mrsnacks,
I can't count the number of times I haven't been able to sleep at night when I wrestle with new truth that I learn. That is just the kind of personality I have. My brother learns with excitement and I head into the unknown with fear. That is the carnal part of me that God deals with when he teaches me. God has never failed though to give me the faith needed to move forward in what he has taught me. I can vividly remember learning that I can't trust myself. I can't trust myself to keep myself from being deceived. Deceived people don't know they are deceived. I am not beyond being deceived and I have to put my trust in God. If I am chosen in this age God will not let me be deceived.
When I first found this site the only thing God had taught me was the free will series. It's the first thing I read when coming here. I laughed and cried when reading it. There were some things written that I had learned and never heard anyone else say. Ray said it though. It is the first time I'd ever heard anyone besides my brother believe the same thing that God taught me. That is the only reason I was able to read and bring Ray's other teaching before God.
Before coming here I knew the trinity teaching wasn't correct, but I didn't have the answers. I tried for years to prove hell wrong, but couldn't do it. I was very excited that Ray had the answers to there being no hell. Learning who Christ is was much harder for me to accept and I struggled with it before God and was able to accept it after reading all the scripture that Ray wrote out and testing all of it. It threw me into one of those head spins for a few weeks though.
Ephesians 4
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it says:
"When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men." 9(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.[/b]
God chose not to continue teaching me through revelation of scripture. I spent 10 long years waiting for God to teach me something new. I searched the internet for years looking for anyone who believed the way I do and found no one. I finally looked to God and prayed. If you have a teacher alive anywhere in this world please lead me to him if it is your will for me to have a teacher. That is when I found this site.
I have always had a million questions since the time I was 4 years old. God doesn't mind that I have questions and he is always faithful to answer them. If I believe something is true you can be assured that I have questioned it to exhaustion, broke it into a million pieces, and put it back together in a way that I understand it. That's why it takes me so long to learn anything. I'm glad God is patient with me.
I believe that God has appointed Ray to be a teacher. If he taught something against what God has already taught me I'd be asking some serious questions. I haven't found anything yet though and I'm learning much more.
John 10
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."