Hi Brad,
This is very good.
Vinny
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brad D" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 7:42 AM
Subject: Re: Safe Place Fellowship


> Rhonda,
>
> You wrote...
>
> "often we take  the answer of wait, or not now, as a rejection,"
>
> That is a great summary of what  I was trying to say. James tells us at
> such times of quote, "falling into trials and tribulations", to be patient
> and let patience have it's perfect work. Part of being patient is standing
> , persevering, and enduring through that trial. It does not mean abandon
> the belief entirely, or succumb to it in the form of God wills it no more
> than jumping to the conclusion faith doesn't exist. The basic fact is all
> Christians are in need of something in their life, we are not perfect, we
> have needs, and have need to stand in faith for something in their life,
if
> not it would be questionable whether they are moving forward or stagnant
in
> the water, and therefore because they are standing in faith for that
> something, and they do not yet have it realized in their life, according
to
> the "do gooder's" own volition would be telling him or herself they too do
> not have enough faith to realize their needs. Earlier you asked what to
> tell them, perhaps putting a situation of their own needs and that lack of
> immediate realization in front of them, and say to them... "you mustn't
> have enough faith for it". Perhaps they will realize their doctrinal over
> simplification.  Patience is why I still believe god could well heal me,
> yet that belief not ought consume my whole being and cause a shadow over
> everything else in life or my belief. Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac,
> got nervous and created an Ishmil. We don[t' need to be created Ishmil's
in
> our lives by jumping to conclusion regarding God's work in our life by
> saying we neither have enough faith, or that
> God wants us blind or otherwise afflicted. Much good comes from it because
> God uses it like anything else because we've come to him and given our
> lives to him. It can become very tiresome however to try to reason things
> out in our head and therefore tend to run to first base, that of being,
God
> wills me to be this way, so that we do not feel rejected, abandoned or the
> like. As well the "do gooder" who try to find reason of healing not
> occurring immediately push people to believing "God's will is for me to be
> blind" by putting so much pressure on the situation and that person. That
> to me is a form of causing a felloe brother, or sister, to stumble.
>
> Brad
>