Protection vs Illusion | Original Painting

The sequences of my life over the past 2 years have caused me to take a close look at the sources of guidance which I have been trusting. (I just passed the 2 year anniversary of my injury which ultimately set the course of my marriage spiraling.)

To be honest I have let go of many forms of seeking and guidance which I was at one point trusting. You don't really know if you can trust something until you see the outcome. 

It is easy for me to see that the outcome of following certain sources is not what I desired. 

Of course sometimes we get what we need and not what we want. And when do we ever really arrive at an outcome? Aren’t we always evolving?

On the other hand, I do believe that pain can oftentimes be avoided if we are simply aware of which path to take. A lot of it comes with age and experience. But wisdom can also be taught if we have the right sources, even then we still need the heart to obey.

Over the last 3 to 5 years I had been seeking so many different forms of spirituality, unaware of the sort of dangers I could be getting into. Ultimately it created a lot of confusion as to which source of wisdom is to be trusted.

Although it might seem radical, I have come to believe that many of the things that parade as light are really false illusions. Oftentimes an illusion is not something that we are creating in our own head, but rather a strategic plan laid out around us. 

It can be disempowering to not look inside of our own mind, placing power on external things, but I've also come to realize that I really am not in control of anything.

We do have the ability to look inside our heart and mind and align those aspects of ourselves with the closest form to LOVE that we might be able to find. But sometimes the things that glitter and entice us stem more from a place of selfishness and pride than of true self-sacrificial love or care for another. 

This angel painting was first a little sketch, and although its wings are not symmetrical and it has a very simplistic feel, I wanted to keep that initial sketch intact as I turned it into a painting, something innocent and easy on the eyes. 

I titled it “Protection versus Illusion” because it's important to understand what we are giving access to our heart. 

Are we giving LOVE access to our heart or are we giving some false form of love access to our heart?

How can you really tell between an illusion and something that's actually good for you? 

As I was seeking many different spiritual ways of understanding my reality, I was being caught up in many false illusions. I did not believe in angels or demons at one point, but I have begun to believe in them again. Not to give my power away to something. However, when I was not aware of the dark entities, it allowed them to have influence over me simply because I didn’t realize what was happening. 

Becoming AWARE of the spiritual realms can seem very ethereal, we don't really have proof of anything, and it can seem almost irresponsible not to base our lives purely off of science and what we can touch and see. That’s one reason we do need to be so careful, because there is little we understand. An illusion is not something that we can touch or see, and we certainly don’t want to get caught off guard.

Even if you were going to think of it symbolically, such as an illusion of pride, thinking that you are on the right track and doing what's going to serve you the best. Meanwhile, trampling all over top of other people, heading to your own doom. Little did you realize you had no idea what you really truly wanted or what would really be the most satisfying course for your life.

Rather what you thought you wanted was only an escape route out of a painful situation. 

What you truly wanted did require more humility, more setting aside your own ideas and illusions. To be able to see from the kind of guidance that brings protection, not only from darkness but also from yourself. To yield to the greater plan.

I used to believe that I really only had myself to listen to, that all I needed to do was trust myself and dig deep inside myself to find my reality. All those things are certainly helpful and part of the journey, but there's also other influences happening around us. How do we know which influences have our best interest in mind and which don't?

Even if you don't believe in a spiritual realm, you could imagine it symbolically to make sense of the matter. Although I don't believe it's simply symbolic. But just take for instance the idea of “happiness”. How relative and elusive it is, one person thinks, “If I get this certain object, make this certain amount of money, get in this relationship, or have these kids, then I will be happy.”  And when they arrive, they find out that their soul is still longing for something deeper, contentment perhaps, the ability to enjoy what you do have.

I believe the soul is always longing and looking for God. 

We see it again and again in our world, how people go after material possessions or even other people to satisfy them, only to find out that they were only chasing after an idea. They had the ability all along to find satisfaction in their way of thinking. The best way I have found to do this is turning my heart towards God and seeking satisfaction in God alone. Really relying on that indescribable “internal and external” relationship as a Source of peace, strength, and protection. 

Where once I thought that it was all a mind game, in my imagination, that I was the only one giving myself that strength, I now can see by the course of my life and the things that have happened, that left to my own strength I get lost. Now something much larger leads me when I am willing to listen and follow. 

In fact, as soon as I turned my heart to God and away from my selfish pride, the course of my life took a turn outside of my control. I was led to safety, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I was also able to release a destructive pathway in my life and the stress that comes with trying to control everything all the time. 

I painted this piece to be a reminder to myself that I'm protected and that there's angels fighting a battle in the spiritual realms for me. That I'm safe.

As well as a reminder to the fact that sometimes illusions parade as light, to be careful and AWARE, to make sure that I am looking to the right sources for protection and guidance. I believe this source is the Word of God reveals in the Bible and not fortune tellers and random signs.

Nowadays I pray for protection over the things I care about. How I wish that I had prayed for protection over my marriage, but it's never too late to start praying for miracles.

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” ~1 Corinthains 11:13-15

I no longer want to teach falsehoods, rather the truth in Christ alone.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” ~Ephesians 6:10-18