Butterfly Road by Denean Camp

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

12 | T h e B u t t e r f l y R o a d

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…


15

Destination EXPLORING YOUR ORIGINS


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

D


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.

A w a r e | 19

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


“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

A w a r e | 21

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)


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

A w a r e | 23

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


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

A w a r e | 25

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


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.

A w a r e | 33

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.


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

Butterfly Road by Denean Camp

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