Thank you so much Depleted, for helping me make my case.
Ya see? I'm 65 years old. I am on no medication/s, save some eyedrops, for cataract surgery I had last week. My blood pressure surprises Dr's. each time they take it, because it's just a tad below "normal". And the fact, that I'm 280 pounds @ 5'9", and smoke a pack of cigarettes (kool mild's) a day! Not diabetic, no heart disease/s, and am otherwise in pretty good health! Upon showing their amazement concerning my physical health. I tell each n every one of 'em: "I'm blessed!" I leave it to each individual's own interpretation of their own "religious belief system/s", as to "who, or whom, or what" I'm blessed by, or with!
I don't get headaches, in thinking about such things as I've stated, because , it is been by my own personal experience/s, and "striving's" to Love the Lord MY God, with ALL my heart, and ALL my soul, and ALL my heart, and ALL my strength, and ALL my mind! Notice, I didn't even mention "my religion."
This part here, is going to be a little hard for me to explain, but, shall give it a whirl anyway. We all are "wired" differently, regarding some things. whereas, we ALL are wired the same, in regards to other things. El Shaddai (God, for all intensive purposes), has within His power, and might, to correctly, "rewire" parts, or, those parts, within the grey matter area, to make it profitable, not only For the Glory of God, and Jesus Christ, but also, for one's own "physical" health, as well! I hope someone smiled, or, was in agreement, with my last statement. Even "little" things, such as a "crook" in your neck, a yawn (usually, a scoffer moment), an itching of your head, ear/s, or body....Means something! Generally? Not a good something, or profitable something, as far as the Kingdom of God, and Kingdom of Light, are concerned. May be indicative of a something good for flesh....or self, but, not God, nor His Son, nor, of the true light.
"Back in the day" of the O.T., when people became sick, or ill, others would ask of them what they did, or were doing wrong, or not doing correctly, that God would place such a calamity, or illness upon them. And, it's not like God did anything TO, them, except perhaps, turn His head (blessing) away from them. Cuz the devil gonna do, what the devil gonna do, right?....NATURALLY!
You are stronger, then you are being made to believe you are!
Ya see? I'm 65 years old. I am on no medication/s, save some eyedrops, for cataract surgery I had last week. My blood pressure surprises Dr's. each time they take it, because it's just a tad below "normal". And the fact, that I'm 280 pounds @ 5'9", and smoke a pack of cigarettes (kool mild's) a day! Not diabetic, no heart disease/s, and am otherwise in pretty good health! Upon showing their amazement concerning my physical health. I tell each n every one of 'em: "I'm blessed!" I leave it to each individual's own interpretation of their own "religious belief system/s", as to "who, or whom, or what" I'm blessed by, or with!
I don't get headaches, in thinking about such things as I've stated, because , it is been by my own personal experience/s, and "striving's" to Love the Lord MY God, with ALL my heart, and ALL my soul, and ALL my heart, and ALL my strength, and ALL my mind! Notice, I didn't even mention "my religion."
This part here, is going to be a little hard for me to explain, but, shall give it a whirl anyway. We all are "wired" differently, regarding some things. whereas, we ALL are wired the same, in regards to other things. El Shaddai (God, for all intensive purposes), has within His power, and might, to correctly, "rewire" parts, or, those parts, within the grey matter area, to make it profitable, not only For the Glory of God, and Jesus Christ, but also, for one's own "physical" health, as well! I hope someone smiled, or, was in agreement, with my last statement. Even "little" things, such as a "crook" in your neck, a yawn (usually, a scoffer moment), an itching of your head, ear/s, or body....Means something! Generally? Not a good something, or profitable something, as far as the Kingdom of God, and Kingdom of Light, are concerned. May be indicative of a something good for flesh....or self, but, not God, nor His Son, nor, of the true light.
"Back in the day" of the O.T., when people became sick, or ill, others would ask of them what they did, or were doing wrong, or not doing correctly, that God would place such a calamity, or illness upon them. And, it's not like God did anything TO, them, except perhaps, turn His head (blessing) away from them. Cuz the devil gonna do, what the devil gonna do, right?....NATURALLY!
You are stronger, then you are being made to believe you are!
I am sick! I have been sick a long time. God allowed me this sickness, because it caused me to grow closer to him, and totally changed my character. I hate RA, but, when I think of how I was before I got so sick, and the pain, I realize God really did have a perfect plan for my life, and continues to.
As for 2 sides, I was definitely in the middle for a long time. Arminianism, which was taught in the charismatic/Pentecostal churches I was in (although I know not all charismatic/Pentecostal churches teach this), was a bankrupt and spiritually destructive doctrine for me. My husband had me living in terror that I was going to lose my salvation for just looking the wrong way.
But God never left me, not even when I turned my face to the wall and stopped reading my Bible for 2 long, empty and lonely years, and stopped going to church. In fact, God encouraged me for months and months to pick up my Bible and just read the Psalms. Which I did! Five a day, and one month to complete the whole 150. For 2 years.
At the end of that time, God called me to seminary, and started wiping me clean of Arminianism. It was a long journey. I am grateful for God that he was there, teaching and leading me, in spite of myself and what I had been taught. It started with believing in eternal security, and moved forward from there.
I am now Baptist Reformed. And even some Reformed friends accept my calling as a woman pastor, so, there is enough leeway for me to be able to serve God in the way he called me. And besides, women in ministry is not that important compared to how we are saved and the sovereignty of God.
I sat on the fence a long time. I call that the "middle." I walked far away from charismania and all the lies of the Word Faith and then hypergrace forum. But, God is in control! I have known that a long, long time! I believe it is best expressed in Reformed doctrines, but certainly people in the middle or on the other side are as saved as me.
As for the Word Faith stuff, sorry to hear you are into that. God is blessing you, but have you truly been changed by him? Suffering has a way of changing us, and often for good. Here is a life verse God gave me!
"More than that, we rejoice in our afflictions, knowing that afflictions produce endurance, endurance produces character and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5