Hi Florence!:) I’m happy this message blessed you. I love your humility. I know it’s not easy, especially today, to find movies that are wholesome. Praying God leads movie producers to produce more clean movies. Thanks for writing me.
Blessing to you:)
Amanda
Though my experiences with sin were at times extremely painful, they gave me an awareness that made it easy for me to lay things down once I started following Jesus. I started laying anything down that I felt would feed my flesh instead of His spirit in me. I got rid of the trashy television shows, movies, and books, and started reading the Bible, joining Bible studies and watching things that would help me grow in my relationship with the Lord.
Still struggling a bit with movies, just turned off something now that I should not even be watching. Thanks for the reminder.
]]>Hi Mark! Looks like we have similar pasts. Thanks for sharing your story and mentioning Thomas. I was going to talk about unbelief next week, since we all struggle with that. 🙂 May God continue to bless you and prepare you for your wonderful calling. God bless!
]]>Wow you were really talking almost word for word about my own past experiences. I think at the time, despite being ready to end it all, I was holding out for that last ditch chance of life. I just didn’t know that for sure until Jesus walked up to my boat and called me to follow him. Like you I don’t think it was particularly hard for me to see the truth of his light. I was open and receptive to it. However it didn’t come straight away. If I could identify with a disciple it would be Thomas – the doubter. It took personal and direct revelation by Jesus for Thomas and me to renounce our skeptical ways.
John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
I too learned to truly despise sin, which in itself is an invaluable lesson, painful as it is at the time. I witnessed, first hand, how it comes to ruin not just our own lives but those we interact with whether they are family, friends or colleagues. The comment you made about the atheist rings true to my past life also. An atheist believes he is secure because he has a house, a job, a car, a reasonable income, knowledge or expertise, a big reputation, respect in the local community… or something else. All these things are given to him, ultimately, to keep him lost in the fog and darkness. They don’t realise that Satan, as you pointed out, has the authority to make such things available to us. Satan wants to give us all these things we desire, and the easy life, so that we don’t even consider God.
God bless,
Mark
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