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A little bit about my journey

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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! :D

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

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