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Amrhrasach:
I’ve been reading Ray’s writings for about 6 months.    His scripture understandings are truly phenomenal.  God has blessed Ray and I thank God for leading me to his site.   

Now, I have a few questions and would welcome any insight from you. 

God’s holy spirit: 
Is it possible to understand, agree, and feel thankful for the new understandings….and not have the holy spirit of God in one’s life?

Free-will: 
Recent changes in lifestyles (changes in employment, change in home ownership, change in home location, further distance from one side of the family) have caused some extreme misery to both my wife and to me.   These changes came about as decisions made by us and that she and I knew in advance the results of these decisions/changes would be life-altering.  We didn’t realize how extreme they would affect us.  Now we know those decisions were, perhaps, not the smartest.   Both of us are questioning our marriage to each other, among other things. 

Relating this to the free-will understandings, my question is:  does God himself bring about such situations/changes/decisions, et all, in one’s life, or, did I just simply flip-flop my life for no other reason than being an idiot? 

Realize, all of the 2nd question relates to the 1st question, in that, somehow even though I love Ray’s understandings and teachings, I’m questioning if I even have God in my life.

It’s a tough thing to walk through.

Any insight from the community would be most appreciated.

rjsurfs:
Hello Amrhrasach & welcome.

Ray has addressed this in various places... here is one from part 3 of LoF:


--- Quote ---Was it just Paul that God singled out to endure such hardships and trials? No, we too must partake of the same:

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that WE [Christians, followers of Christ] MUST through MUCH TRIBULATION [Greek: thlipsis--affliction, troubles, burdens, persecution, anguish] enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).

Does your pastor teach that you must go through such things if you are to be a follower of Jesus Christ and rule with Him in the Kingdom of God? Or does he teach that if you are going through just such things that you probably need to get your life in order and repent because you obviously have many, many sins in your life that are bringing on all these troubles and therefore, you are not being blessed of the Lord? Their prosperity gospel of worldliness and gross materialism is a travesty of the gospel of Jesus Christ! I hear this prosperity gospel of worldliness and materialism every time I turn the TV on. But what do the Scriptures say?

Before I continue this train of thought, let me interject that although we are to go through extreme hardship, persecution, and tribulations, God nonetheless strengthens us so that we can endure these things. It is not God’s purpose to discourage us. We have this promise from God:

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape [Gk: ‘sequel’] that you may be able to bear it" (I Cor. 10:13).
--- End quote ---

I can personally tell you that I suffer in similar ways as you have mentioned.  There are times that I feel... "how much more can I take?"... but I also realize these are times of growth for me... not that I can't grow when times are easier... but I do know and see God's purpose in "gracing" me, correcting and chastising me through suffering... as I am being made into the image of his son... I must endure suffering just as Jesus did.

You have reason to be thankful for these trials even though I know it is not pleasant and like myself you wish for relief.

Bobby

dogcombat:
Excellent point Bobby.  The trials we go through are for OUR benefit, not God's.
Ephesians 1:11 talks about God working "ALL things after the counsel of His own will". 

Look at it this way Amrhrasach, you're probably in the middle of a chapter, as opposed to the end of a story.  I would only suggest that you ask God to reveal more Christ to you, so that He is your focus as opposed to your circomstances.

Ches

Kat:

Hi Amrhrasach,

The breaking away from the old and coming into the new is not meant to be simple and easy, Ray says it's the hardest thing anybody will ever do.  I think most things in this life worth having are hard to come by, so much more so for this truth.  And yes God has caused all the circumstances that have lead to where you are now.

Pro 16:9  A man's heart plans his way,
       But the LORD directs his steps.

To have your eyes opened to this truth is the greatest thing you could hope to have happen.
But you grow little by little as you apply yourself to seeking.  Once you have been dragged to Christ and given the Spirit we have to feed it spiritual food everyday, but it takes time.

Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
       Line upon line, line upon line,
       Here a little, there a little."

But you can't give up and stop studying or you may quench the Spirit, which means to extinguish it or to put out it. 

1Th 5:16-22  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

But do know that you have Jesus Christ in you, the greatest source of strength possible.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
v. 15  For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
v. 16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

Dave in Tenn:
I don't know any more about all the ramifications of God's Sovereignty than any 'newbie'.  I was encouraged reading a transcript of one of Ray's bible studies where he referenced an old saying.  "Live like everything is up to you and pray like everything is up to God." 

The whole subject is not for the fainthearted, I think.

I do believe this, though...we have the ability to make choices and do so constantly.  Because we are carnal, most of those choices before maturity in gaining the Mind of Christ are 'wrong choices'.  That's how we learn to make right choices.

It's possible that your upheaval in itself was a wrong choice.  It's also possible that it was overall a right choice, but that God is teaching you lessons brought about by the larger choice in order to make it the best choice.  Repentance is a change of mind as well as of action. 

As for feelings, well...they come and go.  If we only follow the way we feel, then probably none of us would act on anything other than those Hallelujah moments.  You've got the 'quiet' you were hoping to find.  I'd say use it to get alone with God.     

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