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Where did you get this from Blueridge Reformer? "
5. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they be humbled;a and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support unto himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends.b
a. 2 Sam 24:1; 2 Chron 32:25-26, 31. • b. Psa 73 throughout; Psa 77:1-10, 12; Mark 14:66-72 with John 21:15-17; 2 Cor 12:7-9.
I can speak to a similar experience as well. I often wonder why, but beyond that, I know I can only understand the dept of God's grace due to the depth of sin that I visited. I would have NEVER wanted or wished this time on myself, but there it is--a bad dream as you state--my past.
I can only thank God that He restores! I constantly pray for strength to stay firmly in the center of His will now. I constantly try to be watchful of the least thing that would get me close to "stradling" a fence, or anything that would result in softening my view of sin. "God help me" is my constant cry! I often wake up in the middle of the night tearful about my past, yet thankful that He has brought me to the place that I would even awake at night and think on Him. What a wonderful God we have!
Joel 2:25 25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
[Edited on 10-9-2006 by caddy]
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