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I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/1/2008 7:55:55 PM
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misty35
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From: Arkansas
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For the past couple of days, I have been really shocked with what I have learned about a friend and I need advice, so please anyone who can help, please do.....
I have known this friend for about 4 years, we havent spoke in probably a year, maybe a little longer than that, but just recently, about 2 weeks ago, we began to email one another, and I shared with him what the Lord has done for me. He allowed me to continue to testify to him, and to my shock, he told me how closed minded that I am, and I shouldnt believe that I was saved, that we can save ourselves, well I went on to tell him how wrong he is. Well to make a long story short, when I went into work this morning, he had emailed me a lot of garbage, trying to prove the Bible to be wrong, well I deleted it, would not even read it.....he believes the Bible is a fairytale, not sure if he believes in Jesus Christ, he does believe that there is a God, but just isnt sure about all the other. He went as far as to tell me that he would repent on his death bed, I mean I have been in shock with all this!! I remember when he use to speak about the Lord, and it was nothing like this!
But anyway, his last email to me today said, "Do not email me again, you are a Bible thumper and you are pathetic, and I find people like you funny. When you are ready to know the truth, then you can email me." He went on to say that there were other Gods before Jesus Christ, who has done everything that He has. Believe me, I stood up for Christ, but I did it without anger, and ya'll, I know the Bible says, "We are Blessed if we are persecuted for His name sake." And I believe that, but it hurts to see a friend like this. I never expected any of this. I have prayed for him, and I will continue to pray for him, but it hurts to know that he believes like this.
What do I do??
May God Bless You All :)
Misty
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/1/2008 8:03:45 PM
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manda59
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quote:
ORIGINAL: misty35
But anyway, his last email to me today said, "Do not email me again, you are a Bible thumper and you are pathetic, and I find people like you funny. When you are ready to know the truth, then you can email me."
quote:
What do I do??
You respect his request, and walk away. Don't say a word.
By all means pray for him, but leave him in God's hands. Step back.
_____________________________
"Once again....drum roll please! Manda is right"
doinkdom, October 2008
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/1/2008 8:14:07 PM
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pg4Him
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Manda is right.
The best thing you can do is leave him be. Trying to keep the discussion going will only irritate him and push him farther away. Put him on your prayer list for God to soften his heart and wait for a better time to try.
_____________________________
To hear the Word and not *do* the Word is to still not know the Word.
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/1/2008 8:14:33 PM
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mvic
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Do not write to him, do not phone him or make any other contact.
Pray for him. Ask God to deal with this situation.
Should he contact you again, respond politely that you have your beliefs and that he shouldn't mock them or denigrate them. If he can't respect your wishes. Just walk away.
_____________________________
Christian words of comfort at http://www.holyvisions.co.uk
Welcome to my Blog
MEI VITA INDICO CHRISTUS
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/1/2008 8:28:20 PM
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misty35
Posts: 614
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From: Arkansas
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I know you are all right, Im just so shocked by all of it, I never in my life expected this, not from him. And the scary thing, the one thing that blows my mind, is that he can quote Scripture, tell you so much about the Bible, and turn around to say horrible things. And the more I talk to him, I get angry, so I have to take a deep breath and think about how I react to it.
I guess the hardest thing for me is, knowing Christ the way I do, and what He has done for me, and what He wants to do for so many others, and to hear someone say the things they do can really strikes a nerve with me. I guess if he wasnt a friend it would be easier for me. Im concerned for anyone that talks that kind of garbage, and I pray for those people as well, but to hear a friend say these things has left me totally shocked!!
And that last email, saying,"Dont email me again until you are ready for the truth." Really hurt today.
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/1/2008 8:38:53 PM
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misty35
Posts: 614
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From: Arkansas
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Ladyichigo,
Thank you :) I know your right. A part of me feels like that maybe there is more I can do, or maybe more I should have said today, but the more I said, the more angry he got with me, and to the point of laughing at me. My heart feels so heavy. No one could ever make me turn my back on Christ or even make me doubt Him, but those words today were so harsh. I honestly do not know this side of him.
Everyone here is so wonderful, and I just ask that you all pray for him.
Thanks to everyone, and may God Bless you all!
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/1/2008 8:56:54 PM
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manda59
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misty35
You may well be especially emotionally vulnerable at the moment because of your situation - please be especially careful about who you try to reach out to/get close to at this time.
I hope you don't mind me saying this. It's just that I read another post of yours and felt I should say something to warn you. Give yourself time to heal, take some time out to get some counselling perhaps.
_____________________________
"Once again....drum roll please! Manda is right"
doinkdom, October 2008
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/1/2008 10:39:04 PM
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deermousie
Posts: 1857
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Yahoo, smell the sulfur! Straight out of the pit of hell.
I'm sorry your friend has fallen away from his faith, Misty. It's a spiritual battle and he is rejecting God therefore he will reject you. OK. Pray for him, because God will either bring him to repentence or give him over to his sin, and God is the one who calls or doesn't. So pray pray pray for him... and get on with your life. This guy already knows what you believe, and the definition of nagging is telling someone something they already know.
Probably this guy sinned in something little and decided to protect the little spark rather than confess and repent of it, and it grew until he had a big fire and had to choose between pleasure or God. No one suddenly falls away into full-out rejection of God. So pray, and beg God to bring this guy to repentence before God.
I'm sorry you lost a friend. But I'm sorrier for him - he's losing everything as it stands now. I am praying for him tonight, too. May God in His mercy grant this guy repentence and bring him back into a right relationship with God.
_____________________________
Want to know where a certain word or phrase in the Bible is found? www.biblegateway.com Yay!
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 12:33:39 AM
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KnowJesus
Posts: 263
Joined: 7/21/2006
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quote:
ORIGINAL: misty35
For the past couple of days, I have been really shocked with what I have learned about a friend and I need advice, so please anyone who can help, please do.....
I have known this friend for about 4 years, we havent spoke in probably a year, maybe a little longer than that, but just recently, about 2 weeks ago, we began to email one another, and I shared with him what the Lord has done for me. He allowed me to continue to testify to him, and to my shock, he told me how closed minded that I am, and I shouldnt believe that I was saved, that we can save ourselves, well I went on to tell him how wrong he is. Well to make a long story short, when I went into work this morning, he had emailed me a lot of garbage, trying to prove the Bible to be wrong, well I deleted it, would not even read it.....he believes the Bible is a fairytale, not sure if he believes in Jesus Christ, he does believe that there is a God, but just isnt sure about all the other. He went as far as to tell me that he would repent on his death bed, I mean I have been in shock with all this!! I remember when he use to speak about the Lord, and it was nothing like this!
But anyway, his last email to me today said, "Do not email me again, you are a Bible thumper and you are pathetic, and I find people like you funny. When you are ready to know the truth, then you can email me." He went on to say that there were other Gods before Jesus Christ, who has done everything that He has. Believe me, I stood up for Christ, but I did it without anger, and ya'll, I know the Bible says, "We are Blessed if we are persecuted for His name sake." And I believe that, but it hurts to see a friend like this. I never expected any of this. I have prayed for him, and I will continue to pray for him, but it hurts to know that he believes like this.
What do I do??
May God Bless You All :)
Misty
Misty...how heart wrenching to hear this sad news.
Just remember when you pray, that God is greater than he who is in the world.
Your friends words are NOT conclusive, even if he thinks they are. Praying his sin will be burdensome, and the Lord will send other believers to his side each day . Praying with you that the truth will set him free in Jesus. That the new age teachings he thinks are fact...will be revealed as the lies of satan himself. Praying that the word of God that was once planted in him will spill forth as words of wisdom and truth, even in his sleep...in Jesus name.
I know if it was my friend, I would keep him in prayer. But, I can't help wonder if I would want to send him a card saying so. Do you have his home address?
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 3:13:25 AM
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manda59
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quote:
ORIGINAL: KnowJesus
But, I can't help wonder if I would want to send him a card saying so. Do you have his home address?
If he was my friend, I wouldn't do this at all. The guy has requested space, and he should be given it. In his state of mind, he might well consider this being hounded and also consider this patronising.
_____________________________
"Once again....drum roll please! Manda is right"
doinkdom, October 2008
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 3:28:21 AM
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Liveloved
Posts: 1838
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misty35,
I realize all I have to go by is what you have given us but from what you have shared, my concern is for this friend's mental health. His responses to you do not just sound like someone who is a nonbeliever but like there is something else going on. Mental health (or illness as the case may be) and demonic influence are realms that the average person are illequipped to deal with. So prayer is the absolutely best option for you. Others have advised the same. I would prayerfully commit your friend to the Lord. His mind is in torment so pray that the Prince of Peace would have His way with your friend.
Those are my thoughts. I hope they are helpful to you, LL
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 12:40:10 PM
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misty35
Posts: 614
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From: Arkansas
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Hi everyone,
I want to start out by saying thank u :)
Manda59, you are absolutely right, at this point, I am very vulnerable, but at the same time, the Lord is my strength and my peace. I was faced with a divorce, that ended just last Wed., and yes, it has left my heart absolutely shattered, I never seen my marriage ending, and I was just so sure that the Lord was going to restore it, but to my surprise, it didnt happen like that. Im not resentful or angry, but there are times, that I wish I knew why, but I always go back to this, "The Lord is in control of my life, and I have to trust that He wont make a mistake with it." It hurts, and I have moments when I think I cant go on, but the Lord is always right there, saying "YES U CAN!" I had forgiven my now ex husband, from the very beginning, when he yelled divorce, turned to the alcohol, didnt want marriage counseling, he simply wanted a divorce and to blame me for our financial difficutly, which gave him reason to drink. Its hard, I will never deny that, but I will not allow myself to roll around in self-pity either, I always keep Job in mind also....I do believe there is purpose in everything I have been faced with, but I also know this, if we never find ourselves in the valley, how will our faith have room to grow? It simply wouldnt! The devil tries to convince that the Lord has failed me, but I know different, the Lord is molding me into a Mighty Soldier to further His Kingdom.
So, yes, now with this friend saying the things that he is saying, is another absolute shock, and it hurts also, but Im keeping my eyes on the Lord and not the storms that surround me!
And yes, this friend of mine, does have some mental health issues, Im not sure what they are, but he has actually talked to me about it a couple of years ago, I just cant remember what he called it. Its so amazing, the knowledge he has about the Bible, the things that he can tell you, but to turn around and say its fairytale!! Its scary too be honest with everyone. He has told me not to ever contact him again unless Im ready for the truth.....I left it at that, so today, I havent emailed him, and he hasnt me.
He actually talked about a person called Mithra, saying this was a God, and this person had done the very same things that Jesus Christ has done, and said that many before him had did this too. I promise, the things he said yesterday, has blown my mind, and to a point, I do believe there is demonic influence there! There has to be, for the things that are coming out of his mouth.
So, I have this question, just say that a person is under demonic influence and they dont wont to be delivered but yet there are people praying and fasting for this person, can he be delievered? Or does he have to want it himself?
Thank to everyone,
Misty
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 12:55:57 PM
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misty35
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From: Arkansas
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Just to give everyone an idea of some of the things he says, read this:
I always find it so comical that people go blindly into something.
Well let me enlighten you. If you were born and raised in Iraq, you would be muslem, if you were born and raised in India, you would be Hindu, if you were born and raised in China, you would be Buddist. If you were born and raised in, I don't know, some tribe of indians in South America, you would worship the four winds, and a sun God and God knows what else. We are a product of our culture, and our culture is a product of relegions, 1000's of them. I thought you were smarter than this to know that although yes, there is a creator, I certainly and most deffinetly think that we don't have the slightest clue, nor could we as to who, what and why he is. To sum it up in a book written by men, that has thier cutlture riddled all throughout the book, especiallly thier culture regarding women..you can see it is plainly a middle eastern phyilosphy. I highly doubt that God himself is sterotyped to be a Middle Eastern God with brown skin and the values of the middle eastern man.
You saved yourself Misty from bulemia, as if God said one thing in the Bible you should listen to, it is that he made you in the image of himself. That means, you too are a creater, you can think for yourself, and solve problems.
If you wanted to live and not die, and see your daughter grow up, you could have sought treatement for why you thought you looked bad, and why you were killing yourself "and stop."
Now how sad is that??? But back to my question, can a person be delivered with prayer and fasting from other believers, or does that person have to want it? I have heard many different opinions on this. And yes, I had suffered with bulemia for probably 16 years, and was facing death 15 months ago when I had gotten down to the smallest I had ever been, it had taken over my life, along with pain that was getting to the point that no pian medication would touch. It was around 2am, 15 months ago, when I found myself alone, in so much pain that I thought I was going to die! Although I had been raised all my life being taught about Jesus Christ, I had never accepted Him into my life, but on this very morning, when I hit the floor in pain, I knew who to call out too, and He was there!! Today, there is no bulemia, and I have not had to have any medical treatment for this, the Lord Himself healed ME!!!! HE gets all the GLORY!!! If you research bulemia, it will clearly tell you that its something you will battle for the rest of your life and will need family support for this, but when Jesus Christ walked into my life, He showed me different. I just felt that I needed to share that with everyone, so you would know what he is referring to in the email he sent me.
< Message edited by misty35 -- 10/2/2008 1:26:53 PM >
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 1:59:27 PM
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pg4Him
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You need to pray for God to speak to His heart, to offer grace, and to pray for God to keep him well until he can be ministered to again. You cannot save your friend through your actions, but you can ask God to "turn up the heat" and send loving people his way.
As far as someone suggesting he might be mentally unstable, I tend to disagree. I know many people who are perfectly normal but they hate God that much. It's a very common thing in society these days.
_____________________________
To hear the Word and not *do* the Word is to still not know the Word.
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 2:12:49 PM
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KnowJesus
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quote:
ORIGINAL: manda59
quote:
ORIGINAL: KnowJesus
But, I can't help wonder if I would want to send him a card saying so. Do you have his home address?
If he was my friend, I wouldn't do this at all. The guy has requested space, and he should be given it. In his state of mind, he might well consider this being hounded and also consider this patronising.
Manda59...I agree with what you are saying, even though I did "wonder" about sending a card to let him (a friend) know he is in my prayers, period, nothing else. Having further read Misty's posts today, I would agree with you, even more. If he is indeed, in a mental state of illness, delusional, also irrational, then nothing anyone could say to him at this time, may matter. But praise God, the Lord knows the makings of this man. Prayer is the greatest weapon against this warfare of false gods, lies and the restoration of this possibly lost friend, or extremely wayward child. Lifting this friend up to the Lord is the best thing of all.
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 2:29:35 PM
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KnowJesus
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Misty, I noticed you posted twice, since my last one. I will have to respond later, other than I see the devils ideals in your friends thoughts. No, doubt about it, either.
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 2:30:07 PM
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misty35
Posts: 614
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I agree, but the question is still there for me, Im struggling with this one, and wish I had Scripture for it. I believe with all my heart, that God hears all of our prayers and He answers. But I have "HEARD" that if a person doesnt "WANT" to be delivered, then God wont make them, is this true? Am I making this harder to understand than what it is?
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 2:31:30 PM
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misty35
Posts: 614
Joined: 9/22/2008
From: Arkansas
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quote:
ORIGINAL: KnowJesus
Misty, I noticed you posted twice, since my last one. I will have to respond later, other than I see the devils ideals in your friends thoughts. No, doubt about it, either.
Ok....thank you.
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 2:40:13 PM
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Little_1
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Psalm 37:5 comes to mind.
Commit your friend to God's care. Trust God to continue to work in your friend's life (despite what you have witnessed). Don't try to make him see 'the light' - rather give him space as he has requested and wait for God to bring His plan to pass.
_____________________________
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 3:29:00 PM
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theredhog
Posts: 41
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Misty,
quote:
" He went on to say that there were other Gods before Jesus Christ, who has done everything that He has.
The fact that there are other religions that claim the "born of a virgin..resurrection" motif used to bother me. Then, I thought to myself...:who is older than God?? Any religion that says they did what God did, in my opinion, is just counterfeiting the truth. It was God's first LOL!!
Be strengthened and be at peace. God is in control and He knows your concerns. 
redhog
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 4:19:03 PM
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deermousie
Posts: 1857
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quote:
ORIGINAL: misty35
I agree, but the question is still there for me, Im struggling with this one, and wish I had Scripture for it. I believe with all my heart, that God hears all of our prayers and He answers. But I have "HEARD" that if a person doesnt "WANT" to be delivered, then God wont make them, is this true? Am I making this harder to understand than what it is?
Scripture says we are three-part beings:
-body
-soul (mind, emotions, etc)
-spirit (the part of us that deals with God)
We are born spiritually dead, and we can't want God because dead people want nothing. You can yell at a bodily dead person and punch them in the face and they don't feel it. Same thing spiritually.
If God makes us alive then we can respond to Him, see our sinful state and cry out to Him to save us. We want relationship with Him.
God makes the first move (and the Bible doesn't say how He does this, but only that He does). So when we want to see someone get saved, our first step is to pray like crazy that God will make them alive. We tell the person the facts: Jesus died to forgive sinners and asks us to believe that Jesus' blood washes us clean. A saved person hears us and responds (like, grabs that like a telephone pole in a high wind) to that and "gets saved."
I think the verse that you're thinking of is the one about Jesus knocks on the door and asks to be let in; the context there is to Christians, not the unsaved.
There's a ton of Scripture involved in what I've just said, and I could dig it out, but as you read through the Bible daily you'll find it (three chapters a day will take you through the Bible in a year. Then start over!  )
_____________________________
Want to know where a certain word or phrase in the Bible is found? www.biblegateway.com Yay!
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 4:37:30 PM
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misty35
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Deermousie,
That makes perfect sense to me, but now I have another question, and this is getting off the subject dealing with my friend, but going back to my divorce that was just final last Wed. I guess this is where I truly got the question about will God make someone do something or does that person have to want salvation. My ex husband had quit drinking for 3 months, I see this, I witnessed this, and I ask him, is it hard, is the desire still there, and he said, "No, the Lord has taken the desire away from me." He gave God all the glory, and we were doing great, going to church, getting along, but as soon as we had financial difficulty, he began to drink again, and out of no where wanted a divorce, it was like he completely turned his back on God. Believe me, I prayed, and I believed that God was going to restore my marriage, but it just didnt happen that way, and I just cant get it through my head, how someone can praise God and give Him Glory, to turn back to the alcohol, and turn his back on his family as if we never existed!! I mean that hurts!! But anyway, what I'm saying is that I have prayed, believed, endured, rebuked the devil out of our lives, u name it, I have done it, and it just didnt turn out the way I thought it was going to, so that makes me wonder, will God intervene and make someone wake up or will He remove His very presence from that persons life when He is rejected?
Ya'll, I maybe rambling, but Im trying to make sense of all this. Between my divorce and my friend, IM NOT QUESTIONING GOD, Im just wanting to understand :(
I hope Im making sense to everyone. Better days have to come soon, I sometimes wonder how much more I can take.
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RE: I need advice about a situation that Im facing.... - 10/2/2008 5:01:07 PM
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theredhog
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Joined: 9/23/2008
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Personally, I believe He looks for the lost sheep till He brings him back. He may be pretty beat up because of His wandering off though. And, I don't find any expiration date... Try not to get messed up by it all, sometimes our churches get a bit off balance with what we really have the power to do.
The power of drugs and alcohol has to be very strong. People start dealing with feelings and situations that they think they have to have an answer to and get so frustrated they just turn to whatever brings relief. Even though it causes more problems. I rebuked the devil over and over about my child having a rash on his botttom and the rash finally left..AFTER he got out of diapers....
Does the Bible tell us to rebuke the devil? Anyway...God is concerned with you and your family more than you know and He is not about to take His eyes off you. ..Casting ALL your care upon the Lord..because to Him, YOU MATTER! Just how I see it.
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