Hmm. Your post is pretty hard for me to accept. "There is a war being waged against your spirit" you say. As a child, there was a war waged against my body. Despite all the time that has passed, that reality seems to override any other truth that I try to attach to. It is hard to understand a "Living God" that would allow that …
Hmm. Your post is pretty hard for me to accept. "There is a war being waged against your spirit" you say. As a child, there was a war waged against my body. Despite all the time that has passed, that reality seems to override any other truth that I try to attach to. It is hard to understand a "Living God" that would allow that to happen, to happen continuously despite my desperate prayers that it would stop.
It is laughable to think that being 'set free' is in the cards now.
I hope this isn't your intent, but its hard not to think that your reply is somehow an invective against my honesty in admitting that my faith is muddled.
I am not a principality nor a power nor a leader or anything of the kind. I'm a person struggling to make what's left of my time here make a little sense. Just a little. Wouldn't your effort be more effective engaging with the thing we are supposed to struggle against as opposed to someone who dared to quote scripture?
I don't know how you were hurt, and I won't demean you by trying to say that something makes it ok or right that you were hurt, or by saying that something now or in the future-this life or any life-makes that nothing and meaningless.
If it helps though, faith is always muddled. That is not because something is wrong with you, it is just the nature of faith. Faith is to hold on to a promise when all the world gangs up to prove every way it can that the invisible little promise will never be true. Martin Luther in his Bondage of the Will said that no one can know or feel himself to be a Christian, he can only believe against all of his own feelings and everything that he knows about himself.
I don't know your pain. I've had some hard stuff happen to me but it's entirely possible that I wouldn't understand, couldn't understand what you've been through. Any Christian who tells you that people don't suffer unfairly doesn't understand his own creed. The heart of our religion is that an innocent man suffered and was abandoned in His hour of greatest need. Some people think it is ok for this reason or that but who really knows? But the bottom line is that broken, hurting people with muddled faith are the ones that He came to call to Himself. And that doesn't mean you have to stop being broken or stop being muddled, it doesn't mean that you ever have to act like what happened to you was ok or doesn't matter.
And whatever sins you have, including lack of faith, I absolve you, anyone who holds those things against you henceforth is ignorant or an ass. Give mercy to them graciously as it has been given to you.
Thanks. In this moment, this is soothing to me. I honestly think that being tortured and trafficked as a child has unhinged me somewhat. Perhaps we are all a little unhinged.
Thats horrible. I'm sorry. It will always be a part of you but I read some of your substack and you are funny and bright and interesting, and I wanted to say that however bad that was it is not all of who you are. I enjoyed your observations about human nature.
I'm not sure if the poster who sorta brushed you off was a jerk or not paying attention or thought that what they were doing was important enough to make running over you ok, wait that's the same thing as a jerk isn't it? But anything that is built by treating the Lord's children callously is not worth building.
This chain is very kind of you. I will say that I am not one of the lord's children, can't be. No true parent would treat or allow their child to be treated in that way. So they are excused of that infraction.
By the way, I dont' think the person was a jerk. I'm not sure what motivated the comment exactly, but the language is full of certainty, while there is not one square inch of me that doesn't live in a cloud of uncertainty.
As you indicated in a previous, we are all the walking wounded. Including the poster who admonished me. There is a wound there for sure I'm guessing. It reminds me of the words attributed to Scotsman John Watson “Be kind. Everyone you meet is carrying a heavy burden.”
Well the broken are my calling. What is not my calling is to defend God. The divine artist likes to paint dark scenes. There may be this reason or that but anybody that can't see that isn't looking. What I can tell you is that the Father treated the beloved Son, the Son that we know he loved in some pretty awful ways and that Son continued to believe in His Father, although His faith was pretty muddled at times too.
My dear brother. I meant no harm to you. My only hope is that you know that no matter what you have been through. No matter what you've done or has been done to you. You are loved more than you can imagine.
It breaks my heart to know how much you've been hurt. You are one of God's precious creations. Made in His image. It breaks my heart to read what this evil sin-filled world has done to you. I can't imagine your pain. I wish I could help. I'm so very sorry.
I love you. This is my only reason for doing this. I love you and I care about you. I want to see you have peace. To know you are loved more than I, or anyone else on this world, could ever love you. You are loved by your creator.
The living God is Jesus Christ and He can "restore the years the locusts have eaten". There is healing to be found in Him. All who call on His name shall be saved. And he can give you peace that surpasses all understanding. He loves you so much dear brother. I will pray for you. With all my heart I will pray for you.
You are loved. You are not alone. Know this. Please. You are loved. Beloved.
May you find healing in Jesus name. God bless you.
Please let me know if you ever need anything. I will help in whatever way I can.
There are many here and on other Substack I read quote various bible passages. If that gives you true comfort then congratulations. For me actions followed by consequences, words followed by concrete actions mean more and are effective in this point of time. Eventually if not sooner, we are actually going to have to do some really physically hard work. We will be emotionally devastated, and we are going to have to rely on friends, family, and ourselves to find a place to simply exist. Technology, medicine, money will betray us. We are going to have to fight for basic human rights, it won’t be easy and there are going to be obstacles. There are no simple, easy answers ever.
You are awful sure of how this is gonna turn out. Don't get so locked I to one scenario that you mess when it zigs and you are expecting a zag. The situation has so many unknown variables. And any system being manipulated by morons is an unstable system.
I’m sure we are in for a really rough time. I can prepare for most things, it is the things I don’t know how to handle. You know, the sheer stupidity, greed, sheep thinking, incompetence I see. People thinking they know everything and they know nothing. Thinking they know best. That’s going to sink us.
Yeah the instability and uncertainty makes me never feel prepared.
When it all goes to shit, I don't know if I should have something in the bank or paper dollars or bitcoins or silver coins or if the only currency will be bullets and barter. I don't know if I should prepare for an attack by antifa or dhs or a horde of Guatemalan children or Chinese soldiers or Russian nukes.
I know the money is going to shit and we are being invaded but the preparations for different scenarios are mutually exclusive and it's not clear in my mind which way to jump. The timing of when to take action isn't clear either. And with 5 small ones being, 'always prepared' is a bad joke. Which is why I say keep your head up, watch and see the punch when it comes is the only plan I've got
I am going to guess you are in your 30s. I am double your age and I have seen and heard so much over the years. I will say this, keep it simple, learn a trade and do as much as you can for family, friends, and community. I admire your faith, but faith also will require action at some point in time. Whether it is becoming self sufficient or protecting your family. Have the basics, food, water, blankets, and also a good sense of humor. Take care.
You can simultaneously take action to prepare yourself for calamity and also rest in the sureness that you know nothing. That is exactly the force that causes someone who believes in The Lord to quote Scripture. Take this one for example:
"Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
That sounds pretty close to what you're proposing! Prepare but don't ever think "Now I can relax". The paradox of Christianity is that we know we cannot save ourselves, but we live as though we can. The truly hopeless case would be to see the overwhelming evil taking hold on this world (which is exactly what The Scriptures said would happen, in this precise way, over 2,000 years ago!) and have nothing but yourself to fall back upon.
The one thing you can be sure of is that if you have to stand against this gargantuan system by yourself, you will be crushed. There is no other alternative. So please, don't trust in your own understanding. Trust in Jesus! Throw your cares on Him. Romans 8:28 tells us: "For all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." And Jesus says "In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart, for I have overcome this world."
Times are going to be tough. The Word tells us it will be the worst time that will EVER be on the Earth. You don't want to be here alone. Trust in Jesus before it's too late! God bless you!
Hmm. Your post is pretty hard for me to accept. "There is a war being waged against your spirit" you say. As a child, there was a war waged against my body. Despite all the time that has passed, that reality seems to override any other truth that I try to attach to. It is hard to understand a "Living God" that would allow that to happen, to happen continuously despite my desperate prayers that it would stop.
It is laughable to think that being 'set free' is in the cards now.
I hope this isn't your intent, but its hard not to think that your reply is somehow an invective against my honesty in admitting that my faith is muddled.
I am not a principality nor a power nor a leader or anything of the kind. I'm a person struggling to make what's left of my time here make a little sense. Just a little. Wouldn't your effort be more effective engaging with the thing we are supposed to struggle against as opposed to someone who dared to quote scripture?
I don't know how you were hurt, and I won't demean you by trying to say that something makes it ok or right that you were hurt, or by saying that something now or in the future-this life or any life-makes that nothing and meaningless.
If it helps though, faith is always muddled. That is not because something is wrong with you, it is just the nature of faith. Faith is to hold on to a promise when all the world gangs up to prove every way it can that the invisible little promise will never be true. Martin Luther in his Bondage of the Will said that no one can know or feel himself to be a Christian, he can only believe against all of his own feelings and everything that he knows about himself.
I don't know your pain. I've had some hard stuff happen to me but it's entirely possible that I wouldn't understand, couldn't understand what you've been through. Any Christian who tells you that people don't suffer unfairly doesn't understand his own creed. The heart of our religion is that an innocent man suffered and was abandoned in His hour of greatest need. Some people think it is ok for this reason or that but who really knows? But the bottom line is that broken, hurting people with muddled faith are the ones that He came to call to Himself. And that doesn't mean you have to stop being broken or stop being muddled, it doesn't mean that you ever have to act like what happened to you was ok or doesn't matter.
And whatever sins you have, including lack of faith, I absolve you, anyone who holds those things against you henceforth is ignorant or an ass. Give mercy to them graciously as it has been given to you.
Thanks. In this moment, this is soothing to me. I honestly think that being tortured and trafficked as a child has unhinged me somewhat. Perhaps we are all a little unhinged.
Thats horrible. I'm sorry. It will always be a part of you but I read some of your substack and you are funny and bright and interesting, and I wanted to say that however bad that was it is not all of who you are. I enjoyed your observations about human nature.
I'm not sure if the poster who sorta brushed you off was a jerk or not paying attention or thought that what they were doing was important enough to make running over you ok, wait that's the same thing as a jerk isn't it? But anything that is built by treating the Lord's children callously is not worth building.
This chain is very kind of you. I will say that I am not one of the lord's children, can't be. No true parent would treat or allow their child to be treated in that way. So they are excused of that infraction.
By the way, I dont' think the person was a jerk. I'm not sure what motivated the comment exactly, but the language is full of certainty, while there is not one square inch of me that doesn't live in a cloud of uncertainty.
As you indicated in a previous, we are all the walking wounded. Including the poster who admonished me. There is a wound there for sure I'm guessing. It reminds me of the words attributed to Scotsman John Watson “Be kind. Everyone you meet is carrying a heavy burden.”
Well the broken are my calling. What is not my calling is to defend God. The divine artist likes to paint dark scenes. There may be this reason or that but anybody that can't see that isn't looking. What I can tell you is that the Father treated the beloved Son, the Son that we know he loved in some pretty awful ways and that Son continued to believe in His Father, although His faith was pretty muddled at times too.
https://comfortwithtruth.substack.com/p/the-cross-considered-as-revelation
My dear brother. I meant no harm to you. My only hope is that you know that no matter what you have been through. No matter what you've done or has been done to you. You are loved more than you can imagine.
It breaks my heart to know how much you've been hurt. You are one of God's precious creations. Made in His image. It breaks my heart to read what this evil sin-filled world has done to you. I can't imagine your pain. I wish I could help. I'm so very sorry.
I love you. This is my only reason for doing this. I love you and I care about you. I want to see you have peace. To know you are loved more than I, or anyone else on this world, could ever love you. You are loved by your creator.
The living God is Jesus Christ and He can "restore the years the locusts have eaten". There is healing to be found in Him. All who call on His name shall be saved. And he can give you peace that surpasses all understanding. He loves you so much dear brother. I will pray for you. With all my heart I will pray for you.
You are loved. You are not alone. Know this. Please. You are loved. Beloved.
May you find healing in Jesus name. God bless you.
Please let me know if you ever need anything. I will help in whatever way I can.
There are many here and on other Substack I read quote various bible passages. If that gives you true comfort then congratulations. For me actions followed by consequences, words followed by concrete actions mean more and are effective in this point of time. Eventually if not sooner, we are actually going to have to do some really physically hard work. We will be emotionally devastated, and we are going to have to rely on friends, family, and ourselves to find a place to simply exist. Technology, medicine, money will betray us. We are going to have to fight for basic human rights, it won’t be easy and there are going to be obstacles. There are no simple, easy answers ever.
You are awful sure of how this is gonna turn out. Don't get so locked I to one scenario that you mess when it zigs and you are expecting a zag. The situation has so many unknown variables. And any system being manipulated by morons is an unstable system.
I’m sure we are in for a really rough time. I can prepare for most things, it is the things I don’t know how to handle. You know, the sheer stupidity, greed, sheep thinking, incompetence I see. People thinking they know everything and they know nothing. Thinking they know best. That’s going to sink us.
Yeah the instability and uncertainty makes me never feel prepared.
When it all goes to shit, I don't know if I should have something in the bank or paper dollars or bitcoins or silver coins or if the only currency will be bullets and barter. I don't know if I should prepare for an attack by antifa or dhs or a horde of Guatemalan children or Chinese soldiers or Russian nukes.
I know the money is going to shit and we are being invaded but the preparations for different scenarios are mutually exclusive and it's not clear in my mind which way to jump. The timing of when to take action isn't clear either. And with 5 small ones being, 'always prepared' is a bad joke. Which is why I say keep your head up, watch and see the punch when it comes is the only plan I've got
I am going to guess you are in your 30s. I am double your age and I have seen and heard so much over the years. I will say this, keep it simple, learn a trade and do as much as you can for family, friends, and community. I admire your faith, but faith also will require action at some point in time. Whether it is becoming self sufficient or protecting your family. Have the basics, food, water, blankets, and also a good sense of humor. Take care.
You can simultaneously take action to prepare yourself for calamity and also rest in the sureness that you know nothing. That is exactly the force that causes someone who believes in The Lord to quote Scripture. Take this one for example:
"Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
That sounds pretty close to what you're proposing! Prepare but don't ever think "Now I can relax". The paradox of Christianity is that we know we cannot save ourselves, but we live as though we can. The truly hopeless case would be to see the overwhelming evil taking hold on this world (which is exactly what The Scriptures said would happen, in this precise way, over 2,000 years ago!) and have nothing but yourself to fall back upon.
The one thing you can be sure of is that if you have to stand against this gargantuan system by yourself, you will be crushed. There is no other alternative. So please, don't trust in your own understanding. Trust in Jesus! Throw your cares on Him. Romans 8:28 tells us: "For all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." And Jesus says "In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart, for I have overcome this world."
Times are going to be tough. The Word tells us it will be the worst time that will EVER be on the Earth. You don't want to be here alone. Trust in Jesus before it's too late! God bless you!