The PuritanBoard - View Single Post

Blueridge Believer · #6 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by caddy
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]

GOD bless you caddy. This came from the WCF. It reads the same in the LBCF. I know exactly where you're at brother. I spend many of those night and mornings in tears wishing I could go back. But you can't.
Some things that did come out of it though have greatly helped me as well as my wife. I now rise an 4:30 am every morning for prayer and scripture reading. I cut out just about anything that takes my mind off of the mercy of Christ. This has allowed me for some time now to read my Old Testament through every 10 weeks and the New Testament through about once a month. In the evenings I spend my time reading great christian classics and teaching a Bible class in my home for some young adults about twice a week.
God has been so good to me. I never new just how good He was until psalm 51 became personal in a special way to me.
I'm so afraid now and stay on the watch at all times.
I hope and pray that no others will ever go through an experience like this but I know, because of the depravity of the flesh, they will. I just want to be there and help when like the prodigal son they "come to themself".
Don't know why the Lord put it on my heart today to write about this. Maybe there is someone here in pain who needs it.
Pray for me brethren that I'll always be tender about this.