Christian Chat

@tyme I love your explanation of the Tabernacle, is is far better than I could ever have described it.

I love the band Casting Crowns and wondered what their name meant. In Revelation 4:10 - 11, 24 Elders lay down their crowns at God's feet and say

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

By laying down our ego and selfishness at God's feet, we are casting our crowns and acknowledging He is Sovereign. For me that is wonderful news and I want to share it with everyone!

Thank you for sharing the Good News @ENKELI !

@DownMoreThanUp it seems like you have a spiritual gift of scripture. It's something I wish I had as I have trouble remembering lots of verses.

I prayed for the gift of music as I love music so much, it's been part of me since I was a young teen, even shaping my decision to attend WAAPA and study sound engineering after high school. I can't read music or play an instrument so I content myself with enjoying those talented people who can.

@tyme @Appleblossom @Shaz51 what are your thoughts on spiritual gifts and what if any are yours?

I have the gift of prophecy and tongues.

@avant-garde I hope this topic isn't uncomfortable or upsetting to you, I know how you had an awful time in a so called Pentecostal church so forgive me if it upsets you sweetheart xo

@ENKELI

They're things I wish I could talk about but still find it very difficult to.

The gift of tongues is something I still find incredibly distressing.

Gifts I've been previously told I have: distinguishing between spirits, tongues, prophesy, scripture, administration

I memorised the entirety of Psalm 139 about 7 years ago and find it easy to memorise it.

@avant-garde I am so sorry if it's brought up bad thoughts. Religious organisations can do more harm than almost any other organisation and it makes me mad when I hear of people who have had bad experiences in the name of God.

My dad grew up Catholic and he tells me to this day he hates the Catholic church. He was left handed and got punished for it as it was evil. He was a bit of a toad with authority though as I know another person of his generation who was also left handed and she became right handed because of the constant slaps on her left hand and dad still writes left handed.

I'm interested in how you mentioned administration as a spiritual gift. I was told that I had a gift with the same and customer service but never considered it a Godly gift. Maybe I should reflect on that as a gift.

@ENKELI Bullseye!

Our ego in its ultimate reality is the little horn, that comes up uprooting the other three horns in Daniel 7, or the 'man of sin/son of lawlessness', the one doomed to destruction, Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2 is on about, and Jesus will destroy inside of us with the breath of His mouth. (The best thing that ever happened to me!)

For Jesus is totally selfless of Being, that is how come we may all Dine on Him instead of always burn our ego.

i wrote a poem about the time i realised who the little horn of Daniel 7 in me was, and how it came about in my life.

See what you think. (it has been one of my least understood poems, but i love it myself for it reminds me of Christ loving that self in me to death with His loving, kind, compassionate and graceful truth.)

All praise to Jesus for this one i will love Jesus forever setting me free from such untrue self as me, and gave me my dignity back in Him.

Five Goats Ruling!

Oh you he-goats are so strong and cruel
To slaughter and devour is your will
What kingdoms of destruction to rule?
Making the rest of us pay your bills! (Daniel 7:1)

Let's name a few of you kings by name
I want to be sure that everyone knows!
for you are unfaithful to our life time and again.
always deny The Truth when the rooster crows! (Matt 25)

Yes you - lying tongue - so very brave
in the dark breeding shady parts within
dragging God's chosen down to their grave
death as reward for your voice of sin.(Daniel 7:4)

Loveless voice - what an abomination
entering our soul through Satan's lies
The chosen suffering extermination
as cold-heartedness our conscience fries.(Daniel 7:5)

Greed eye - you have our good times lost
All you get your hands on is history
those compelling demands as cost..
...such loudly wailing misery! (Daniel 7:6)

And so - The Dragon - comes in play
ruling mind controlled by The Accuser
Babylon captivating lawless sway
rules and laws taxing the user.(Daniel 7:7)

(A lament; )

Oh - lawless unfaithful egocentricity!
arrogance and pride robbing control
proclaiming godhead and divinity
burning good life right out of our soul.(Daniel 7:8)

(Conclusion; )

Yet the rule of goats will not last!
Kingdom Come - goats reign demise!
for when the final king dies the past..
...judgement cuts down those ugly ties.(Daniel 7:9-12)

For behold when Christ says "Hi!"
His Light of Day sinfulness demise
those unruly goats will surely fry
when Christ denies them paradise.(Daniel 7:13-14)

@ENKELI

There's more than one list about spiritual gifts

1 Corinthians 12:8-11 ESV

[8] For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

1 Corinthians 12:28 ESV

[28] And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.

Romans 12:6-8 ESV

[6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; [8] the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

@ENKELI you wrote

"it seems like you have a spiritual gift of scripture. It's something I wish I had as I have trouble remembering lots of verses. "

Yes i did/do as well, it has been years growing in Scriptures, but once you meet Christ as the Living Word, reading The Bible, you never forget that word again. The bible book, or chapter or verse perhaps, but never the truth you met.

This is how Scripture grew in me. i listen to the Sons of Korah, and Sherri Youngward's Scripture songs, 24/7 while depressed, and so the word grew in me struggling down deep and came to my aid - time and again.

As such is the reality of Jesus as The Living Word within us.

i'll share you a few favourite Words i love to listen to down deep.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIpnW3rtRQ4&list=RDEMHKxYDS63yyuApLGkE7Xq3Q&index=3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqxiWNCp3uw&list=RDEMHKxYDS63yyuApLGkE7Xq3Q&index=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbILLkOmLdc&list=RDEMHKxYDS63yyuApLGkE7Xq3Q&index=14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzlKxDvuvqQ&list=RDwzlKxDvuvqQ&start_radio=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPzKtlJW6Tw&list=PLEcdgAgGvJCM-7rV6EIdM8FVt2m6j1hCd&index=11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zleT6Vu1MHw&list=PLEcdgAgGvJCM-7rV6EIdM8FVt2m6j1hCd&index=1

@DownMoreThanUp you know how you sometimes read something and have an "ah huh!" moment? That's what I had when I read your prose.

It was a lightbulb moment.

For the past couple of years I have struggled. I let God choose my path about 10 years ago and met someone who He had led me to, someone who became my best friend and her 2 kids became my Godchildren. I supported the 3 of them while she went through her divorce, I helped her financially and spiritually and for 8 years we lived together and she credited me with returning her to her faith. I thanked God because He put me where He wanted me to be.
He also gave me the prophecy - you will not remain friends. She was a very clingy person and it became an unhealthy relationship as I almost gave up everything for her and her kids. When the time came for us to move from the rental we were in she went one way and I moved back to my own home.
I felt set adrift, I missed them terribly and conveniently forgot the warning God had given me. Then she cut ties all together and I have not spoken to her or my former Godchildren for almost 3 years.
It broke my heart. I cried out to God to ask why He let it happen. At the same time I was being bullied at work and ended being forced into resigning from the toxic workplace. I felt I was clinging to the hem of Jesus' robe, barely. I couldn't go to church because my former friend attended there and I lost mutual friends.

I started participating in the forums here on Sane and didn't know there was a Christian thread, it wasn't until @tyme (thank you my sweet girl, I am forever grateful to you!) guided me to this thread and I started healing more.

It's been an emotional couple of years, I started a new job after being out of work for a couple of months and I was there just one day less than the 3 months probation and with no explanation I was told I was being let go. That was August last year and I haven't worked since.

Every day I cried to God, I asked him why he let all this pain happen to me.

One day not that long ago I chose to listen to God. He had been helping me with my anxiety about not working by telling me to Be Still (Ps 46:10) for the past 12 months and most days I told Him I was grateful.
I am blessed, I own my car and I just paid off my mortgage last week.
While I have been crying and asking why He's let me be unemployed and a myriad other negative things, He has been patiently waiting for me to actually be still.

He revealed to me that he made my friend cut me out of her life because He knew I would not do it and the relationship would become even more unhealthy.
He revealed to me that it doesn't matter that you are not working, what other people think about you being unemployed is not important.

He revealed to me that He is with me and always has been, my cracked lenses couldn't see that He was holding me.
He revealed He was turning my ashes into beauty

I am praying that I will go back to my church (ex friend no longer attends) and that I will be able to join a Bible study group.
I am praying for my ex friend and her kids - from what I have learnt she and the kids appear to have turned away from God.
And I am praying thanks for you, for @avant-garde @tyme @Shaz51 for you have helped light my dimmed flame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ZWEO36jok

@avant-garde thanks for sharing those passages xo ❤️

I do not, nor will I ever endorse HillSong for a couple of reasons but Brooke Ligertwood is an amazing singer and this song is a reminder that we are Children of the Sovereign King

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKw6uqtGFfo