My story begins with the fact that I was raised by a man who was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, with the General Conference. One of the things that made him very sad, was that someone he loved had strayed into this weird “Off-shoot” movement. When he got sick and was told that he was dying, he made a flight out to go and see this loved one. He specifically told me to pray for her return into the fold. After his death, she and I began to get closer and she eventually started sharing these “Weird” ideas with me. Oh did I pray for her enlightenment. When visiting her once she took me to her church. The man that spoke, (he and his wife even ran a lifestyle center), he said, “The SDA church was Babylon and we needed to come out of her. If I had had more of a holy boldness, I would have stood up and told him that that was blasphemy, but I didn’t. He looked directly at me and I could clearly see the evil in his eyes, but everyone around me was nodding and saying “Amen.” Eventually that church dissolved and I thanked God, that my loved one was no longer under his spell. Then she began sharing other YouTube ministries with me. One preacher, I felt showed a lot of arrogance, and I could not seem to want to listen to him, but then she also shared with me Amazing Word Ministries. The more that I listened, the harder it was for me to sit in my comfortable pew at church. I began to study everything that EGW had to say about the GC. I spent many months agonizing over everything sister White said and I listened to every sermon that pastor Emmanuel preached. The more I listened the more convicted I became. Then I realized one very important truth. The “Ship” that everyone says to stay on, it ran aground and broke up. Some, who could swim “independently” did so and made it safely to shore, while others, who could not swim independently also made it to shore on “Pieces” of the broken ship. The little group that I had been meeting with had been on fire and went door to door passing out the Great Controversies. I was thrilled to be a part of them. But after one trial ended, and they became complacent, the plandemic hit. I thought to myself, “MY church knows better than to shut it’s doors”. Oh how wrong I was. I had been one of two and sometimes three people on their prayer line, but when the plandemic hit, everyone jumped on board. I began to pray a Daniel 9 prayer. Daniel 9: “3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4 and I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 5 we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 6 neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.” https://my.bible.com/bible/1/DAN.9.KJV I prayed, “Father, forgive US where WE have compromised in OUR beliefs.” The next person that came on began his prayer by saying that we had not compromised our beliefs. (The group didn’t have a preacher, we were too small. They had baptized a couple that were living together, and he had a tobacco issue. They made him a deacon in the church right after that. Another person that they baptized was working a regular job on Sabbath and they made him an elder just after baptizing him. I had objected in a board meeting to both, but they told me that I was just jealous, because I didn’t hold a position in the church.) Anyway, back to the story, I was asked not to return to the group unless I was willing to meet with the “Elders”. Shortly after this, I “Chanced” to see the head elder in Walmart. I stood and faced him in the middle of the store crowded with people—not social distancing—and told him to his face that God was not pleased with his actions of closing the church. When he began to make the excuse that there were older people in the church who were afraid, I replied that God had not given us the spirit of fear, and then I walked away.
“I entreat you who have long professed the faith and who still pay outward homage to Christ: Do not deceive your own souls. It is the whole heart that Jesus prizes. The loyalty of the soul is alone of value in the sight of God. “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace!” “Thou, ... even thou”—Christ is at this moment addressing you personally, stooping from His throne, yearning with pitying tenderness over those who feel not their danger, who have no pity for themselves. 5T 73.1
Many have a name to live while they have become spiritually dead. These will one day say: “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” Woe will be pronounced against thee, if thou loiter and linger until the Sun of Righteousness shall set; the blackness of eternal night will be thy portion. Oh, that the cold, formal, worldly heart may be melted! Christ shed not only tears for us, but His own blood. Will not these manifestations of His love arouse us to deep humiliation before God? It is humility and self-abasement that we need, to be approved of God. 5T 73.2
The man whom God is leading will be dissatisfied with himself because the light from the perfect Man shines upon him. But those who lose sight of the Pattern, and place an undue estimate upon themselves, will see faults to criticize in others; they will be sharp, suspicious, condemnatory; they will be tearing others down to build themselves up. 5T 73.3” https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p113.358(113.362)&index=0
For this section I would like to start by reading a few texts. The first is found in Psalm 27: 10 “When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take me up.” https://my.bible.com/bible/1/PSA.27.KJV Matthew 10: 36 “And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.” https://my.bible.com/bible/1/MAT.10.KJV Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” https://my.bible.com/bible/1/PHP.4.KJV And Isaiah 65: 24 “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” https://my.bible.com/bible/1/ISA.65.KJV This same person who had brought me into more light, had been begging me for years to come and live with her. “We get along great and we are on the same page spiritually” was the gist of how the conversations would always go. “You can help me fix up this room on my house and you can live here.” Well as soon as the room was fixed, she asked when I could start helping with the bills. I said that my savings was gone and that I would have to wait until I got a paycheck, but I would be happy to continue to help out. As I got to thinking about things I wondered what she meant by “Start helping pay the bills”? I had put around $7000 into her home. When I reminded her of all that I had done, she began the eviction process. She told a friend of hers that I was abusing her, but when questioned as to how this alleged abuse was happening, she got quiet, thought for a minute and then said that I didn’t talk to her. He told her that wasn’t abuse. I had just made a covenant with God to give a particular sum of money to a ministry when I got the eviction letter. Oh how satan tempted me to keep that money, but praise God, I sent it anyway. And then I spent the next three days in fasting and prayer. God is so gracious. He had already set up a friend of this person, who saw the truth of what was going on, and she invited me to live with her. She lost a friend and $40 dollars that this person still owes her because of her kindness to me. After I was evicted, I wanted vengeance and so I got it. I sued and won for the money that had basically been stolen from me. And the first thing I did, knowing full well that this person would never willingly pay me back, was to put a lean against her house.
A few weeks ago, I heard a sermon about gossip. I said, “Good, so and so needs to hear that message.” And then the following week I heard another sermon, except this time, it whopped me upside the head. I said, “Ouch.” The text used in that sermon was: Romans 12:17 “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” https://my.bible.com/bible/1/ROM.12.KJV
Fast forward to the “ouchy” part. The plan is that tomorrow, when the courthouse opens, to go and remove the lien and forgive the debt. I’ve decided to make it God’s “problem”. The money now belongs to Him, whatever may come. It’s been a year now and I thank God every day that He saw fit to bring me to this beautiful state and that I have a roof over my head and good friends. So, Thank you, to this unnamed person for the lessons learned, for bringing me to this beautiful state, and for bringing me to more light spiritually.
Footnote: Went to courthouse, the process to release a lien isn't as simple as I thought, but I will continue to work on it. (It's done)
