Friendly Bible Study

[Rita]

Thank you Rita. Placing the classroom answer/response aside for a moment, and I truly believe the words I just wrote down, my latest personal experiences with God's word are also what I also believe.

Sometimes, when I get anxious about things in life, the usual things that most people deal with, I hear a voice that says to me, so what is it that is troubling you now, or of very similar words. It makes me slow down and think about it, and in so doing, I go to God and tell him thank you as I pinpointed my current issue, and suddenly I find it is not a real problem at all. I think he knows me too well and I always feel a sense of peace come over me...it's so comforting, indeed. I need it at times.

I get a lot of triggers to anxiety, but for me I tend to write it all down as a conversation with God ( just something I started years ago ) Its kind of like ‘ giving it to him ‘ and it also acts as a means of unravelling past and present, fears and concerns. I actually find it difficult to pray verbally when I deal with anxiety, so my journal becomes my safe place, my solitude place where it’s just me and The Lord.
I need to learn to say thank you in the midst of things !

 

[APAK]

Confess,Renounce and Disown it... and tell it to leave in Jesus name...

If you lack wholeheartedness, then ask for His hatred of the sin.

You are the gardener - pull out the weeds, cast them off !!!

And this becomes a necessary and rewarding habit, suddenly realized at a point in time, as we work in the Spirit to maturity.

 

[Rita]

Confess,Renounce and Disown it... and tell it to leave in Jesus name...

If you lack wholeheartedness, then ask for His hatred of the sin.

You are the gardener - pull out the weeds, cast them off !!!

Not sure I do this ( seeing as we can be honest here, might as well make myself vulnerable ) - I lack confidence at times, doubt that God will come through. It’s been something I have struggled with over the years. Its too personal to explain why, not even sure I could put it into words anyway.

 

[APAK]

I get a lot of triggers to anxiety, but for me I tend to write it all down as a conversation with God ( just something I started years ago ) Its kind of like ‘ giving it to him ‘ and it also acts as a means of unravelling past and present, fears and concerns. I actually find it difficult to pray verbally when I deal with anxiety, so my journal becomes my safe place, my solitude place where it’s just me and The Lord.
I need to learn to say thank you in the midst of things !

Yes, you have opened up and I thank you for that.

Thanking God in Christ in the very moments of anxiety, even self-inflicted ones as most are, brings the power of God truly into your presence. It works for me and I love it Rita. It is much deeper than mental therapy, as it goes right into the heart. When you 'hear' and feel this stirring inside of you, act upon it in the Spirit via his Son. amen

 

[Rita]

Yes, you have opened up and I thank you for that.

Thanking God in Christ in the very moments of anxiety, even self-inflicted ones as most are, brings the power of God truly into your presence. It works for me and I love it Rita. It is much deeper than mental therapy, as it goes right into the heart. When you 'hear' and feel this stirring inside of you, act upon it in the Spirit via his Son. amen

I will have to give it a try, not sure what I shared in my other post ( the one that makes me more vulnerable ) is part of the problem.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Not sure I do this ( seeing as we can be honest here, might as well make myself vulnerable ) - I lack confidence at times, doubt that God will come through. It’s been something I have struggled with over the years. Its too personal to explain why, not even sure I could put it into words anyway.

No pressure, but if you wanted to work this through I could set up a PM with another female member of the group and help you work this through.

 

[APAK]

I will have to give it a try, not sure what I shared in my other post ( the one that makes me more vulnerable ) is part of the problem.

Love you sister....we are all working out in the same Spirit, in different ways.

 

[Rita]

No pressure, but if you wanted to work this through I could set up a PM with another female member of the group and help you work this through.

Thanks Carl , I will let you know Xx
For now I will let the study continue as this is sending the study off course xxx

 

[Berean]

Christian greetings everyone, I found the Lord, or rather He found me in 1982, I studied for a good 10 years with various ones until I gave myself to Him unreservedly and have been walking with him for the better part of 30 years. It hasn't always been a perfect walk, but that's why they call it grace.

 

[APAK]

Christian greetings everyone, I found the Lord, or rather He found me in 1982, I studied for a good 10 years with various ones until I gave myself to Him unreservedly and have been walking with him for the better part of 30 years. It hasn't always been a perfect walk, but that's why they call it grace.

Amen!

 

[APAK]

The power of the word of God for the gospel of/for salvation is the major thrust in NT scripture. And it made an impact on me, very intimately and personally for the rest of my life.

And it is amazing how the holy writ overpowered me when I first became acquainted, with the person and the spirit of Jesus the Christ. It still amazes me today that this same word leads me to many new insights as I weave its major threads together, without intentional force or err, and still it is an unfinished product that does not reveal the entirety of God. He is more that just the written word, indeed.

I never really knew scripture when I gave my heart to Christ that 1st week in April, 50 years ago. His words came into me as they were spoken both, into my ears, and into my heart at the same time it seemed, and moved within me the moment of my repentance to true conversion. I still remember the arrival of this holy power within me, the spirit of Christ brought his Father to me.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Christian greetings everyone, I found the Lord, or rather He found me in 1982, I studied for a good 10 years with various ones until I gave myself to Him unreservedly and have been walking with him for the better part of 30 years. It hasn't always been a perfect walk, but that's why they call it grace.

If you read the thread from the beginning you will catch up on lesson 1

 

[Ritajanice]

Confess,Renounce and Disown it... and tell it to leave in Jesus name...

Confess,Renounce and Disown it... and tell it to leave in Jesus name...

Tell what to leave?..tell it to leave from where, what about what Rita said about anxiety, ?...the enemy is attacking her mind?

It’s my head that is the battlefield, not my heart, plus there is no sin in a Born Again as they have been Born Again of imperishable seed.
Plus I’m not saying I am without sin, we were all sinners, as I’ve already referenced I have been Born Again of Gods imperishable seed...which is delivered to the heart/ spirit of His children, it’s the Spirit who testifies with our spirit that we are Gods children...that is the “ spiritual rebirth, “ Spirit gives birth to spirit “ God births our spirit into His...how else would I know I was Born Again?

This is where everyone understands the spiritual rebirth very differently.....I have noticed on the forum....some say believe and you are saved, which makes no sense to me....that is their way of understanding the spiritual rebirth, ...I’ve also posted the way “ I” understand the spiritual rebirth....
Flesh gives birth to flesh.

“ Spirit gives birth to spirit “....a Living supernatural act of God!...God birthed my spirit into His, via His Holy Spirit.

1 John 3:9​

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King James Version​

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9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Which I refuse to argue any more over, I’m not saying that you want to argue...just pointing out my belief...only the Holy Spirit can speak to my heart and teach me in that area, in other words He revealed His word , that a “ Born Again “ doesn’t continue to sin because they have been Born Again of imperishable seed, the Spirit can’t indwell the heart/ spirit of a sinner.....the enemy attacks our mind..

 

[Ritajanice]

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So true @Ritajanice - God can use any means to speak to us and his repertoire is wide and varied.

Exactly!....I used to think he spoke to everyone the same way, “ duh” !!.....how very wrong was that, which God has showed me....

I respect how he speaks to his other children, as long as what we post lines up with scripture.

Everyone interprets Gods word differently, then start arguing over it, including myself at times......so then the merry go round starts...you just go round in circles......all of us....believing that what we believe the word of God to be saying is His truth..then no one budges from that position.....the Spirit is the only one who can budge us from the lies...we can’t, we are useless without God’s Spirit, therefore wait patiently for Him to reveal “ HIS TRUTH “ to our hearts/ spirit.



Some believe in freewill some don’t....

 

[Ritajanice]

However we are all different and He speaks in ways that suit our nature and circumstances.

Are you saying he speaks to those who aren’t “ Born Again “?

 

[Rita]

Are you saying he speaks to those who aren’t “ Born Again “?

Something inside of me prompted me to go to Church out of the blue, that was the beginning of me seeking the Lord. That’s communication from God as a non believer. Every Saturday for a month I had that prompt - and it was something I just had to obey , didn’t understand a word that was being preached, didn’t know any of the songs ect. I came to faith about three months later While listening to a sermon on Ephesians chapter 1 !!!!!

 

[Ritajanice]

Something inside of me prompted me to go to Church out of the blue, that was the beginning of me seeking the Lord. That’s communication from God as a non believer. Every Saturday for a month I had that prompt - and it was something I just had to obey , didn’t understand a word that was being preached, didn’t know any of the songs ect. I came to faith about three months later While listening to a sermon on Ephesians chapter 1 !!!!!

We all receive communication from God as a non believer...mine came completely out of the blue, of course I knew that I had been searching within myself for many years even as a non believer, why was my life such a mess, I’ve already explained all of that.

Of course there is no rebirth without the name of Jesus..I’ve also explained all of that as well...as the Holy Spirit was indwelling my heart/ spirit,the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are Gods children......that BLEW my mind, that God spoke to my spirit via His Holy Spirit....the Living word of God chose this wretch of a sinner...only knew I was a sinner after , Spirit gives birth to spirit.....all I knew was that I was Born Again, I never knew anything else....I’ve been taught by the Spirit to understand the word of God...it’s taken years to grow and mature in the Spirit....of course all Glory goes to God...I could go on and on ...about my testimony and belief....my own journey has been breathtakingly Amazing watching God at work in my life....there has been extreme heartbreak there has been extreme joy,......when I was Born Again I fell in Love with the Holy Spirit....I was on honeymoon for years, I have never been so elated in my life...becoming Born Again was mind blowing for me....a supernatural act from God that one could NEVER deny, I have the witness of the Holy Spirit in my heart/ spirit......NEVER to be denied!....Faith is a gift from God a manifestation of the Spirit...it manifests itself in our heart, where it will grow and flourish, because the imperishable seed was planted by the word of God.

The thing is....I wish we would all respect the testimony and belief of each other....God speaks to us in the way we understand His word....no ones testimony is more valid than anyone else’s...

I thought at one time every one was Born Again the same way as me.......that has taken years to understand that we aren’t!!!.....

I also don’t understand some of what people post, they also don’t understand what I post....that’s where we understand God’s word so very differently.

Some are in agreement with my understanding of God’s word, some aren’t...I just keep posting what “ I” believe God is relaying to my heart via His Spirit......

Why be rude to other members because one doesn’t understand what they are saying, I’ve done that myself, making people look silly, because “WE” don’t understand what is being spoken...it takes time to mature in the Spirit......to understand what we believe the Spirit to be witnessing to our spirit means.

God spoke to my spirit 32 years ago, in a certain area of my life...I could not take that on board, I thought it was of the enemy,...let me tell you it’s taken 32 years to understand what God spoke to my heart plus I’ve walked in Faith ...through those times I’ve had immense doubt, that was the enemy trying to rob me of Gods word....I now believe 100% what God spoke to my heart, so you aren’t alone in doubting @Rita

 

[Rita]

I think you have to get into that place where you trust in your own personal testimony and allow that for others as well, personally I still think it is a place we spiritual grow in to , maybe part of becoming More like Jesus , or maturity. Not sure, all I know is that I didn’t always have that view and was often swayed by others and also put God in a certain box with regards to denominational wars - my church was right and others were weird or wrong ( speaking about evangelical church v baptist church v Pentecostal church )

 

[Rita]

I have been looking at some of the passages, and was struck by some of the words used.
Genesis 1
’ let there be ‘ ( a definite )
‘ let the water/ land ( after being created instructions were given to these things )
and they obeyed
‘ God called ‘ established identity of what he created
‘ And it was so ‘
‘ Let them serve ‘ - roles within creation
‘ Greater and lesser lights in the sky ‘ not all roles were the same , some had more power than others
‘ according to its kind ‘ not all the same
‘ He gave authority ‘ - some of creation rules, some are ruled over
Not really linked the theme of Gods word as such , but it struck me that within Gods people there are often battles over differences , roles , responsibility ect and yet here we see a blue print over what God created.
I Samuel 3:1 ‘ In those days the word of the Lord was rare , there were not many visions ‘
we know that in Genesis 15:1 that God spoke through visions.
Well , this made me consider seasons with how God communicates to his people , it changes. It doesn’t make one way obsolete because it hasn’t happened much anymore. ( maybe that’s a nod to those who believe the gifts stopped !! )
Still pondering …..I must admit that it’s words in scripture and context , little words often jump out at me, like ‘ then ‘ ‘ and ‘ ‘ after ‘ ………it kind of makes you look at what happened before ……….

 

[Ritajanice]

Commentary.

For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm. (Psalm 33:9 NIV)

This is a succinct summary of the first chapter of Genesis’ creation account. Repeatedly in that chapter, we find the formula, “And God said, . . . and it was so.” The power of God expressed in this verse is pretty astounding. God spoke into existence all that is.

I understand taking existing materials and giving them new forms. I built a retaining wall and hedge a few years ago. It took great effort to prepare the site, haul and assemble all of the retaining blocks, and plant the trees. But that bears no resemblance to what God did. He spoke, and what was not previously in existence came into being. He commanded, and it was firmly established.

But the significance of this verse goes beyond the creation of the universe. This God who created all that is via the power of his command is the same God we serve today. And he is every bit as powerful today as he was then. God is still at work in his creation and in his church, guiding them to their intended end.

And he is at work in my life as well. The God whose word brought the world into existence is for me (Rom. 8:31). Whatever he calls me to do, his power, at work in my life (Eph. 1:19), is sufficient to see it done. And no challenge I may face is too difficult for him.

And because of that, I can echo the words of Paul: “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12b).