| Author | Message | ||
| Freedom55 Registered user Username: Freedom55 Post Number: 103 Registered: 3-2008 |
Its been some time since I have posted anything on this forum. My journey has not been a good one. Many dark days, many questions, emotions ranging from anger to profound sadness. Looking for answers but finding more questions. Longing to hear the voice of God but only silence. My soul feels dead & I wonder if God is even out there. I long for companionship but there is no one here who I can talk to about this. Its like I'm in the closet and am afraid to come out, and mostly because I don't know where to come out to. The legacy of Adventism has destroyed by soul & yet Adventism goes on like nothing's wrong. Tell me there is hope that one day I may be able to rise above the darkness that currently envelopes me. Is it possible to know truth? Just wondering. | ||
| Goodday2u Registered user Username: Goodday2u Post Number: 107 Registered: 2-2012 |
Hello Freedom55, I'm sorry you're having these dark days. There is hope after Adventism. This is definitely a positive site to visit as you ask questions. Yes, it is possible to know truth. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, tells us He is the way, the truth and the light. I'm praying for you now. | ||
| Leifl Registered user Username: Leifl Post Number: 150 Registered: 3-2014  |
You need Christian fellowship. Are there any good evangelical churches in your area? Ask the Lord to guide you. When you find a good one, get involved. You will learn to know the people, and they you. We left everyone behind, friends and family. The Lord led us to a Baptist church where my wife, children and I are fed and blessed. But we did have to put some effort into being a blessing to them ... or at least participate in activities. Most of all, pray for the Lord for direction. But once he leads you, do your best to make it work. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 15539 Registered: 12-2003  |
Freedom55, it's good to hear from you. Yes, the darkness DOES lift. It's important, though, to be immersed in Scripture and also to have fellowship. Are you worshiping anywhere? Ask God to direct you and to show you where you need to go so you will grow and deepen in truth and reality. He does know! And then start visiting. You can always check the doctrinal statements on websites before you visit to make sure the church is a Bible-teaching church that holds to the Trinity, the inerrant word of God, and the cross of the Lord Jesus at the center of its values. Meanwhile, there are good sermons online that will help you study and think through Scripture. John MacArthur of Grace To You has all his sermons online; he is an expository preacher and very good. You can also follow our church plant with Gary Inrig as the lead pastor. Redeemer Fellowship live streams its services every Sunday at 9:30, and the sermons are also posted online. Gary is currently doing a series on 1 Peter that is surprisingly deep and moving. His preaching has been a huge part of what God has used to help Richard and me unpack our Adventist worldview. You can find links to both the live-stream and also to his sermons here: http://redeemerlomalinda.org/sermons.html It is absolutely possible to know truth. God cannot lie, and thus His word is alive and inerrant. Hebrews 4:12-13 somehow "equates" the word of God with God Himself; it is His Word that He has left with us...the only objective tangible source of truth and of knowing God's will and identity that we have. His Spirit who wrote it teaches us, and our proper response to it is to stand UNDER it, not on it. It has authority over us. Importantly, we have to read it in context, not randomly. Here's a suggestion that I often make: get a notebook and literally copy out books of the Bible. I suggest that you begin with John, and just take your time. Literally copy the book, one verse at a time..and you don't have to do a lot. When you copy it, you have to think about and notice the smallest details: verb tenses, prepositions, punctuation. These details reveal often-startling meanings that I never thought about just reading through the passages. Verb Tenses, for example, mean what they say. A present tense verb means PRESENT; it's not a sloppy metaphor for "whenever" or "sometimes in the future", for example. You might even copy the book on one page in your journal, and opposite the copied text, you might jot down references from the margins that give OT sources for the quotes in the passage you're copying. Seeing the prophecies and psalms that John the Baptist (my granddaughter used to call him John the Bathtub), Jesus, John, and others quote is sometimes astonishing. They KNEW the OT! All to say, God's word is utterly reliable, and He KNOWS what you are feeling. One more thing...on Thursday evenings at 7:00, Gary Inrig teaches a community Bible Study called Word Search. It is also live-streamed. Currently he is teaching a series on the Reformation...and it's the Reformation like we never heard it inside the Great Controversy worldview! It's great. Those lessons are also online. The live stream link is the same as for Redeemer Fellowship that I gave above. With prayers for you, Colleen | ||
| Rocky Registered user Username: Rocky Post Number: 204 Registered: 3-2012 |
Freedom55- i have found that coming from a cold intrusive religion that dictates so much of daily life makes it difficult to transition to the joy of practical Christian living. Straightening out doctrine with truth gives a certain satisfaction and relief but the daily living pieces are the next step - I have loved listening to the very practical messages of Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in NY - He speaks so that a neophyte can easily understand and the simplicity is more refreshing to my spirit than the strident John MacArthur and others that speak from doctrine only and not from their daily experience of integrating the new life in Christ in practical encouragement in application. Don't get me wrong the truth in basic doctrine is a foundation but... it is for freedom that we have been set free - freedom is joy! When I first started out I read discernment web sites like I would read SDA - like " tell me how to think " because I feared I would be deceived again since it already happened before. As my relationship with Jesus/God my Father/HolySpirit has grown deeper and more intimate I have grown in learning to discern their voice- Scripture becomes alive and confirming. I find that fellowship with Christians that have walked with the Lord for many years can disciple me in ways that encourage my growth (instead of my gradual spiritual death as the lifetime of SDA programming did)And most of all I trust that He will complete that which He began and I am firmly in His hand- my life is no longer based in fear- I freely feed on His Word and am led into truth and fellowship. ... just my own experience - As James says ask for wisdom and God will be very generous in giving it to you - You will find what you are looking for- Rocky | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 3553 Registered: 7-2007 |
Freedom55; I'm praying for you. Your story reminds me a little of Oswald Chambers life where he went four years without sensing God's presence. I read it in the chapter called: "Dark Night of the Soul" in a biography of Oswald Chambers by David McCasland. The book is called: "Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God." I don't know if it will help or not. What you said reminded me a little of Oswald's experience. Again, I'm praying for you. | ||
| Freedom55 Registered user Username: Freedom55 Post Number: 104 Registered: 3-2008 |
Thanks, I will see if I can find the book. | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 3555 Registered: 7-2007 |
Freedom55; you can order it from Christian Book Distributers. (I order from them at 1-800-247-4784, though you can probably order through the computer too.) https://www.christianbook.com/oswald-chambers-abandoned-author-utmost-ighest/david-mccasland/9781572934740/pd/14680EB?product_redirect=1&Ntt=14680EB&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 3556 Registered: 7-2007 |
Freedom55; Oops, that's an ebook. Here's the regular book: https://www.christianbook.com/abandoned-to-god-david-mccasland/9781572930506/pd/30507?event=ESRCG |
