@FollowerofShiloh
I was the Spiritually blind who claimed that I could see . . . but because of my Spiritual blindness, it was impossible for me to recognize that I was blind, or shall we say, in a "deep, deep sleep." I didn't know! I had no clue! I thought that I WAS awake! No one could convince me otherwise . . . it was utterly impossible! And so when I first discovered Colossians 2:11-13, this is when I realized what happened to me:
Colossians 2:11-13 NLT - "When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision--the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins."
Later, as the Spirit continued to teach me, I came to recognize that Col 2-9-15 is the heart of the Bible . . . it literally revolves around these seven most unbelievable passages. Incredibly, when I post these Scriptures to this day, they mean nothing to said "Christians." And my heart aches, for these SEVEN incredible verses meant nothing to them, just as they meant nothing to me. In fact, I don't ever recall reading them in the first 49 years of my life, and it is because of Spiritual blindness. I came to understand that Spiritual blindness is so real, it doesn't matter how I try to explain these things to people, they laugh it off and scoff at me. Yes, a Baptist preacher did just that in my own home (as he was visiting me for the first time after attending his church - mind you, he never visited me again). Even pastors, preachers, and teachers are unable to grasp this unbelievable Book, for they cannot do so until they have received the Work of Christ as mentioned in John 9:39-41 above.
Now, as usual, there will likely be people who will scoff at what I have written above. I assume that I have many of them on Ignore, thus I won't see their disgusting remarks, but you,
@FollowerofShiloh - you have been given the gift to see beyond the mere words of not just myself, but so much more . . . the Bible. You are able to see that the things of this world, and even the stories of the Bible, are a pattern of something greater. You understand that we cannot simply read the Word of God and can thus know His truth, no . . . we must read the Word of God and recognize that we are reading of something greater than what the mere Words (though they are Righteous, Holy and Pure) have to offer. Our Scriptures are always pointing to something greater than what they seem to present themselves as being. When we experience God in a Powerful way, we will understand that we must look beyond the words and begin the process, the TRUE process of asking, seeking, and knocking, and these acts never stop. We do not walk to the Door of God and knock a few times, only to wait a few seconds and say, "Whew. Ok, He didn't answer, I'm outa here!" No, we never leave that Door. We never stop asking, seeking, and knocking (so to speak). Our pursuit of God does not end until our physical bodies have failed us, be it our heart or the brain no longer functions as it once did.
My words to you are humble. I do not want attention. I don't want to be recognized for anything other than being a mere servant, one used by God should I be so fortunate, if even to only suffer. I write these words in hopes that I might pierce your heart, to continue to look at our Bible as the hidden, Mysterious Plan that Paul urged us to research and understand. And though he speaks of the Eternal Plan of God, in reality, he only gave us small bits and pieces, for this Plan is still hidden today . . . and that is an absolute miracle! The fact that God can determine what we know and understand, so as to fulfill His Plan for each of us with the intent of Bring Glory to Himself by the Transformed Lives of those who belong to Him . . . it is staggering.
1 Corinthians 2:7-10 NLT - 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God--
his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets.
All throughout the Bible we see God's control over when and what we think, believe, and even do. These stories of His Power and control are all throughout Scripture, and primarily the Old Testament. Of course, I couldn't see this because I had not experienced the Lord as the hand experiences the reality of fire. When that hand is burnt, it has learned the reality of fire . . . and they instantly change, for the choice has been made to never place our hands in fire again (for the typical human).
I fear that I have written to much. I fear that my human words will have turned you away, to be critical and unyielding. I hope that this has not happened, and if so, I beg of you to forgive me. I write what I have written in hopes that they might inspire to keep going down this path of gentleness and kindness to one another. For when the reality of the Father, Son, and Spirit take ownership of a heart, we will find that we are being Transformed, and this, as you know, is necessary for Salvation. We MUST be Transformed into a person who Loves all people. All people, even our enemies.
