Rare Bird

I used to struggle with self life--and I was a Christian for years (but not a Believer because while I read (in the Bible) what I believed, I didn't really believe what I read). Jesus tells us in Luke 9: 23 Then he told all of them, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continuously, 24 because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world, but destroys himself or is lost? So what if Jesus walked around while he was on earth saying, "[Sob, sob, sniffle, sniffle] Father! People are not treating me the way I expected and life is not what I thought it would be! Pleeeeease, I'm SO sad and discouraged and want you to get me out of here!" (I hope you understand the point I'm trying to make.) So, if we as Christians/Believers are called first to deny ourselves and surrender everything in our thought life and emotions to Him, how then can we become transformed into His image? Sounds like you need to deny self--your "right" to live from your emotions (what you feel)--that is, anger, bitterness, self-pity, jealousy, fear (etc)... Please understand, I speak from my own experience as a failed Christian, thanks most in part because much of the church, for forty years or so, has focused more on "blessings" (making it about ourselves) than toward being transformed into the image and likeness of His Son (putting the focus on Jesus). I get that you hurt. But you need to make the determination to follow what the Word of God SAYS over what you feel. It's a choice. And God isn't just going to magically "poof" you into something without due diligence on your part. Please know that I am speaking the truth in love because you don't have to live in the pit of despair. Stick with it. Don't give up. I'm cheering for you!

Sorry to hear about your loss. I've been through (keyword "THROUGH") my fair share as anyone--believer and non-believer alike. I think as Christians, because we are under the New Covenant, we tend to think that God should just automatically protect us from every one of life's injustices. I used to think that way, but it is wrong thinking and will lead you down a path that can turn you against God. Jesus suffered the most unjust trials of anyone, yet it was all for God's greater purpose and glory. Here's a good article on why we have trials in case you are interested: https://khouse.org/articles/2006/626 Trials test our faith, and we must remember that until our Kinsman Redeemer breaks the 7th Seal, Satan still has ownership rights of this earth. So press in my brother, and seek help from your church body and family. I don't say this lightly because I know what suffering is (I'm currently in one that's been ongoing for several years now, since 2012 as a matter of fact!) and my heart breaks for your situation and the grief you've had to bear. But God is still good, He's good to you, and He is worthy of all praise. So even if you can just praise Him for salvation and relationship right now, He will honor that. If you know in your heart that He said, "my son, wait upon the Lord, proclaim it 3 times I will wait upon the Lord" in 2012 (seems like a long time and it is!) then you hang onto that no matter what! Wait upon the Lord and not on circumstances. He measure growth, not time. Pour your heart out to Him and search yourself to see what He's wanting to purge from you in order to see His reflection of Himself in YOU! As silver refined. I too received a word from Him in 2013, and I've wrestled with if it was even from Him (which I do know it was), and am still awaiting the promise. He is faithful to His word and will get us to the "other side." Use this as an opportunity to deepen your intimacy with Him by continuing seeking Him even when it's dark and He is silent because he says that He will give you hidden treasures in darkness Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. This is a test for those with pure hearts whom He is refining and who He is training to use. Rejoice in this! I know it's hard, but instead of asking "Why" simply remember "Who". Trials show us who we are, and test us to see if we will practice what we preach. So in what I've learned, it's more about your mindset and steadfastedness than in the circumstances. Again, not minimizing your suffering, but just sharing some wisdom. I also think about Joseph sitting a prison for two years--what must have went through his head during that time, yet he did not lose faith. Or David when he was holed up in a cave (without a sofa or a tv) left to commisurate and supplicate to God, with Saul combing through every nook and cranny trying to kill him. Or Moses, on the backside of the desert (not the front side mind you!) following a turnaround from ruling in Egypt to tending sheep. Talk about suckiness! I just say this to you because though it hurts, you are in good company. You have a Lion as your best friend and your covenant with Him makes Him responsible for your life. So trust Him. Cry to Him when you have to, and seek out those in your chuch family for comfort and help. You will get through this. Just know that you are loved and one day, all of this crud we go through here will determine our rewards and our rulership in the next Kingdom! One thing I find comfort in is Matthew 6: 25 “For this reason I say to you, [n]do not be worried about your [o]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the [p]air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single [q]hour to his [r]life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [s]seek first [t]His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be [u]added to you.34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [v]care for itself. [w]Each day has enough trouble of its own. And also meditate on Philippians chapter 4 where Paul encourages those believers to rejoice and make their supplications to God (don't stop praising God for who He is and your salvation, and pour your heart out to Him because He loves you and wants to hear from you). Further in Philippians 4 talks about LEARNING contentment in all things. Life if going to happen, but we have the Holy Spirit INSIDE of us--so rely on Him as your strength. Lastly, Psalm 77 has helped me put things in proper perspective. And then Psalm 13, Psalm 116, Isaiah 50:10 and Isaiah 43. So be strong and courageous, and I will pray! Boy, did a I just diatribe or what!?

It was merely an observation that I was stating in a public op-ed thread. What you choose to do with information that you take offense to is entirely your drama, not mine, and I make no apologies, nor wish you any ill will. It is—and remains—my position on this particular matter, and it is highly unlikely that you, or anyone for that matter, will ever change it. So what was your point in trying to refute it? Based on the demeanor of your response, which is from a defensive position and also demonstrates intent to gaslight me by posing extraneous questions about my personal life (which frankly is none of your business, btw), you may want to do some soul searching to find out what triggered you to act upon such fear-based thoughts/emotions with an unsolicited and contemptuous response, rather than debate ad nauseam about why you feel the need to justify yourself with little ol’ me. P.S. 25 years?! Now I can sleep well tonight. I truly hope the quality was/is as good as the quantity.

You are an exception to the rule. Perhaps when you were married, times were different than of late. Who knows...Some get lucky I guess, and some are indeed God-directed. Nonetheless, the thread topic seemed to be an Op-Ed and I simply stated my opinions based on what I've often seen happen to those who marry in haste.

Sociopaths, psychopaths (narcissists and borderline personality) are classified as cluster-B personality disorders in which the person lacks the emotional "wiring" to show true empathy. Empathy is necessary for one to be self-reflective and see how they brought pain into another's life, and therefore, highly unlikely, if not impossible, for serial killers (who are commonly in the cluster-B personality disorder spectrum) to repent and be saved. They don't see anything wrong with their actions. Ever. This doesn't change as they are wired this way, usually do to attachment, abandonment or neglect during infancy >> childhood, where personality (and disorders) develop.

What I find just as irresponsible is when pastors marry believers who have only known each other for a short time (i.e., less than a year), lest the betrothed couple gets "ruttish" and fall into sin. Just because you are a Christian, does NOT make married life palpable either, as personality dynamics and disorders run the gamut even among those who profess Christ as Savior; and until someone can see behavioral patterns in a potential life partner/helper in all manners of experience and how they respond to it--whether it be in spending habits, hard times, stressful situations--one would do well to avoid marrying, just because the oxytocin is coursing through the neural network of the brain. I've heard of too many emotionally manipulative relationships by those who are believers, and it makes me realize how important it is to have boundaries and pay attention to--and address--red flags before scheduling the nuptials, so the "I dos" don't turn into "I wish I never..." and be unhappily married for the rest of your days. Too many crazies out there. In and out of the church.

As I have discovered elsewhere on this board. Where is the "face palm" emoticon when you need one? Respectfully, "The Rapturist" P.S. Coming from the database marketing industry, weeding out Christians who hold/held firm in the faith, is already an easy thing to do, and why we have things like Facebook (and those silly questionaires to find out what kind of animal you would be..), Disqus, Twitter, et al. in addition to the huge push for government-run healthcare (another database known as the EMR) that are all connected. Buzz words surrounding this idealogy include "The Internet of Things" or "Big Data". It's all being dumped into a SUPER database that can be segmented and used to identify unbelievable detail on a person, their relationships and affiliations. Scary, scary stuff, but this is an example of the spirit of the AC already at work (e.g., translation: INSTEAD of Christ) and what may (keyword "may") very well be the IMAGE of the first beast (Rev 13:14-15 and noted elsewhere in Rev 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20). Just something I've pondered.

When a brother or sister is going through an ongoing trial or heartache, and are told by other naive believers that the reason they aren't seeing any relief or answered prayer is because they "don't have enough a faith" or it must be "because of unconfessed sin in their life", rather than praying for them, encouraging them and comforting them through it. Yeeeaaah. Go get Job's perspective on that one. (Or Joseph. Or Moses. Or David. Or Elijah. Or Jesus. Or the apostles. Or the persecuted saints . . . )

I am a born again Christian--reasoning out scriptures within the context of each particular topic as it relates to the whole of scripture--and am under no obligation to waste my time on a person such as yourself, who is more adament about arguing for the sake of arguing than in edifying the body; realized in the fact that you will not answer my questions, but only propose more. This speaks volumes to your character and personality and tells me that you are a control-freak, manipulative and without any show of humility. I also know all about the "last trumpet". And the trumpets of the feasts and the Jewish heritage that underlays their signifcance as it relates to the 70th week of Daniel (aka: Tribulation period) and Great Tribulation (i.e., last 3.5 years), and common misunderstanding about the [types of] trumpets. Yet anything I relay will only result in more cut-and-paste reply scriptures taken out of context, followed by more questions from you. (So call me a "rapturist" if that will make you happy.) Having said that, I am not about to waste one more moment on this topic, because anything I--or anyone else here--responds with, will only end up with more futile cut-and-paste jobs from the other site you frequent, without you answering our questions in order to reason scripture. This type of behavior--in addition to your grandiose sense of self-worth and need for stimulation (i.e., posting the same stuff on two, possibly more, forums) is indicative to that of a psychopath, and those types of games are best left to the weak-minded. Have a nice day.

Yah but, specifically, where do you believe Elijah (and Enoch) is currently residing since they were "caught up" before the New Covenant? Because they way I read 2 Kings 2:1 below: 2 Kings 2:1 As the time drew near when the Lord was about to take Elijah to heaven in a wind storm, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Strongs H8064 שָׁמַיִם shâmayim, shaw-mah'-yim; dual of an unused singular שָׁמֶה shâmeh; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):—air, × astrologer, heaven(-s). P.S. Awesome cut and paste btw, taken from http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/138383-so-what-about-fourth-commandment-63.html you made on March 13, 2013. Do you not have anything better to do with your time but contrive meaningless arguments that you have no intent whatsoever in edifying yourself or others with, but only to "drop scripture bombs" taken out of context in order to form a weak argument(s) that are heretical in nature? Again. All I say is, "Wow".

All I can say is, "Wow." This may just turn out to be the most entertaining forum I have ever visited.

And, "We are not allowed to go to heaven?" Wha...???! Interesting perspective. Wow. I guess the Holy Spirit has misled the majority of Bible scholars and church leaders for the last two thousandish years, and I can just throw away the last 20+ years I've invested in studying the Bible. Also, could I get your perspective on where you believe Enoch and Elijah are currently residing, as I had posed in my former post? I think you forgot to address that. Additionally, if Elijah and Moses were present with Jesus during the transfiguration, and then disappeared while Jesus remained, where did they go? Are they allowed to go to heaven, but nobody else?

Here's my reasoning: Do you buy flowers for your wife because you HAVE to, or because you WANT to? The act of buying flowers is the result of loving her, just as works are the result of loving God because you want to by recognizing the amazing FREE gift he has given us--a gift that we did not have to earn or strive for. Simply take God at His word as Abraham did, and it was credited to him as righteousness. When you work to earn God's approval, you think then, that you deserve a "wage" and shoots grace in the foot, elevating your deeds above God's grace and forgiveness. It basically Sonship versus an orphan spirit. A son knows he's loved for who he is and who his father is. An orphan believes he has to fend for himself, and his acceptance is based on what he does.

So where does this leave John 14:2 "In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you." I mean, why bother building mansions if you are going to His holy mountain? (i.e., 1 Thess 4:15-18, Isaiah 26:19-21, Zeph 2:3, Psalm 27:5, Psalm 50:5) Also, based on this path of reasoning, where are Elijah and Enoch currently residing? They were "raptured/caught away to be with the Lord before death" were they not? And is Jesus residing at the right hand of the Father (who art in heaven), or not? [Hebrews 10:12]?