(October 9, 2015 at 4:08 pm)Drich Wrote: We had this discussion remember, this is what started the whole You pray 'whatever it takes, even if it means you get AIDS/Cancer, and I will do the same.' Which morphed into "Drich is praying everyone on the forum is to get cancer."
Rather an interesting interpretation of my question; not to mention a revealing one into your recollection of events on record. Still, whatever gets you off at night I suppose. To sleep, that is.
(October 9, 2015 at 4:08 pm)Drich Wrote: So to answer your question: They shouldn't. My experiences is what it took for me to go from faith to belief. I prayed that God show me the truth, and I was willing to do whatever it took.. The AIDS experience was the first step in that journey. because at the time it was a death sentence with no hope of recovery. This was the first time God took me well past any help any one could offer and set me right again. That process of being beyond the reach of any physical help anyone could offer leaves us at the point where we know that God himself will be the only thing that can bring us out of a given mess. Maybe not once or twice, but a lifetime of this tempers resolve and deepens understanding of God.
Again my Health is just one aspect of being beyond the help of others. I went through it again with my wife, and her addiction(s) and like a light switch a 10 year herion addiction all was turned off. once again with the establishment of the business (A Complete stranger handing me 25K to get started) To 15 years of trials and blessings from that business.
All of these are all things God has done for me, to put me in a position to be unshakable in what I know to be absolutely true. Why? Because I wanted/needed to know before I could solidify my beliefs, and act on my beliefs.
That said, I know I am nothing special. I was not born to a certain family, I grew up hard, and was hard on believers for a very long time. All I did was honestly sought answers and was faithful to what I was given. Which means if some of you who really have been given gifts ever get your heads out of your b-holes Your journeys would no doubt put what I have experienced to shame.
That's the key though. It has to be your journey, Your cancer story and Your miraculous recovery, and 100 or 1000 other impossible things that situations demand or scream God's involvement over the course of your whole life. It's not just a one time "Dear God, if your out there give me a sign. Amen" challenge.
My story's are what it took for me. I was a doubting Thomas. Jesus Commends those who can live by faith, but at the same time He does not condemn the Doubting Thomas' of the world. Rather He did EXACTLY What it took to get Thomas to believe. We just have to hang in their long enough, and let things get dark enough before we can get to a place where we can know without a doubt that if you get out of a given trial, it will only be because the Hand of God pulled you out.
Ok, so in terms of anyone else's position, your experiences are irrelevant; however important they are to you. Thus we can safely ignore them. Thank you.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
