What Personal Situation did the Lord Save You From?

[Vine Abider]

15 minutes ago, BornAgain490 said:

My brother, suffice to say, before God saved me by His grace, I was not unlike yourself, and everyone else:  walking after the flesh, minding the things of the flesh, lost in the temporal pleasures of the world and on the broad way to eternal destruction. 

I think it instructive when we read of the apostles; we learn very little of their sins, save Matthew the tax collector, Judas the thief, Peter and Thomas and the rest of the apostles that doubted, and Paul the self-righteous Pharisee who persecuted to death our brothers and sisters in Christ.  But we don't read about (Paul excepted) their carnal lives, how they walked after the flesh minding the things of the flesh, before they were called out and brought near to God: were there adulterers among the apostles? drunkards? whoremongers? murderers? 

Are we to assume by textual silence that those whom Jesus called as apostles were squeaky clean?  Or should we simply leave it to our imaginations that the apostles were not unlike us before we were saved. 

I believe God saw fit to leave any narrative of the apostles past sinful lives out of scripture so that we might also not count their sins against them, and that we also might have confident assurance in God's promise that our sins and iniquities He will remember no more. (Hebrews 8:12).

We know scripture commands us to confess our sins, and to one another to confess and repent our sins against each other.  

Brother, we give thanks always to our God and Savior Jesus Christ for His perpetual strength in us that brought us out (and keeps us out) of darkness and in His marvelous light. 🙌 🙏 

 

>>Yet God also does not gloss over mentioning sins and shortcomings in the bible at all.  Many of the ones mentioned in Hebrews 11 (the so called "Hall of Faith" chapter) did seriously misguided things, which we can read about in detail in other places in the bible.  But you are correct that in His mercy, He does not focus on those shortcomings in Heb 11.  Rather, He records there what I call, their "snapshots of faith."  That is, even though they may have tried to give their wife away (Abraham, twice), or killed someone to gain their wife (David), or was just a wild man (Sampson), they are mentioned in this chapter for their instances of faith! 

[other one]

He saved me from being across the street from the Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City.  Where I was supposed to be, no one who was in that parking lot lived.

[NConly]

At the time I always attributed it to luck, now I attribute about 14-15 times my life was in danger to God who saved my life before I came around to being saved.

[other one]

9 minutes ago, other one said:

He saved me from being across the street from the Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City.  Where I was supposed to be, no one who was in that parking lot lived.

[BornAgain490]

1 hour ago, Vine Abider said:

>>Yet God also does not gloss over mentioning sins and shortcomings in the bible at all.  Many of the ones mentioned in Hebrews 11 (the so called "Hall of Faith" chapter) did seriously misguided things, which we can read about in detail in other places in the bible.  But you are correct that in His mercy, He does not focus on those shortcomings in Heb 11.  Rather, He records there what I call, their "snapshots of faith."  That is, even though they may have tried to give their wife away (Abraham, twice), or killed someone to gain their wife (David), or was just a wild man (Sampson), they are mentioned in this chapter for their instances of faith! 

Amen amen 

[AnOrangeCat]

1 hour ago, Vine Abider said:

Thank God you were rescued from that!  Can you please tell us more about your salvation experience when you first prayed and what that was like?

This is going to be a long one. I was a little kid at the time, not even in school. I got exposed to a lot of Christian kid shows that were around at the time, one of them being The Gospel Bill Show. Didn't really understand what was going on at the time but I prayed along with the show and that was that. I was typically thought of as a good kid, and I have no doubt that fit into it. Over time I learned more and more about Jesus and the Bible and I stuck with it, but there was very much a phase 2 and 3 in my mind as well.

I had a really fearful outlook regarding my standing with God from the time I was a teenager all the way into my late 20s/early 30s. I think it was in part because attention from my biological father was typically not great and that was something that colored my relationship with God. But hellfire and brimstone preaching was also really common where I grew up and my grandmother was extremely into end times prophecy and the rapture. I was, at least in my mind, deeply lukewarm and very conscious of that, and I struggled a lot with worries that I had blasphemed the Holy Spirit. I had a lot of ugly, persistent, and intrusive thoughts that brought me to panic and tears.

Like I've stated before my grandmother became extremely abusive after dementia, and to top it off she was dangerous to herself and others. She'd literally drive in the middle of the road, had no idea she was doing anything wrong, and quite often she'd respond with tantrums and hostility. She didn't want anyone driving but her, and her mind was so far gone she thought she could drive to Hawaii. I tried to discourage her from driving, I'd hide the keys, try to get relatives to bring us things, but there were plenty of times when getting in the car with her just couldn't be avoided. So I prayed a lot, and despite some of those trips being hours long affairs involving Dallas/Fort Worth overpasses (they're reeeeally impressive and high up) I'm still alive and kicking and never once had to deal with the awkwardness that would have ensued from her being pulled over. Between that and the way I was delivered I really came to believe God had a plan for me and cared for me enough to intervene. It really turned my outlook around.

Phase 3 was after my life had settled. I had a really bad episode of those intrusive thoughts. Just like all the other bad outbreaks there was panic and tears and I'd argue with the thoughts and probably looked crazy in the process. But that episode prompted me to step up my walk with God, and so much as my largely housebound self could manage, to try to build up others in Christ. Since then those intrusive thoughts have almost entirely stopped. It reminds me of Paul's thorn in the flesh that he prayed about but ultimately concluded served a purpose. In my case the thorn served its purpose. God removed it from me. It aches from time to time every now and then but it's nothing compared to what it used to be. My thoughts are that I get those minor episodes to remind me that I once had it, was delivered from it, and came out more Christlike from the experience.

[BornAgain490]

1 hour ago, Vine Abider said:

>>Yet God also does not gloss over mentioning sins and shortcomings in the bible at all.  Many of the ones mentioned in Hebrews 11 (the so called "Hall of Faith" chapter) did seriously misguided things, which we can read about in detail in other places in the bible.  But you are correct that in His mercy, He does not focus on those shortcomings in Heb 11.  Rather, He records there what I call, their "snapshots of faith."  That is, even though they may have tried to give their wife away (Abraham, twice), or killed someone to gain their wife (David), or was just a wild man (Sampson), they are mentioned in this chapter for their instances of faith! 

True, there is some greater detail written by inspiration of God of the sins of others.  But look not only at people in the hall of faith; look also on the faithless, for ex: the rape of Dinah (Gen. 34), the sexual abuse of the Levite's concubine (Judges 19), Ahab and Jezebel (1 & 2 Kings), and many of the other sins written about faithless men.

Why were those details of those faithful and unfaithful men's and women's sins written by inspiration of God?  Were they written to remind us of our own sinfulness and the universal sinfulness of men?  Or were they written to instruct us how not to behave? Or both?

[Vine Abider]

2 minutes ago, BornAgain490 said:

True, there is some greater detail written by inspiration of God of the sins of others.  But look not only at people in the hall of faith; look also on the faithless, for ex: the rape of Dinah (Gen. 34), the sexual abuse of the Levite's concubine (Judges 19), Ahab and Jezebel (1 & 2 Kings), and many of the other sins written about faithless men.

Why were those details of those faithful and unfaithful men's and women's sins written by inspiration of God?  Were they written to remind us of our own sinfulness and the universal sinfulness of men?  Or were they written to instruct us how not to behave? Or both?

Both, and also to show forth His great mercy and ongoing grace!

[Vine Abider]

1 hour ago, NConly said:

At the time I always attributed it to luck, now I attribute about 14-15 times my life was in danger to God who saved my life before I came around to being saved.

Indeed!  We are aware of some times that we're pretty sure His protection has happened (e.g., a small delay results in not being in a fatal car wreck that happens), but I suspect in that day we'll see a ton of things He prevented!

[missmuffet]

That would be between God and myself.