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What's your story?
ned:
I remember, while I was still in the "church system" reading this verse,
Joh 12:40
(CEV) "The Lord has blinded the eyes of the people, and he has made the people stubborn. He did this so that they could not see or understand, and so that they would not turn to the Lord and be healed."
and then this verse,
2Co 4:4
(CEV) The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like.
And wondering why these verses show that God blinds eyes and Satan does too? How could they both? I almost doubted I was reading it.
Now, (by the grace of God) I see it is because God uses Satan for this very purpose. How could I ever doubt who was in control?
Love,
Marie
(A big thank you to God!)
Deborah-Leigh:
Hi Marie
And here's more....Pharaoh did not harden his own heart to resist God's will...."Let my people go"... God hardened it!
Ex 9:12 "But THE LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, making it strong and obstinate...." (Ref LOF part 15)
Arcturus :)
joyful1:
Marie-- so true! I had remembered those verses from the LOF series, but didn't recall reading them side by side like that....really makes the point clear: God is in control!
hughbee40:
For most of my life I have never felt comfortable in a christian church. For many years I believed it was because I was a filthy sinner who hadn't truly accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. Everytime I would go to church, I felt like an outsider looking in. I couldn't feel that "feeling" they all seemed to have. For a long time I thought it was because I hadn't made any attempt to turn my life from sinful behaviour. I even allowed some Mormon missionaries into my home and actually was baptized into the faith. However, I felt even more uncomfortable there than when I was in a traditional christian church. I then began to deeply study the differences between the various christian faiths and was dumbfounded at the fundamental differences. One believed in works yet another believed that it was by faith only that led to salvation yet, by their by-laws and very judgemental attitudes, they were still trying to "buy" their way into heaven. The one doctrine that made no sense to me was the Ten Commandments. As I understood, that was the "law". Yet, in the New Testament, it said that if you were under the law then you would be judged by the law. If you had faith in Jesus Christ, you were no longer under the law, but under grace. Jesus preached only two commandments that I could see. To love God with all of your heart and to love others as He had loved them. Quite a challenge if you think about it. First to love God with all of your heart and to completely trust Him became for me very difficult. I still blamed Him for two failed businesses among many other things. but, over the years I began to see and feel gratitude for the many blessings He had given me and how the failures had made me a better, less selfish person. I have always felt great compassion for my fellow man with the exception of child abusers, politicians and car salesmen. However, as I have learned (and still continue to do so) to love God with all of my heart, I have began to find compassion for those people also. After going through yet another massive failure in my life, I fasted for five days shaking my fists at God the entire time. I was ready to starve myself unless He showed me something significant that would make my pursuit of His truths make sense. During that time I heard Him say to me (in my heart) "stop trying to change yourself to please Me! I have made you exactly as I want you and over time I, and I alone will perfect you". I began to stop, look and listen. To be grateful for the simple blessings of daily life and saw God as very compassionate and thoughtful. I began to feel worthy of His love and that He knew me personally. It was then that He led me to L. Ray's website and all of those answers he had given me over the years were affirmed. He had given me the double witness I had been seeking. This is my story in a very brief nutshell and it would take hours and hours to write down everything of spiritual significance that has happened in my life. I apologize to all who read this for the run-on nature of my writing and lack of syntax yet am sure you will all forgive me (lol). I look forward to reading the stories of others in this forum and also to be an active participant in the future.
Yours in Christ
Hughbee40
Deborah-Leigh:
Hello and welcome hughbee-40 on your first post.....It is wonderful to have you here....
it is like God has brought you past the veil! I had to get kicked hard before God gently showed me Bible Truths...I was expelled by the Pastor and then Struck out by the whole Church just recently....I see you expressed your frustration in a fast with fists! ;D God can make us look so silly after He recovers us from feeling so hurt!....Then He tells us more!... ;D
After reading your post my thoughts returned to Ray's.."The beast is You" article that is part of his Lake of Fire series that is amaizing! I only thought of this because you wrote "I began to feel worthy of His love"...so that was my cue to recall and to contemplate at a deeper level, just how much God really does REALLY and FOR REAL really DOES love us ... I know God has got you here and that He will delight your weary heart as only He can...Enjoy :)
Arcturus :)
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