Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[34west]

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

I was raised in church (ok not literally raised but you get the point) and for many years was forced fed the Kool Aid of religion.  At one point in my late teens even thought that I was being called in the ministry and when I dropped out of the Christian college I was attending it was like I had rejected Christ himself.

For so many years I struggled.  I never felt like I knew God, nor did he know me...but I was "saved" so it was all good. ha ha

Then after a painful divorce I decided to go back to college.  I enrolled in an online bible college program and finished it.  After this experience, I had more questions than answers!

Finally one day when googling "Hell" I came across this web site.  You may have heard of it "Bible-Truths.com". ha ha

A co-worker and myself were talking about Dante's Inferno and he asked me some questions about Hell because I was considered "the guy who knew the Bible".

I absolutely BLEW my lid when I found this site!  I was like "this can't be true, CAN IT?"  But, I sat with my Holman Christian Standarb Bible in hand and kept following along, verse by verse...and something strange happened.

I got really, really, really angry.  Not at God, not at Ray...but the religious system that had lied to me. 

It honestly has taken me several years to heal and get over it.  My brother is going through it now.

I wanted to share this because I did not know who to talk to about my anger and disappointment from having the truth revealed and exposing my beliefs that were obvious lies.  I felt like my whole life was a lie, everything I had every prayed for was a useless waste of God's time and others.  I just really went into a deep depression. 

I continued to pray and study.

Fast forward to 2010.  God has been faithful (DUH!).  I have weekly conversations with my brother about God's truth.  My wife is also a great support and encouragement.  Yet I still have difficulties talking or even having relationships with many of my "Christian" friends.  I have been ignored, called a heretic, cult member...and so on...which many of you have probably experienced too.

The point is that I have no more fear but I do get lonely.  I am thankful to have this forum.  I am also hoping that this is an answer to a simple prayer.

[Roy Coates]

Welcome and thanks for sharing your testimony. Very much like mine and probably others as well. This is a great place to be. Peace

[arion]

Welcome to our forum and your experience and feelings I'm sure are the same as many of us.  For me my anger was directed at myself mostly as I thought that I was pretty bible literate (pride) and that I was put here to help others out of error (ha, ha, the joke was on me) when I was in error more than those I was trying to impress with my wisdom.  When the truth began to be opened to my spirit the anger I had was self directed.  How could I have wasted so much of my life and not only that but how could I have been such a tool of error that lead others deeper into error?  But, 'All Is Of God' and I'm at peace with it now.  God has a detailed plan for each and every one of us and it is God that works within us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure.  Our natural state is one of error and sin and we can only come out of it in God's timing.  I had to come to accept that all that I went through was simply part of the plan and it's allowed me to look at people (especially religious people) with a little more compassion and understanding as I was once where they are still at now.  It is truly only the grace of God towards us to lead us out of the Babalonian religious whore.  

[Deborah-Leigh]

Hi 34west

Your testimony sounds like your spiritual house built on sand fell with a mighty crash!

Welcome to the Forum!

Arc

[Kat]

Hi 34west,

I'm glad that you have joined us 
We all spent our time in church, in order to get called out of the church you have to go there first. My church years were many, went to several different churches trading one man made institution for the other. I had thought as long as I was in a church I was seeking and worshipping God, indeed we now know what god they worship. The last few years were really difficult, as I was really seeing through the hypocrisy and had some unfortunate incidents happen. But I have come to see we all actually need to walk in darkness and deception before we will be brought into the light. It seems to be a necessary backdrop in order for us to be able to perceive and appreciate how truly wonderful the light is.

2Co 4:6  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This forum is a good place to be, you can find help with difficult study questions and encouragement when you are down. Do pop in as often as you so desire we always enjoy having a new believer among us.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Dave in Tenn]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.  I understand (and think we all do) how disorienting it can be to have the house fall.  I hope we are of mutual benefit to each other here.

[Roy Martin]

Hello and welcome to the forum, and a non stop spiritual ride that involves every aspect of your life.
This is a really great place to be, but don't expect perfection or you'll get disappointed. You can for sure expect spiritual growth of which never seems to end as we all travel up and down, and sometimes round and round.
Its all Spiritual rock and roll to me.

Peace
Roy

[Terry]

Hello 34 West,
Welcome to the forum i just love to see and hear of new people that God has opened their eyes to his wonderful Spiritual truths so just dig in and hold on, this new walk is hard at times but the Tresures you find on the way is well worth it ,all praise to God, I'm glad you're here.

Terry
P.S. A friend of mine told me the other day that was at the church my Mom goes to last week that she requested prayer for me and thats fine but she went on to tell those there that i was in some kind of cult and false teaching so think it not strange when these things happen to you especially family and those in babylon.

[Linny]

Hi 34west. We are an interesting mix of so many different backgrounds  here. I didn't even question anything until I found BT. My husband had been silently questioning all of it since he was a little boy. But we both had our eyes opened at the same time and it has been a fun ride.

Hope you enjoy this forum as much as I do. It is my only place to speak freely and I need that. We don't share with our friends unless directed to through questions by otheres so not too many of our christian friends have a clue. We enjoy discussing it together as a family and teaching our little girls these wonderful truths.

Welcome!
Lin

[Stacey]

Welcome to the forum 34west! Thanks for sharing your awesome testimony with us. The BT Forum is a great place to grow even more in the truths of God.

[Marlene]

Welcome 34west. So, glad to have you join us here at BT.

In His Love Marlene

[aqrinc]

Hi 34west,

Welcome brother,

Be careful for angry christians, they are yet blind so do not blame them one little bit please.

george .

 

[indianabob]

Hello 34 West,

You are experiencing what most of us have had to deal with or soon will.

Consider a mental experiment or thought problem.

Looking toward the future after Jesus' return we expect to be one of our Lord's chosen and be given the responsibility of counseling others. Think how helpful it will be to be able to say
honestly that we have had to overcome similar afflictions and that we really do understand how
it is to face family and friends who have come to resent us. To love each one expecting nothing in return.

Jesus had to sacrifice the ultimate and he said that we should follow him and expect to bear our cross in the same way. This is our cross, that we have to give up friends and even family in some instances in order to prove to ourselves that we are growing in grace and knowledge. We also have the opportunity to exercise our faith by daily placing our problems in Jesus' capable hands by prayer and fasting. It may be thought of as practice for the challenges we will face in the future.

Of course when we are changed to spiritual we will be given great understanding and ability to
speak as God gives us the words we should speak, but for now this exercise helps us to empathize with others having the same difficulty and to develop our faith, our love and our courage under stress.

You have been given a position on the first team or the varsity and we are practicing for the big game at the end of the season. There has to be sweat and sore muscles and scrapes and bruises, it is the way practice always goes for those who love the game and desire to earn their letter.

Keep on keeping on.  Bob

[GinaMilan]

Hi, 34west! 

Thank you for sharing your story.  This part stood out for me:

"I got really, really, really angry.  ...  It honestly has taken me several years to heal and get over it.   .... God is faithful."

It's quite a journey, isn't it?

Well, I'm really excited to be able to get to know another brother!  Yay!

Gina

[judith collier]

Hi 34west, I like what Arcturus said to you about your house built on sand crashing. It's been over 30 yrs and my house is still falling down. But being here, it is crumbling faster than ever. Thanks to Ray's writings, the Holy Spirit and all who post.
Oh, and welcome. judy

[cherokee]

Hey 34west,

Welcome to the forum.

Blessings,
Suzie

[lauriellen]

welcome....been there - done that on most of the experiences mentioned here, too.....this forum has become my refuge & hiding place! 
lauri

[34west]

I am so relieved to find others who know about this process...coming out of Babylon...many tears have flowed from my eyes.

I walk every morning for about an hour and it has become something that God is using to show me many things.  I wish I could articulate some of the things that are happening in my life but I don't know how right now.  I have come to terms with my anger.  I am now dealing with my judgemental attitude towards others and myself.  I simply was astounded at how hard and cold my heart was.  I've been crying a lot more lately...I don't always know or understand why but I can say that I am processing some things.  I believe much of it is purging the lies and myths from my mind.  I am truly coming to grips with God's will.  I am coming to grips with the fact that "loving others as you love yourself" is a lot harder than it sounds.

Sorry, just typing as it comes.  I am studying much, trying to absorb and understand.  Appreciate you all.  It encourages me greatly.

Aaron