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Change ?

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Amrhrasach:
A few months ago I read the Repentance paper for the first time.  I had been reading the bible off and on for many years prior but like Ray, I knew a few things, nothing real solid and I wasn't going to be nominated for any awards as the good samaritan either.     

When reading the Repentance paper at that time the very one thing that stuck out to me the most, or I should say STRUCK out at me, was how much of a beast I could see in myself.  A true beast.  That was a first glimpse.  I never realized how incredibly poor I was up to that point.  And I remember how I felt.  That even though I could see what a true un-inspiring "christian" I had been up to that point, I wanted to see and recognize MORE of that beast that I had become.  Only for the purpose of getting the beast out.  To truly repent.  If I don't really understand, or see all that it is, how can it be defeated or removed? (realizing now that it's God that does the removing).

Nonetheless, first change, seeing and understanding who the beast is.

If assessed now, another major change has been that I don't condemn others near as badly as I was once accustomed to doing.  (Good god, for someone who had no mark of excellence I was the last one that should be doing any condeming)

Gary 

EKnight:
Hi Arc,

I hate to say this, but I think I am what you called in another thread, "someone who is always learning and never changing".

I thought I was making progress in the beginning, and maybe I have but it's certainly not noteworthy. :(

Eileen

Deborah-Leigh:


Hi Marques

Your children are BLESSED BIG TIME to have a Father like you. I can only imagine how I would have turned out if my late Dad had been exposed to that Divine influence on the Heart Grace of God. I too may not have had the agony of the mess ups by the Grace of God I endured and was appointed by God to go through.

Hi Gary

I have been here for some three years studying BT. I consider myself unconverted like the Apostles who walked with Christ for three years and still were not converted either.It is great to be able to know the Scriptures and to turn to where answers are found to add to topics raised here but it is not enough.

God is able to make all Grace abound towards us. Do we know what His Grace is before it abounds towards us? Does anyone? First comes the shadow, first the natural and then His Presence that transforms us as we behold His Glory more and more. This is I believe what happened to Ray as He teaches us that first God forgave Him, he repented, received a clear conscience and then God began to show him what Ray has been sharing with us in BT.

Hi Eileen

I find comfort to know we are not alone and that Jesus did not choose one Disciple only.

As Ray expounds, we all have to die the second death, we all have to be judged, set straight and converted. It is wonderful to evaluate if we are being changed by His Spirit or if we are only following Him because we get fed. When we start to see ourselves for who and what we are, it hurts and it is a good hurt. As Paul writes 2 Cor 7 :9 Yet I am glad now, not because you were pained, but because you were pained into repentance and so turned back to God; for you felt a grief such as God MEANT YOU TO FEEL, so that in nothing you might suffer loss through us or harm for what we did. 10. For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil.....Rays teachings on Who is the Beast expounds. http://bible-truths.com/lake13.html

Thank you all for your comments.
Arc

Ocean:
Hi Arc and friends,

Just adding my 2-cent worth. Fundamentally i see change is when you experience something that you know is different to something you've ever experienced before. And that it ignites a desire to keep wanting it MORE (new experience)....yet deep within, you know that there is a higher being (no doubt God) that is leading you and that you couldn't have done it on your own.

Personally, i've had to experience the bad (in career, marriage, family) before i can learn to appreciate and not take them for granted. For 34 yrs i know what triggers me to put up a FIGHT...not physically [i'm a scaredy-cat ;)but emotionally and psychologically. Most of my heartache was because my pride and fragile ego [beast within]took a hit....and i got nastier and nastier with my fight-back. It was emotionally draining and i wanted 'out' but just didn't know how. God has a way to intervening when you've hit your 'valley' moments. Since 2005, i've encountered similar situations as before BUT my approach had changed. Many a times, after a hostile encounter, i am amazed at the level of calmness i've shown. Also, i'm more forgiving when others misunderstand and/or in/unintentionally hurt me....these are attributes i NEVER possessed before. I would look back at the incident and marvel 'phew, did i just do/say that'. I knew, without a doubt, that it was all the ''Master Potter's'' doing.....i'm just the 'clay' work-in-progress. When i see His Divine hand in situations, I'd always utter 'Thank You Papa, i knew it was your doing'. I can never take credit for that change....even few of my 'enemies' have come to embrace me and Glory is always to God.

Change-In-Progress  8),
Ocean 

Ninny:
As an interesting side note here about change or maybe it goes along with the same idea...
I know a person who used to get on my nerves SO bad!! Everything you talked about she knew ALL about it and had DONE it at sometime in her life! This woman was just in her late 20's about the same age as my own sons. I went to church with her she was a sweet girl, but I just couldn't stand to be around her for any length of time! We started a choir and who do you think was the choir director?? You got it! She could sing ok, but she had a high voice and it was hard to follow her!  I thought, "Oh no! I am NOT going to sing in the choir, then!"  One night something came over me as I was thinking about the whole thing. I was complaining to God about how annoying this girl was and I thought, I know I'll pray that she starts to see how she is then she'll change! I was so clever!

My mind got very clear after that and I really felt God tell me, "If you want her to change, then you have to ask for your attitude about her to change."  WHAT!? ME??? I'm not the one who's the know-it-all pain in the backside!! (It's a good thing our God is so gracious)  I kinda felt like a two year old who was forced to share my toys! haha! I look back on that now and guess what? I did ask God to change my attitude! I was never bothered by her again! Other people were still bothered by her attitude about things, but I even got to the point where I would talk with her and laugh with her. She moved away and I even missed her when she left!

Now, that was one way God changed me, since that time of course I came to BT and I realized why I had to have an attitude adjustment, it was part of my judgment! It was God chastising me! It was one of those things that was not silver or gold, but wood, hay and stubble that had to be burned up to reveal the things that are worth keeping! One time a pastor said "If you feel something well up inside you (toward another person or a circumstance in your life) then God is wanting to skim that off!  That's what his judgments are no matter how harsh it is, it's God skimming and burning the worthless character out of you, so that His character can replace yours!
That's the way it is with me!
Kathy :D

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