How can any of you stand it

[Aunty Jane]

But for God preplanning the loss of that innocence by planting the tree in the center of the garden Omniscient God created and judged good.

And along comes a serpent that knew about that tree and God's ultimatum.

How?

Everything was “very good” when God had finished his creation....because the theft of the forbidden fruit did not take place until the beginning of the 7th day....a "day" that is still in progress. The creative “days” in Genesis were not mere 24 hour periods. Jehovah is a Creator, not a magician.

“Along comes a serpent”? Are you serious? Where did the serpent come from? Did you not know that satan was formerly a “covering cherub” (guardian) in the garden of Eden? Whether he used a snake like a ventriloquist, or whether he transformed himself into that creature is not stated. But he was right there observing the interaction between God and humans, envying the worship that they would give to their God. He wanted some of that for himself, so he planned carefully to induce the woman to take the fruit by lying to her. He did not approach Adam directly, but used the woman to entrap him, knowing that his affection for her would cloud his judgment......what a clever devil. It worked!
You honestly think this was all planned by God? SMH.

How would a serpent know God's command to Adam?

He was there in the garden, observing everything....that’s how.
To the King of Tyre, who was following the same pattern as Satan, Jehovah said.

Ezekiel 28:12-17....
“You are sealing up a pattern, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 In Eʹden, the garden of God, you proved to be. Every precious stone was your covering, ruby, topaz and jasper; chrysʹo·lite, onyx and jade; sapphire, turquoise and emerald; and of gold was the workmanship of your settings and your sockets in you. In the day of your being created they were made ready. 14 You are the anointed cherub that is covering, and I have set you. On the holy mountain of God you proved to be. In the midst of fiery stones you walked about. 15 You were faultless in your ways from the day of your being created until unrighteousness was found in you.

16 “‘“Because of the abundance of your sales goods they filled the midst of you with violence, and you began to sin. And I shall put you as profane out of the mountain of God, and I shall destroy you, O cherub that is covering, from the midst of the fiery stones.

17 “‘“Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor. Onto the earth I will throw you. Before kings I will set you, [for them] to look upon you.”

Unless the King of Tyre was in the garden of Eden as a covering cherub, this is clearly addressed to Satan.

Isaiah 45:7-9

God tells us, he is the darkness and the light, the evil and the good. He is all things.

Some say God is not the author of sin.

Sin is violating what God ordained as his law, his will. It is God who sets the parameters. Law, obedience. The consequences for lawlessness by God's decree is sin.
And God sets the consequences for sin.

So when you attempt to put the blame entirely on Adam and Eve, you're wrong.
All things are as God plans.

Humans can exercise their choices. But God says he determines our lives.

Humans will does not supercede God's.

With free will, it is humans who determine their own destiny. We have to choose to stay faithful to God under all circumstances....Adam proved that the exercise of free will can lead us all down a very dark path to destruction if it is not carefully monitored and the consequences of our actions given a lot of thought.

It is we who let our guard down and allow the devil to have his “gotcha” moments. Our hearts are treacherous (Jer 17:9) and can deceive us, so we can’t allow emotions to sway our judgments. Adam was not sinful in his nature when he made his choice and neither was his wife. They were not unintelligent, nor was Adam uneducated. His creator had spent a great deal of time with him before Eve was brought to him, and it was his job then the educate his wife, and in turn would educate their children. We know he was in that process because it was she who repeated the mandate that God had given. He had told he the most important things.

To allow the devil as well as the humans to “reap what they had sown” is a hard lesson, but one we will never forget.

 

[ButterflyJones]

Everything was “very good” when God had finished his creation....because the theft of the forbidden fruit did not take place until the beginning of the 7th day....a "day" that is still in progress. The creative “days” in Genesis were not mere 24 hour periods. Jehovah is a Creator, not a magician.

“Along comes a serpent”? Are you serious? Where did the serpent come from? Did you not know that satan was formerly a “covering cherub” (guardian) in the garden of Eden? Whether he used a snake like a ventriloquist, or whether he transformed himself into that creature is not stated. But he was right there observing the interaction between God and humans, envying the worship that they would give to their God. He wanted some of that for himself, so he planned carefully to induce the woman to take the fruit by lying to her. He did not approach Adam directly, but used the woman to entrap him, knowing that his affection for her would cloud his judgment......what a clever devil. It worked!
You honestly think this was all planned by God? SMH.

He was there in the garden, observing everything....that’s how.
To the King of Tyre, who was following the same pattern as Satan, Jehovah said.

Ezekiel 28:12-17....
“You are sealing up a pattern, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 In Eʹden, the garden of God, you proved to be. Every precious stone was your covering, ruby, topaz and jasper; chrysʹo·lite, onyx and jade; sapphire, turquoise and emerald; and of gold was the workmanship of your settings and your sockets in you. In the day of your being created they were made ready. 14 You are the anointed cherub that is covering, and I have set you. On the holy mountain of God you proved to be. In the midst of fiery stones you walked about. 15 You were faultless in your ways from the day of your being created until unrighteousness was found in you.

16 “‘“Because of the abundance of your sales goods they filled the midst of you with violence, and you began to sin. And I shall put you as profane out of the mountain of God, and I shall destroy you, O cherub that is covering, from the midst of the fiery stones.

17 “‘“Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor. Onto the earth I will throw you. Before kings I will set you, [for them] to look upon you.”

Unless the King of Tyre was in the garden of Eden as a covering cherub, this is clearly addressed to Satan.

With free will, it is humans who determine their own destiny. We have to choose to stay faithful to God under all circumstances....Adam proved that the exercise of free will can lead us all down a very dark path to destruction if it is not carefully monitored and the consequences of our actions given a lot of thought.

It is we who let our guard down and allow the devil to have his “gotcha” moments. Our hearts are treacherous (Jer 17:9) and can deceive us, so we can’t allow emotions to sway our judgments. Adam was not sinful in his nature when he made his choice and neither was his wife. They were not unintelligent, nor was Adam uneducated. His creator had spent a great deal of time with him before Eve was brought to him, and it was his job then the educate his wife, and in turn would educate their children. We know he was in that process because it was she who repeated the mandate that God had given. He had told he the most important things.

To allow the devil as well as the humans to “reap what they had sown” is a hard lesson, but one we will never forget.

Satan was fallen from Heaven and was in the garden with God unaware?

I don’t believe that the TKGE indicated that humans did not know good and evil, but rather that it indicated that it was not given to them to decide good from evil for themselves. When we look at human behavior, we see exactly that....humans can justify “evil” and turn it into something “good”. Relying on God to make those decisions would have kept evil out of their lives completely.

In all creation there are equal opposites that we take for granted and that factor into our lives every day...up, down...in, out....for, against...with, without....this way, or that way....black, white...negative, positive.....some are of minor consequence, but some have major outcomes, impacting in a big way. Now imagine the magnitude of God's goodness, compared to its equal opposite? We don't have to imagine it...we are living it, because of the choices made by three disobedient individuals at the beginning of our history. These individuals could not be told so the only way to demonstrate the value of obedience to our Creator was to SHOW both angels and mankind, what happens when we ignore his guidance and direction.

If God was to decide what is good and what is evil, then free will would never be abused. Obedience was the key to everlasting life. They knew that God required their obedience, and they knew what death was, because they had been around long enough to see other creatures die. For them, they recognized clearly that death is the opposite to life....that is what God told Adam....he wasn’t going anywhere else if he died, he was simply returning to the dust out of he was created. (Gen 3:19)

Who wanted humans to believe that “you surely will not die”? It wasn’t God.

All of the trees in the garden, and all the green vegetation were given to God’s creatures for food.....only one tree was off limits to humans under penalty of death. What that tree represented was God’s Sovereign right to dictate the terms of their existence. It created no hardship for them whatsoever. Refraining from eating the fruit of that one tree was respecting God’s Sovereignty over them and showing appreciation for all the other wonderful provisions he had made for them.

If the devil had not lied to the woman, Adam would not have had his loyalty divided.

You think God would not have educated the man before he gave him a mate? Look what Adam was doing before Eve was created....he was to name all the creatures that shared life with them. How long would it have taken to do that? He would have observed them and decided on an appropriate name for each one, reflecting their traits or characteristics....not something he could have done in a single day.

Yes, shame was their first indication that something serious had changed in their perception of life.
It wasn’t that they didn’t know it was bad to disobey God, it was that ‘someone’ told the woman that 'bad' was 'good', and she did not rely on God to correct what the serpent had told her. Adam then had a dilemma when she offered the fruit to him......he was not deceived like his wife, but now his loyalties were divided.....he had to make a choice...and he chose loyalty to her over loyalty to his God.

That cannot be argued. There was no predestination of what took place, otherwise God is responsible for the fall, and all the tragedy and damage that has resulted from it. What kind of loving God would plan such a thing?
Free will does not allow for predestination. What was predestined was God’s purpose...to have a beautiful planet inhabited by free willed creatures, made in his own image and likeness, who would take care of everything he created in perpetuation.....the planet, it’s creatures and each other...forever. But free will is not “free” without choices. God did not create humans to be “robots” otherwise what happened in Eden would never have taken place.

I have to remind myself you're JW.

The forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was precisely that. And Adam and Eve did not possess that knowledge until they ate of that tree.

We know this because of God's observation of them afterward. They have become like us.
Which means they were not like God prior.

I'll hold to the scriptures and God's sovereignty and dominion over his creation. I won't say there are things God cannot do. Nor claim humans will is superior.

All things happen according to God's will and plan. God tells me that.

Good talking with you.

 

[Apache1]

Rom 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (2) For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.

Good News.

Rom 8:28-30 And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. (29) For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. (30) And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.

That has absolutely nothing to do with what I asked

 

[Stumpmaster]

That has absolutely nothing to do with what I asked

Don't let Satan snatch the Word of God away from you.

More for your edification:

Heb 4:9-16 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. (10)
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. (11)
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. (12)

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13)

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (14) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15)

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

[Ritajanice]

Are u saying that If God knows what you are going to post next, on this Forum, then that is God causing you to do it?
He pre-destined you to come to my post and write your sentence?//
Or are you saying that what you are thinking, and will do next...........God knew you would before you did it, yet He didnt cause it.

Hi Behold, always great to read your posts, God always speaks to me through them.

I must tell you, I wrote a really long post, as I was typing it, I believe what I typed, the Holy Spirit did not want me to post it, that is my belief and I have a very close and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.again my belief.

Now, by my own free will,I could have posted my reply, I chose to listen to what I believe the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do...not to post the text....it was deleted....as we get closer to God, we can hear his voice, with those spiritual ears,Brother.....there is NOTHING on the planet like ,our relationship with God, after all it is a “ Living “ relationship!

Just my thoughts and beliefs,Brother in Christ.

 

[Apache1]

Don't let Satan snatch the Word of God away from you.

More for your edification:

Heb 4:9-16 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. (10)
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. (11)
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. (12)

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13)

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (14) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15)

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Again none of that has anything to do with why billions of us have to go through this with so many things that are seemingly irrelevant to a "battle" between God and Satan

Let us out already. The world would be a better place without the fear based concept of sin that just scares people

 

[CadyandZoe]

Again none of that has anything to do with why billions of us have to go through this with so many things that are seemingly irrelevant to a "battle" between God and Satan

Let us out already. The world would be a better place without the fear based concept of sin that just scares people

Do you mean the fear of judgment?

 

[Stumpmaster]

Again none of that has anything to do with why billions of us have to go through this with so many things that are seemingly irrelevant to a "battle" between God and Satan

Let us out already. The world would be a better place without the fear based concept of sin that just scares people

The whole Bible is relevant to you and to every thought, word, and deed of everyone in Creation. Don't be faint of heart.

 

[CadyandZoe]

CadyandZoe and Amigo,



Ps 87
And of Zion it will be said,
“This one and that one were born in her;
And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”
6 The Lord will record,
When He registers the peoples:
“This one was born there.” Selah

God will remember the circumstances one was born in or raised in. Thank you Lord, for taking our lives into account, as well as our experiences.

He is crying out that God is afflicting him, and you guys are telling Him to trust God. How can he if he thinks God is the source of his problem?

He needs someone to talk to about this, perhaps a Christian counselor. He doesn't need to be foo foo'd.
Apache, I found a free 24 hour chat where you could go and perhaps get some understanding.

Online Christian Counseling - Online Therapy

We looked at all of the major online psychiatry providers and rated them to help you find the best online Christian counseling.

www.onlinetherapy.com

Sometimes the hearing of voices can be arrested by medication. It is a symptom of a medical condition. God gave us doctors. It is OK to visit one.

Cassandra,
Thanks so much for your kind and generous post. I appreciate it very much.

Yea, his pain is all too familiar to me. And I want to help. But frankly, when someone is suffering great pain and anguish, that person is not ready for words. He wants to hear it from God himself. "Why am I suffering? What have you got against me?"

The story of Job has taught me that sometimes well-meaning friends can also be a source of anguish. My earlier answer was simply to jump to the end of the book of Job, where God's answer is -- I don't owe you an answer.

We all know suffering. And in the final analysis, the most salient and significant question is this, "Is my suffering unnecessary? Is it arbitrary? Is it meaningless?" From the Book of Job, we learn that our heavenly Father is the creator of all the universe and for this reason, no suffering is unnecessary, or arbitrary, or meaningless. There is always a good purpose for it, even if we don't know what it is. We are but creatures in the hands of a just God and our only real choice is to trust him with our existence.

This attitude is what the Bible calls "fear of the Lord." He could literally pinch me out of existence anytime he wants. But, instead, we take consolation from verses like:

Romans 8:18-25

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.​

God causes all things to work together for good . . .

 

[Apache1]

Do you mean the fear of judgment?

No. We have complicated lives and really we are more valuable than a fear based concept of sin.

You wouldn't want your children to go through their lives afraid so why should God be any different

 

[Apache1]

Cassandra,
Thanks so much for your kind and generous post. I appreciate it very much.

Yea, his pain is all too familiar to me. And I want to help. But frankly, when someone is suffering great pain and anguish, that person is not ready for words. He wants to hear it from God himself. "Why am I suffering? What have you got against me?"

The story of Job has taught me that sometimes well-meaning friends can also be a source of anguish. My earlier answer was simply to jump to the end of the book of Job, where God's answer is -- I don't owe you an answer.

We all know suffering. And in the final analysis, the most salient and significant question is this, "Is my suffering unnecessary? Is it arbitrary? Is it meaningless?" From the Book of Job, we learn that our heavenly Father is the creator of all the universe and for this reason, no suffering is unnecessary, or arbitrary, or meaningless. There is always a good purpose for it, even if we don't know what it is. We are but creatures in the hands of a just God and our only real choice is to trust him with our existence.

This attitude is what the Bible calls "fear of the Lord." He could literally pinch me out of existence anytime he wants. But, instead, we take consolation from verses like:

Romans 8:18-25

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.​

God causes all things to work together for good . . .

How is it any good for someone to take care of a dog for 10 years, put up with non stop barking and as a result end up poor, with no partner and have Satan unleashed upon me.

 

[Apache1]

Alright, an example. Nothing happens to other Christians who smoke. Whereas I had to put up with 10 years of non stop barking and other noise issues when trying to work. The proper way to solve this issue is to do something about the noise not drive me even more crazy with threatening messages (which really just made the smoking worse)

Imagine if Allen Carr or any other stop smoking person went around threatening smokers with death

 

[CadyandZoe]

How is it any good for someone to take care of a dog for 10 years, put up with non stop barking and as a result end up poor, with no partner and have Satan unleashed upon me.

I don't know.
But if you allow me to speculate?

My wife Zoe feeds the hummingbirds in our backyard, and my son feeds seed to the birds in the park. I reminded them both that God could easily take care of the birds himself without their help. Nevertheless, God is pleased to give Zoe and my son the opportunity to participate in God's care for the birds, which is not only a blessing for the animals, it is a blessing to both Zoe and my son. Allowing them to participate is an act of love on God's part.

The dog didn't need your care for 10 years. Dogs are self-sufficient and can take care of themselves. God is the one who cares for the dog. But sometimes God asks a human being to take care of the dog in order that the human being might participate in God's love and care for an animal. God simply blessed you with the experience of caring for another creature. Caring for creatures is what God does, and if it pleases him, he allows others to help. He allowed you to take care of the dog in order to bless you.

You put up with non-stop barking for 10 years. This says something about you doesn't it? You put up with it for 10 years. Right? Most people would have sold the dog after 5 years, but you didn't. Most people would have given the dog to someone else in order to save their job and financial well-being. You didn't. It seems to me that God made the right choice picking you to take care of the dog. Seems to me, you demonstrated long-suffering and self-sacrifice, which are highly valued virtues. God picked the right person.

And the dog didn't run away like your girlfriend did. What does that say about her?

Crazy as it sounds, for all that time you were caring for the dog, God was caring for you. I am confident of the fact that although you don't see it now, someday you might. I conclude from the fact that you are posting that you are alive, you have food in your belly and you are sitting at a computer. That's pretty good. Isn't it?

And who knows, maybe God has reserved for you a woman that will be as faithful, long-suffering, and self-sacrificing as you were. Maybe you will be the perfect man for her at a time when she needs someone like you in her life.

We are all living in a big story and we don't know whether it is a good story or not until the end.

I suppose if we thought about it long enough we might see that you gained some wisdom from this situation. Right? Wisdom is good, right?

 

[Apache1]

I don't know.
But if you allow me to speculate?

My wife Zoe feeds the hummingbirds in our backyard, and my son feeds seed to the birds in the park. I reminded them both that God could easily take care of the birds himself without their help. Nevertheless, God is pleased to give Zoe and my son the opportunity to participate in God's care for the birds, which is not only a blessing for the animals, it is a blessing to both Zoe and my son. Allowing them to participate is an act of love on God's part.

The dog didn't need your care for 10 years. Dogs are self-sufficient and can take care of themselves. God is the one who cares for the dog. But sometimes God asks a human being to take care of the dog in order that the human being might participate in God's love and care for an animal. God simply blessed you with the experience of caring for another creature. Caring for creatures is what God does, and if it pleases him, he allows others to help. He allowed you to take care of the dog in order to bless you.

You put up with non-stop barking for 10 years. This says something about you doesn't it? You put up with it for 10 years. Right? Most people would have sold the dog after 5 years, but you didn't. Most people would have given the dog to someone else in order to save their job and financial well-being. You didn't. It seems to me that God made the right choice picking you to take care of the dog. Seems to me, you demonstrated long-suffering and self-sacrifice, which are highly valued virtues. God picked the right person.

And the dog didn't run away like your girlfriend did. What does that say about her?

Crazy as it sounds, for all that time you were caring for the dog, God was caring for you. I am confident of the fact that although you don't see it now, someday you might. I conclude from the fact that you are posting that you are alive, you have food in your belly and you are sitting at a computer. That's pretty good. Isn't it?

And who knows, maybe God has reserved for you a woman that will be as faithful, long-suffering, and self-sacrificing as you were. Maybe you will be the perfect man for her at a time when she needs someone like you in her life.

We are all living in a big story and we don't know whether it is a good story or not until the end.

I suppose if we thought about it long enough we might see that you gained some wisdom from this situation. Right? Wisdom is good, right?

He did. We lived in a flat and he needed someone to take him outside for walks/toilets.

And no, all I gained from it was ending up poor and having Satan unleashed upon me. Funny how you didn't respond to that part.

Bottom line is unleashing Satan upon someone is a bad idea and only leaves them scared and not want to do anything

 

[CadyandZoe]

No. We have complicated lives and really we are more valuable than a fear based concept of sin.

You wouldn't want your children to go through their lives afraid so why should God be any different

Fear is a God-given defense mechanism, which keeps us alive whenever we sense danger. The best way to live with fear is to make wise choices in light of the fear we face. And fear is an opportunity for courage.

Do you think soldiers live without fear? No. They are as scared as shxx; but they do what needs to be done anyway. Acting for the good during a time of fear is real courage.

God blesses us, on purpose, with opportunities to act courageously. Why does he do this? So that he might know if we will? No. He does this so that WE might know that we will. God provides us with opportunities to know ourselves. Those who act courageously KNOW themselves to be courageous. This knowledge is a gift from God.

I want my kids to fear God because, like an electrified fence, God is dangerous if you don't respect him.

I don't fear sin, it's like a pimple on my face -- something I must endure until I reach maturity. What I FEAR is punishment, which is what we all fear. But again, our fear is justified because there is danger there. In order to find life, we need to face the truth of it and take the appropriate action.

Some truths are easy to accept, while other truths are more challenging. I can easily accept the fact that Paris is the capital city of France. But admitting that I am a sinner is much harder. Why? Because to admit THAT is to admit something fundamental about my very existence. It's a bullet that hits the bone if you know what I mean.

We are talking about personal truth. If I am unable to admit the most fundamental aspect of my very existence, then what hope do I have? Admitting myself to be a sinner is a hard truth to accept. It takes courage to admit it. See? I fear judgment, but even in light of my fear, I act courageously. And what is my courage if not admitting the truth about myself?

But now that I have jumped into the pool and am unable to swim I would cry out for help if my mouth wasn't filled with water. Someone reached into the pool to save me when I couldn't save myself. Amazing grace.

 

[Apache1]

Nah. We are not sinners. We may do bad things but really we deserve to be released from this prison planet

 

[CadyandZoe]

He did. We lived in a flat and he needed someone to take him outside for walks/toilets.

And no, all I gained from it was ending up poor and having Satan unleashed upon me. Funny how you didn't respond to that part.

Bottom line is unleashing Satan upon someone is a bad idea and only leaves them scared and not want to do anything

So YOU caused the dog to rely upon YOU instead of allowing the dog to act in a self-sufficient manner? Admit it to yourself. If you didn't bring the dog into your flat, he would need you to watch over him or take him outside for walks/toilets. If you took the dog outside the city and let him go, he wouldn't need you at all.

And what is wrong with being poor? Were you actually poor? Why did you stay in the city? Why did you live in a flat? If I had limited resources, I would leave the city and choose the nomadic life. Or I guess you can just sit there and cry about it.

I don't much about Satan except for what the Bible tells me. I DO know that the weapons of Satan are lies, deception, and half-truths. Satan was NOT unleashed upon you personally. He roams the world looking for those whom he may devour. He picked you because you were vulnerable and unguarded and willing to listen to his lies.

Truth is your defense. Scientific truth, historical truth, and personal truth. If you stick to the truth, Satan will leave. Period.

 

[CadyandZoe]

Nah. We are not sinners. We may do bad things but really we deserve to be released from this prison planet

As I said, admitting the truth about ourselves is the hardest. Until you admit the truth about yourself, you won't find the answers you seek.

This is NOT a prison planet. Take a lesson from Eve.

Eve suffered from a false perception of her situation, just like you are doing.

She lived in a garden, where it was possible to eat all the food she wanted (and more) The garden was filled with fruit trees. She was never going hungry. She never labored for food. She had all the free time she could want.

Now, did she look around and say, "My, how God has blessed us!" No, she was laser-focused on one tree, asking herself, "Why does God deny me this one tree?" That's you.

 

[VictoryinJesus]

This is NOT a prison planet. Take a lesson from Eve.

Eve suffered from a false perception of her situation, just like you are doing.

She lived in a garden, where it was possible to eat all the food she wanted (and more) The garden was filled with fruit trees. She was never going hungry. She never labored for food. She had all the free time she could want.

Now, did she look around and say, "My, how God has blessed us!" No, she was laser-focused on one tree, asking herself, "Why does God deny me this one tree?" That's you.

Wow. That spoke to me also. To consider my complaints and look for the blessings.

 

[Apache1]

So YOU caused the dog to rely upon YOU instead of allowing the dog to act in a self-sufficient manner? Admit it to yourself. If you didn't bring the dog into your flat, he would need you to watch over him or take him outside for walks/toilets. If you took the dog outside the city and let him go, he wouldn't need you at all.

And what is wrong with being poor? Were you actually poor? Why did you stay in the city? Why did you live in a flat? If I had limited resources, I would leave the city and choose the nomadic life. Or I guess you can just sit there and cry about it.

I don't much about Satan except for what the Bible tells me. I DO know that the weapons of Satan are lies, deception, and half-truths. Satan was NOT unleashed upon you personally. He roams the world looking for those whom he may devour. He picked you because you were vulnerable and unguarded and willing to listen to his lies.

Truth is your defense. Scientific truth, historical truth, and personal truth. If you stick to the truth, Satan will leave. Period.

Truth is I think you are a terrible Christian