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RE: Why I am not married - 6/2/2008 1:02:07 PM
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woodwind228
Posts: 473
Joined: 5/8/2008
From: Atlanta
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quote:
In 15 years she had never once asked God to forgive her.......she had asked her ex husbands but never had she asked for forgiveness from God.
She began to pray......asking God to forgive her for the words she spoke in her first marriage........for making those vows when she knew she did not love him.......
Thanks for posting that, Joy. I think you just killed 2 birds with one stone as they say. I don't think I had ever asked God's forgiveness for that either. I just took care of that before posting my response, however. It's funny......I almost didn't open this post but, as it turned out, God wanted me to read what you wrote in your last post. I just love how He works!!
Also, my preacher has been doing a study on the book of Malachi on Wednesday nights and last Wednesday he began talking about marriage and divorce and how God HATES divorce. He didn't get to finish so he'll wrap up that sermon this Wednesday. I'm looking forward to it. It's so good to be under a pastor that preaches the WHOLE Bible regardless of whether or not someone may get mad at him. Anyway, I just found that interesting with what you just shared and what he just preached.
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*~* Susan *~*
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. --John 16:33 KJV
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/2/2008 2:01:44 PM
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joy2give2u
Posts: 4962
Joined: 9/19/2006
From: Indiana
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quote:
I almost didn't open this post but, as it turned out, God wanted me to read what you wrote in your last post. I just love how He works!! Me too........I just love the way he works.
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God's Majesty seen through my eyes
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/2/2008 3:13:01 PM
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joy2give2u
Posts: 4962
Joined: 9/19/2006
From: Indiana
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I have been thinking a lot about this thread in particular the concern some have that we may be giving to much credit to satan and not focusing on God enough.
I had to ask myself is this true? Does talking about how satan has used our vows,mindsets, and ungodly beliefs against us bringing too much attention to him and taking our focus off God.
So I asked the Lord.
Verse after verse he lead me to....the red words........the words of Jesus where he did what we were doing. He spoke of satan, the devil, the evil one or whatever name you want to call him revealing how he tries to work in our lives. He shared with others the way Satan works and how important it is to recognize what he is doing so that the light of truth can be shown on him.
He displayed for all the see the "power" satan has and Jesus must have felt, as I do , that one way to disarm satan is to bring into the light what he does in the darkness.
A few short comments which made me think.......
Matt 4:8 the devil TOOK Jesus to a high mountian........ took is an action verb.......it is not words but action.
Luke 4:9 Satan again takes action when he LED Jesus.
Matt 13:19 another action word.......SNATCHES the evil one comes and snatches what was sowed in His heart..........now he may use words to do this but it is still an action he takes.
John 8:44 Jesus describes who satan really is.......the he is a a murderer and lier....bringing into light the true character and motive behind the wolf in lambs clothing.
John:13:2 action.........prompted
luke 8:12 he comes and takes away the word out of their hearts.
On and on Jesus talks about Satan, revealing his character, his tricks and his desires..........Jesus shines a light on who and what Satan is so that we can recognize him at work.
Two of the many verses I read really stood out to me...........
John 17:15 Jesus prays.........my question.........Why did Jesus pray to His father to PROTECT us from the evil one if he has no power to do anything to us outside what God allows?
The other verse which really addresses this thread. The verse is very powerful and shows Jesus shining the same light on satan as what I feel God was and is doing in this thread..........
Luke 13:16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound--think of it--for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?
The woman, who was a daughter of Abraham just as you and I are, was bound by Satan.........Was she aware of her bondage? Probably not until she was set free.
The purpose of this thread is to shine a light on satan and how he works........to move his actions/words from darkness to light robbing them of any power in our lives...........and to give testimony that Jesus is still in the business of helping sons and daughters of Abraham be loosed from the things of which satan has bond them... in particularly, for this thread, things which have hindered our relationships and may or may not be one reason we are single.
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God's Majesty seen through my eyes
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/2/2008 3:51:06 PM
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iwillfearnoevil
Posts: 3644
Joined: 11/6/2007
From: upstate NY
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good post joy2give2u! another scripture i just thought of is when demons asked permission from Jesus to enter the pigs. they recognized Jesus's power but still needed an opening. a vow can give the enemy an opening too.
edit for scripture reference (any of the below has the account):
Matthew 8:28-33, Mark 5:1-21, Luke 8:26-40
< Message edited by iwillfearnoevil -- 6/2/2008 4:00:55 PM >
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Photoblogging my life
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/2/2008 9:12:25 PM
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shemaromans
Posts: 3851
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Too much credit for the evil one:
I've been praying prior to posting, and God showed me these words Saturday morning:
"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one." 2 Thess 3:3
If we’re assigning power to Satan, then we’re refusing, in some respects, to believe God’s word and his promise. The only power that the evil one possesses is deceitful words. Nothing more.
Satan has no hold over us and actually has very little to no influence if we’re focusing on God’s word and his will for our lives through daily reading and prayer and regular fellowship with other believers. Satan’s nothing! And I don’t know about everyone else, but I can sin all on my own without his lies. In fact, I imagine that he’s leaving me well enough alone because of that!
*****
All of the posts from today dealing with the “power” of Satan occur in the Bible prior to the work of the cross. They're great verses, however they neglect to consider Jesus' redeeming sacrifice.
Christ defeated Satan:
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." 1 John 3:8
Tetelestai = it is finished! John 19:30
*****
Why our focus shouldn’t be on ourselves or the evil one:
Three important verses:
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."” Romans 8:15
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:3-4
We’ve no need to fear the evil one because we're God's children, God dwells within us, and he's promised to take us into glory one day soon. That's enough for me to try diligently, with his help, to remain focused on him.
*****
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39
Nothing--nothing--can separate us from God's love. We have no need for fear.
When we begin to talk about how the evil one influences us, we open the door to give him a foothold. He's powerless unless we give him an audience! That's the reason I wrote what I did, and there's no reason to bring him into the discussion, as far as I'm concerned.
********
It's good to reflect upon our words and vows and to allow God to correct our misguided hearts. But to allow those past actions to prevent us from seeing God's handiwork and love in our lives dilutes our relationships with God. He uses those experiences to show us the true nature of our hearts--natures that are very, very dark without his light. As we reflect upon our pasts, we see our failures and our successes. We see how he's transforming us, and we give him praise. It's the santification process.
I respect that we’re taking long looks into ourselves, but once we discover our transgressions, we confess them, repent of them, and move on. That’s what we should do when he convicts us of our hurtful words and poor attitudes. If we shift the blame to the evil one, though, we're not accepting responsibility for our choices.
Thankfully, we’re not bound to the past because God’s forgiven us.
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
Lastly, my prayer tonight for all of us:
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19
God loves us! Jesus died for us! The Spirit lives in us!
As such, we should not dwell upon ourselves, the world, or the evil one. We should focus on him.
edit: general clean up
< Message edited by shemaromans -- 6/2/2008 9:22:42 PM >
_____________________________
"But as for me, it is good to be near God." Psalm 73:28
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/2/2008 11:28:23 PM
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Prairiehiker
Posts: 1383
Joined: 12/11/2007
Status: offline
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quote:
I respect that we’re taking long looks into ourselves, but once we discover our transgressions, we confess them, repent of them, and move on. That’s what we should do when he convicts us of our hurtful words and poor attitudes. If we shift the blame to the evil one, though, we're not accepting responsibility for our choices.
I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks for taking the time to post.
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/3/2008 10:01:59 AM
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iwillfearnoevil
Posts: 3644
Joined: 11/6/2007
From: upstate NY
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: shemaromans
Too much credit for the evil one:
I've been praying prior to posting, and God showed me these words Saturday morning:
"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one." 2 Thess 3:3
If we’re assigning power to Satan, then we’re refusing, in some respects, to believe God’s word and his promise. The only power that the evil one possesses is deceitful words. Nothing more.
Satan has no hold over us and actually has very little to no influence if we’re focusing on God’s word and his will for our lives through daily reading and prayer and regular fellowship with other believers. Satan’s nothing! And I don’t know about everyone else, but I can sin all on my own without his lies. In fact, I imagine that he’s leaving me well enough alone because of that!
*****
All of the posts from today dealing with the “power” of Satan occur in the Bible prior to the work of the cross. They're great verses, however they neglect to consider Jesus' redeeming sacrifice.
Christ defeated Satan:
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." 1 John 3:8
Tetelestai = it is finished! John 19:30
*****
Why our focus shouldn’t be on ourselves or the evil one:
Three important verses:
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."” Romans 8:15
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:3-4
We’ve no need to fear the evil one because we're God's children, God dwells within us, and he's promised to take us into glory one day soon. That's enough for me to try diligently, with his help, to remain focused on him.
*****
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39
Nothing--nothing--can separate us from God's love. We have no need for fear.
When we begin to talk about how the evil one influences us, we open the door to give him a foothold. He's powerless unless we give him an audience! That's the reason I wrote what I did, and there's no reason to bring him into the discussion, as far as I'm concerned.
********
It's good to reflect upon our words and vows and to allow God to correct our misguided hearts. But to allow those past actions to prevent us from seeing God's handiwork and love in our lives dilutes our relationships with God. He uses those experiences to show us the true nature of our hearts--natures that are very, very dark without his light. As we reflect upon our pasts, we see our failures and our successes. We see how he's transforming us, and we give him praise. It's the santification process.
I respect that we’re taking long looks into ourselves, but once we discover our transgressions, we confess them, repent of them, and move on. That’s what we should do when he convicts us of our hurtful words and poor attitudes. If we shift the blame to the evil one, though, we're not accepting responsibility for our choices.
Thankfully, we’re not bound to the past because God’s forgiven us.
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
Lastly, my prayer tonight for all of us:
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19
God loves us! Jesus died for us! The Spirit lives in us!
As such, we should not dwell upon ourselves, the world, or the evil one. We should focus on him.
edit: general clean up
sorry but you just can't wish away the enemy shemaromans, that mindset is just as dangerous as one that blames satan for everything. i advise you to look toward 1 Peter 5:8-11 which was written AFTER Calvary:
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
this clearly links the devil and suffering. the book of revelation mentions satan again in regards to persecution and suffering. also take a look at 2 corinthians 12 referring to paul's thorn, a messenger of Satan. there's also the ephesians 6 armor of God scripture somebody already mentioned in this thread that you ignored to fit your argument of saying no references to enemy attacks after Calvary.
i haven't read any posts from anyone taking the extreme view to blame satan for everything. what i have seen is people share how they made a vow that shouldn't have been made. out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. thus the vow indicated an innter problem besides just the words. i am puzzled if you really feel we aren't in a weakened state if unrepented sin is in our life. that is the whole point of Calvary to be able to turn those over to God and live victoriously. then i read here people sharing how they repented and felt great weights lifted thanks to God's wonderful gift of forgiveness. no undue credit to enemy.
_____________________________
Photoblogging my life
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/3/2008 11:19:14 AM
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AlwaysR8chel
Posts: 4416
Joined: 4/11/2005
Status: offline
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........... Amen.
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/3/2008 11:48:27 AM
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joy2give2u
Posts: 4962
Joined: 9/19/2006
From: Indiana
Status: offline
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Shemaromans thank you for taking the time to pray and post in this thread. I have been praying about whether I should address your post or not since whether satan has power and talking about him is not really the topic of the thread.....but I feel it is important for an open dialog in this area.
quote:
"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one." 2 Thess 3:3
I agree
quote:
if we’re focusing on God’s word and his will for our lives through daily reading and prayer and regular fellowship with other believers. Satan’s nothing! May I ask why so many Christians are not living victorious lives? Why when Christ tells us in John 17 that he has given us the glory that God gave Him so many Christians, who spend time daily reading the bible, praying, and fellowshipping with other believers do not walk in the glory of God 24/7?
One of the most powerful memories I have of actually seeing the Glory of God was on a night with a full moon. I had just left church, walked out to my car, when God stilled me in my steps. Before me was a huge moon, close to earth and shining so bright I could not take my eyes off her.
As I stood there and stared at her God spoke to me how the moon was symbolic of whom I am in him. You see the moon, in itself, has no light, is covered with scars and craters, yet when the sun reflects off her she is so bright and beautiful.
Now the moon is not always bright shining with such a glow. Sometimes it is because of distance from the sun, sometimes it is because of the earth’s location and often it is because of the clouds blocking the sun. Rarely does it not have any light....but even rarer is to see it shinning in full glory from earth.
We are the moon, without Christ, there is no light in us and we are darkness.....but when His glory shines on us we radiate with the same glory. When we accepted Jesus’ gift at the cross we moved into right alignment for God's glory, which John 17 says he gave us, to light us up......and on occasion that light shines here on earth but often clouds block it's glory from lighting up the world.
In 2Thess. 2:14 God even tells us that the reason we were called through the gospel........is not just so we can go to heaven when we die.....but so that we may gain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ while still here on earth..........
We were called, Christ died on the Cross so that we can look like the moon to the world.....
I have to pause for a minute.........the imagine of that moon and the love which God spoke to my heart when seeing it is overwhelming me........in a good way........There is something amazing which happens when we step into the glory for which God called us........and my greatest passion ..........the thing which burden my heart the most is Christians who do all the right things.......read their bibles, pray and are activity involved in fellowship yet have never experienced radiating God's love fully.
Promise after promise in the bible talks about the promises God gives us as we step into the glory he and the father share.........yet I see churches full of Christian’s struggling with depression........Christ says we are to walk in joy.....depression and joy do not go hand in hand........Why is the pornography abuse, premarital sex, divorce rate......etc as rampant in Christians as it is in the world? Why because we are sinners? But you see are no longer sinners......our sin has been removed from us at the cross. Jesus tells us that.......every sin we will ever commit was removed at the cross then why does it still have such power to hold us?
Sorry my passion took over.......back to your post.
quote:
All of the posts from today dealing with the “power” of Satan occur in the Bible prior to the work of the cross. They're great verses; however they neglect to consider Jesus' redeeming sacrifice. Interesting Jesus knew he would be dying on the cross and His redeeming sacrifice would set us free yet he still felt the need to shine a light on Satan and make it clear in his word who he is and how he works. I wonder why?
I think it is interesting if you change your wording after Christ died on the cross.....from Satan or another name for him.........to darkness which is what he is.........the NT has lots to say about him after Jesus rose.
I also find it interesting and telling that John, Paul and others who refer to darkness and its power are speaking, not to unbelievers, but to Christ followers. I have to wonder if satan(darkness) has no power over a Christian to keep them from shining with the full glory of God why then did they spend time addressing the darkness in which these Christians were walking?
I John 2:8 .....darkness is passing... the true light is already shinning.........interesting that though the true light....of Christ is already shinning darkness is in the process of passing.......a transformation is happening from darkness to full light.
This verse also mentioned those who claim to be in the light (all Christians) can be blinded by darkness.
Romans 12:13 calls Christ followers to put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light...........Why does he have to remind Christians to put on their armor? Why do we have to be reminded? If there is no battle there is no need for armor is there?
Ephesians 5:11 tells us to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather to EXPOSE them.........on this thread I exposed a vow and how Satan was using it against me.
James 4:7 Daily we are to submit ourselves to God and then what? Resist the devil and he will flee from you.........Interesting........though we are walking with God.....spending time in His word, praying and fellowshipping we still have to resist the devil. I wonder why he even bothers with us if he has no chance what so ever of affecting our walk? Or could it be he knows he can not snatch us from heaven but he can block the glory of God from reflecting off us to the world? Is it possible he is like a dark storm cloud keeping the moon from reflecting the full glory of the sun upon the earth?
For me the OP post was about 1 Cor 4:5.....When God was ready he brought to light that which was hidden.......the vow I made when I was young......and exposed the motives of my heart.....he revealed to me how, though not consciously, that vow was taken more seriously in heaven then it was here on earth.....and he showed me my need to repent of the vow and ask God to release me from the vow.
As to whether satan has power or not..........Acts 26:18 tells us Paul believed satan had power.......he believed the Lord meet him face to face, transformed him so that he could open people's eyes, turn them from darkness to light, from the power of satan to God.....Satan has power in this world........he does not have power over a Christian unless our actions, beliefs, and words open a door for him.
quote:
makes you a slave again to fear
quote:
We’ve no need to fear the evil one because we're God's children,
Where does anyone mention fearing the evil one? I don't fear satan.....I don't have any fear of him at all.......If I feared him I would not so boldly bring to light his deceit and lies.........I don't fear him, I believe that God wants us all to walk free of those things he attempts to use against us........I believe God wants us to know the enemy so that we are not deceived by his words.........for after all he is a wolf in sheep clothing and fear does not make me want to rip of the disguise he is wearing ....love does.....a passion to reveal who he is and the role he is playing in keeping those who have been set free still in bondage........a burden to see everyone walking in the same joy, excitement and freedom God has given me.......a ache to never watch another child of God live a life full of religion doing everything they were taught a Christian does, without ever seeing Jesus face to face.
quote:
there's no reason to bring him into the discussion, as far as I'm concerned.
Rev 12:11 They overcame him but the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Why did I shine the light on Satan and what God showed me about my vow? Not out of fear, not because I was focusing on satan or giving him glory.....but because I know he was defeated by the Blood of the Lamb and he continues to be defeated by the word of each of our testimony.........Why does our testimony, sharing those things God has revealed to us, how he is moving in our lives, and who we are becoming in him, defeat the enemy.......our testimony blows away the storm clouds and gives the world a clear view of the glory of God shining on each of us......
There is power in the testimony of God....and sharing the amazing things he does in our lives gives evidence that God is real, he has power, and he is the same today as he was in the past.......he still meets us face to face and our faces still shine with the Glory of God.....
The second part of the verse is key as well.......they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.........We love to hang unto the things our soul (emotions, experiences, education, and everything which makes us human) values and often can by walking a good Christian life.......we say good bye to the things which the church and the bible says we should, we pray, read the bible and spend time socializing with people at church......we lay down things but we do not always die to them........When we do not love our lives so much that we are willing to die(not a physical death but a death to our soul/humanity)God does something powerful in us and his glory is shown brightly on us.......as we give testimony to our dying God is made more alive in us and in others.
quote:
If we shift the blame to the evil one, though, we're not accepting responsibility for our choices.
I did not read any post where anyone was blaming satan for their actions....I am the one who made the vow not him......he just took advantage of it.
The reason we have to resist the devil.....resist his temptations and our own fleshly desires.......because if we don't he will gladly stay and cause problems in that area of your life.........
For example premarital sex....... when it is sowed it will reap many things in a marriage.....the act, which was our choice, satan will use and he can unless we repent, turn away from, and ask for his forgiveness.
quote:
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." I think this may be why you are reading the posts differently then they are speaking to some of us.......When God reveals something hidden......when he shines light on something which has been in darkness........when he sets you free your love for him grows beyond words.........
I grew up a Christians and learned all the things a Christians does........most of which I still do daily, yet I never saw His face.........I never saw His light shinning in me.........I never realized he wanted to speak directly, face to face, with me.......and I never knew real freedom nor a love so deep I can't put it in words...until I opened myself up to receive his light in even darkest corners of who I am
Praying, reading the bible, and fellowshipping......all of these things are great tools to get to know Christ and draw closer to him but they do not compare to the transforming power ........which leaves you no choice but to die to yourself..........of standing in the glory of God being covered with his love as you see his face and hear his voice...
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As such, we should not dwell upon ourselves, the world, or the evil one. We should focus on him. I do not see this thread as dwelling upon ourselves, the world or the evil one......It saddens me you see it as such.........and more so it saddens me that some are unable to see God's glory in it all........I guess I don't understand how some can see God and others satan as the focus of this thread........I probably will never understand.
I do want to thank you for your post Shemaromans. My love for God grew more and more as he showed me what he wanted me to learn from the verses he and I went over as I wrote my response........
One of the things I love the most about the Lord is how he speaks to each of us, where we are, and uses ever opportunity to grow our love for him.
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God's Majesty seen through my eyes
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/3/2008 12:01:57 PM
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woodwind228
Posts: 473
Joined: 5/8/2008
From: Atlanta
Status: offline
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Joy, I haven't finished reading your post but wanted to comment on this:
quote:
One of the most powerful memories I have of actually seeing the Glory of God was on a night with a full moon. I had just left church, walked out to my car, when God stilled me in my steps. Before me was a huge moon, close to earth and shining so bright I could not take my eyes off her.
As I stood there and stared at her God spoke to me how the moon was symbolic of whom I am in him. You see the moon, in itself, has no light, is covered with scars and craters, yet when the sun reflects off her she is so bright and beautiful.
I watched a documentary a while back on the Bethlehem Star. It impressed me so much that I have since watched it 1/2 a dozen times. (You can go to BethlehemStar.net for more info.) The guy in the documentary wanted to find the star and did a lot of research, using the Bible as the main point of reference and he got some astronomy software so he could see what was happening in the sky during the time of Christ's conception, birth, and crucifixion. Fascinating!
Anyway, the bible was talking about the virgin clothed in the sun with the moon at her feet. Very interesting. That's what happened in the sky. The moon in this particular event was a very small crescent moon - a life not fully lived. At the crucifixion, the same thing happened - virgin clothed in the sun with the moon at her feet. This time the moon was not only a full moon (life fully lived), but also a blood moon!
Sorry, I know this was WAAAAAAAAAAAY OT but your mention of the moon just struck me that I just HAD to share this. I'll be watching this again today with a friend that is interested in seeing it.
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*~* Susan *~*
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. --John 16:33 KJV
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/3/2008 1:37:22 PM
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joy2give2u
Posts: 4962
Joined: 9/19/2006
From: Indiana
Status: offline
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quote:
Bethlehem Star WOW I can't wait to watch it. The trailer intrigued me.
A while back my pastor sent me pictures taken from the hubble space craft.........it blows your mind.........the heavens do declare his glory even the stars shout he is Lord.........
To get back on topic I was speaking to a friend when God whispered something to me.
He showed me some words I had just said and pointed out I am watering seeds which God does not want me to water.
I realized I often ,in my friendships with men , speak things over the relationship repetitively and then wonder why those words become reality.
When God opened my eyes to what I have done in the past.......I realized I needed to spend some time at his feet repenting and seeking his light to be shone on how and when I do this........I have also asked God to stay my voice before I speak things in the future.
Has anyone else noticed they do this?
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God's Majesty seen through my eyes
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/3/2008 2:58:10 PM
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AlwaysR8chel
Posts: 4416
Joined: 4/11/2005
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: joy2give2u
He showed me some words I had just said and pointed out I am watering seeds which God does not want me to water.
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......... I've done this.... it's a head-smacker thing for me... and really humbling to go back and make things right... between me and the other person... and especially between me and God.
Ya know when it happens... you can feel the 'disruption' in your spirit...... if that's how you can (me) describe it.
Head-smacker moments are good .... experiencing one means we are experiencing growth... and a sureness of knowing we are on the right track.
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/3/2008 4:10:24 PM
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joy2give2u
Posts: 4962
Joined: 9/19/2006
From: Indiana
Status: offline
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quote:
Head-smacker moments are good .... experiencing one means we are experiencing growth... and a sureness of knowing we are on the right track. I think we are talking about different things Rach..........surprising huh? LOL
I have had the head smacker moment you are talking about.......where you say something you later regret.
The types of things I am talking about are.......well let me see if I can think of an example from the far off past........
For example a gentleman I was friends with many, many years ago told me his goal or dream was to ride bike across the country with his wife. At the time I had no thought of riding my bike across America.........but since it was a goal of his I used it to remind myself not to get too serious with him since he wanted something I could not give him.
And here is the part God revealed to me.......over and over during our friendship I would say to him........remember you can't fall in love with me because you want a wife who will ride her bike across America with you.
Instead of leaving it in God's hands and trusting he could change me or him, I was constantly reminding him why a future for us was not what he wanted.
The other night God showed me how I have done this over and over again in almost every friendship(with a guy) I have had........I wondered why? Why do I do that?
I realized I do it as protection.....Those words are my reminder not to allow myself to fall in love with him but what the words really succeeded in doing was remind him why he shouldn't fall in love with me.
In the case I mentioned the ironic thing........I did do a bike ride across america and loved it.....would do it again........he never did.
I was limiting God by believing just because I was not a good match for him at the time I never would be.......and by reminding him we were not a good match I kept watering a belief he already had and one I believed as well.........what I did not do was trust God could change both of us into the person the other person was seeking.
As I was rereading this post I started laughing so hard........
the phrase.........remember you can't fall in love with me because.......
As I read it God whispered........Dawn did you realize you have said that to every single man you were interested in? No Lord I haven't.....I didn't say it to R.......right and you were never interested in him.
WOW shocker......I didn't realize till this moment how often I said those words but God is right (like there was any doubt he was) I do say those words.......I am always telling guys I am interested in why they should not fall in love with me.......
The Lord makes me smile so much as he reveals things which up till now have been covered.........I am so glad he loves me so much he is not willing to allow me to stay as I am but is continually changing me.......transforming me.........
Has God revealed anything else to any one dealing with relationships with men/women? Has he shown you something you do? Making you aware so that you do not continue to do it in relationships?
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God's Majesty seen through my eyes
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/3/2008 11:08:33 PM
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quixote
Posts: 59
Joined: 12/22/2007
Status: offline
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Hello Joy,
I read your OP, and sincerely, my heart goes out to you. Yours is an increasingly common difficulty faced by women in this swiftly declining world we live in. I hear this way more than I care to. Once is too many, actually.
I have a couple of thoughts to share with you based on God's word. Hope they are edifying...
I cannot counsel you strongly enough to abandon this belief from your OP:
"When I vowed I would never marry I gave Satan the legal right, I opened a door for him, to do everything in his power to keep me from marrying."
Satan possesses no legal rights. There is simply no exception to this rule. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." If you prefer red words, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
In fact, the notion that satan has legal rights is a doctrine commonly held as truth by sub-Christian and even non-Christian groups, the Jehovah's Witnesses being a good example.
By clinging to the belief that satan has a legal right upon your life based upon your vow (or anything else for that matter), you are creating the actual entanglement for yourself that you have spent all subsequent posts attempting to release yourself from, namely giving the devil a foothold in your life. Reject this notion and be done with it. It's nothing but self-imposed bondage. As Paul said, to paraphrase, if any other spirit preaches to you a different Gospel, let him be anathema.
Practically, and I'm sure you know this already so take this as encouragement and not preaching, 1 Cor 7:33-35 is a great place for single women and men to begin:
"An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord."
Rejoice in your singleness! If this is God's will for your life, embrace it...it's a beautiful thing. Christ was single. Paul was single. You could do a lot worse!
OK, I know you know all this already, so I do not want to sound insensitive. My heart does go out to you. But let me remind you of one other thing that you already know: if it is God's will for you to marry, an army of devils and an infinite number of vows couldn't prevent it from happening.
Trust in God and quit giving a foothold to the devil through sub-christian mysticism. God's the one to trust in, not the "power" of vows and the devil. If God is for you, who can be against you?
I'm for you too, sister, and will be praying for you. Praying that you find his peace and his will for your life, whether married or single.
Peace.
Quixote
1 Tim: 15-17
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/4/2008 9:32:35 AM
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jlp1
Posts: 125
Joined: 4/4/2008
From: Chicago
Status: offline
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quote:
Satan possesses no legal rights. There is simply no exception to this rule. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." If you prefer red words, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
In fact, the notion that Satan has legal rights is a doctrine commonly held as truth by sub-Christian and even non-Christian groups, the Jehovah's Witnesses being a good example.
By clinging to the belief that Satan has a legal right upon your life based upon your vow (or anything else for that matter), you are creating the actual entanglement for yourself that you have spent all subsequent posts attempting to release yourself from, namely giving the devil a foothold in your life. Reject this notion and be done with it. It's nothing but self-imposed bondage. As Paul said, to paraphrase, if any other spirit preaches to you a different Gospel, let him be anathema.
From what I see what Joy is saying is that Satan can tempt us at anytime and any place but he has no dominion over our lives unless given permission from God. We are responsible for every word that comes out our mouths and all through the bible we are told to watch what we say, words are very, very powerful. And we all know that He loves us and if we call upon His name he will hear us but we must repent of our actions and words are actions as well. Where there is no repentance there can be no remission, so we must beaware of our footsteps so we can walk in the correct path.
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/4/2008 10:09:38 AM
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bigmodernrush
Posts: 3
Joined: 8/18/2005
Status: offline
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I don't have the time to get deeply involved in this thread, yet feel compelled to agree that we give Satan too much credit. As If we allow ourselves to hide behind him in order to escape our shortcomings. Like "I'm with stupid -->".
The reason why some people do not have joy, in my opinion, is that these poor folks attend sermon after sermon and hear about their shortcomings. Instead of exposing of the Glory of God in the Bible. Simply reading the words of the Bible is NOT enough. There is so much more to God's word that isn't being taught....
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RE: Why I am not married - 6/4/2008 11:09:45 AM
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joy2give2u
Posts: 4962
Joined: 9/19/2006
From: Indiana
Status: offline
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Hi Quixote. Thank you so much for your post.........A few comments.
quote:
I read your OP, and sincerely, my heart goes out to you. Yours is an increasingly common difficulty faced by women in this swiftly declining world we live in. Why does your heart go out to me? I read your words as though you feel for me sadness? Why is your heart not rejoicing at the freedom God gave me? The same freedom he wishes to give all of us. The freedom which comes when he shines a light on the things in our lives with are keeping us from living in complete freedom.
You mention mine is a common difficulty faced by women and I am not sure what you are referring too? Are you referring to the fact it is a common difficulty for men and women to hear from God? That we often limited God to only speaking in a way which is comfortable for us....one which does not require us to make an immediate change?
I agree it is a common difficulty which saddens my heart. I too use to be one who thought the only way God spoke was during my devotion time in the Word.....that was until he spoke to me, until I began to open my eyes to see his burning bushes in my life (by the way in case you didn't know a burning bush is a very common thing in the region Moses was walking, even today you c | | |
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