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 Returned to my first love and welcome back to SI forum

Saints:

This is the first time I have posted on SI in over 2 years as the Lord led me to take a break from posting on the forum and to focus on my walk with Him. I used to post as soldout2him.

I am filled with great joy in writing you that my time away has borne much fruit and I have returned to my first love. Jesus is God, the Lord of my life, my Master, my King, my friend closer than a brother, my Light, my High Priest, my Redeemer, my Comforter, my Provider, my Shepherd, my all in all, etc. The Father first revealed His Son to me back in 1992 and I have never been the same since: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17). The Holy Spirit convicted me of my sins, the Father granted me the gift of repentance and faith toward God and the Son set me free indeed. Jesus blood cleansed my heart of all sin and unrighteousness, the Holy Spirit filled/empowered/baptized me and set me apart for the Master's use. "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). However, the enemy of God, the thief, the father of lies who only comes to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10): the devil, began to war against me. "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). For many reasons I did not learn how to remain steadfast and immovable in Christ, learn the whole purposes of God, learn how to put on Christ/the whole amour of God, I did not learn how to mature in Christ, Christ was never formed in me and I was not discipled and trained up "to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph 4:24), etc. Why did this happen? Here are a few answers:

(1st answer) “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20: 25-35).

(2nd answer) "I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles. But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things.

Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds" (2 Cor. 11: 1-15).

The two excerpts given above from the Holy Scriptures are part of the answer in why I did not overcome the evil one. How was the enemy allowed to come in like a flood and why did the Spirit of the LORD not lift up a standard against him? Because the flesh is weak and the spirit is willing; I listened to the enemy; and I listened to savage wolves who did not spare me; who spoke perverse things, to draw me away as a disciple after them. I was led astray by the deceitfulness of sin, my own lusts, an evil heart of unbelief: "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb.3: 12-13). I was not instructed in the way of righteousness and true holiness by men who had learned Christ as the Apostle Paul, men who could provide an example of those who followed Christ and who walked in the same manner as Christ did, who went about daily doing the Father's business, who were dead to the world and the world was dead to them, who forsook ALL to follow Christ daily, whose whole manner of life was separated unto God, who always did what was pleasing in the sight of Father, who were one with the Father and the Son, etc. So, the end result is that I did not overcome the evil one and I ‘left’ (not ‘lost’) my first love instead of growing in the grace (power of God working in me) and the knowledge (personal knowledge of Him working in me) of the Lord Jesus. Hence, I was left to wander in the spiritual wilderness until I learned Christ again, repented from dead works, was broken and contrite of spirit, absolutely surrendered, consecrated unto the Lord, understood the sinfulness of sin and that apart from Christ I can do NOTHING!

I have much more to share and if you want me to share more then please feel free to post a reply on the SI forum or email me. I will share briefly that the Lord has been merciful and gracious to me and shined His light upon me again, for Christ has restored my soul and the God of peace Himself sanctified me entirely; and my spirit and soul and body are being preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in accordance with His divine promises in Christ Jesus according to the following holy Scriptures:

“‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev. 3: 19-21).

“To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1: 2-4).

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23).

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).

Love in Christ Jesus my Lord,

Kenneth

 2016/3/13 11:14
Renee_is_His
Member



Joined: 2016/3/9
Posts: 74
Garland, TX

 Re: Returned to my first love and welcome back to SI forum

Brother Kenneth,
Praise God for His mercy and grace towards us! I rejoice with you, because I too, was granted repentance by the Lord 5 years ago on March 11, 2011. I wandered away from Him in the year 2000, led away by my own sinful heart of unbelief. Isn't it amazing how He is married to the backslider?!?

I for one would love to hear your story, because it glorifies the Lord.

Renee


_________________
Renee

 2016/3/13 15:12Profile
davidkeel
Member



Joined: 2006/5/11
Posts: 519
West Sussex, England

 Re: Returned to my first love and welcome back to SI forum

Welcome back Kenneth. Good to see you here.


_________________
David Keel

 2016/3/13 17:38Profile





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