You'll pardon me if I'm a little cynical about people claiming to be spiritually discerning the Word. "By their fruits ye shall know them."
BTW, claiming that our experiences do not inform our understanding of the Word denies that God providentially guides our experiences.
Our experiences are all part and parcel of understanding God.
One of my experiences was, I was controlled growing up and I had to conform to how they wanted me to be, if I played up, they would reject me......so, when I first became Born Again....I thought that if I played up, then God would reject me.........our experiences imo are how we can think that God is like the world....
He has undone and still undoing all the confusion my parents and the world fed me.people play mind games, some people get want they want through using manipulation, playing on our emotions, my parents played on my emotions, which really screwed me up...thankfully God has tuned me in, to some people playing mind games and playing on my emotions...people can also pick up on our weaknesses and use them to their advantage......that’s why we see scammers etc in this world also love rats who scam vulnerable people out of their money.
God is NOTHING like the world...he is NOT a God Of confusion...don’t get me wrong though, he disciplines...not the way the world disciplines..imo.
A Born Again imo..remember imo,LOL.
By their fruit you will know them, as we should be maturing in the fruits of the Spirit, God works in our hearts , so that we can bear Jesus fruit....I was externally immature in Christ for many, many years, still am at times...imo maturity comes from the Spirit who indwells our spirit, no matter how much we try to be mature in Christ, we can’t do it without the Living Spirit, it’s him in my spirit, maturing me to be mature in Christ.if that makes sense.
Would you say our behaviour is a fruit ?
Another thing God has showed me, we must be honest and sincere before him, I have held onto grudges, I can’t stand/ certain members, they trigger something in me, and I’m sure many can’t stand me, as I probably trigger something in them, I have always asked God to help me look within, is my heart for God where it should be...or is it in self....my pride and ego play a part at times, they still rise up, yet the thing is....in my spirit I know God is at work in there, ..he is the one developing and growing the fruit of our wonderful Lord Jesus, he is preparing us for heaven while on this earth..imo....we have that new heart and spirit within us and we should see change......
I recognise my change so does my family.....for me, that change has been a very slow process, as God had to heal all the damage from the world, before he could start the maturing and fruit process....
....which he most imo is certainly doing and continues to do so....Praise God.....sorry about the waffling....no worries if you want to challenge me or that you don’t agree...we’re all searching for Gods truth.
That’s just my testimony....from within my heart by the power of the Spirit I am being conformed into Jesus image.
Look at our Brother
@amadeus he is a lovely example of maturity in Jesus and bearing the fruit of the Spirit.....
Just like we are to love our brothers and sisters...I can’t do that without his help ...my ego, pride of self...needs to be let go of, I’m still holding onto it at times......I give it to God, then I take it back at times....probably sounds like a load of confusion, but,that’s my way of explaining everything....and still I continue to be conformed into Jesus image...it’s been a long and very hard journey...as our focus is on God at all times, but, we also step off that narrow path ,at times,when we start focusing on self..
I have learnt who the self is ...and I have learnt that I must surrender self over to God and boy my pride and ego have fought against that...out of ignorance, believe it or believe it not..only a couple of nights ago, did I truly recognise self...
We imo must remember we are being conformed....which doesn’t happen overnight.....we’re on that narrow path...that we walk, we learn to walk that narrow path, through the leading and teaching of the Living Spirit...
Sorry about the long essay....just talking from my heart...not telling anyone that what I say is right...I just needed to vent, get all that off my chest so to speak.
