Providence

I spent a lot of time not participating in campaigns and going far beyond simply not tithing, but clarifying, based on the Bible, that this does not apply to Gentiles, and I ended up leading many others not to tithe either. I am unable to consider dancing as part of rational worship and I have lost respect for major gospel leaders after witnessing so many heresies and lies that they introduced and continue to uphold within ecclesiastical businesses.

The word that best describes how I feel about the stupid mysticism that has taken over Christians these days is REPUGNANCE… and, for those who manage to read to the end of this text, a surprising and hard-to-believe revelation will be made.

Part 1 — A graphic and chronological account of how I arrived at a precarious financial situation.

Those who follow my pseudonym know perfectly well that I am a Christian who prioritizes the Word of God above all else, having not a drop of that modern gospel mysticism in my life. Those who know me in real life know that, despite my efforts to be prudent, my family and its needs are my priority.

To lend credibility to the episode I am about to narrate, I decided to intersperse it with records (image captures) of posts I made on social media.

What started the "whirlwind" is a fact that cannot be hidden: since 2013 I had been quite bothered by the car we were able to buy, in a hurry, before Gabriela was born.

The more time passed, the greater the dissatisfaction, and with the defects, the expenses and worries multiplied:

Then, during preparations for my daughter's second birthday, the car was parked in front of my father-in-law's house and…

The cost of a new module would have been almost 2000 reais, so the solution was to buy a used one which, plus labor, cost us 1000 reais from our meager savings. The mechanic contributed 150 reais and, despite knowing he was the one who caused the disastrous situation, I didn't want to create even more problems in a situation that was already causing me so much distress: I took the car out of the shop and…

Many said that by advertising and waiting, I could receive a good offer from private buyers, but the need for a family vehicle and support for our unusual work schedules didn't allow for such a luxury: car dealerships, in the midst of a recession, valued the vehicle at a maximum of 16,000 reais… and that was only if it was traded in for another car from their inventory!

And how I tested cars… it was a real ordeal to test not only various models, but also versions of the same model (because the dashboard designs vary from year to year): the worst part was putting up with the salespeople who treated me like I was some kind of fool and insisted on trying to force me into a car I already knew I wouldn't fit in!! Even worse were the disappointments with cars like the Fiat Idea (large, wide cabin, but a dashboard that slopes down diagonally and doesn't even allow me to press the accelerator without pain), the Ecosport (steering wheel pinching my knee), some Civic models (the roof ended below my line of sight and I would have to drive hunched over), all the variations of the Fox (insufficient legroom)… then I discovered that the cars that fit me comfortably usually cost a frightening 50,000 or more!

Meanwhile, my wife, influenced by friends, only talked about Renault and was even willing to make a joint sacrifice to buy a brand new model for 42,000... but I got into the models (Logan, Sandero) and, even though I fit, I didn't feel secure... the structure seemed fragile... later I learned that, just like Peugeots (which are made in the same factory as Citroen), these French cars didn't adapt so perfectly to Brazil.

I was feeling down when, walking to pick up my daughter from school, I decided to look at a small car dealership on Aricuri Street and… I was introduced to the Nissan Sentra! The solid structure, the comfortable seats, the dynamic body, the CVT transmission… now that was a car! Too bad they were asking the same 42,000 for a brand new Sandero for the 2012 model…

With the objective defined, the search for the perfect opportunity began… and the internet was, without a doubt, a powerful tool in this phase — Mercado Livre, OLX, iCarros, Webmotors! — where I could search using various filters, obtaining relevant results, but also encountering some traps, such as a company called “Jordai Veículos” that advertises a price and, upon arrival, informs you that a “small down payment” is required, which is anything but small and corresponds to almost 30% of the advertised value — in my case, they advertised a Sentra for R$35,000.00 and hid the “small down payment” of R$10,000.00, which left the final price at an absurd R$45,000.00!

Besides the search, I also had to deal with my wife's strong negativity, who was even ashamed of the car's beautiful appearance, wanting something more "humble" and making flimsy arguments like "the vehicle tax will be too expensive"... Come on! The tax is charged according to the vehicle's value, and therefore, what you would pay for a damn (yes, I got angry!) simple brand-new Sandero would be much more than for a Sentra Flex which, although I'm still looking for it, would cost less than R$35,000.00!

This part of the story is getting longer than it should be, since it's not the focus of the text: I found a 2010/2011 Sentra at Nissan Dara in Duque de Caxias for the excellent price of R$32,000.00, but they only valued the Peugeot at R$13,000.00 in trade-in, which, after paying off the loan, would leave only about R$8,000.00 as a down payment and quite challenging installments. I ended up leaving there and, in a hurry not to lose the offer, selling my "punishment car" for R$15,000.00 to another agency that gave me a little over R$10,000.00 upfront and, instead of paying off the loan, took over the loan and committed to paying the remaining installments until I sold it and then paid it off.

Why did I bother writing this whole story up to this point? To record that I didn't change cars out of pride, that I didn't choose a vehicle out of vanity, that I didn't just spend money without researching, and that I tried, as much as possible, to be prudent in my purchase.

Part 2 — Breaking the tenuous financial situation

I've seen people full of faith and stupidity—usually more stupidity than faith—taking on debts they could never afford and ending up broke and with a ruined reputation because they based their decisions on a well-known biblical passage.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:13)

Let me translate briefly: the text is NOT an encouragement for you to bite off more than you can chew and reach beyond your grasp in the hope that God will be forced to perform some miracle to save you from the consequences of your ignorant vanity! Yes, absolutely ignorant, because if you had simply read the verse before this one, you might have had the chance to understand that the true Christian, despite the difficulties that may arise (and not because he created them!), will preserve his faith — that original faith that can only be obtained by hearing the Word of God… and not this one of dances and bargains — intact!

Thus, even though I was discharged under the claim that my illness was not a consequence of service and I only earn 2/3 of a 1st sergeant's salary, I have been trying to proceed prudently and have managed to keep my account balanced each month since then, which is especially easier when sporadic opportunities arise to carry out some activities where I apply my knowledge of a foreign language.

Of course, unexpected expenses can occur, but even so, I currently only have a debt to settle with one person, and before closing the deal, I made sure to find a way to go to them and, being a relative, explain the urgent need to change cars, as I intend to pay off my loan by the end of this year. In any case, my "urgency," which began in June, only started to be resolved on July 29th, when I was able to get my hands on the car… and the photos below give an idea of how it all went:

Having managed to schedule the transfer inspection for August 12th, I confidently purchased the maintenance parts, as I had been invited by an agency I've worked for several times as a freelancer since July, for yet another project, as I reveal below:

Considering that, even though things were tight, everything would eventually work out, I celebrated:

It wasn't that on Friday, August 14th, and immediately before the event, due to pressure from the wretched Brazilian government through its Ministry of Labor, the sudden need arose to bring the work permit to the agency, as it risked paying fines if any of its employees were in an "irregular situation." This generated the following dialogue and a "rant post" that may have been enigmatic to some, but, given what I have just explained, will become quite easy to understand.

It wasn't that on Friday, August 14th, and immediately before the event, due to pressure from the wretched Brazilian government through its Ministry of Labor, the sudden need arose to bring the work permit to the agency, as it risked paying fines if any of its employees were in an "irregular situation." This generated the following dialogue and a "rant post" that may have been enigmatic to some, but, given what I have just explained, will become quite easy to understand.

So… what to do? At least the car had all the paperwork in order and was ready to meet our work needs, but… what work?

To make things a bit more dramatic, the electricity bill was due on August 21st, leaving my account on the verge of being overdrawn. I tried to reverse the situation by installing Windows 10 and, surprisingly, even had the opportunity to regularize a late income tax return (and, even with the fine, I was entitled to a refund!), but the overdraft was still very much in the red at the bank, and this would have a very strong impact on the following month…

Part 3 — When I Found Myself Submerged and Ashamed…

From now on begins the part for which I decided to write and document such a long text. It all started when a rather unusual message was sent in the middle of the night:

I woke up and came across this text that seemed too good to be true. I try to be cautious, avoiding openly mixing my Christian activism with my personal life, and, faced with these words that dealt precisely with the subject that bothered me the most, I decided to give a very didactic and cautious response:

Note that, even in the best-case scenario, I didn't actually believe that a complete solution could come from this offer… so much so that I used the term "mitigating" instead of "solving"! The dialogue concluded with a promise:

I'm used to difficulties, laborious solutions, lengthy processes… I'm so worn down by suffering that I no longer believe in the possibility of anything simple and straightforward here on earth… I confess: I didn't even expect an "easier solution" from God, because He has only allowed me to survive a little better through work opportunities.

And it was precisely during work, on Thursday afternoon, that the most astonishing and humiliating event that the Lord has ever allowed me to experience occurred… and even now, as I recount what happened, I can't help but be deeply moved: I had even forgotten about the promise of help — especially since there had already been people who said they would help and never did — when I received the following message:

I saw it, smiled, and, due to the slow connection, I left the image of the deposit loading and went to take care of other things. I was hoping for two or three hundred reais… something that could improve things, but not make up for the shortfall that the 1,200.00 reais fee was causing…

When I returned and looked at the photo, I almost fell to the floor! It was (and still is) impossible to hold back tears of joy and shame for having so carelessly doubted the possibility of God's intervention.

I looked again and again, thinking it might be a prank. First, I checked if the deposit was by check (because I've seen many stories of scams with this method), but there it was: cash deposit!! Still incredulous, I accessed my online bank and saw my account with an incredible four-digit positive balance… and this at the very end of the month! This amount allowed me not only to get out of debt, but also to cover all my fuel for the month of August and even the electricity bill!

Never, no one—and this is true in my entire life—has been so benevolent and so timely as this person about whom, based on Matthew 6:1–4, I conceal my identity with the sincere intention of being richly rewarded by the Father who sees in secret!

Conclusion

This was, without a doubt, more than just a comfort; it was an impetus for me to continue dedicating myself to the work of spreading the Truth above all else, because it is not we who move the supernatural, but the will of the Lord, in His time!

Let the attempts to bribe the Lord cease, the fallacy of tithes, the lie of altered states of consciousness, the false spiritual marches with exclusively political aims, the shows with empty music… the enslaving religiosity that fills ecclesiastical institutions and serves mainly to characterize apostasy: here is the absolutely irrefutable proof that the Lord hears and answers the prayer of those who seek Him in spirit and in Truth, even if they are not part of the esoteric mystical circus of gospel clowning!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

(Ephesians 3:20–21)