true power of God working in my life

hello everyone

i need to update what God has put me through. i was heavy in sin and yet i wanted God to work in my life with out me changing. God drove me into the spiritual desert so that the only person i could find comfort from the wrath of my sin was my precious Lord Jesus. God gave me a wondifull revelation about my status with him and why i fell so much in the past even though i tried to do the right thing by him. now that i know who i truely am in christ i have had 2 great trials in a row and the lord held me up and got me through them with out fear.

when old memories flash before me, the lord is telling me how to deal with them.

my declaration to the lord
Lord my God, although i have lost great earthly things. you are the only treasure that this earth cannot buy and i am humbled to think that you chose me to recieve such a gift, not because i am worthy of it but because you are so merciful and gracious. praise to your name forever and ever amen.

love crusader 8-)

Wow! What a victorious testimony!

i have lost great earthly things..
you are the only treasure that this earth cannot buy

and i am humbled to think that you chose me to recieve such a gift, not because i am worthy of it but because you are so merciful and gracious.

Praise God for his mercy and grace!!!! That is the greatest treasure in all the world!

the only person i could find comfort from the wrath of my sin was my precious Lord Jesus.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life
set me free from the law of sin and death.” Rom. 8:1

Thanks, Karl, for sharing. Your testimony strengthens my faith.

Diane

thankyou all for your comments they are treasures to my spirit.

my personel testimony this week is this.

God revealed to me the difference between the fallen adam thinking and the new spirit thinking. i had always thought that i was weak because of my own strength and that was the only choice i had. as Diane can testify this drove me to deep sorrowfull convictiction with out hope to the point of suicide.
though prayer and the lords mercy he showed me my choices that i have with all thoughts. i can choose (because of my free will) to listen to my fallen nature which is riddled with destruction and death which will always put me first before God. or i can listen to my new created spirit thinking which will always put god first, has hope faith and is blessed by the lord.
When thoughts come to my head now i choose wheather it is my spirit mans understanding or my old nature. i supose it's like "bringing every thought into captivity" then judging it to see if it's godly or ungodly.

since this was revealed to me i am very clear when it comes to destructive thoughts and actions that use to enslave my life. my choice and i choose Gods spirit. even though it is early days walking like this, i know in my heart of hearts that i am free and i have the hope of things that are unseen and god will bless me every time i choose him in my thoughts rather then my self.

time for me to pop that baby dummy out of my mouth and grow up (spiritually speaking)

if some people have problems understanding what i testify, it is the only way at the moment i can explain it.

praise be the lord and ya all have a good dao or night.

crusader

as Diane can testify this drove me to deep sorrowfull convictiction with out hope to the point of suicide.

Crusader’s journey has impacted me too. When you are involved in a crisis like this (by PM & prayer), you realize that - not only is someone’s life at risk, but also your entire theology is being put to the test. I believe more fervently than ever in the SUFFICIENCY OF GOD’S GRACE. We have a testimony here to prove it!!!

Christ did not come for the healthy (those who feel righteous) but for the sick (sick with/of sin). And we partner with Christ in liberating the condemned from condemnation. After all, condemnation ultimately leads to self-destruction and death. As long as we look to our own strength to set ourselves free from besetting sin, we will only despair. We can’t do it!

I suspect that more and more I will be reacting strongly against the works and law gospel – where a sinner is told that he must fix himself up before Christ will love and forgive him. That, my friends is a gospel of death! It leads to self-absorption. It leads to despair – even suicide. It is the “different gospel” that Paul fervently condemns. (see Galatians) It is a dangerous gospel that creeps in like weeds – sending invasive roots right alongside the good plants. I struggle with this myself.

Struggling with Sin Romans 7(from the NLT)
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[d] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[e] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

AND THE GOOD NEWS: (!!!)

Life in the Spirit
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[b] from the power of sin that leads to death.

even though it is early days walking like this, i know in my heart of hearts that i am free and i have the hope of things that are unseen and god will bless me every time i choose him in my thoughts rather then my self.

time for me to pop that baby dummy out of my mouth and grow up (spiritually speaking)

today i learnt from the lord that i must cast down imaginations. without doing this i will be trapped and enslaved by sin. God is truely being a caring father to me, as things arise in my spirit, i have to deal with them or else i feel the sting of it. My father never did this to me before. if i chose to bad things in the past i would get away with it until things got so built up that they would crash. now if i choose the slightest fleshley thing i feel the effects of it straight away.

Jesus chasens those that are his, so through this i know that the lord loves me.

where would we be if we had dad that just stood by and watched us do life threatening actions without warning us or giving us advice against it. would we not then hate dad for not protecting us.

although i don't like being chasend, i really don't like the deep sting of sin.

so casting down imaginations is the chink in my armour today and the lord is going to teach me how to make this my strength. for it is in this area that the enemy continues to torment me when i am unaware.

any suggestions to help me study in this area or a bible verse

"…. we have the mind of Christ."1 Cor. 2:16

"be made new in the attitude of our minds,
and to put on the new self
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
Eph. 4:23,24

"I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts" Heb. 8:10

Really our minds are the battlegrounds – where we are either defeated or victorious. You have already made a huge step towards victory by deciding to exercise your will, and CHOOSE to accept godly thoughts and reject ungodly thoughts.

Through Christ we have received a mind that is free to make the right choices – and to cast down the lies by rejecting them.

Someone recently reminded me that Satan really has no power over us – in the sense that he doesn’t force us to sin. He deceives and tempts – and in that way he tries to get us to choose the wrong. The choice is made in our minds. And, oh how I (just like you) rejoice that our heavenly Father chasens us, his children when we stray, so that we will learn to make wise choices. Daddy knows best!

“Forgetting what is behind
and straining toward what is ahead.
I press on toward the goal
to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Phil. 3:14

I pray:
"that your love may abound more and more
in knowledge and depth of insight,
so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ."
Phil. 1:9

Diane

todays journey

Yesterday i sat in a pool and just allowed God to minister to me to give me understanding in all area's of my walk.

the lord reminded me of the hebrews when they were chased out of egypt into the desert. all the hebrews saw was desert they couldn't see the land of milk and honey. They had to trust and obey God 100% to survive. because they couldn't see anything there minds were on what they had and knew in egypt.

it was easier for them to go back into hash slavery then it was to have faith in God.

God showed me that because i have been chased into my spiritual desert that i must press on to my land of milk and honey no matter how hard things look. while i made the dission to walk with Gods promise he said to me that he will give me a fire at night to keep me warm and a cloud by day to cool the heat.

yes diane you were right this special time in my life is were my relationship with God is becoming powerfull and intimate. if i was not alone on this journey i would seek comfort in earthly things, but because i am alone and have no where to turn but to my lord my understanding and spirit is growing to levels i have never known.

the enemy still brings my ex-girlfriend into mind every morning when i wake up but i know God is going to teach me to be a powerful soldier when it comes to spiritual warfare.

me going to church tonight and so looking forward to it

Christs love to all

Karl

the enemy still brings my ex-girlfriend into mind every morning when i wake up but i know God is going to teach me to be a powerful soldier when it comes to spiritual warfare.

Crusader,

The mind is indeed a bloody battleground, with enemy artillery being fired daily from old strongholds that haven't yet been razed. It's a frightful, deadly war - with sneak attacks, smokescreen ambushes, and false surrender flags to lure God's unsuspecting soldiers into kill zones. Often a stray image will trigger an assault, and other times your mind will just suddenly begin mulling over shameful things you said and did in the past. They fall upon you at once, with no warning, like a sudden freak hail storm on a beautiful summer day. All you can do in these situations is hunker down low, and pull those ever-victorious scriptures out of your heart. I liken these heavy surprise attacks to a kind of spiritual air raid: they quickly darken your sky, invade your air-space and blitzkrieg your mind with horrible, shameful bomb-thoughts. When this happens, the important thing to do is not panic! It's only a temporary raid, and one which God has authorized to keep you in army boots and hone your swordfighting skills. When the bombs start falling, immediately unsheath the Word of God in your heart. I have a dear hymn that I love to sing during these fearful firefights with Satan's squadrons. Perhaps you know it: "I Must Tell Jesus." Never once have I begun quoting scripture and singing this hymn where the battle lasted more than a few minutes. I see the clouds dissipate, I see the enemy bombers scramble and retreat, and once again I am left safe and strengthened beneath the mighty pinions of an angel of the Lord.

Brother Paul

PaulWest wrote:
The mind is indeed a bloody battleground, with enemy artillery being fired daily from old strongholds that haven't yet been razed. It's a frightful, deadly war - with sneak attacks, smokescreen ambushes, and false surrender flags to lure God's unsuspecting soldiers into kill zones. Often a stray image will trigger an assault, and other times your mind will just suddenly begin mulling over shameful things you said and did in the past. They fall upon you at once, with no warning, like a sudden freak hail storm on a beautiful summer day. All you can do in these situations is hunker down low, and pull those ever-victorious scriptures out of your heart. I liken these heavy surprise attacks to a kind of spiritual air raid: they quickly darken your sky, invade your air-space and blitzkrieg your mind with horrible, shameful bomb-thoughts. When this happens, the important thing to do is not panic! It's only a temporary raid, and one which God has authorized to keep you in army boots and hone your swordfighting skills. When the bombs start falling, immediately unsheath the Word of God in your heart. I have a dear hymn that I love to sing during these fearful firefights with Satan's squadrons. Perhaps you know it: "I Must Tell Jesus." Never once have I begun quoting scripture and singing this hymn where the battle lasted more than a few minutes. I see the clouds dissipate, I see the enemy bombers scramble and retreat, and once again I am left safe and strengthened beneath the mighty pinions of an angel of the Lord.
Brother Paul

Thankyou Paul for your beautiful and Spirit-inspired analogies. It seems the Lord Himself has been urging me on into territories unknown to me, where ungodly flames arise in the arena of my mind to discourage me from moving forward.
Your quote above reflects that as written in James 4:7 - "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Please remember me in your prayers that God will continually enable me by the power of His Spirit to press onwards by placing my faith in Him and not myself.
The Lord bless you and keep you,
richie :-)

thats a good analogy brother i agree

when i look at my choices i can, run back to my homeland and live a life of self indulgence and false peace without God or i can walk forward into the battle field knowing that the truth and victory is on the other side. although going through the battle field can be unsettling this is what i must go through. to take my cross up daily and fight the good fight. my eye's are no longer focused on the battle it is focused on my lord and changing into his image.

it's funny because this morning i was trying to relate my spiritual battle into todays scenerio but could not put it into words for others to understand. where as you have grasped it all and put it how it is.

p.s everyone who has posted on my thread please know that i have placed your words upon my heart and it is blessing me every time i see a response. it is like i am a thirsty soldier in the heat of the battle and you guys giving me a cold drink of water to revitalize me. not only does it keep me alive it gives me strength to continue.

thanks karl 8-)

goodmorning all

last night at church God hit my heart really heavy. when i was worshipping him he asked me to bow my knee, as i did this my tears and zeal for the lord where so heavy on my mind that i couldn't stop speaking in tongues. when i arose the lord blessed me. i then put on the armour of God in the spirit and lord showed me my spirit man plated in a shiny Gold armour, and when i looked at the sword in my right hand it was so sharp. the action of my spirit man was focused on sharpening the sword.

the analogy of this was i must keep the word of the lord sharp with in my heart and to be always in season.

the church last night asked me to join in their church as an evangelist which is something lord has worked in me over the last 15 years but now i am ready