Sorting Out My Upbringing

It was hard to accept when I realized that all my life I'd been deceived by the Catholic church. I knew that I was in a deep, dark pit and that my training and theology had no application to getting out. But I also always knew that there was a spiritual reality and so I set my Catholic upbringing aside as I went on my quest for Truth - whatever that was. Thank God that He promises that if we seek Him, we'll find Him (Jer. 29:13, Matt. 7:8) and I did.

How this all came about is a whole other story which you can read about in "Out of the Pit"!

As I discovered a gathering of loving women where we studied the Bible, the Light started coming on in my mind and heart, my mind was being renewed with the Truth and I began climbing out of that dark place. We read non-Catholic-approved Bibles which were trustworthy translations of the original texts and we read them for ourselves, out loud to each other. (I personally like the New American Standard Bible, or NASB, because it's accurate and readable.) We prayed and discussed what the Holy Spirit was revealing to us personally and as a group and we used Bible study guides like Beth Moore's Breaking Free. I read the Bible for myself for the first time in my life, with an open mind, wanting to find out whether it was true or not. I asked questions, I looked for how it all fit together and I tested it by applying it to my life. But the Word by itself, prayerfully read, asking God to reveal His Truth to me, is what contained the power to save me, heal me and bring me out of the pit.  What I discovered was that it was very much about matters of the heart and being reconciled with Him through Jesus. It was very practical and all about the actual life that I was living. And it worked.

I also realized that this was not what I been taught in all of my religious upbringing. I'd been through eight years of Catholic gradeschool, four years of Catholic university and countless masses and other rituals but what I was learning was all new to me. What we had studied was man-made philosophy and theology with a little scripture sprinkled in to give it credibility; it was not at all based on what scripture actually said. The idol worship (the "Blessed Mother"), the praying to saints and angels, thinking we have to go through a priest for our sins to be forgiven, the idea that any human can be infallible (the pope) and all of the practices and beliefs which are only held by Catholics can't be found anywhere in the Bible and are, in fact, in direct opposition to what the Bible says. I was very angry and felt deceived (I had been) when it dawned on me how much of my life had been wasted from being built on lies and how difficult and painful it had been to get out from under it.

I had been lied to repeatedly and purposely, indoctrinated into an organization that's all about rules and control and twisting God's Word to build a powerful empire for men. It wasn't my parents' fault because they were deceived too but it was no innocent accident. It was bigger than I'd realized and had been going on for over a thousand years. Now I see why the enemy fought so viciously to keep me where he had me. It wasn't just one soul at stake; it was about exposing a well-built deception that had millennia of time and effort invested in it. That's what he didn't want to get out.

So how do I know who to trust and what church to be a part of? Basically, I've learned that if we keep God's Word in our hearts and minds, the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to discern who and what organizations are in agreement with it and which ones aren't. Sadly, many groups and people who call themselves Christian aren't, whether they're aware of it or not. They may think that they're living by certain standards but when measured by the Bible, the fruit of walking with God isn't evident in their lives. It took a while and wasn't easy but I ultimately did find a church that is solidly founded on scripture and not rules made up by man. It's a little nondenominational church in the East Texas woods that has an amazing reach far beyond our town. It shouldn't be this way, but churches like mine are actually kind of rare and we have to be careful to not get caught up in any of the false gospels that are being preached all over the place these days because that's what people like to hear. But again, if we stay close to our first love, we are safe with Him and guarded from deception.

I don't want to offend any of my Catholic family or friends but feel like it's time to be bold and bring this out in the open. Your church is deceiving masses of people and leading you down a bad road, away from God.

Ask Him for yourself to show you what's true and then seek it. You WILL find it and it's not confusing. The Truth is simple and clear. We don't need someone smarter than us to tell it to us or interpret for us. It doesn't require college degrees or ordination by man. Even shepherds and fishermen were able to understand and enter the kingdom of God! Come to Him with a pure heart and faith of a child, ask Jesus to show you the way and He will. Know Him for yourself and don't allow anyone to deceive you. Do it now. Today is the day.

Amen, Come Holy Spirit

Go Back In

Passover Redemption

Last night I had an interesting flash. I had been at Heather's at the Singles' Connect gathering and on the drive back to Tyler from Flint, I decided to go by the house of prayer for a little while since I knew they were having a 12-hour prayer watch and since it was also Passover.

When I got there, I headed straight for the restroom to freshen up so I could enjoy my time there. I quietly walked by friends, waving and whispering hellos on my way to the back hallway. And when I got into the bathroom, I had a flashback to all of the times I spent in little Montrose bars as a groupie of my friends' bands - the familiar faces, the band playing, the relaxed atmosphere, feeling at home, no pressure, wanting to get back out and join in what was happening - only this time I wasn't half drunk and trying to get all the way there. I wasn't going to do things that I knew were bad for me just for the thrill of it, I wasn't looking for trouble with people I knew I shouldn't be with. This time, I was with people who were there to honor God, people I could respect and feel safe with and I could go home and have no regrets the next day.

I sat next to my friend Pam, watched my friend Carolyn dance and thought about redemption.
This was my Passover celebration.

Thank You, Father.

Another Miracle

I realized just this morning that it was a miracle that I didn't commit suicide and then wouldn't have the opportunity to be born again. It had to be God's intervention that gave me the ability to think clearly enough to come to the conclusion that killing my body wasn't going to stop the suffering in my soul. I hadn't given myself over to it (the lying spirit) completely to believe the lie that death would help. He kept me from going to that extreme so I could live and find the Truth and walk in it.

    It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
   The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.    (Jesus)

                     John 6:63

Amen!, come, Holy Spirit