God had really made me and I started to perform as He wanted me to. I had also returned to my place of worship.

Once again God had brought me from the verge of death and restored me to my rightful place. Once again I hadn’t given Him all the praise and glory He deserved.

Please remember, I really do love my God and Creator. I love Him with all my heart, all my mind and all my soul. It’s the loving everybody as I love myself I have a problem with.

I managed to continue life in my vain old way, even though He had provided me with a beautiful angel to give me advice (that I took only where it didn’t involve the money I earned), for a further three years (very successfully if I may add).

After my contract had come to an end, I relocated to Queenstown, where I now live and work. I continued to struggle for a further two years (getting married and divorced in haste), losing everything once again, due to me being money hungry and not giving the service God had so instilled in my life. I was clutching at straws, living from hand to mouth, month to month, and not giving back to God what He had given to me in the form of wisdom, knowledge and skills. I had not, once again, given Him all the Praise and Glory He deserved.

I find myself, once again with an uncertain future, lying in bed inflicted with a disease that affects my Liver, Gallbladder and Pancreas. I am now fifty years of age with a bleak future, especially in South Africa. My God has been carrying me all this time. He has never forsaken me and I know I can get out of this bed, give Him the praise and glory He deserves, and use the talents, understanding, wisdom and skills, He has gifted to me. I can take the advice given to me by the beautiful angel God bestowed upon me, just over five years ago. She continues to do so even to this day.

I have made a covenant with my All Powerful and Living God that reads as follows: On this morning, September 14, 2009, I make a covenant with my Maker and Creator, the Almighty and Sovereign God. If He restores me to full health and allows me the contracts that I need to survive, I will fix up every wrong I have done and restore myself to work harder and keep the faith that I have long gone from. I will be honest again and accept that which I cannot do, I will do what I can to the best of my physique and mental ability, and I will keep the statutes of my Lord Jesus Christ and Saviour.

You know my heart, O God, help me to achieve and complete this covenant to you.

I have already started by seeking the forgiveness from most of the people who I have offended over the years. I now await the penance He expects of me.

Please pray that I can keep this covenant and that the Almighty God answers my requests. I pray for all you out there, where God has restored you to full recovery, that have not given Him all the praise and glory, to reconsider your actions and ways, and return to Him for further instruction.

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Romans 5:3 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience”

1 Peter 4:11 “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”