butterfly road by denean camp
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DENEAN CAMP
The Butterfly RoadTaking the Christian Journey
The Butterfly Road Taking the Christian Journey
Copyright © 2012 by DeNean Camp
Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are taken from THE KING
JAMES VERSION of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked “NKJV” are taken from THE NEW KING
JAMES VERSION. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson,
Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Book Cover Design by Jenelle Kuehne Rundo
Photo by Cynthia Liz Photography
Page Design & Book Preparation by
Shannon Crowley for Treasure Image & Publishing
TreasureImagePublishing.com
The Butterfly Road
Taking the Christian Journey
DENEAN
CAMP
I am dedicating this book to the author and finisher of my faith whom is my God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I want to thank Him for His wisdom that has raised me up for His glory and for providing me with a purpose to live this life as a servant of His mighty kingdom and an advocate of His love. I would also like to thank all of the Christian servants God has sent forth into my life who
have helped me grow into spiritual maturity.
Hebrews 12:2
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me, for whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?
Matthew 16:24-26
THE BUTTERFLY ROAD
Destinations Commenced: Introduction 11
EXPLORING YOUR ORIGINS 15
Aware 17
DesignedLifespanNature of ThingsSeparate SpeciesDistinction
Egg
Born 37
IncubationReady to HatchInstincts
UNCOVERING DEATH 51
Rest Stop: Created 53
INSTITUTING INITIATIVE 61
Caterpillar
Hungry 65
Recognizing Your DietPursuing NourishmentGrowing
Liberated 81
Extra WeightMoltingRejuvenated
REACHING MEDITATION 95
Chrysalis
Encased 99
Safety HarnessSafe Haven Motionless Prepared to Emerge
THE ART OF RECRUITING 113
Metamorphosis
Butterfly 117
Taking FlightPollinating Migrating
ADVANCING YOUR DEFENSES 137
Endangered 139
Predators Mimicry Avoiding Extinction
PERSEVERING 159
Empowered 161
Appointed Armed Capable Ready
ASSESSING ETERNITY 173
Dedicated 175
The Race The ThroneThe Inheritance
Blessed: Conclusion 187
11
COMMENCED
Introduction
he journey of a Christian has always been
metaphorically compared to the metamorphosis
of a butterfly, because when a person receives
Jesus as their Savior they journey through a complete
cycle of transformation. I would have never believed
this had I not gone through this process myself. My
journey began with a very long incubating period.
Growing up, God was always a centerpiece of discussion
during family matters and as a child the stories about
God were a pretty picture for me to think about, but as
I developed into a young adult the distraction of
alternate theories and uncovering life was just enough
to create a considerable distance between myself and
God.
During this period of adolescence, I never really
gave the seriousness and absolution of God a second
thought until I graduated High School. Once I was
outside the boundaries of my delusion, I began to
T
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realize how very temporary my teenage indulgences
were and the pain of the discovery launched my heart
to return back God. After I received Christ, surprisingly
not much changed about myself, but God was
determined to show His grace and as He took me
through a new relationship, the tragedy of loss, the
conscience of my past, the loss of control, and the
meaning of life, I began to transform from someone
who was lost, confused, and damaged to someone who
was found, confident, and whole.
As the wisdom of God unfolded in my life, I
would go through stages of being enlightened and
reformed. Eventually as I kept continuing through
metamorphosis I began to understand why the butterfly
is such a significant symbol for Christians. When God
put all the pieces together and laid out all the factors
on my heart, I knew that I was being commenced to
write this book. There was a purpose to my journey that
needed to be heard, because everything God showed me
became my proof, everything that God pulled me
through was my testimony, and coincidentally,
everything I had learned became my calling….
The Butterfly Road delivers you right to the very
beginning of the Christian faith by exposing you to
God’s message, by paralleling the rebirth and journey of
C o m m e n c e d | 13
a Christian with the cycle of a butterfly. Each
destination along the road will help you identify the
elements of the Christian faith and encourage your
growth along the way. This expedition allows you to
discover your origins and be Aware of your created
existence and your choices, which will inspire you to
step out and make the choice to be Born into God’s
family. The journey continues to guide you into taking
initiative to feed your Hungry soul and be Liberated
into a new life. There will also be a stop where you will
find time to reflect and meditate while Encased in
God’s abilities. Eventually you will arrive at the climatic
point of your travels where you realize that all of your
milestones have given you wings and as a Butterfly you
can carry out God’s plan for your life. In flight you will
learn to develop defenses as an Endangered species and
seal your survival by becoming Empowered. Lastly, your
travels will assess the aspects of the Christian’s final
destination in eternity, which will motivate your
decision to be Dedicated to your new life.
I wanted this book to have the capability to find the
lost, encourage the found, and bring the glory of it all
to God. At the end of this road I anticipate that your
perception will change and the possibility of having
that deep relationship with God will be indefinite, so
go ahead, take the Christian journey and become a
butterfly…
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15
Destination EXPLORING YOUR ORIGINS
16 | T h e B u t t e r f l y R o a d
17
AWARE
oubt. Why is this word so powerful? Why
does the significance of this word effect our
perception on life? How could this word
possibly have anything to do with having a relationship
with God?
Doubt is the number one motive that causes so
many individuals to overlook the reality of God. It
persuades our human mind to reason that God is a
figment of our imagination and that if He does not
exist, than we do not need Him. Because of these
conclusions, doubt becomes extremely dangerous, and
it is why our adversary uses this tool to deter us from
the truth. The enemy knows that it is the truth that
makes the difference between life or death. God wants
you to become aware of the truth, so you can overcome
the deception and live.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight
of God our Savior, Who will have all men
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to be saved and to come unto the
knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Our Lord wants you to know that you were created
and that you have a purpose. He wants you to know
that you fall short of perfection and therefore need the
salvation He has provided. Most importantly, He wants
you to know you have a choice. You have been given
the freedom to believe the truth or believe the lie.
Becoming conscience of this choice allows the doors to
discovering the partnership between you and God to
open.
Designed
The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and
man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7
This scripture has undoubtedly left no room for
speculation as to the origins of our existence.
Unfortunately, the majority of us are told a falsehood
that humans exist here on earth because we evolved
over millions of years from a lucky mixture of gases,
molecules, and energy known as a primordial soup.
From this soup a single living cell developed and began
to generate life as we know it today.
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We are told that our existence is completely
random, and our superiority over the rest of nature is a
result of our elevation as a “survival of the fittest”
species. It is absolutely amazing to me that this
distrustful theory of “Evolution” is taught as science,
and yet goes against the very laws of science. The laws
of physics dictate that non-living cannot produce living
and that something cannot come from nothing, but the
opposite conclusions explain their theory. The second
law of thermodynamics states that in a closed system,
things tend to start in a state of perfection and then
decay (entropy). This simply means that something
cannot begin with death and then work its way up to
life. For instance, if I took a rotten banana and put it
into a glass jar to observe, I would be able to conclude
that the banana would continue to decay. It would
never be able to reestablish itself to the same state it was
before it began to rot.
This is important to take in consideration since
evolution is taught that earth began in a state of non-
living chaos and then ended up in a perfect state of
balanced life. Because of these obvious discrepancies
and the complex interdependent way nature coexists,
many scientists in recent years have been finding it
more difficult to explain away the contradictions the
theory of evolution provide. Scientists have now come
to another new theory that the earth could have been
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“Intelligently Designed”. If the earth was designed
intelligently as so many educated individuals have had
to conclude, then that means there would have to be a
designer, or in other words a creator. God tells us He is
that Creator.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth. Genesis 1:1
God created every living thing into existence,
including you. God explains to the prophet Jeremiah
that He knew who he was before He formed him in the
womb (Jeremiah 1:5) and Jesus tells His disciples that
the very hairs on their heads are numbered (Matthew
10:30). God has made it very clear that humans are very
precious and very unique to Him. A butterfly knows
without any doubt that it was created. It also knows the
authority of its Creator (Genesis 1:24-25). Becoming
aware of the fact that God designed and breathed you
into existence is just the beginning of revelation. The
world wants you to believe that you just live and die
and what you do or don’t do is irrelevant, but God tells
us there is a life after this life, and if you choose the
Creator then you will inherit that life.
Verily verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me
hath everlasting life. John 6:47
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He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and
he that believeth not in the Son shall not see life; but
the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36
Lifespan
Along with knowing that it was created, a butterfly
never questions its objective in life. It knows it was
created for a purpose. Even though it has a relatively
short lifespan that lasts only a few months it still
accomplishes quite a bit by feeding, pollinating, finding
a mate, and if it is a female, laying eggs. A butterfly
knows exactly what it is, where it came from, and what
its responsibilities are to nature while it lives. God
wants you to be aware of these same absolutes, because
during your lifespan you have a purpose as well. Our
creator not only created you, but He has called you to
live according to His assignment that He gives to all of
us.
Receive Him through Christ (John 3:16)
Walk with Him (Colossians 1:10)
Serve Him (John 12:26)
Spread the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-19)
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These are the things that God outlines as our
purpose and as your purpose. This is the meaning of
life.
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
Ephesians 1:11
Human beings have been denied this actuality due
to being tricked into believing that we are only here by
accident, a mere byproduct of natural selection. This
destructive lie has affected many, but it is refreshing to
know that God does not wish for you or anyone to fall
victim to the fate of this fictitious concept. God needs
you to know that He is aware of your existence and
everything you have been through and are going
through. He loves you and wants you to love Him in
return. Just as a butterfly’s life is short, so is yours.
There is so much purpose to your life, and it will be
worth your while to discover what it is. God has called
you and His desire is that you will answer.
Nature of Things
To grasp the reality that there is a God in heaven
who loves you is exhilarating. It is even more exciting
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to learn that you were designed to fulfill a specific
purpose, but although you have been given this great
insight there are still many intricate details that God
yearns for you to look at. First and foremost, God
wants you to become aware of the nature of your
human spirit and how He regards your condition as
soon as you enter the world. God takes the time to
explain to us that at one point in time man walked
perfectly with God. Man then decided to act against
God by disobeying His command (Genesis 3). Because
of this single act of disobedience sin and death entered
the world and was passed upon all men. Now every
human being born into this world is complete with a
sinful nature.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world
and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men,
for all have sinned. Romans 5:12
The fact that we would rather feed our flesh with
our own lusts and desires instead of coming under
conviction and living righteously is simply the nature
of things. This sinful disposition is the reason why we
fall short of the glory of God.
For all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. Romans 3:23
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Thankfully, God loved us enough to intercede and
came to the earth as a man. This man is Jesus Christ.
By believing in Christ we can pass over the consequence
of sin, which is death and inherit eternal life. This
pardon from our transgressions comes simply by
asking, which I will elaborate on further in the next
chapter. It is such a shame that we have been given the
illusion that we can obtain perfection by appearing to
be good. It is even more of a scandal that we are lead to
believe that God will allow our sinful reputation to go
unpunished.
Butterflies are born to aspire after the direction God
establishes in them. God is giving you the directives. He
has shown you that you are a sinner and that there is
no level of godly perfection you can achieve. God
clarifies that you need Him to intervene for your flaws
and that you need to accept the amnesty that God
provided through His Son and repent. With these
directives you can indicate where God is steering you,
but it is up to you to take the direction God proposes
or continue on your own.
Separate Species
In order to be able to decide upon the direction you
want to take, you have to become aware of the
outcomes of the two paths you can choose from. You
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can either turn down the path that leads to accepting
Christ as your Savior, or you can turn down the path
that rejects Christ altogether. The path you choose
determines where you belong in the eyes of God. God
mentions that there are two sets of people, His or not
His. This division determines who God’s children are
and who are not. We are literally perceived as two
separate species. Jesus explains to His disciples that He
is the Good Shepard and divides those who have
accepted Him and have become His children as sheep
and those who have not accepted Him as goats.
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he
shall separate them one from another, as a shepard
divideth his sheep from the goats.
Matthew 25:32
But since this book is not about sheep and goats, I
would like to use the same analogy Jesus used, but
correspond the difference between the two species by
using a butterfly verses a moth. Butterflies and moths
are classified in the same scientific family, but they have
very distinct attributes that separate them from one
another. Likewise, all human beings were created by
God and belong to the same scientific family, but the
ones that have God and the ones that ignore God have
very noticeable characteristics that make then different
from each other. God’s character sets the precedent for
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how believers and non-believers behave. Believers
emulate the example God has outlined as where non-
believers display behavior that is contrary to God’s.
Let’s go ahead and refer to the Butterfly as the Believer
and the Moth as the Non-believer. I would like for you
to see how your relationship with God is effected by the
species you choose to identify with. We will start by
looking at the butterfly.
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AWARE: My Journey…
I was fortunate enough to gain awareness of God
early on in my life to understand that I was designed
and created by God, thankfully due to my parents
exposing me to a religious structure. I was baptized a
Catholic as an infant, attended a Lutheran church as a
child, and returned to Catholicism as a teenager. Both
denominations were able to provide me with a strong
knowledge of God, His wisdom, and my responsibilities
to be obedient to Him during my life, but it wasn’t
until I was seventeen that I began contemplating this
knowledge extensively.
Going through High School I would continually
weigh the beliefs of my upbringing against my
education of world religions, mythology, cultural
beliefs, and of course evolution. The possibility of my
God being a false God, or even worse, a figment of my
imagination disrupted my foundation and caused a lot
of doubt, which caused confusion. As a teenager, this
confusion was just the right amount of distraction to
keep me focused on everything else, and not on God. It
wasn’t until my heart became broken did I refocus my
attention on having a relationship with God.
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It was during an emotional time that I resurrected
the conflicts between other religions, other gods,
pondered the doubts, and questioned my ability to sin
so naturally. After some deliberation, I concluded that
there had to be only one God, and with Him only one
truth. My heartache led me to discover the missing
element that my religious structure was unable to
provide and that was that I needed to DECIDE where I
belonged with God. I had to choose between giving up
this stronghold of rejection to God or accepting and
receiving God in my heart. I was unable to label the
process God was taking me through, but in desperation
I wanted God to make the distinction that I was His so
He could heal me and that’s when I went back to a
foundation of faith, back to God and that’s when in
my heart I went back to Jesus.
The journey of a Christian has always been metaphorically compared to the metamorphosis of a butterfly, because when a person receives Jesus Christ as their Savior, they journey through a complete cycle of transformation. Travel The Butterfly Road and visit destinations that will encourage you to transform and fulfill your God-given purpose.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature...2 Corinthians 5: 17
DeNean Camp, Author