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<blockquote data-quote="joey_downunder" data-source="post: 58420361" data-attributes="member: 242214"><p>I would say this is becoming like someone saying another person who is careful with their money either "stingy" or "thrifty" depending on their own attitude towards money. </p><p>1. Do you agree that you are questioning any possible faith you have had at the past because you (in your own mind) have not received any perceptible "feedback" from God one way or the other - yes or no?</p><p>2. Does any passage or verse in the Bible say that personal experience of any type will prove a person's salvation - yes or no? </p><p> </p><p></p><p>Please don't jump to the conclusion I am anti-experience overall. I understand both points of view personally and I hope this explanation proves I am NOT dismissing ALL personal experiences as mere emotional experiences. </p><p> </p><p>I received spiritual healing from God while participating in a child abuse Bible study group in 1997. (I went to that group because of an extremely pathological mental/emotional abuse relationship in my late teens). I saw God ministering to other women in that group in a wonderful and intimate way. I know with my own eyes and through experience that God will use and does use personal experience when that person needs it. I saw how those women were changed afterwards. Spiritual fruits came from those emotional experiences because of the Holy Spirit's powerful ministry on their actual human spirit and emotions were stimulated as a result. Emotions were a response to God, emotions did not create the link to God. </p><p> </p><p>The one bad thing about that emotional testimony is that from then on I expected that God would always make me feel His presence and judged my spiritual health on how much I felt God's love. After my surgery in 1999 (except that "memory healing/visualisation" session I mentioned when telling you that God has protected you from deception) I have not experienced any feelings like that ever again. </p><p> </p><p>I did the same thing as you are doing right now - looking for experiences to prove that I really had a genuine faith. When they did not come I gave up and became resigned to never knowing if I would really know I was saved and if it had all been an illusion. If Christians expect signs and experiences as a continuous part of their walk with God then their faith will be severely shaken when they eventually do experience hard times if they live long enough.</p><p></p><p>I hope you did not take those unfulfilled promises as God turning his back on you. They were mistaken that their thoughts were from God. They probably thought they were giving you encouragement as well. <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/old/hug.gif" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":hug:" title="hug :hug:" data-shortname=":hug:" /></p><p></p><p>I know it is easy to say but believe me - from looking back at what I have gone through - God gives us what we need, not what we want. I want to feel what I felt in the past but I probably never will. I don't know why God hasn't answered your prayers the way you want them to be but <em>one day you will know Losthope</em>. <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/1+corinthians+13%3A12/" target="_blank">1 Corinthians 13:12 </a></p><p></p><p>That is why it is so important to keep it in context. Use the who, what, when, where and why method when examining scripture. </p><p></p><p>Do you mind expanding further by what you mean by stepping out in faith and <em>how</em> it went "wrong"?</p><p></p><p>Read what you just typed then read this passage. <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/luke+15%3A11-32/" target="_blank">Luke 15:11-32 </a> Who do you think you sound like - the prodigal son or the eldest son? Who knows why God appears to give good things to some people and not to others? Who knows why everybody else seems to have wonderful prayers answered and we both just plod on doing the same thing day after day after day.... after day and never seeming to get anywhere spiritually (experience wise)? </p><p></p><p>If you do not even experience emotions it is very unlikely that you would ever<em> experience </em>discernment as christians called into discernment-type ministries. You looking at non-christian material (even if you were comparing what it said with an open Bible in your lap) is as dangerous as throwing a lit cigarette into the dry Aussie bush in a heatwave. </p><p></p><p>I remember the ex-President Bill Clinton when asked if he ever smoked marijuana replying "yes but I didn't inhale." You did the spiritual equivalent. </p><p></p><p>Yu should be thanking God for his incredible protection of you from deception. <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/psalm+23/" target="_blank">psalm 23</a> You must be a sheep He loves very much.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="joey_downunder, post: 58420361, member: 242214"] I would say this is becoming like someone saying another person who is careful with their money either "stingy" or "thrifty" depending on their own attitude towards money. 1. Do you agree that you are questioning any possible faith you have had at the past because you (in your own mind) have not received any perceptible "feedback" from God one way or the other - yes or no? 2. Does any passage or verse in the Bible say that personal experience of any type will prove a person's salvation - yes or no? Please don't jump to the conclusion I am anti-experience overall. I understand both points of view personally and I hope this explanation proves I am NOT dismissing ALL personal experiences as mere emotional experiences. I received spiritual healing from God while participating in a child abuse Bible study group in 1997. (I went to that group because of an extremely pathological mental/emotional abuse relationship in my late teens). I saw God ministering to other women in that group in a wonderful and intimate way. I know with my own eyes and through experience that God will use and does use personal experience when that person needs it. I saw how those women were changed afterwards. Spiritual fruits came from those emotional experiences because of the Holy Spirit's powerful ministry on their actual human spirit and emotions were stimulated as a result. Emotions were a response to God, emotions did not create the link to God. The one bad thing about that emotional testimony is that from then on I expected that God would always make me feel His presence and judged my spiritual health on how much I felt God's love. After my surgery in 1999 (except that "memory healing/visualisation" session I mentioned when telling you that God has protected you from deception) I have not experienced any feelings like that ever again. I did the same thing as you are doing right now - looking for experiences to prove that I really had a genuine faith. When they did not come I gave up and became resigned to never knowing if I would really know I was saved and if it had all been an illusion. If Christians expect signs and experiences as a continuous part of their walk with God then their faith will be severely shaken when they eventually do experience hard times if they live long enough. I hope you did not take those unfulfilled promises as God turning his back on you. They were mistaken that their thoughts were from God. They probably thought they were giving you encouragement as well. :hug: I know it is easy to say but believe me - from looking back at what I have gone through - God gives us what we need, not what we want. I want to feel what I felt in the past but I probably never will. I don't know why God hasn't answered your prayers the way you want them to be but [I]one day you will know Losthope[/I]. [URL="http://www.esvbible.org/search/1+corinthians+13%3A12/"]1 Corinthians 13:12 [/URL] That is why it is so important to keep it in context. Use the who, what, when, where and why method when examining scripture. Do you mind expanding further by what you mean by stepping out in faith and [I]how[/I] it went "wrong"? Read what you just typed then read this passage. [URL="http://www.esvbible.org/search/luke+15%3A11-32/"]Luke 15:11-32 [/URL] Who do you think you sound like - the prodigal son or the eldest son? Who knows why God appears to give good things to some people and not to others? Who knows why everybody else seems to have wonderful prayers answered and we both just plod on doing the same thing day after day after day.... after day and never seeming to get anywhere spiritually (experience wise)? If you do not even experience emotions it is very unlikely that you would ever[I] experience [/I]discernment as christians called into discernment-type ministries. You looking at non-christian material (even if you were comparing what it said with an open Bible in your lap) is as dangerous as throwing a lit cigarette into the dry Aussie bush in a heatwave. I remember the ex-President Bill Clinton when asked if he ever smoked marijuana replying "yes but I didn't inhale." You did the spiritual equivalent. Yu should be thanking God for his incredible protection of you from deception. [URL="http://www.esvbible.org/search/psalm+23/"]psalm 23[/URL] You must be a sheep He loves very much. [/QUOTE]
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