The Bible Verse That Spiritually Throat-Punched Me.
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- Опубліковано 23 вер 2024
- When I first left the New Age/Thought, it took some time for me to really unlearn a lot of the beliefs that I had. There was one belief in particular that I had a very hard time trying to figure out until one particular verse stopped me in my tracks.
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I was a Christian most of my life but when I was 32 and part of a Christian chat room and in a reading of Psalms I reads Psalm 51 and that just opened my eyes. A broken and contrite heart...I hit my knees and met Jesus for the first time.
Amazing
‘Human being cannot bear much reality’ TS Eliot.
This is the normal Christian life in fact. David did not write Psalm 51:17 when he first came to faith. He wrote this after falling away and coming to renewed repentance and faith in Christ.
Isaiah affirms the normality of this attitude of ongoing contrition:
But to this man will I look, even to
him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembleth at my word.
(Isaiah 66:2)
Jesus also reiterates:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for
they shall be comforted.
(Matthew 5:3, 4)
The Lord uses the present tense in Matthew 5:4. Greek present tense is imperfective and therefore ongoing.
The Christian life is a life of contrition and faith, because the struggle with sin is never fully over in this life
This is beautiful.
Psalm 51 is really hitting home right now
I love you all and love you Jesus
Save us redeem us make a way for us
“Except for gender” 😂 💯
Also I was heavy into new thought and was preaching it to everyone! I’m grateful God showed me the truth.
I literally LOL'd @ this too haha
Me too ! 😂 @@RichieGlez
That was a great aside.
Sadly... we should have just baked a cake, as those 'trees' don't have any 'fruit' and will whither away in their own time. Whatever is oppressed - just 'grows more'.
Yes, I laughed out loud at those three words.
These days my prayers consist mostly of "YOUR WILL BE Done in my life, LORD, not my own. Because I have finally realized that GOD knows my hearts desire more than I do, and what HE wants for me is better than what I want for myself. Preach IT Sister!!! AMEN and AMEN!!!🙏🙏🙏✝✝✝
Yes, but you'll never find what that is unless you're willing to do a bit of self searching for what the depths of the desires are that you have been made with.
Yesss, “ your will be done, not mine”! Praise God!!❤
😎 The bible is a mind blower and life changer, and if it’s not deconstructing you and rebuilding you… you’re not trying hard enough! 😉“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
in Gods mind..it's not so much about what you Want..it's about what you Need :)
@@NuLiForm not sure people 'needed' wine at the wedding in Canan, but Jesus gave what brought fun joy and celebration - what we need? Maybe, but there certainly isn't some clear cut line, thank God. We're made for relational joy
I was raised a JW, left at 17 and then started going to a very gospel focused nondenominational church about 12 years ago. We had several years back we had been through Thessalonians and then Ephesians, so I watched an old documentary called something like Discovering Apostle Paul. It was from the 70's or 80's and a British gentleman did the entire walk of his mission trip. By the time he was done, I was in absolute awe of just how real it looked to bear your cross in those days. I was also still struggling with my "good works" mentality. That was until 1 Corinthians 15:9 smacked me in my face. Even my dear Apostle Paul did not believe himself worthy. It hit me like a ton of bricks, it's because we aren't. Carrying the burden of my own salvation had been unbearable and with the release and acceptance through Paul's admission of his unworthiness, I accepted my own and with it, accepted Jesus as my Savior alone, as I never had before.
Beautiful!
Just curious, was the British gentleman, Derek Prince?
Ive been a jw all my life. Im glad i grew up in a environment were i was taught to study and do research especially about the bible regularly. But i know sadly not everyone gets that. Im glad you came back to christianity. Very inspiring.
I have had many experiences over many years with JWs, i have never heard of one converting to christianity before, you are the first. Thank you for the insight you have shared about carrying the burden of your own salvation, it is very helpful to me in my dealings with them :)
Thank you for sharing your journey. It's truly inspiring to hear how God works in the lives of individuals, guiding them from one place of understanding to another. Your experience with the Jehovah's Witnesses and then finding solace in a gospel-focused church resonates deeply with many who have walked similar paths.
The documentary you mentioned sounds fascinating, and it's incredible how visual representations of biblical events can bring them to life in a new and impactful way. The journey of the Apostle Paul is indeed one of remarkable faith and endurance, and it's through his writings that we gain insight into the struggles and triumphs of early Christians.
Your reflection on 1 Corinthians 15:9 is powerful. Recognizing our own unworthiness is a humbling yet liberating realization. It reminds us that our salvation is not achieved through our own efforts or good works, but through the grace of Jesus Christ alone. Embracing this truth frees us from the burden of trying to earn our salvation and allows us to rest in the assurance of God's love and mercy.
May God continue to guide you on your journey of faith, deepening your understanding of His grace and strengthening your relationship with Him.
~5:35 "When you love Him, you WANT to obey Him." Amen!!
Excellent, young sister. The "aha" moment for me was 50 years ago. I read about the beggar, Lazarus who, according to Jesus, was a believer. He died a beggar. A believer died a beggar. So much for health and wealth.
Paul said the apostles were treated like the scum of the earth
@@DeaconBeanCooter Lazarus was carried to Abraham's bosom.
Wasn't Lazeras brought back from life?? If Christ suffered for us we must suffer for him✌️
Have you heard of the great persecution??? Following Christ puts an instant bull's-eye on your back.
If I may comment on Luke 16:19-31., like Luke 16:1. starts with Jesus mentioning a rich man in that parable, and He does the same thing in Luke 16:19. at the beginning of this parable.
There are those that believe because the Lord utilizes the names Lazarus and Abraham in these verses, that this isn't a parable, but a factual historical account.
The problem with the latter is, that Jesus had not finished His work upon the cross when He tells this story. If this isn't a parable then that would mean that Lazarus was able to see and enter the Kingdom of God by some other means, other than that of a Messiah, and that would make what Jesus said in John 3:1-7., and John 14:6. a lie.
The Holy Spirit is Who provides and seals us with a Righteousness that is Sufficient enough to be able to see and enter God's Kingdom, Galatians 2:21. The Holy Spirit is Who Circumcises our heart, Romans 2:28,29. The Lord had not been Glorified yet when He spoke this parable, (John 7:39.) so there was no way for Lazarus to receive the Holy Spirit.
I’ve been a Christian my whole life and I even got into the Law of Attraction for a while! A non-Christian friend told me about it and I thought because of some of those verses that it was Biblically ok, so I was doing affirmations. Then Allen Parr addressed it in a video (The Beat) because his wife pointed out that it was a growing problem in the church. I was concerned about what he explained in the video so I emailed my pastor and he gently explained that he saw those things as New Age. That made me realize I was putting myself in the center and not God - and that my understanding of God was shallow! Look at how the apostles all died to spread the gospel message. And here I was behaving like God was a genie to grant my wishes. I’ve been framing my relationship with God much differently now and there is way more meaning. I’m so thankful there were people who paid attention so they could point out this problem in the church.
Spencer Smith on his Adam series is quite eye opening.
What age did you become a Christian?
Whole life? That’s a lie. No one is born into it.
New age and anything like that seems bad for Christianity. I had the same observation that you say. People making themselves the center instead of God. I've seen this working both ways. People who decide to leave Christianity, as well as new age people who turn to Christianity.
To put it simply, it's like they feel or felt it is their duty to save people. They forget it is Jesus who saves and they think it is up to them to go around and save as many people as they can. I've also noticed so many people make videos, about they were in to crystals, but now they turned to Jesus, throw out their crystals and start preaching.
Like thy skip over the whole learning part, no Sunday school, no church, no catechesis, no bible study... Just go straight to being a preacher. I don't think that is the best for Christianity. Like yesterday I played with tarot cards and today I am an apostle with all the answers and instructions you need.
@@br.mreligion is the beast in scripture! It is the religious state! Always seeing and never perceiving, always hearing, never understanding! Blind guides leading the blind both falling in the ditch! Parables and allegory’s being taken literally says that is carnally minded! ( flesh). But you don’t even know what I am saying! Proving scripture! Only Christ within yourself can awake you of your sleep ( death). To be carnally minded is death ( rom 8.6)
My favorite psalm is 46:10-“be still and know that I Am God.” The other day I was reading a different translation. It says “cease striving.” And I about fell over. Bc I strive for perfection in all areas. It’s exhausting. I’m exhausted. This verse has been playing over n over in my head since then. Stop fighting. Stop striving. Be still. So hard to be still. So hard to not strive. I’m still fairly new and also out of new age. Still detangling a lot of beliefs. Thanks for your content!
Me too! This one is still saving me all the time!
This is a lesson God has been patiently teaching me for a while - I'm a slow learner! I had the same thing happen reading the translation you mention, "Cease striving." He has shown me that when I am anxious or fearful about anything, I am doubting one of 3 things: His Power, His Wisdom, or His Goodness. Considering this really puts my worry into perspective - it is unbelief! Here is a song/prayer that helps me refocus my eyes on Him. Hope it blesses you!
ua-cam.com/video/83VVhmt_wnE/v-deo.htmlsi=N3RxPUe1nKWTVAbj
It’s hard to be still in a society that has its basis in material status…….sometimes we just need to go into that “ desert” within our minds ( as Jesus did) and do some soul searching!
It is hard to be at peace when you see flaws
One of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible that would be cleared up if you just read the context. It has nothing to do with “being still” God is telling the Israel army to… never mind. Just go read it for yourself.
“ Lord have mercy on me a sinner” blew my mind and simplified so much.
Michelle, love the way you speak and keep scripture in perspective. The first verse that impacted me years ago was Joel 2:25 ..."and the Lord will restore the years that the locusts took away..." I was close to 40 years old, lost all my "wealth", friends and family due to poor investments and choices. I remember reading this verse and held on to it's promise in faith. God is SO GOOD!!! Praise His Holy name. Thank you Michelle for your edifying words. God bless and protect you always...
And what is His holy name...?
@@TakeTheRide Yeshua brother, my savior and LORD!!
He will restore the worm eaten years. That verse helps me get through hard stuff all the time.
Amen. Praise G-d. As long as you have breath you have hope in Christ.
@@TakeTheRideHis holy character
I thought that when I became a Christian that everything was going to be fine, have no trouble, just a wonderful life. After my husband was diagnosed with brain cancer I was wondering what was going on. The verse that hit me was this: In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33. OK, if Jesus says we'll have trouble, we will have trouble. But he's already taken care of it. He's in charge. It helped me accept the situation I was in and made me dig deeper.
Amen!
And what did you find by digger derper? Where did you dig? What about your husband?
@@offthefront7537 I found a personal peace with the situation. Not right away, but over time. I couldn't change what had happened, so I put it in God's hands and tried to follow His will. I attended church, found friends that I could talk to about my situation and studied the Bible. I learned to trust the Lord to take care of us. My husband was cured of cancer (miracle), but he had radiation to his head which eventually led to him having strokes and seizures. Sixteen years later he died from the effects of the radiation.
So sorry for your husband’s troubles. May I ask what lead you to initially believe the Christian life would be trouble-free? Was it taught to you from the pulpit? From a Christian?
I too thought that becoming a Christian meant that you were blessed in everything and things would go well for you. Boy was I wrong! First of all, becoming a Christian, is walking through the entry door, it is not the end-all, it was the BEGINNING and if you stay in the lobby where you entered, then you will miss much of the blessing of being a Christian.
Becoming a Christian gives you access to Father, but unless you take the time to USE that access and pray without ceasing, then you will struggle and spit and sputter until you choose to do the things that He said to do. And one of the most important things that Jesus taught us to do is to come to Father daily and pray to Him. We are to give Him 100% of our lives, to seek FIRST HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness, to forsake our own will in favor of His will in ALL things. We are to daily take up our cross, that thing upon which you flesh is crucified and killed, and FOLLOW Him.
We are ALL equal in one very important way. Each of us has 24 hours each day to invest and once it is gone, we cannot get it back. So, what you choose to spend your time on, is what you have chosen to invest your most precious life asset on. The way you spend your time, reveals what you value most in life. SO, when we choose to develop a daily, diligent, prioritized habit of praying and worshipping God daily, then we show that He is what we value most.
In addition, whatever we give to God, we still have, so it makes good sense to invest as much of our temporal moments in this life to gain eternal treasure in heaven for eternity. Talk about spinning straw into gold?
For years and years even after receiving the Lord I was caught in paranoid thinking and it was debilitating and caused horrid depression. The verse that God used to totally turn me to Him was Psalm 120: 1-3 “I cried out to the Lord in my distress, deliver my soul oh Lord from lying lips and a deceitful tongue. “ as soon as I read it I heard the Spirit say “even if that tongue is yours” it was life changing! I always thought my problem was other people, but the Spirit showed me that my problem was that instead of receiving the truth of God I was receiving my own brokenness and broken thoughts and receiving accusations from the pit of hell that kept me out of relationships with others and with God. I was the problem, not anyone around me! My life is totally different now! I’m receiving His Life and His love and care for myself and for others! His Life is filling me now and I can love those who suffer from the same thing I was suffering with! He is beautiful ♥️
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have been battling so much in my thoughts and needed to read this testimony. Glory to God!
The first time I read the Bible I was a church going Christian. My 35 year old NKJV is well read and written in plain English, and I am fluent in English. I am familiar with hermeneutics, understand what a parable is, and recognize eisegesis.
The verses that "spiritually throat punched me" were the ones that promote or condone evils like slavery (Leviticus 25:44-46, etc.), misogyny (1 Corinthians 14:34, etc.), violence (1 Samuel 15:2-3) and intolerance (Luke 19:27, etc.). Indeed, actually READING the Bible with an open mind is one of the things that led me to the conclusion of atheism.
Dear Melissa, I love how you say at the end, "There is something very beautiful about stumbling upon passages like this...." My dear sister, you did not *stumble* across those verses.
They were a Gift from the Father, and answered prayer. 🙏
Melissa, This was a brilliant and well needed video on a subject that so many Christians are confused about. I am a 69 year old semi retired carpenter in the UK. In a second marriage to a gorgeous woman I love to death. We have 6 adult children between us and 5 grandchildren. What disappoints us more than anything, is the way our (non believing) offspring are so adamant they know everything and haven't got the time for anything Christian. One of them is definitely into this New Age Philosophy, as he is often commenting about the Universe granting him success!!! We do try to challenge this thinking, but it so often falls on deaf ears. My wife and I pray every day for them. Don't stop what you're doing, its needed now more than ever before. Thank you! 🙂
@charlieallansen9763 Hi Charlie, It must be difficult watching your children follow the world. I'm sure that you're familiar with John 6:44 and 65. though.
Keep praying, you never know what the Father has planned.
@@GreggBuckley Exactly! Keep praying, you never know what the Father has planned. Every human is born a sinner (unbelieving); trust God for their salvation.
@@solomonchege2986 Yep, keep praying, and never give up hope.
I definitely encourage you to keep praying. I wandered into these same doctrines of demons. It took two decades for me to resubmit to Jesus as LORD, and ask for and receive baptism in the Holy Spirit, but I am very aware that the prayers of Christians who loved me were instrumental in that return. I also believe that it was God’s response to those prayers that kept me from entering into deeper bondage to demons. I am now praying for prodigals I love, because I know unequivocally that God does work through our prayers.
Thank you for posting this sister! I am a 50yr old male that grew up in a Christian family, and I just spent an entirely sleepless night worrying about my business and how I’m going to keep my house and life as I know it. I have always told people that everything I have has been a gift from God, not anything that I’ve done. However, when those “things” are in jeopardy, I default to to ME and MY power to fix the issues. You reminded me that gaining, holding, or loosening (anything) is all about, and up to, Him and for His purpose! May God bless you and those around you!
I totally get this. I do the very same thing. God help us!
At one time my circumstances were like yours on all points. For 15 yrs I was reduced to going to the Lord and saying, “ Lord if you don’t deliver me, I’m a goner.” Just like that and He has delivered us each and every time. I lost everything twice and in the end he miraculously delivered us into retirement with all our needs met. Those who say God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit are fantasies have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. I am living proof.
“Everything I turn over to God has claw marks in it.”
As a baby Christian I fell hard into the Word of Faith teachings. Sadly. Watched Creflo, Joyce, and many others…I studied the word hard at that time and it “seemed” to align with what they taught. And then I watched American Gospel and bawled my eyes out in an awakened moment I believe. It made so much sense to me. Nothing I ever “spoke” (or deeply believed would happen)came to pass…they would tell you it’s because I don’t have enough faith. What a way to push people away from the Lord! American Gospel completely opened my eyes and now the Bible is so much clearer to me. We are not promised a great, prosperous, perfect life. We are in fact promised “troubles”. When you realize that…..your love for Jesus grows ever deeper!!!
This was me 4 years ago. Like God encountered me through that and I was forever changed
Same! It's very attractive to new Christians because it sounds so nice and wonderful. Those people like Furtick, White, Osteen, etc. are so dangerous to new Christians.
Same happened to me! I was new believer, grieving loss of husband, I was in the church at that time where all you heard was : new things are coming, God is gonna give you everything, just believe and receive. I was so into Hillsong, Furtick, Meyer, Morris etc I was trying soo hard to feel the spirit, to open to receive , to proclaim and declare !
Bible verses were preached out of context, misinterpreted, misused and not hearing a word about the Gods judgement, repentance, and that we are to
Follow Christ in everything - meaning we have to die to ourselves, we should expect troubles and being hated by the world but God is in us and with us to help us , to sanctified us to lead us into his truth and his kingdom is opposite to the world we live in.
I was told at some point that I probably should move on and not grieve any longer as this is obstacle to filling with power of the Holy spirit , hence I can’t pray in tongues and be more spiritual!
Thanks to our faithful Lord that he is the author and perfector of our faith and he kept
Stirring my heart leading me to his truth , opening my eyes through his world and wise Christian he brought into my life !
Christian church is in trouble so many Christians think they are saved and they have not heard true gospel ! They don’t see God as Holy God but as their buddy who is gonna make their lives better … that is so tragic and Jesus said many will say Lord Lord and I say I never knew you .
We need to study the Word , speak the truth and Pray for the Church !
Well stated!
@@rachelwilson9382not one of you carnal people actually know that the word James is the same and actually means Jacob! Which means supplanter! Which means in the bible YOU must supplant the carnal mind for the spirit!!!!!!! But keep believing in the flesh and false history and know nothing of spirit or truth 😂
I watched your video and honestly found myself saying yes to everything you have been through. I was a high priestess in wicca, 2013 a demon possessed me. Yahweh saved me. Been on my journey ever since. Found so much truths that I was never told before that Yahweh showed me. Glory to the heavenly father, his son, my saviour, Lord Yashua, and thanks to the holy spirit, Ruach. Amen
The way you talk now, makes me think you’re one of those folks that thinks they are a Jew now. New Jew? Messianic Jew? Either way, you might be no longer demon possessed, but I’m hesitant to believe you’re saved. Messianic Jews are not true Christians….sorry to break it to you.
Amen. That is wonderful. Praise God Almighty 😊😊❤❤
Right on target! Grew up Word of Faith and was taught all the scriptures you mentioned with "the twist". It took me sitting down with my Bible and learning the context of every scripture (I'm still doing this today 🙂). Learning to read the Bible in order to learn more about God than what I could get out of it for me. And, looking up Hebrew/Greek meanings to Scripture. Handing all things to Him has brought such joy and calm.
Had the same upbringing, Eva saved by grace, David Benjamin and Greg Jackson are a few good Christian channels here on UA-cam
Ah! And herein is eternal life... To know Him. ❤ John 17:3
Same here! Came out of WoF, Law of Attraction in 2021, and came out of the NAR movement this past Dec. I'm reading my Bible and using Blue Letter Bible for Hebrew and Greek.
Reading the Bible in full context is so eye opening!
How we have been lied too!! I tell everyone, read your Bible in full context!
Proverbs 9:10, Jeremiah 9:23-24, Romans 1-3, Ephesians, Psalm 8, 19, 103, 119, 143, Luke 1:67-75 . . .
Unfortunately it's the opposite for me. I came out of where you guys are right now and have come to have faith in God's goodness and seen his healing and love in my life through trusting in His word. Satan is a liar and came to steal kill and destroy but Jesus came to give abundant life in every area and I've found that He's that good, and even better than I thought.
I came from a works oriented religion. When I finally got serious and began to search for answers I came across Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, and that not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.” I remember this hit me like a thunderbolt and broke something in me.
Notice that Paul excludes works only with regard to that initial stage of salvation/justification. After we’re initially justified, then we must carry out the good works that God wills for us.
St. James teaches the same with regard to the corporal works of mercy:
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24).
We also know that works pertain to our final justification, since Jesus teaches in Matthew 25:31-46 that the determining factor for those who go to heaven or hell are those who did and did not do the corporal works of mercy.
Even if we are saved by grace alone, we should still strive to carry out good works to serve others and follow Christ. Why waste time arguing semantics? Either way, we are supposed to live pious and frugal lives.
Faith without works is dead.
Ugh!!! So confusing
@@Maronite2 Funny, isn't it, how the "born-again" set imagines that "accepting Jesus as my personal Savior" somehow concludes all other aspects of the Sermon on the Mount, the 10 Commandments (no, Christians are not free from these commandments), and everything stated by Christ as become His disciples.
Young lady I am incredibly impressed by the comments under your vid. Filled with people who are overcoming the world every day!! Marine Corps sized tears!.. I am subscribing because of the emphasis you put on scripture.... Great encouragement!!🙏🥰
Awsome response!💚i subscribed too.
I came out of the new age and was instantly snatched into the charismatic movement by a women’s “Bible Study” group. They got really into deliverance ministry. I was praying daily begging God to not let me be deceived again and asking Him if I was on the right path this time. For days Matthew 7:21-23 would not leave my mind and I know that was God answering my prayer. And the more I studied the Bible for myself the more I started to see the truth and I left that group and never went back. He led me to some really great friends who are true Christians and He brought me to a great church that actually teaches the Word line by line. I am so thankful every day for Him. And I always pray for discernment so I don’t get wrapped up into false teaching again. The Lord really is amazing ❤
Charismatics are christians - although it is true some have flaky theology & need correction. But don't write them off & call them not really christian.
This is so very well explained, Melissa. Really excellent. The Law of Attraction is really just the positive confession movement with a new window dressing and all part of the "You will be like God" that the enemy has been spoon feeding mankind for a long time now. Thank you SO much for an excellent video.
Yup.
@@flolou8496the enemy is the one writing all these lies! It is your carnal mind! To be carnally minded is death ( rom 8.7).. it is not subject to the law of God and neither can it be!! 😂 yes I’m speaking to every person who believes Jesus is outside themselves! That is the deceiver! Satan!! If you disagree then you don’t believe the bible ! I know that you don’t 😉
The book of James always has a way of bringing me back to reality. This verse itself is so powerful in this aspect! Thank you for the reminder!❤
I once got "hooked" on the book of James. For months. One of my Christian friends mentioned maybe something was wrong.
Ya think???
The book of James it's how believers are too live be encouraged angel 😇 from brick NJ
@@angelabardo8820not one of you carnal people actually know that the word James is the same and actually means Jacob! Which means supplanter! Which means in the bible YOU must supplant the carnal mind for the spirit!!!!!!! But keep believing in the flesh and false history and know nothing of spirit or truth 😂
@@terrypaul7706 since you keep copy pasting your comment I will do the same with my reply. We former new-agers can smell you a mile away. Everyone here needs to be extremely discerning of you and even more suspicious of your comments. You are mocking and scoffing and putting us down. You are judging everyone as if you are God and sounds that you believe we are all Gods - sounds like a Mormon belief but they are usually nice people who don't mock or scoff so only God knows who and what you really are, because not even you know who you are. You made a weird statement confounding Jacob and James of the bible who lived 2000 years apart and you mention Galatians briefly which you've clearly understood to mean something else. You've said things that sound like blasphemy against God, while mocking us for our beliefs about Jesus, saying Moses didn't exist and Jesus didn't die on the cross and we are all Gods. You have said things that the devil would be happy for us to believe.
Whatever this is, we don't want it.
It was different for me. As a graduate student in physics, I was so focused on studies that I once told a brother that I wasn't sure there was such a thing as good and evil. James set me straight, that I was too close to the world and had strayed from God. My studies then took a back seat to Bible reading and prayer.
Clear. Thanks for your honesty.
A graduate student in physics! Strayed from God and too close to the world. Give me a break! I only had physics 201 & 202 and know when God said "Let there be light" He meant "Let there be electro magnetism"
Thank you for this video, I am a 71 year old Christian and I have a close relative who is deeply influenced by the law of attraction. This video has given me an insight into the way she possibly uses it in her life.👍
I was into new age style "christianity" and very into the law of attraction, until my then youngest child developed a life threatening illness. That terrible, awful, traumtic time brought me to my knees- literally. I cried out to God like I never had before. And although the road to recovery was long, and difficult, I will never forget the peace God gave me to accept His will no matter what. And it was only after going through all of that that I knew that all of the new age nonsense was powerless and did nothing but draw me away from God. I threw away and or burned anything I had that was connected to paganism or mysticism. And I learned how to trust solely in God. I began reading my Bible on more than just sunday at church (on the rare occasion I went). I continue, years later, to draw closer to God and further from the worldly garbage that surrounds us and tries to decieve us- I can now laugh at my silly attempts to "manifest" anything.
Been a Christian since 1985, came from an anti-Christian family. When I became a Christian, this is the same verse that showed me how I really stood with God and the real state of my deceiving heart. The proud, vain, I am in control, it's about me was dethroned. You are doing the Fathers work may he continue to bless you in it and my you continue to grow in his truth.
This isn't a Biblical verse, but after twenty years struggling with faith in God (I'm a philosopher of science and mathematics, but I've always maintained an interest in spiritual matters) I came across a line in Pascal that resonates with me whenever I recall it to mind. It led me to reading the Bible with a completely different mind-set.
Quote: "You would not seek me, if you had not already found me."
From scripture study, I believe God would correct Pascal this way, "You would not seek me unless I called you."(by Spiritual means) No matter, though, it got you reading the bible. God bless and thanks for sharing. Melissa is great at explaining the challenging pieces of scripture. ❤
Coming from a Lutheran understanding, I think that the hypothetical Bible verse actually would have been: "You would not seek me if I had not already found you." There actually is a verse in the Bible (John 15:16) which states "You did not choose me, but I chose you."
Forgive me for saying so, but both replies quite miss the point. The psychology of Pascal's line is quite different - and actually more powerful - than the apparently similar bible verses which, incidentally, I already knew, and were not responsible for my change in attitude to reading the scriptures. For the sceptic (in my case, someone searching for God) to be told that their doubts are in themselves already that very fulfilment that they are seeking - is so very different from the quoted verses, which actually reverse the psychological polarity. To use a philosophical expression (in its proper, rather than its common meaning) they beg the question. @@debbievermilyea4037
I love Pascal ❤️ and his debates with Descartes (Anthiest).
The fragments he pieced together - sewn in his coat.
Pascal was apologist before apologetics was cool 😊
Apologize for spelling.. fat fingers & poor sight. 😂
Matthew 7:21-23 was my moment. My wife and I came from a charismatic background, so reading that scripture really gave me a wake up call.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
This is a serious warning from the Lord Jesus to not trust in our works to save us!
The Gospel is read in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
What is so amazing about this verse is Jesus was talking about those who looked like they were doing the work of the kingdom of God healing prophesying doing mighty works in His name. These weren't back row Baptists who leave church before the final prayer so they can beat everyone else to Golden Corral for lunch. These were doers, movers, shakers. They thought that because miracles were happening that God was patting them on the back and saying "attaboy!" Giving them confirmation and approval. But if that was all they were doing and not working out their own salvation with fear and trembling, then as Paul says in 1 Cor 13 they are nothing. To me 1 Cor 13 is a scary chapter. We can't fake love even though we could go through the motions. Motives count!
@@sunshinegirl1967
And yet Jesus says in John 6:47,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me HATH everlasting life.
Charismatics cant obey the Commandments? 🥴 Jesus sent His 12 disciples out to do those very things.... Put together everything else Jesus said.... It would appear disobedience is the disqualifier...
Which would follow the theme of the whole Bible... Obviously I'm lacking context, so don't be too harsh with me 😂
Those verses hit home hard for me too.
Thank you Melissa. After a conversation with another Christian I was questioning my habit of humbly ASKING God in my prayers rather than DECLARING as if the answer had been already given. I felt so confused. But now I am comfortable in just simply “asking” because it allows for God’s will be done, not MY will be done.
John 11:35 "Jesus Wept". This verse showed me how much God loves us despite our wickedness. A love that we need to strive for everyday
Love this ... When I started learning the TRUTH and what the scriptures REALLY MEAN AND SAY Then I began to see GOD in a new way and grew closer to HIM.
We'll never know what the scriptures REALLY MEAN AND SAY because no one can interpret them truthfully or perfectly. Everyone will have their own interpretation of them and will think they are RIGHT
@@KJ-lb4tjwhy would GOD give us HIS word and not give us the understanding. There are a few verses it is unsure what it means but I find if you have a teacher that knows hebrew, the traditions and the Greek you can know the meaning. I don't believe GOD word give us the Bible and say you will never understand it and leave us floundering. How is that Just?
@@KJ-lb4tj the foundation of it, is to look within yourself! The kingdom is within you ( Luke 17.21).. you are all looking outside and so cannot enter within! This is what a pharassiee is in scripture = separatist!!! You separate yourselves from truth and so do not know God which is states as I AM ( exodus 3.14)!
I used to believe/live out the "Law of Attraction" in my college days. There was a time that I picked up a random stone and put it inside my pocket, and whenever I grab the stone, I always feel happy and reminded myself that "I am happy" 😂 I shared it to a close friend, (so happens to be a Christian - I wasn't at that time) and she simply said, "Well, I'd be careful about that, since it replaces God being at the center of your life."
your comment cut off! what did your christian friend say?
@@MrMrs-g2w”well I’d be careful about that -since it replaces god as the center of your life”
Beautiful presentation honoring the TRUTH! May we continue together in our generation reading the Bible and studying HIS heart.
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
This verse has made my life a lot easier.
thank you for making this video.
God bless you.
I’m a new Christian and I don’t think there’s one particular chapter or verse that “throat punched” me. I was agnostic/atheist so my cup was pretty empty. Every time I have a Bible study or a lesson is taught in church, something new amazes me. From simple things like Noah’s ark having one door for them to pass through to be saved to more complex things, like the patterns of behavior that destroy societies. Watching the latter play out in real time is what brought me to Jesus and to let Him in.
God bless you that’s amazing
Woah! That's a cool revelation. I was just reading Genesis and completely glanced over that, thank you for sharing!
I got a different revelation from that same chapter. The dove returned with an olive leaf and Noah knew the waters receded. Just like when the Holy Spirit came, there was a new beginning
Yep, just saw my former church doing vision boards for the new year. Many claiming prosperity and healing... so sad. I un-followed them on fb. The churches new billboard states miracles are happening. I would see so many desperate people come and go from that church. I am so grateful God showed me the Truth in his word and through resources like this!!!!♡
I did a Beth Moore study on James and she encouraged memorizing the whole book. So I did. James has changed my life. Highly recommend doing so. There is something about memorizing that internalizes the truths in that book. James has eaten my lunch on many occasions and comes to my mind at least once a week.
And you are right. God is sovereign. I’ve been reading Leviticus and the rules of the tabernacle. We have the Holy Spirit housed in our being. We take that for granted, but it is an awesome and almost terrifying thought.
Nothing displaces error better than truth. Thank you for sharing your journey. I too have had similar unrest in my soul until God's word brought relief and settled the matter once and for all.
For the believer, this world is the furthest they will ever be from heaven; for the unbeliever, this life is the closest.
Thank you Melissa for sharing your spiritual "throat punch"... "elevating God" over the perceived wants and needs of this world.
We place our hope in Jesus who has overcome the world!
The first time I read the Bible I was a church going Christian. My 35 year old NKJV is well read and written in plain English, and I am fluent in English. I am familiar with hermeneutics, understand what a parable is, and recognize eisegesis.
The verses that "spiritually throat punched me" were the ones that promote or condone evils like slavery (Leviticus 25:44-46, etc.), misogyny (1 Corinthians 14:34, etc.), violence (1 Samuel 15:2-3) and intolerance (Luke 19:27, etc.). Indeed, actually READING the Bible with an open mind is one of the things that led me to the conclusion of atheism.
I was born blind, and after receiving my diagnosis, my family prayed desperately that I would be able to see. 20 years later, I'm still blind, but God has given me so many things that likely would not have been possible without my blindness, and I'm so grateful for the life that he has given me. I'm sure that there is even more about the situation that none of us understand yet, but I think we can understand enough to see that God always knows what he's doing, even when that means that he doesn't grant requests made with the best of intentions.
I have seen the law of attraction play out among my friends. I have epilepsy and was recently on a trip where I was worried about having a seizure, and when I would say something like "I haven't had a seizure!" some of my friends would say something like "Don't say that! Now it will happen!" That seems to be a part of the loa, and even though I have been a Christian for most of my life I have only recently really stopped caring about saying things like this. The things I say DON'T have anything to do with whether or not I will have a seizure. It has been SO freeing to stop caring about it!
Yep, and as soon as the negative words come out, my family members would start praying “rebuke those words in the name of jesus” 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
@@bullcreeker71 Yup, except these friends aren't Christians.
@@amyrietveld3017Be careful because words definitely have power. The Bible affirms this many times.
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 21:23 “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”
Psalm 141 “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Jesus even said in Matthew 15:11 “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man”
There is definitely power in words. You can speak blessings or curses upon yourself or others.
@@bullcreeker71Unfortunately your friends are correct and this is scripturally supported. Please read my last comment for a list of verses and those are just some of the top of my head.
The most important one is it says death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Science literally also proves this btw, there’s plants that were given the same nutrients and sunlight but one set was yelled and cursed at everyday the other was spoken to lovingly. Same exact conditions otherwise yet one thrived and the other quickly shriveled and died…. Look it up, it’s a scientifically proven phenomenon. Power of life and death is on the tongue.
Great Bible verse! Thank you for sharing. This is very deep.
For me it was during my early walk with Christ when I read Matthew 7:21-25
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Yikes 😳 definitely not the words you would want to hear.
I would love to hear “Welcome Home My son”❤
Yes!!! That scripture is such a game changer! It definitely opened my eyes also! ❤
@@angellacyr1702so glad it did 🙏
God bless you and your family always
@@b5maddogthat scripture you quote is for yourself to understand! Why do you call me Lord and not do as I say? Well lord means I AM ( exodus 3.14).. so you say Lord but don’t believe that it is I AM in you! So you don’t enter the kingdom within yourself! Know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you??? 2corinth 13.5). Or you be reprobate … ( worthless) 😂🤙🏻
How does it make sense that the God who created the heavens and the earth and every cell in your body doesn't "know" you? It doesn't make sense as written?
@halestorm49 I believe that Jesus here is saying… that not everyone who considers themselves to be a Christian is going to be happy on judgement day. We don’t set the standards of righteousness for ourselves, GOD ALONE DOES; no matter what the talking snake would have us believe. At Matthew 13:36-43 Jesus explains the parable of the seeds. Those practicing lawlessness (conforming to worldly {Satan’s} standards rather than Gods) are likened to weeds (which are NOT the intended crop of the righteous sower) which will ultimately be destroyed. Only those recognizing the tremendous gift that Jesus’ sacrifice truly is, AND ACTING UPON IT, (the fine seed) are the ones doing the will of the father in heaven. If you’re doing the will of the father, you are in a personal relationship with God. You show up constantly in prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), You love God with everything you are (Matthew 22:37-39), and your neighbor as yourself….for starters. When Jesus says “I never knew you” I think he means that your personal response to his sacrifice and teachings, the only path to a righteous standing with God, was inadequate.
A very blessed, practical and inspiring dissertation.
Thank you, Melissa❣️
Even as a Christian my whole life, I still found myself and others struggled to not view God at one of two extremes: distant and sovereign or basically a vending machine that we pray to to get things.
When I had kids, though, my attitude changed because I could better see God as a father. He knows best and His will is sovereign, but He wants His children to communicate and participate with Him in His will, and He is tenderhearted and responsive to our sincere requests.
Our Creator loves us, and He loves BEING with us. Many times that costs us something (for the better), but it always costs God something to dwell with us, most notably His Son. But in all cases it is worth it "for the joy set before us" (Heb 12:2).
Your last paragraph!!! I hope you don’t mind that I copied it in my journal - giving credit to you.
Parent is a perfect comparison.
Yes! There is a balance - fatalism is also a HUGE problem in the church (more common for those who grow up "churched" in my experience). But when we lost our son it also became very apparent how many also struggle to give control over to God that leads to feeling guilty.
The balance between "was it my lack of faith in prayer that caused God to kill my child?" and "There is nothing that my faith in prayer would have done anyway - God predetermined it." Both are wrong!
Satan can not create new things, he must twist what is true. The law of attraction style thinking is persuasive because there is a part of it that is true - in the same way that fatalism look persuasive because much of it is also true. But the 5% that is false, poisons the whole cup. We must know the true truth if we are to navigate! = read the Bible deeply!
I grew up Catholic. My whole family is Catholic. As I got older I felt like I didn’t really know who God was and is… then I got invited to a Protestant service and I felt like my eyes were opened to understanding what God wanted for our lives. It took me years to understand that being a Catholic doesn’t save you. Being baptized as an infant doesn’t guarantee your salvation.. Salvation comes through your faith in Jesus Christ alone. It was a difficult process to undo the Catholic theology. I got depressed and it felt like it was my identity. Reading the Bible helped me see the real truth.
Romans 10 9-13
“If you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe it in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved….” The whole book of Romans is filled with truth and helps us understand the gospel.
Being Catholic doesn't save you..
The Catholic church agrees you can be Catholic and go to hell
Being baptized as an infant doesn't guarantee your salvation....Catholic church agrees again.
Faith in Jesus alone saves...this is where the Catholic church disagrees.
James 2:24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Protestantism may make you feel good but Jesus only founded 1 church the Catholic church. You can't get the eucharist at protestant churches. No confession at protestant churches.
John 20:21-23
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Please reconsider and come back home..God bless.
@@benwest7711
"Protestantism may make you feel good but Jesus only founded 1 church the Catholic church." You haven't said it in so many words. But you and I both know that you are alluding to Matthew 16:18 and Peter, here.
If you were to do an in-depth study of the New Testament and the Greek language, you would understand that Christ was not intimating that Peter was the rock, but that JESUS, the Christ, Himself, was the ROCK upon which His Church was built!! That also could be compared to JESUS being the Bride-Groom and the Church, consisting of ALL TRUE BELIEVERS, THE CHOSEN, THE ELECT, is His Bride.
How are you going to explain away Matthew 23:9? How are you going to explain away Romans 10:9? How about John 14:13-14 and praying to Mary instead of JESUS? Nowhere in scripture is that to be found!! Where can I find in the Holy Scriptures the origin of 'purgatory'?
Did the One and Only TRUE LIVING GOD, YAHWEH (YHWH), Father of the One and Only Begotten Son, JESUS, the Christ change HIS mind and tell the pope he now has permission to bless what HE has declared in HIS Word, I Cor. 6:9, as being an abomination? After all is said and done...doesn't the pope get his directions from GOD in Heaven??
In no way am I attempting to be condescending, but have you ever pondered these things and thought for yourself? How much actual and factual history concerning the Catholic church are you familiar with? Are you aware that at one time in history, if you were caught reading the Scriptures on your own, you would have been put to death...by the order of the church? Are you familiar with Galilao's rife with the Catholic church? Those same conditions are going to return...and soon Shall I continue?
@@usmc3547 Well explained and well said!! There are so many blatantly obvious flaws found in Catholicism. Including blasphemy. I am ex Catholic. NOT ONCE were we ever encouraged to have a direct relationship with Yeshua/Jesus, not once were we ever encouraged to read the HOLY BIBLE at all.. Poop Frankie is taking everyone to hell and KNOWS it!!!
@@benwest7711 "'Come out of her, my people,' so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues" ( Revelation 18:4 ) GET OUT of the church, RUN for your life is what this means and is referring to ALL denominations and church buildings/cults. ESPECIALLY and including the CATHOLIC church!!! WE are called to have one on one relationship DIRECTLY to Jesus, who leads us to the Father, here and NOW. We also are not MEANT to EAT a wafer and think it is the body of Christ. It is a blasphemous "ritual", bordering on a form of witchcraft/occult practises!! JESUS IS ALIVE AND RISEN!!! HE no longer is DEAD!!! THE CROSS no longer has a dead man hanging on it. We are to dine upon the WORD, the HOLY BIBLE. We are to sup with Him and Him with us spiritually. PLEASE do not encourage others to go to HELL with you. ALL YOU and WE have EVER needed is a DIRECT relationship with HIM ALONE. NO priest is authorised to FORGIVE your sin, ONLY Christ. NO priest is to be referred to as "FATHER" as there is ONLY ONE Father. "And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven." (Matthew 23:9) SEEK THE WHOLE TRUTH and BE BLESSED!!!!!
@@usmc3547 you threw out like 100 gazillion things and I can answer them all but not all at once on a message board. I grew up protestant and didn't want to be Catholic. It cost me a lot. But as I researched church history, church fathers, ecumenical councils, how we actually got the bible(which had macabees in it which alludes to purgatory.) I came to the conclusion of John Henry Newman. "To be deep in history is to cease to be protestant." If you want me to address 1 specific claim I don't mind but give me one and let's go slow one at a time. God Bless.
Spiritual bath … I love that! Because reading the Bible does indeed make me feel warm and cozy! ❤
Thank you for sharing this....I am a new Christian and your channel is helping me immensely.
One way to look at Alike Attracts Alike is....Familiar Spirit attracts Familiar Spirit 😊
Honestly...it's been you and Mike Winger that have helped me leave new age and start understanding the bible. I found you both due to conversations I've had with 2 friends who are jehovah witnesses and am desperate to get them to wake up and see what they are involved in. Sadly I'm not making any progress at all with them and at the point now of resigning myself to leave them be, rather than upset them anymore 😢
Ah sister, you've planted His seed and now must let Him do the rest. You aren't 'abandoning' them. You are leaving the divine intervention in His hands. God bless you.
Prayer is the most important thing you can do. Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit that does the real work. 🙏
@MarthaAnderson-jv8ph thank you for your sweet reply. You're right that I'm not abandoning them because, actually, I've mapped out my future to be there for them in whatever way I'm needed, for if they are to ever break free x
@allie8442 Thank you, Allie. I shall keep praying 🙏 x
To quote Sheryl Crow, "The first cut is the deepest." When I think about Jesus as the Great Physician, I remember that physicians must "cut" so that they can fix what's wrong on the inside of someone. There is necessary pain before healing, and the time necessary for healing correlates to the particular surgery required.
After studying with JW’s for 3 years (1-2 hour weekly study of ‘what does the Bible really teach’ and ‘how to remain in God’s love’, the occasional Saturday meetings (with study of the watchtower prepped) and attendance to the memorial) I had a LOT to unlearn. I resisted greatly against the trinity and it took reading the whole Bible in 2022 for the scales to fall from my eyes and the Lord to truly reveal himself to me. REV 22:13 confirmed to me that Jesus is the Almighty God I already knew. I encourage any ex-JW/Mormon/New-Age/anything to pray to God and ask him to show you the truth of who he is. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from investing in your personal relationship with God. Let him show you the truth about himself and not lean on added resources (or changed bibles - REV 22:18,19 - JW’s adding Jehovah’s name into the NT even though it is NEVER written at minimum). Have faith the he loves you and that as you dwell in him, he dwells in you also (John 15:4). ALSO the book of John (not in NWT) reveals EVERYTHING! Much love x
Are you saying the entire book of John is not in the NWT?? A family member of mine just started studying with JWs and I don’t know much about them.
It's amazing to me that the new age law of attraction and word faith theology teach exactly the same things.
So does the NAR, brother! The New Apostolic Reformation crap. It started with a pastor Che Ahn. Bethel church in California and IHOP (International house of prayer) in Kansas are the biggest dens of that iniquity. Beware and take care.
I'm with ya Sister! I grew up in Christian Science, and I thank God for being led to
Doreen, and then you❣👐 I'm turning 71 next week, and it has taken YEARS to un-learn so much...Thank you for sharing these kinds of vids as you move along your journey! Godspeed❣🤗
One of your best videos ever! Thank-you for sharing! I would say that my first big AHA moment in my Christian walk came from 2 Cor. 6:14-18. My Dad had used verse 14 to teach about not marrying an unbeliever, but the first time I read this altogether, my mind reached back into verses about sorcery, witchcraft, and idolatry. I decided I couldn't walk around once a year with people pretending to be all these things. I couldn't do Halloween anymore! My Christian parents did not understand and were devastated, but no amount of trying could convince me I could be entertained by what God calls unclean or be seen to be enjoying friendship with someone who was a witch or other thing of the like.
Not that I quit being friends with folks who did this--I would have had no friends or family left. I just could not walk with them on the night that they walked that way.
Spot On! I've witnessed the attitude and perspective you've described being expressed by people even while they pray! Instead of truly believing "not my will but thine be done", these professors spend their time in prayer informing God, and implying that He needs to be brought up to speed on what's happening in their lives or in the world, and that if He were only as wise and as loving as they are, this world would be a much better place. Blasphemy! Yes, God is sovereign; and His understanding in infinite (Ps. 147:5). Thanks for speaking the truth.
Are you sure that what the Bible teaches is simply for Christians to say, "Not my will, but yours be done?"
I have been a Christian for about 2 years now and TODAY through the entire book of Ephesians, I came to understand that although God saved me by His grace alone, I still "worked" so I could "keep" my salvation.
Ephesians is my favorite epistle! So much truth in there. And no brother/sister, you don't need to work to keep your salvation. Jesus did ALL the work to secure salvation for all who believe! You can rest, even in your good works, knowing that you're secure.
Ephesians 2:8-9, tells us we are saved through grace, and not by works. Jesus said no one can remove you from his hand, not even the father in heaven. So you can do nothing to earn, or keep your salvation.
@@rollotomasislawyer3405 Read Eph 2:10.
If you read carefully, Paul is talking about Works of the Jewish Law. Those are not able to save a person. We are saved by grace through faith. Faith is dead without good works...the work that Christ told us to do...to obey his commandments to love one another. We receive his grace by faithfully "working out our salvation" as Paul says. So your common sense approach to "working to keep your salvation" is not wrong. Doing God's work is storing up treasure for yourself in Heaven. The only thing that can lose you salvation is grievous sin....which of course much be avoided, but repentance and forgiveness are *ALWAYS* available thanks to the Passion of Our Lord.
@@rollotomasislawyer3405You have got this almost correct. Paul said we are not saved by works of the Jewish Law (that is the context in Eph). Grace is a free gift from God received through faith - it cannot be earned. But you need to do certain things in order to receive grace. For example, you need to be baptised and you need to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man to have life within you and to be raised up on the last day. And if you sin, then you must repent and make an act of contrition by confessing your sin and receiving the grace of forgiveness.
A good reminder. My mom recently memorized the entire book of James and encouraged me to.
Thank you for this video. You taught me something tonight.
Thank you for sharing Melissa! Very concise and well thought out. I love how God constantly teaches us from His Word! Blessings!!
You are so right about wearing the cult goggles when reading the Scriptures. It takes time and diligent study to overcome 😊❤
That's a good one, and I appreciate you sharing your insights. I especially like how you point out that there's more than one way that your motives can be inadequate. For some people, maybe their motives are selfish. For others, they may not be selfish, but their motives don't take factors they may or may not know about into account.
Other great scriptures on this topic are Matthew 5:45, in which Jesus, as part of His Sermon on the Mount, says "Rain falls on the just and unjust alike," which means that you can't tell someone's spiritual condition by what's happening to them. And then there's the whole book of Job. He goes through so much, and his friends even get on his case about how he must have done something wrong to cause it, and the story leads up to a whole message on God's sovereignty.
Dang! I love this! I love reading scripture and having these moments, too! Romans 12:2. My Dad is still adamantly in the Word of Faith movement and wondering why he has never found peace and is still so immature. I do understand biblically that he has no peace because his conscience bares witness to the lies he is believing and that internal conflict that brings such anxiety and anger. Please say a quick prayer for my Dad, Dennis. He doesn't listen to me when I bring the scriptures to him anymore. He has it all figured out. He tells me it's all about my opinion. I am so sad always when I think of him. He is 77 and essentially a pagan, or maybe a permanent backslidden place. I don't know. I grew up my whole life believing he was a solid "Christian". I love Jesus and I cannot relate to my Dad when I talk to him about it. There is a disconnect. I do actually have friends praying for him. I am as well, but this video hit me so hard this morning about how deceived he still is. Thanks Melissa, and of course, thank You, Father for your Spirit and Your Truth.
I was brought up WoF and got out in my late 30’s. Your dad is probably also wondering…where is my 100 fold return.
It’s sad to hear how many people can be led astray by wolves in sheep’s clothing ( as we now clearly see happening). Unfortunately, prayers do little for those who are spiritually divorced.
So you are judging your dad. What qualities you to pass judgement on someone else, let alone your own father.
@@offthefront7537 Proverbs 19:11 "Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense."
@@danielanderson8790even murder, rape, insurrection? Let’s get rid of all laws.
Amen! Right on sister! The positive attraction attitude is a demanding spirit that is displeasing to God, it's all about ourselves and not about what Jesus did for us and not about giving glory to God!!!
Beautifully done! Thank you 🙏
That verse in James 4 I literally heard read aloud from another video not even 24 hours ago. . . .! A much needed verse! Glad it helped you unlearn what was unbiblical. God bless you, Melissa!
Love your videos, and the work you're doing through your channel :)
Yeah, but in context, James was writing to Israel about to go into their 70th week. Listing after "things" and comforts, could potentially get themselves into a lot of trouble. Like taking the mark of the beast. 1 John 5:16
Either way, it isn't our doctrine. One of the things that Jesus said that applies across the board is found in Mark 11:23. Not only did He put a "verily, verily" in front of it, He also said, "WHO SO EVER." James writing to Israel does not cancel out what Jesus said. You gotta look at the context. James was writing to Israel about to go through their 70th week. Jesus also taught in that context, but this passage was not about Israel only, He said "whosoever believes and speaks, he will have what he says, if he believes and doubts not."
I think if people would just stop speaking all these negative things (these curses, which James also addresses in chapter 3) over themselves, their lives would go a lot smoother.
I have no idea what a spiritual throat punch is, but you now understand what you have come out of (New age). This enables you to discern new age teaching in the church today, and call it out. It's what I call being a lighthouse, that warns the ships where the rocks are and is a light to the lost.
This is so good. Thank you for this post. Also love how you got the "except gender" in there. Fire!👏👏
I love this explanation from you. I think I’ve been struggling with this type of thoughts and you hit the nail on the head. Well said
Outstanding commentary! Thank you and God bless you!
My thoughts exactly!
Raw transparency, Melissa, listening with my heart and searching the Word...never empty, always life changing
69 and still disentangling the deceptions by Holy Spirit counsel..and comfort!
Thanks for sharing Melissa!
"Theological throat punch" 😂
Best way to describe the Scripture.
Was about 20 when I actually sat and read the Bible for myself, cover to cover.
I was interested in new age thought, but never really invested in any world view, though I adopted a lot of those thoughts without realizing it.
By the time I got to the book of Acts, read Peter's announcement at Pentecost, and it shattered my world view, struck me like a sword in the heart.
I was playing pretend, living in lies, but I didn't realize it until then;
I had Jesus' blood on my hands, and no "law of attraction" or wishful thinking was going to save me from that.
It was the Lord's grace that taught my heart to fear, and His grace that relieved my fears.
Love it when Scripture rocks our world (living and active!). I have a friend who, when he was young in the Lord, whenever someone told him some challenging new thing from the Word, he'd say, "ah!, don't truth me bro' !" 😄
So happy I found your channel. I am a yoga teacher..I grew up Christian but I have always had questions. & my church always shut those questions down as doubt and sin. I was so turned off by Christians in my life who did very evil things. I went in a whole different direction, always believing it was the right thing to do... Maybe even believing it was Christian to do those things. Now I am starting to question everything. I asked God to show me the truth a few months ago, and I am learning so much. Everything I thought I knew about manifestation, spirituality, even Christianity - a lot of it was wrong. I am still learning. Thanks so much for sharing what you are learning too. ♥️
Awesome Melissa. Love the aha moments. Thats why the Word is the Living Word !
James is such a great book. I don't have an exact verse that did this for me, but I recall really doing some major re-evaluations of myself when I was a new believer after reading it. Two main points that I remember, starting with John to gain a greater perspective on who Christ was. Went to Philippians to work through some anxious items in my heart and mind. Right after, going to James to really start asking the hard questions and finding that passion to just learn more and more.
Thanks for sharing your story!
James' entire letter really worked me over the first time I read it, it definitely convicted me. And John 15:9-17. These are the two pieces of scripture that got me away from Eric Butterworths' teachings of the Unity church and to the Biblical Jesus. I was reading Butterworth because Oprah mentioned his book when I was reading A New Earth by Tolle. I probably spent 6 months in deep study with Eric Butterworth, Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle's books. They kept quoting Jesus, so I thought that I should read for myself what Jesus said - and boy, that really changed my life. Like you, it took a lot of Bible study to get New Thought out of my brain. I actually threw out the Unity, Tolle, and Dyer books so no one else would have the chance to read them! Thank you God for not giving up on me!
Well done,
Ironically Melissa, as a Former JW…the very verse in the book of Isaiah 43:10 where Jehovah’s Witnesses claim they get the name of their religion from is the verse that broke the dam loose for me on Jesus being (Emmanuel or God with Us)
I remember reading the B part of that verse after months of study in the New Testament and tears Ran down my face! Jesus really IS GOD and He actually entered into humanity and died for me. I spent the rest of that day in awe and gratitude.
Isaiah 43:10
Psalm 83:18
John 4:28
John 10:21
Matthew 28:18
1 Corinthians 11:3
1 Timothy 2:5
1 Corinthians 15:23-28
Psalm 118:15-16
1 Corinthians 15:15
1 Timothy 6:15
John 5:23
Acts 4:9-12
1 Corinthians 15:57
John 3:16
Isaiah 7:9
1 Corinthians 2:9
Holy Bible
Amen. Praising God for you brother!
@@taebrown384 thank You Tae, appreciate you and God Bless!
Thanks for sharing your journey! It helps immensely!
Kaboom 💥
This video is making a difference.
TY to all who worked to bring this video to us. This gratitude also comes from a retired production master fully aware of what it took to produce this message. May Peace Be with You
I grew up catholic and thought I was a good person. Relied 💯 on works..I didn’t realize I was mixing faith in God through Catholicism with new age beliefs until I watched your video! Wow!. Thanks for sharing your testimony.
There are many passages in the book of psalms that talk about how the wicked is punished and the righteous is rewarded. I always thought I was the righteous one but those murderers, prostitutes, rapist etc were the wicked that were in big trouble!
I believe the Lord made me rethink that assumption. I remember that after finishing reading one chapter from the book of psalm ( I don’t remember which one) I heard a voice asking me this question: are you sure you are the righteous one and not the wicked one? What if YOU are the wicked one and not the righteous? I was terrified!!! I didn’t know the answer! I wanted to have peace!! .. unfortunately, I didn’t know any scholar or a reliable Christian person that could help me figure it out! Well, by God’s grace he revealed the answer to me after a few years of being a Christian. Yes I trusted in Jesus as my Lord and Savior even though I had and still have questions about the Bible. It was through a video from Ray comfort when he was witnessing to people that I started to understand more about God’s holiness and sin. I was skeptical at first.. I thought that using the 10 commandments wasn’t the right approach but I realized it was biblical!
”For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.“
Romans 3:20
”as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”“
Romans 3:10-12
I’m grateful to God for His loving kindness. He took care of me all these years and saved me!! To Him be the glory!! ❤
Catholics believe we're saved by our good works? Here's the actual dogmatic teaching from the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent, interpreting scripture infallibly:
"CANON I.-If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema.
CANON II.-If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is given only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, and to merit eternal life, as if, by free will without grace, he were able to do both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty; let him be anathema.
CANON III.-If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he ought, so as that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him; let him be anathema."
You have to realize that christ tells the pharisees that they do NOT know HIS father. And that we , as Christians, are no longer bound to the laws set forth by the Jewish faith. If the Jews didn't know the God christ represented, then they represent a false or misconstrued god. Follow Christ, and only Christ. Don't judge and preach hatred in his holy name as we see the Christian church do every day. All sinners are equally guilty in the eyes of god. And equally forgiven. It is thru faith and belief in him that we achieve righteousness. John 3:16 made NO exceptions. Let he without sin cast the first stone, and judge not lest ye be judged. If the so called Christian church hadn't allowed mans need to feel superior and oppress and condemn influence his message, every pew in every church would be full.
@@travisfox5034mmmm… I’m not sure you can look at it as two faiths. Christ didn’t come to abolish… meaning destroy. He came to fulfill… meaning bring to its highest fruition. We are still bound by the 10 commandments. Sure we’re not bound by 600+ commandments and that’s simply because truth itself said it can all be summarized into, “Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself”
Looking at it as distinct religions doesn’t work. Jews were given the responsibility of God revealing Himself slowly and methodically until the time he designated for the incarnation. Christ is the Jewish messiah and also the redeemer of the entire world. We can’t look at it from our 2,000 foot view. We have to see the entirety of salvation history, all 6,000 plus years. Read Romans 11.
The huge issue for most people, is that they latch on to a certain teacher/church because its easier to buy into the "package" that is taught, than to read all the way through the Bible several times. Scripture is very capable of teaching us good theology if we will see it in its entirty. I am 70 years old and have read through the Bible many times. Each time I read through I learn more, and it confirms to me that I'm on the right track. Interestingly, after Jim Bakker 's downfall he admitted that he hadn't actually read all the way through the Bible and didn't know what it taught.
Wow, interesting I never heard that, but explain's a lot
Hi Melissa, My sister was special needs. The morning after she suddenly passed away. I was so broken that I could hardly breathe. I think that was the first time that I asked. It wasn't a prayer, it was a conversation. I said Jesus, you said if we ask you anything that you will do it. I was stopped and I heard "do you want her back?" I wanted to say YESSSS, but, she was so sick her entire life, and this world was just to much for her. I said I can't ask for that because it would be for me, and not for her. Then I asked Jesus, why don't you raise people back like you did when you were here? He said, because no one would ever come home. My last question was Lord, I don't know how you can do it, but can you please let me know that she is OK? That was all I had on my heart, I needed to know she was OK! I finished the dishes, and sat down. Melissa, I can't explain how it happened, and my eyes were opened. Right in front of my eyes, I saw my sister, she looked different, but I knew it was her. There was a figure in front of me, but I could not see his face. She was smiling, and running yelling Jesus. She ran right to him, he picked her up and said, it's time to meet Father. The feeling was unexplainable. I mean, I did NOT want to lose that. When they started to walk away, the feeling was leaving and I yelled NO please, I don't want to leave... The Lord said...it's not time. That was it. I still thank the Lord to this day for that gift. Prayers are important. The questions are what counts!
Thank you Melissa. Our public schools have been teaching for decades that you are the center of your own universe. In my circle, we call this secular humanism. This passage in James shows the source of worldly thought and motives clearly. My "aha" scripture was Eph ch. 2. That one phrase "and you were dead in your trespasses and sins" haunted me when I was young. Then.... "in Him" was the written solution. I have spent my life discovering in scripture what "in Him" meant and how to remain there. Still faithful. I appreciate your insights. Keep going.
Thank you Melissa! You know what throat punched me was learning the Old Testament IS still relevant! 49 years of being a Christian I was told the OT was a history book. Now I’m getting it, slow but sure, you can’t start to read a book in Part 2. In the beginning is where we are told to start. I have learned so much of Jesus in the Old Testament and unlearned even more. When you read it and study it, from the beginning, everything makes sense. Yes! Read your Bibles 🙏✌️
This isn’t really the same thing but a recent theological gut punch for me was learning that the popular verse, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11), is about Israel and not me personally. 😬Bummer ‘cause I have a cute little notebook with that verse on it that I got at TJ Maxx 🤣
Have been a christian for a while, but listening to her made me stop and check myself, not kidding, for any new age influence, if any, that I might be under the influence of instead of the word of God. What is very disturbing, there is a great measure, and growing, of this influence in the modern church, and accepted by so many. Thanks sister
I would highly recommend “The Return of the Gods” by Jonathan Cahn. It’s very interesting!
This makes a lot of sense. I didn’t delve too much into it but I know a lot of people who do. My thought is that - even if you want badly for this to be with Law of Attraction and you think you need it - God ultimately knows what you need.
1st: Matthew 6:25-34. I grew up going to church, and verse 33 (seek ye first the kingdom of God) was a no-brainer. However, the content of that verse in the context of the passage opened my eyes to the importance of reading the Bible in context
2nd: Matthew 27:46 coinciding with Psalm 22 further ushered an understanding that this book is WHOLE (even more context). The old and new testament are not separate but evidence of God's sovereignty and providence.
PS: I love your content! It's much needed 🙏
Awesome teaching. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for this awesome video.
Exactly what I needed to hear.
Something that's been currently helping me is James 1:2-3.
It's comforting to know that although circumstances cause anxiety, I can trust that God is helping me to spiritually.
And James 4:2-4 is like a nice reminder to keep me in check 😂 so that I don't put the outcome I desire above the spiritual growth that comes from difficult circumstances.
I think this relay hit me last year. The way I came to the idea was like this. Just because we figured out the categories for "good" and "evil" at the fall, doesn't mean we put the right things in those categories. Our comfort isn't always good, our discomfort isn't always bad. I don't actually know what good and evil relay are fundamentally. I NEED his word to tell me. Make his law my wisdom. That season isn't a bug, it's a feature.
Thank you!! Delving deeper into God's word verse by verse and really focusing on and understanding God Word, will bring great revalation to a person. Invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in all your Bible study, to bring forth God's intentions to you through His word.
At a certain stage of my life I decided that God does not hear my prayers and after watching the video " the secret" I decided to write down the things I want and with positive thinking and concentrating on those things I will manifest them into my life. I asked for three things and started the process of receiving( in my mind) One day I went to a morning tea at a hospital and a dr receptionist approach me and asked me if I believe in God. I told her that I am a believer but at this stage I am more new age. She then said that she has word for me..." I am in waiting/expecting and I will receive but it is from God. I was flabbergasted and I learned that day what you explain in your video . I asked God again for those things and he gave them to me in his divine perfect time because I was asking out of need and not greed and because it was in his will for me .Nowadays I just put God first and everything else will fall into place according to his divine plan for me. What an awesome God we serve, not because I received but because he is worthy of all praise . Amen
Praise God, he does indeed hear all prayers and answers them all. Sometimes he grants you want you ask for immediately, other times the answer is "Yes, but wait." Finally sometimes the answer is no.
I get it, I’m still un-learning a past religion.
What religion? I left the JWs about 3 years ago
@@danielfrazier7655 Catholicism. Baptized and non practiced most of my life but the teaching was still adhering to my new Born Again brain.
So am I
@@danielfrazier7655I left about 8 months ago
I’m also unlearning religion. I am grateful that now i am able to understand.
Don’t throw out religion. James tells us that true religion is good and from God. It’s simply the things that we do to love and serve Him and others - worship, prayer, communion, giving to the poor and needy, etc. Those make up what true religion is: the only religion based on a relationship. Our motivation is gratitude and love and to live like God in the ways He empowers us.
Learning to discern truth from false teachings is very important when it comes to the Bible.
@@michaelseay9783 yes, that's how you discern by using the bible 👍🏻
The verses I used to justify my new age practices was the psalms verse which mentioned “ye are gods” I would even talk about how Jesus told the Jews “isn’t it written in your religion that ye are gods” to justify me claiming to be one.
Once I read everything in context it broke me down. I was in new age for about 5-7 years and I’m still recovering since I had gotten deep into Hinduism especially under an older lady. She was in her 60s and I was 19 when she found me. I call it spiritual grooming.
I pray others can get out of it!
This is so on point it's scary. Lord please help me 🙏🏾✝️ Ty everlasting father 4 servants like this!
Excellent revelation from the LORD!! Your testimony is freeing! Praise God !
9:02 This part stood out to me because it’s one of the big reasons why I left Christianity.
I desperately wanted to hear God’s speaking as it pertained to the nitty gritty of my daily life and walk with God. It took me decades to finally come to grips with the fact that I did not know where my voice ended and God’s began. I had no way of knowing if what was happening in my mind was a dialogue with god or a monologue with myself. When I ask Christians how they differentiate between god’s voice and their own voice, it usually and ultimately bottoms out as a feeling.
Any time I obeyed what I thought was God’s speaking only to have my decision blow up in my face, I comforted myself with the knowledge that God’s will ultimately decided the outcome. This was a comforting thought because I understood that all things work together for good in the end. I had essentially built my entire life around an unfalsifiable idea that was inscrutable even in hindsight.
The verse that changed everything for you (the one about praying/asking with the wrong motives) strikes me as absolutely essential to the concept of prayer for anyone who wants to believe god is real while also “explaining” why god does or does not answer our prayers according to our preferences.
Why didn’t god answer my prayer? Well, it must be that my motives were not pure or not in line with the divine will. God works in mysterious ways. God always answers our prayers even when the answer is no. Etc…
On the other hand, if the thing we prayed for becomes a reality, that means the answered prayer itself is evidence of god’s existence.
When it comes to prayer, christians have a system that allows them to eat their cake and have it, too. Tails, I win. Heads, you lose.
Well,it is the gift of discernment that allows us to recognize whether it's God's voice or our own(which is easily misconstrued by the efforts of Satan to lead us astray) voice.
Our walks with Christ throughout our lives were never meant to be one time revelations. It's a continued path to righteousness brought by His mercy,His grace,His love that prepare us for things in our lives.
I hope you return to your walk with Christ.
You’ve missed the point of prayer then…
By dialogue with God you are expressing a release of your own will. When you’re praying right you’re focused on eternal purposes not temporal one’s. You then must have faith that what you’re praying is considered by God but also answered in his wisdom. You don’t need to think much further than that. Sure, pray without ceasing, but trust that God is good and has a plan for your life when you submit to Him.