I wanna be adored
I don’t have to sell my soul
He’s already in me
I don’t need to sell my soul
He’s already in me
I wanna be adored
I wanna be adored
You adore me
You adore me
You adore me
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna be adored
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna be adored
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna be adored
I wanna, I wanna, I gotta be adored
I wanna be adored
I wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses fits here in a very direct and almost unexpected way. The line suggests that the narrator does not need to make a “deal with the devil” to achieve fame or adoration because the “devil“—representing innate human faults like pride and ego—is already a part of him. The song centers on the desire to be adored, to be lifted up, to be seen and valued, and that reflects something very broken in humanity today. It speaks to the false need for validation and recognition, building the ego and breaking from truth. The song reminds me of a confidence that borders on arrogance, aligning with what has been described as vanity as a “sin,” and what many recognize as the insidious nature of ego and a hardened-heart persona.
“I wanna be adored”—that line connected with me immediately. I miss people. There are very good people I’ve lost, and in many ways, they have lost themselves as well. There is a personal side to this that cannot be ignored. Isolation—stepping away from the group, separating from the collective mindset of a broken and sinful, hardened-heart world—is lonely beyond words. At first, it is painful and feels like suffering. But something changes in that separation from sin and merging into the Body of Christ. You detach from that condition and reattach to God, and in that, you are no longer alone. The loneliness fades, not because the world changes, but because you do. You can still see the pain around you, but it no longer controls or breaks you. You can move through anything, any storm, because you can see the light—and that light is within you. I am enslaved to righteousness and win in love.
Johnny Cash, a dedicated believer in Jesus, often referred to as a Christian figure prominent in both song and faith, made a 1990 recording of himself reading the Word of God—the full New Testament. He famously covered Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” in 2002, which became a significant part of his late-career repertoire, fitting his image as a man searching for spiritual connection.
I also want to be very clear about my preference for the Depeche Mode version, but I see a lot more strength and love in what Johnny Cash took the time to do, and his readings of the New Testament are on the bottom of this article.
He described himself as having “an angel on his shoulder, but the devil was always on his back.” Very fitting that the song above I wanna be adored also fits to the devil within.
Another alignment I see is his song “Jesus” (1971): Johnny and June Carter Cash performed “Jesus” together, reflecting their shared dedication to Christ. I also note the alignment that 1971 is my birth year, which I have seen reflected a number of times.
Final testimony: his tombstone features a quote from Psalm 19:14:
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
FAITH
The past faith of all—it mirrors and reflects what we are seeing today. The Old Testament shows clearly that humanity has failed in faith over and over and over again. I tried to be calm reading it, I tried to be patient, but the more I read, the harder it hit me. It wasn’t just what was written — it was what it reflected. It reminded me of the pain and suffering I’ve gone through, the attacks, the things done to me, and at the same time it showed me that this is not just my story. This has been the ongoing condition of all humanity. God has come to us again and again — to bless, to guide, to save — and still people fail. I do not see any account anywhere of humanity living consistently obedient and sin-free before God. They fail every time, so either I’m missing something, or people are not seeing what is clearly there.
The Old Testament is not a story of human success. It is a record of human failure met by God’s persistence. It shows a repeated pattern: God gives, people turn away, everything breaks, they cry out, and God saves again. This happens over and over, and it proves something important — even the best people could not get it right. The so-called faithful were not perfect. Abraham lied, Moses killed and disobeyed, David committed adultery and murder, Solomon turned to idols. From the very beginning, Eve believed the lie and Cain committed the first murder, and that pattern continues all the way through. It does not improve. That is the point.
Because through all of this, God does not fail — only man does. God remains perfect, unchanging, without deceit, always good. But humanity turns away, again and again. We fall into idolatry, we justify wrong, we harm one another, and there is no justification for that. Hurting others is wrong, it is evil, and it comes from the sinful heart. The Old Testament makes this clear, not by hiding it, but by showing it directly in every generation.
That is why the new covenant had to come. The Old Testament shows that humanity cannot sustain faith on its own strength, cannot keep the law perfectly, and cannot fix itself. It creates the need for something greater — not just rules, but transformation. God knows everything from beginning to end, because He is beyond time. Nothing is hidden from Him — not failures, not pain, not anything — and still His love does not change. It is not based on our performance. He continues to love, and He continues to act.
In my own life, this is not just something I read — it is something I live. My faith is in God, and I live in His faith in me, even with my failures. He knows my heart. I came out of darkness into light. I was surrounded by things meant to destroy me, and they failed. I have seen things, experienced things, and told the truth about them, and much of it has been ignored. That does not change the truth. It shows the condition of the world.
You can see that condition everywhere. The same patterns continue — conflict, harm, people being discarded, evil being justified. People look away, or accept it, and that is the sinful heart at work, focused on itself and blind to truth. This is not new. It is the same pattern already shown in the Old Testament, just continuing in a different form.
So understanding both the old covenant and the new covenant makes this clear: there is no failure in God, only truth, and His love is without condition. He always does what is good. But humanity fails, over and over again, and that is why grace is necessary. That is why true faith matters.
Faith is not something occasional. It is not something done once a week. It is constant. It is real. It is when the veil is lifted and you begin to actually see and understand truth as it is. And when that happens, things change.
Belief in Jesus is essential, because the Word was with God from the beginning and became flesh. He is the light and the life, and that belief is what saves. That is where life is found.
So this is what I am doing. This is an introduction to show the failure of human faith and the perfection of God’s faith and grace. I will go through the Old Testament to show the pattern clearly, and the New Testament to show the fulfillment.
Because the message does not change — God is perfect, man fails, and grace is the answer.
I don’t lie — this is God.
I love you.
Have faith in God.
Genesis 1:1-4
The Beginning
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:31
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 4:8
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
1 Kings 8:46
When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who may carry them captive to their own lands, far away or near.
1 Kings 11:4
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 33:12-13
In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Ecclesiastes 7:20
Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Isaiah 61:3
And provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Jeremiah 2:11-13
Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
Jeremiah 2:27-28
They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’ Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns.
Jeremiah 7:30-32
For the people of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.
Jeremiah 11:9-10
Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.”
Jeremiah 16:11-12
Then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me.’
Jeremiah 19:4-6
For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned incense in it to other gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind. So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”
Jeremiah 32:34-35
They set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.
Jeremiah 44:2-3
“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Hosea 2:19-20
I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.
Hosea 14:1-4
Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.” I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
Joel 2:25-26
I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
Malachi 2:10-11
Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god.
Malachi 3:7-8
Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings.
Luke 15:20-24
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Romans 3:10
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
