Posted by on May 03, 2011 at 18:10:24
In Reply to: Re: OT2 that was really a wonderful personal post... posted by Farmer on May 03, 2011 at 09:57:12:
Yeah, Farmer, I could never have made it through the things in my life without God’s sustaining grace and mercy.
New Living Translation 2007:
"So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us."
You’re a pretty positive person, Farmer—no kidding—that’s good!
We’ve both got a lot to live up to. And it’s definitely by grace alone—I know I would never make it otherwise! And I hear you about being in the later part of life, now, and that what we do now really matters.
I probably both liked and disliked the same sorts of people as you did in TF (and since). I got along with most there as well, except for the “social climbers”, sycophants, and wannabe junior leaders. Looking back, I see that those would have been the ones most closely imitating Berg and his family. I was sorry for Aaron and Debra; though. His death and her ordeal with her father in leaving and writing about her experiences really touched me.
And, I do love the women, both physically and emotionally. I have definitely outgrown chasing skirts (at one time, like I’ve said before, I actually lost count (hundreds!), during a 4-5 year period while backslidden—there are really no longer any mysteries for me in “conquest”—you really do lose part of yourself, and you take unfairly from them, when you become “one flesh“ outside marriage—I truly regret it all from this older and hopefully more mature vantage point.
The ability to seduce sexually and emotionally is evil—ironic that I learned that by experience outside of TF. Sad.
This time, in my bbeing "engaged to be engaged", I was really just wanting friendship and companionship—the prospect of sex wasn’t really that important; but I’m nearly sixty, so my libido has decreased quite a bit since my late 20s and early 30s, when all that stuff happened.
I still have to pray hard for the grace for avoiding the “second look” (Matt 5:28) which leads to illicit intimacy; though.
The “fascination for the other sex/gender…will never stop ”. That’s right, at least till the fulfillment of the verses you shared
The relationship in heaven, despite Berg’s “wet dream” filthy fantasies, won’t involve sex, but something undoubtedly much more profound—sorry, you Mormons! I agree that that “cannot be foreseen/felt”, but it is what “God has prepared for those who love Him”.
As far as the belief that God is unjust because of anything in this fallen world, including badly balanced functional relationships between men and women in marriage (not inherent superiority of men over women in general, though).
We know, after many trials and temptations (and failures), that God Himself is fair and just, and that the price of His gift of actual free will has been immense, but not just for humanity—it has grieved, and still does, His Father's heart as well, but in the end HE will receive to Himself, His sons and daughters, truly made in His image, and truly conformed to the image of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
And evil itself will be justly judged, and taken out of the universe forever, along with those who refused all their lives to come into the light of the Gospel (like Berg and his current followers), because their deeds were evil.
I am not, and I have not been for quite a while, “easy or stupid prey” as a Christian—since soon after leaving TF, I thought for myself, and prayed and studied like a starving man.
And, God promises to give us a “mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist”. That’s kind of an unfair advantage over anti-Christian smart-alecks, when I think about it :-)!
If you’re truly on God’s side, He’ll defend and protect you!
I have also followed over the years the history and development of communistically-slanted pseudo-christianity—what a load of crap! “Baptizing” doctrines of devils and godless communists doesn’t make the outcome true, as we all found out in TF!
Just like Titus 1:16: “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” And being given over to a reprobate mind does produce antinomianism, or worse yet, anomianism—past all godly feelings and fear of the Lord.
It is pleasant to be around those who have any kind of righteousness, rather than being around the consciously evil or especially those past feeling about good; although works certainly don’t save.
I love a “thinking man’s Christianity”—it has “teeth”! It must also have the actual presence of God behind it; though—the kingdom of God is not JUST in words, but in power!
Praise God that the Gospel is preached, for whatever motives—God can defend and prove His own Word without man's help.
Another short note: My girlfriend and I had the same divorce lawyer—he cheated us both out of a lot of money (me for half of a $103,000 4-year student loan my ex should have split—he took advantage of my deep suicidal depression at the time, and failed to advocate for her and I splitting the debt, which is the law.
I will sonn have money taken out of my pay, which may put me on the sreet, or in just my car, as I look for another job. A couple of women here at school are also trying to get me fired (as racist bigots--they don't beleive that blacks can even BE bigots becasue of American slavery history, although originally African blacks sold theri own slaves to Europeans merely because of supply and demand--she is like a female Haman and a OT Jezebel rolled into one.
Please do pray for my financial situation!
Thanks!
Because of trusting the wrong people, I am not much better of thatn someone who just left the cult; I feel sometimes. Litel wonder I really wanted to die for a while!
ANyway, i was this "Chrsitian" lawyer's last client—he’s now a paraplegic, and unable to practice crooked and lazy law anymore! “Your sin will find you out”; especially if you advertise yourself IN A CHURCH as a Christian and then purposely screw people over!
Judgment will surely come, although it may take a while--Ecc 8:11 "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." So, filling up a "cup of iniquity" make take awhile, while God tries to bring repentance, but He is just, and judgment must finally come.
That’s definitely a lesson learned as a TFI exer!
You said: “Well...I have the feeling...that many woman want to change their men into someone of their liking...we fall kind of simply into love with a woman...without knowing too much about her...and later...that can become difficult ; )...Women seem often to me much more "calculative" in their approach...whether someone got not only "the balls" but also the cheque-book...”.
I agree, with my history of badly picking women.
A friend of mine recently even said, from his own history, that quite frequently, a woman will exalt her own feelings above God, above her man, above just about everything, till she feels she is being heard, and that the man will somehow magically take care of all of her feelings, and if he doesn't she'll move on to "find the perfest man".
He also said that manipulators of women, who somehow keep them even after abusing them and cheating on them have learned this, and merely lie their way past it to retain control.
Scripture does say that the woman is the “weaker vessel”—I feel this tendency in women is the major weakness. Husbands are to make sure their wives “are not afraid with any amazement”—fear does make a person want to try to control things, and control is not a “friend” in any romantic relationship; coming from either spouse.
And I see somewhat now why older women in the church are necessary to teach younger women to “love their husbands”—when “push comes to shove”, and when a man is forced in marital conflict to make a choice between love and respect, most men will invariably choose respect—if they perceive that they are not being respected, they will not believe they are loved at all.
I don’t see how anything but a strictly Scriptural marriage can work, where there is true God-assisted self-sacrificing love on the parts of both spouses.
Also, I see, as you do, that “modernizations” of Christianity are no good to anyone—they are just not from God, Who always has our best interests at heart.
Got to go for now—I can truly say that “I love ya brother”; too!
OT2