Christian Chat

@DownMoreThanUp thank you for your poem. It had a lot of inspiring and insightful beauty and passion. Reading scripture through a spiritual lens seems the way to go. I am coming to terms with my own religious style and limitations. I feel lacking in imagination but keep commitment, keep praying and being open to the Holy Spirit. Maybe I will lose some of my seriousness and find more joy. It is encouraging seeing how others walk their own path.

@avant-garde @tyme @Shaz51 @ENKELI @Captain24 and all who are interested in….

@Dimity I am sorry you have not found a church where you feel at home. I am shocked someone said it wasn’t a good example that you didn’t have a wedding ring. So small minded and lacking compassion. Some churches have more married couples than others. I get the divorced moniker sometimes. I liked some of the Anglican progressive thinking and worship styles and have done much music in their churches and cathedrals, as with Catholics and Uniting church, I met an Anglican Jewish girlfriend singing in a Catholic Church. Our friendship was the beginning of me laughing and enjoying female friendships and trusting. Her son in law was an Anglican minister. I am getting used to the idea that my life has been very interfaith and ecumenical, and that is the way it is.

A lot of the churches are struggling and the humans are struggling. The church I am in still doesn’t have an assigned minister, after nearly 4 years, just relying on a few visiting to run services, on a casual rate. I guess I stay, because I am getting too old to move on. There is a little space for me there and I try and contribute and am trying to be grateful.

visiting an older vulnerable lady tomorrow morning.

Be satisfied apple.

🍎

@ENKELI Songs that remind us who we are when we are down there is of utmost importance i reckon.

Crappy satan is so cruel the fiery dragon accuser he is when down the dumps. It can be hard not to heed his demands to do it ourself and not trust Jesus to do it for us.

How have you been doing otherwise today? My day has been pretty good, only low level depression.

Another great person to know when it comes to supportive songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW0VJxPqeRc&list=RDWW0VJxPqeRc&start_radio=1

@DownMoreThanUp @Appleblossom @avant-garde @tyme @Shaz51 thanks for sharing your stories.

I always knew about Jesus and called myself a Christian but I didn't walk the walk for a long time. I thank my diagnosis of depression for my renewal. I was working at Telstra and a friend of mine was very much involved with a 4 Square church which is a Pentecostal denomination, her dad was the pastor and she was a kids' leader. She invited me to come along to her church to see what I thought as I had been going to my mums' church which is a lovely old chapel but the youngest person there was 20 years older at least than me. It felt old and the hymns were very Uniting church. I was brought up Presbyterian and when the Presbyterian and Methodist churches combined to become Uniting I started going with mum. This was after I had lived with 2 boyfriends who were not Christian and by the time I was in my 30's I was tired and needing help. My friend from work gently encouraged me each day. One day I walked in to her church and it felt like home. Within 12 months I was baptised into the Holy Spirit, joined the music team as the sound desk operator and went part time at work to become a kids guide for the after school programme the church ran. I lived and breathed the church and loved every minute of it.
Sadly my friend's dad retired as pastor and my friend moved to another church where she is now senior pastor.
When I turned 43 I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and turned away from God. When I tell you I lost count of the amount of men I slept with, it's true. I blamed my bipolar for being hypersexual and it wasn't my fault. I sometimes shudder at the things I did.
Then I met my dear friend T and I came back. I started going to the same church as T (another Pentecostal church) and although I haven't been to church for a few years now for a couple of reasons not related to the church I am ready to go back, I want to do bible study again and read my Bible more than just once daily.

I think what amazes me is that God is not ashamed of who I was. He loves me and calls me Beloved.

He's placed people in my life (including a certain couple of people here 😍) to remind me I am his.

I am realising how old my playlist is lol. This song is about 10 years old but I still love it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZH13wFGffg

@DownMoreThanUp and I forgot to answer your question because I like to talk!!

I have had a good day for the most part. I spent a couple of hours in prayer this morning and then my friend T messaged me, I've been listening to great music and I feel less like a burden.

I do need to put the brakes on my thoughts sometimes though, I was a bit uncharitable about my brothers' boss (my brother is an atheist and works for a Christian organisation ironically) as she is not the nicest person but I know better than to judge.

How has your day been? I am loving your music tastes, I am going to have so much music to listen to soon!

@ENKELI My heart was praising Jesus hearing your story, so good to see God brought you back to yourself. And yes when we feel bad we can fall really low trying to feel good, that happened to me as well. Yet Jesus rescues and liberates.

@Appleblossom @avant-garde @tyme @Shaz51

When i realised i could go to Him, stained and dirty as i was at the time, for He still loved me, even the person i had turned out to be. Then His love and grace in those parts of my life did what i had never been able to do, stop heeding the lies, let The Word wash me clean, and find new life/identity in His truth - time and again.

Seeing this happen, after fighting for years to overcome my sin, taught me to love Jesus more than i love anyone or anything. For it is so very good to know Jesus as guide on my Way and as King of all the 'kings/rulers' of my by lies divided heart.

Stand Fast.
When we've entered into satan's temptation,
we become the wicked's gleeful expectation.
Yet when heeding His loving truth we faithful endure,
we will overcome even their strongest grip for sure.

So please hold fast God's truth in your hour of trial,
also seeing His salvation descend heavenly style.
For to see the voice of the demander perish within,
births God's truth Alive and rejoice an end to wilful sin.
Freedom from must, do, and rule, we enter His Rest,
dining on God's grace, births our hearts Christ's best.

@ENKELI @Appleblossom @avant-garde @tyme @Shaz51

i like to share 2 poems i wrote about the time i was spiritually raptured. For this spiritual event had me let go completely of the teachings of a physical rapture, although i already doubted it, and all theological teachings which read Scripture literally (1 Cor 3:1-11,) instead of spiritually (1 Cor 2:6-16,) as Scripture show us we should read it. (Revelation 2 & 3, urges 7 times to do so.)

It has been so good to meet the truth of God i have faith in right inside my heart. And see for myself The Living Word does not lie, or speaks idly when He tells us 'Behold I Come Quickly,' He sure does!

Jesus teaching me to heed Him as The Living Word within me, instead of my depressive thoughts and feelings, has been so very worth it. So instead of having faith in a truth that is always only in part, is often contractionary and/or debatable, and keeps judging me wrong instead of saving me from wrong. i met God's true liberation, the very Lord i always wanted to be close to, where even in my deepest suffering, His loving truth brings me His good life instead of more misery.

To suffer life with God truly gives meaning to the concept of drinking the cup of our 'crucified God,' Still Jesus made so much good come out of all of our sufferings, and now i know He gladly trades His good life with our bad life. (Isaiah 53 & 54)

Be of very good courage!

My Rapture
I thought I been no good all my life. (Psalm 14)
I was stuck with cold loveless strife (Psalm 55:4)
most of me had little faith in God's grace. (Luke 12:28)
as my loveless ways had kept me from His Face. (Ezekiel 18:4b)

In my bad life I was untrue and insincere. (Proverbs 17:4)
weak and hopelessly overcome by my fear (Matthew 14:30)
I didn't believe God would love me as well (1 John 3:16)
always believing what those inner liars tell. (Proverbs 12:6)

Oh these massive hailstones pounding me, (Revelation 8:7)
considering how bad I had turned out to be. (Revelation 16:21)
Fire and brimstone following my inner despair, (Revelation 9:17-18)
for of loving truth I hadn't taken any care. (Revelation 9:19)

Where is your God my tormentors jeered, (Psalm 42:3)
the bottomless pit opening as they sneered. (Revelation 9)
My good life stolen from me as I fell down. (Proverbs 26:27)
my godlessness now with misery me to drown! (Romans 1:18)

Unbearable was the agony as I met sinners fate, (Psalm 81:11-16)
flames of torment untrue and loveless sin berate. (Proverbs 6:7)
Self hate upping the temperature so very high, (Hebrews 12:29)
gnashing of teeth and wailing my constant cry. (Matthew 22:13)

And so I languish in torment pondering my fate. (Isaiah 24:4-13)
still wondering how come I had been to late. (Psalm 112:10)
unbelief and unforgiven sin fuelling my misery, (Hebrews 3)
as I watched myself turn completely ungodly. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

My Hell was an Endless Torturous Night, (Psalm 6:6)
that comes to all with bad life inside. (Proverbs 3:33)
Where one's untrue and loveless deeds, (Proverbs 29:12)
now constant fire and brimstone reaps. (Matthew 25:41)

After many years The Truth came finally to me, (John 8:12)
only God's Grace could reach into my misery. (Ephesians 1)
and so my bad life the goats in charge could keep, (Revelation 20:12)
As Jesus came and collected me in all my sheep. (Revelation 19:1-10)

Awakened to the truth I arose from the dead. (Ezekiel 37)
God's breath of loving truth entering me instead (Acts 2:1-4)
a fast army arose as Ezekiel prophesied to my soul, (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
His blinding light directing me to my new goal. (1 Timothy 6:16)

And so I flew up to meet Him in the wink of an eye. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
Heart piercing wails from the rule of the lie. (Matthew 13:42)
raging Hell poured down on where I had been (Matthew 13:43)
Father' holy wrath burning evil so very mean. (Matthew 13:41-42)

Jesus beaming smile betrayed no harm. (Revelation 1:7-8)
will for wrong simply died in His loving charm. (Revelation 1:5)
and so He also baptised me with holy fire. (Acts 2:3-4)
His loving truth tending my every hearts desire. (Matthew 22:4)

144,000 holy ones Jesus brought from above. (Revelation 7:1-8)
rebuilding my heart in His Kingdom of love (Revelation 7:13-17)
teaching me The Way to do things right. (Hebrews 8:11)
forever denying evil wrong ruling me inside. (Revelation 20:4-6)

Carnal Minds Breed Desolation.
We know our carnal mind by the bad life gained heeding our flesh, (Romans 8:7)
those accusers in our minds our good inheritance sadly thresh. (Luke 15:11-32)
where we are forced to serve a self image that has us placed as least, (Colossians 2:8-23)
and our inner tormentors always rule our life that abominable Beast. (Daniel 7:7, Matthew 24:15)

Where unfaithful love only ever has us rule more dissatisfaction. (Isaiah 29:8)
burning needs ruling our fleshly senses into the wrong direction. (Is 57:1-4 Rev 17:12-18)
For this is how we may know we are ruled by a destructive mind, (Colossians 2:21-23)
not heeding God's Loving truth but loveless lies robbing us blind. (Genesis 4:16-17)

Where we wander from West to East, seeking the Father of light, (Psalm 49)
us thinking The Light is doing what does not give us any insight. (Colossians 2:8)
satan's lies, like wormwood, embitter the fresh waters we crave, (Revelation 8:10-11)
his lies condemning us in our deepest longings to a self dug grave.(Romans 8:5-8)

For we know depressive thoughts and feelings bring us trouble, (Psalm 6:3)
our depressed minds turning all our inner good life into rubble, (Zechariah 10:2)
For the end of those heeding hurting lies is death's misery, (Ezekiel 18:4b)
while anyone suffering pain with Christ in His good life will be. (Isaiah 53 & 54)

For that ugly covenant with death sin made through satan's lies, (Isaiah 28:18-22)
will not help our tormentors on the day of wickedness demise. (Revelation 20:11-15)
The Seven Full Suns of Christ's love burning inner wrong away, (Isaiah 30:26)
that built within through satan's lies shaping us in an untrue way. (Revelation 19:11-21)

Overcome by lies that hurt does not please The Lord of Host, (Romans 8:8)
apart when we give up hurting life in that fallen angel's ghost. (Romans 8:13)
Depressed thinking dies our desolation when Jesus has come, (Isaiah 5:24)
For our bad life will be upside down to what life is in God's Son. (Psalm 146:9)

No self effort, nor self sacrifice, redeems from depressed mind, (Psalm 53:2-3)
no must do, must not do, undo the shackles that us do bind. (Isaiah 47:10-15)
faith in Jesus brings us the love and truth to die to our down, (Colossians 3:5)
life in Christ's Spirit will us with God's loving goodness crown. (Romans 8:10-11)

For faith in God's Son rewards us the freedom to wear Christ's golden crown, (1 Peter 5:4)
the blood of The Son making an end to the accusers voice bringing us down. (Revelation 12:10-11)
Rather the grace and unconditional love of God has us live His Kingdom come, (Romans 5:18)
growing daily more inside our hearts after the likeness of God's first born Son. (Isaiah 27:12-13)

Hallelujah!

This song truly sums up my life heeding my constant death, swallowing up all the living in me, before i met Christ as The Living Word inside my heart making all things wel, while resurrecting me in my good life along the Way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH-x6SbR7oU&list=RDdH-x6SbR7oU&start_radio=1

@DownMoreThanUp I have had to bookmark this entire thread as I find myself going back and re-reading your posts. It's a spiritual nourishment.

@Appleblossom @avant-garde @tyme @Shaz51 I've enjoyed reading your testimonies too, how we have all fallen short of the grace of God yet by the blood of Jesus we are saved.

I have been feeling better the past couple of days, engaging in conversation about faith with likeminded people.

How is everyone else doing?

That's why we have each other @ENKELI . We need each other.

Have you learnt much about the Tabernacle? Each board the tabernacle is made of, stands next to the other. The spiritual aspect of this, is that we all stand upright, one next to the other so that when one falls, they have the other to pick them up. This is the power of the household of faith.

We are here for you.

You wrote that??? @DownMoreThanUp WOW! Amazing! Thank you for sharing. There are such precious scriptures there.

@ENKELI @Appleblossom @avant-garde @tyme @Shaz51

I found that it can be very difficult to convince people down the dumps that good life can overcome the bad life. For as i'm sure we all have suffered from as believers who suffer a mental illness is religious rejections, accusations, and condemnation for who we have become fallen people. i know i have, even within my own heart, by myself, towards myself. All divided within, and at war with myself.

However getting to know Jesus in my life fixed this kind of duality. For when i read the Bible spiritually, as it has always been intended to be read, then the outcome of us as a person, is very different than religious people have made up a Christian ought to be.

The problem in my life was eating the fruit of right and wrong all the time. Where God's created good became wrong because of how i thought about His created good. Thinking some foods were bad for me, as well as some enjoyments, it was often bad for me to enjoy the goodness of life, etc. etc.

It was Paul in Colossians 2 who showed me what folly such thinking is spiritually. And how such thinking never freed me from the things that had me captive. Yet that Jesus does set me free in His truth to be who i am and who i am not, nor let any accusers deny me what Jesus has give/made me to enjoy.

Unbelievable did thinking like this change the outlook on myself, and on me using God's good Creation, and the inner battles i alwats had there. For i leanred to see when i feed from God's good in faith and thankfulness, i NEVER harvest bad life, but a thankful and God loving heart, for being allowed to love freely and enjoy His good Creation at will.

Yet when i think i am not allowed to use God's good from Him, or i'm not allowed to have this or that, then when i do enjoy end up using God's good creation, it will harvest me wrong, and a guilty conscience, and cause bad life to sprout up inside my heart.

For believing such lies is dining on the fruit of good and bad, means i ate the forbidden fruit, which spiritually means i mixed God's good, even the good in my own life, with lies that made me a bad person enjoy good things, which harvest me a guilty conscience, accusations and feeling unworthy and no good. Such leads to take control of the situation in our own strength and insight and control our longings for good with our carnal minds, denying our own needs and wants and being unfriendly to usd who love God's good, or we fall time and again for dinging on God's good thinking we sin, for we feel bad inside.

However thinking bad inside about ourselves longs to feel good, and so we continue eating from the same fruit again. Eating God's good believing we do wrong, and so harvest bad life instead of good.

I acquired quiet a few addictions thinking like that and i'm sure others relate.

i wrote a poem about it!😀

An invitation to The Chosen.

God's Love will not take or will
you to conform to rules or demand
which imprison, enslave, burn or harm you.

God's Love will not pervert what's Good
The Lord loves truthfully Wise and Good.
True Love was, is and always will be Good!

In God's Love you are free to be right!
In His love everything is good proper and kind.
He loves all who love good and true to rule!

His Love is caring, providing, and sharing.
His Love always enjoys and protects good life.
His love rules even when bad life has being in us!

Hear Jesus call - 'Come join up with us all!
Leave whatever ties you down and be free
loving good life with all God's own to be.'

To the rest in your heart God's asks
how long will you tarry in the darkness?
Please leave such bad existence within.

For life must not, no never should, or would, or could,
be forceful, rude, prideful, arrogant, selfish, lustful
or otherwise be untrue to God's loving truth.

Neither should life be hurting or ill,
hungry, oppressed, despised, hated
or otherwise have existence in wrong.

Please hand your Bad Life over to Jesus
Humbly ask for His Good Life back in return
and go love God, self and neighbour with Joy.

The Church knows that Jesus is coming soon
All bad life will be our shameful past then,
so please leave your bad life while you can!

Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5fwhEOptBI&list=RDZ5fwhEOptBI&start_radio=1

Anyone else relate to understand our freedom in Christ like this?