Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Date: November 26, 2017 10:52AM
I was not familiar with the term “svengali”, so I looked it up. The following excerpt from Dr. Rebecca Housel’s description of a svengali should raise some concerns about life in, and escape from, TLFW.
“No one who loves you should ever require you to subjugate yourself, your values or your dreams in any way. Real love raises you up, helps you become a better person. Helps you feel better about yourself. Helps you move toward realizing your dreams. Your svengali will say anything to convince you to agree to her terms; she will not relent, even if she promises otherwise. She will trick you by utilizing a push-pull behavior, making you feel rejected, then, accepted, over and over again until you crave her acceptance above all else. In order to break free, you have to be strong enough to recognize your svengali's patterns. You also have to recognize your responsibility in the situation. And forgive yourself when you do. While you may have contributed to your svengali's control over you and your life, once you recognize this, and take pains to remove yourself, you will be free--but only if you stay the course. In order to do that, you must believe you deserve the things your svengali has convinced you are outside of your reach.”
The true teachings of Jesus make life and relationships clearer and more functional – not confusing and destructive. Families should become strengthened and healthier – not destroyed. The path should become brighter – not darker. In hindsight, when a group is isolated, you have no reference point to determine whether the fruit that is produced is good or bad. For me, it was like coming out of a black hole into the light. The lie that my “svengali” had convinced me of was that I could not walk with God apart from them. Actually, I was being kept from a walk with God as long as they were taking His place.