Thanks FCSLC for your transparency. I don't know about the rest of you but I agree with you, the battle is in our minds. I too wish I had never encountered the LW as I had other options. Heck, I could have joined Jack Hayford's church that was down the street. But I think I picked the LW for a number of soulish reasons, one of which was it wasn't boring, it wasn't old school. I was seduced by those empty words like "make it happen; appropriate it" which would give me some power etc. I used my free will to pick the LW and it was a poor choice. We lament the time wasted, the lost years, the disappointment, losing our religion but today I'm thinking it could have been much worse and I am thankful for that and also that I am not a CHristian living in Iraq being persecuted by ISIS and ending up a refugee. What I experienced pales in comparison. Still there's that battle in my mind.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2015 02:09AM by lily rose.

FCSLC
In many respects it is like starting over again. Paul talked about “preaching another Christ” and that is what TLWF has done. You want to come to know Christ through his words – not a human spin on his words. It’s good to use another translation of the Bible for a season so you don’t revert to old thought processes. I personally found The Message to be quite helpful – especially if you are planning on putting Jesus’ words into practice and not just researching them. A good place to start for those with a history in TLWF is to “Call no man leader, father, or teacher. You have one teacher and it is the Christ and you are all brothers.” The true Christ comes to serve, not to be served. You’ll realize very quickly that we gave people all three positions in TLWF. You’ll also realize the resulting consequences – or as Dr. Phil would say, “How did that work out for you?”

Just read the red letters and remember they have the greatest authority of anything written before them or after them. Everything is pointing to Jesus, so I would just start with what he has to say and view everything else through that lens. The Holy Spirit is given to help us understand and to put into practice what we could never do in our own strength. Just ask – and whatever the Spirit shows you, put it into action as soon as possible so the flow does not stop. It’s obedience to Jesus’ words, not studying that is the key to a walk in the Spirit.

Here’s a few great verses from The Message: “No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matt. 11:27-30 Walking with God is the most wonderful thing we can experience in this life. The torment of TLWF is not what He had in mind. His discipline produces life – not despair. And as far as all that warfare stuff – “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” This new creation is just not that fragile.

FCSLC,

I recommend you follow what Larry posted. I can tell Larry cares about you; so do I.

Matt 11:20 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly of heart, an you will find rest for your souls.

If I can throw the kitchen sink at you one more time, for me when I decided to thrown off the LW monkey on my back I started simply with being grateful. I too wish I had someone to edit my posts because sometimes I miss the mark of what I really want to express. I started my still in progress restoration by each day being grateful for every small thing.... that my car started, that my frozen shoulder was a bit more flexible, that because I live in America I have freedoms that are amazing, that the LW word didn't destroy me. For me expressing gratefulness kind of paved the way for being able to forgive. It makes your spirit softer.

One memory from the LW that has never left me was after a service in South Gate Larry Cotton's Mom or maybe mother-in-law, but I think it was his mom, hugged me and said, "Jesus is really sweet." I must of looked pathetic for her to say that but years later I realized that I saw Jesus as a task master probably because of the LW conditioning. I am still working on that. It wasn't until recently that I started seeing Jesus differently. But even in the red words of Jesus, he wants submission to him and you know how we hate that word. So good luck with that.

I want to thank lily rose and larry bobo for some great advice. I’ve been pricing “The Message Bible” and haven’t decided whether to buy one or not. I discovered you can “Google” any verse and at least on the “biblegateway” website you can get the “Message Bible” translation.

It’s true. An extremely different translation/version does disrupt your normal brain circuits and helps to deflect years of one-track-thinking-interpretation drummed into us by the CLW.

I would like to have a “softer, kinder spirit” ----- it most certainly couldn’t hurt when it comes to longevity issues for the older ones such as myself.

FCSLC Wrote:

> I would like to have a “softer, kinder spirit”
> ----- it most certainly couldn’t hurt when it
> comes to longevity issues for the older ones such
> as myself.

I want that too. I do like righteous anger when it is called for, but I had to make a switch so I could find some peace.

Many studies have found that gratitude can improve well-being, curb depression and anxiety, improve cholesterol, improve sleep (Jossey-Bass, 2013).

I think God wants us to continually give thanks, not because he needs it, but because it benefits us. Among the things that God asks of us, I find continually giving thanks probably the easiest to do unless I am in a deep funk.

Even after the disciples had been privately tutored by Jesus 24/7, they still wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans. I think it’s a normal response for a human nature. In spite of the best teaching that anyone could sit under, they still needed the Holy Spirit to empower them. In TLWF, we thought it was a good idea to pray for the destruction of those who did not doctrinally see eye-to-eye with us – especially if we were planning on divorcing them. Anyone who disagreed with us was obviously a Nephilim – whatever that is. (I’ve been watching “Ancient Aliens” for new insights – I’ll keep you posted if I find out anything new.) Jesus taught that we were to love our enemies – not want them dead. He said we would be forgiven the way we forgive. Love and forgiveness go a long way in healing the anger issues many of us walked away from TLWF with. It’s not something we work on, but something we open up and receive from Him. I don’t think we can love or forgive anyone else until we let Him love and forgive us first - which He is so eager to do. We are His workmanship – not our own. Until there is a new creation, we don’t even see the kingdom of God. John said it so well - ”If a man says I love God, but hates his brother, he is a liar.” There’s much that is called Christianity that would not pass this test – including TLWF.

A former co-worker from the 1980’s passed away and his obituary was taped to our time clock at work today. The last line reads, “Fly with the angels until we meet again.” I don’t remember hearing that statement used much during my “Walk” experience. I like it a lot, it’s a great, comforting statement.

FCSLC,

I've heard you mention angels a few times in your posts so I am giving you the following website that has an interesting piece by Dr.Arnold Fruchtenbaum. A friend attended one of his seminars in upstate NY and recommended his work. Most of his manuscripts and audio's are free.

[ariel.org]

Click Resourses, then Come and See, then Scroll down to Angelology-The Doctrine of Elect Angels



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2015 09:48AM by lily rose.

Thank you lily rose. I had no idea there was that much information about angels. The religious education we received from the CLW must have been somewhat limited. I believe I’m religiously ignorant in many, many areas.

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lily rose wrote in part: “But even in the red words of Jesus, he wants submission to him and you know how we hate that word. So good luck with that.”

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Instead of “no choice, do or die dictates and commands,” I can go on the journey to the mystical by analyzing, respecting and experimenting in accordance with the advice given to us by the great spiritual teachers. Jesus points out in larry bobo’s recommended “Message Bible” the following:

John 3:1-2 [There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.”

3 Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.”

4 “How can anyone,” said Nicodemus, “be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above’ talk?”

5-6 Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.

7-8 “So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”]

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Whoa. That is well put. Kinda (sorta) opens up a broader/better perspective. One that I actually like. Not very ‘churchy’ either. I suspect one day in the future there could be an integration of the spiritual and the scientific especially in the area of quantum/particle physics.

Absorbing the eternal, creative, unbounded, wind/Spirit of God erupting from the transcendent as Jesus recommends is pretty easy to do. It’s wildly independent and life-giving.

The earthly controlling ministries have a battle on their hands because it’s difficult to create a “herd of clones” if each individual possesses an independent “free spirit” supported by the incomprehensible, free-wheeling Spirit of God.

I hope I don’t get “rebuked” by the moderator for posting so much scripture. The battle is against the errant scriptural brainwashing imposed upon us by years of programming.

FCSLC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > 5-6 Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me
> say it again. Unless a person submits to this
> original creation—the
> ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the
> invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new
> life—it’s not possible to enter God’s
> kingdom. >


I really appreciate you sharing that from the Message Bible. As for me, I will stay with my King James (you know as the saying goes, "If it was good enough for the Apostle Paul.")

Please continue to share the "whoa" passages.