This is a well articulated piece, on the spiritual battle we face when making a choice between good and evil. Believers and unbelievers alike, face this “agonia” on a daily basis. What many will never realize, unfortunately, is that only by accepting Jesus Christ and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, can we ever truly choose “good”. What any one of us may think is good or right, matters not to God unless we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior.
I’ll share the comment I made on Dr. Phinneys article that you referenced:
~”In sharing just this substack with others whom I feel are seeking answers to what is happening in Israel at the moment, it’s overwhelmingly apparent how many hearts are hardened against the truth.
As you say, “If you are an unbeliever, it is impossible for you to discern these events without being possessed by the Holy Spirit. You might find them interesting, but nonetheless, you will end up in this is just more of the same. This is the exact ideology the upcoming Antichrist needs to establish his fake world peace”;
This has never been more clear to me than in the last several days. Around every corner, it seems that all I see is people screaming for this fake world peace without the understanding or discernment of what is truly unfolding before our eyes.
I thank God for placing you in my life. Because of Him, you helped lead me to seek and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. Only as of late, am I realizing just how blessed I am to be shielded by the Holy Spirit, against all the chaos and evil that is surrounding us.”
I battled with this for nearly 40 years of my life. Always uncertain of why things happen. Always thinking I was choosing to be good or making the right choices that I thought God would approve of. It wasn’t until I admitted to myself and to Jesus Christ, that I was broken and I was a sinner and I asked Him into my heart and into my life, that I realized how impossible the choice between good and evil was. I believe there is both a clarity and comfort that cannot be truly explained but only experienced, when we take that step to accept Jesus Christ. Do I battle the choices still? Definitely! But, I have a comforter. I have a promise that I will not be lead astray. When we truly depend on Him instead of ourselves, He is our escape from agonia.
Bill, thanks for your comment. I appreciate your sharing this story by commenting here. The purpose of Rational Spirituality is to bring souls to the truth of the Divine, however they choose to define 'Divine.' Your comment inspired me to compose a piece arguing against religious exceptionalism - be it Christian, Islam, etc. I'll publish it Wednesday.
The premise is that the Holy Spirit is present in every human heart; it's part of our DNA; the very life of our eternal soul. The Spirit expresses itself according to the soul's need, which can vary during one's life. Today, the Spirit is suppressed by many. Some are evildoers.
We're cautioned in both the Old and New Testaments: "Do not harden your hearts." Thank you again for the dialog, Bill. These are trying times, as you duly noted. Whatever disagreements we may have don't amount to a grain of sand in the desert. We stand with the Lord.
The latest round of tribal warfare that has wracked the Middle East since time immemorial does not an apocalypse make. Did you get this hyperbolic a few months ago when Azerbaijan seized and ethnically cleansed a considerable portion of Armenia's territory? Did you even notice when it happened?
This is a well articulated piece, on the spiritual battle we face when making a choice between good and evil. Believers and unbelievers alike, face this “agonia” on a daily basis. What many will never realize, unfortunately, is that only by accepting Jesus Christ and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, can we ever truly choose “good”. What any one of us may think is good or right, matters not to God unless we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior.
I’ll share the comment I made on Dr. Phinneys article that you referenced:
~”In sharing just this substack with others whom I feel are seeking answers to what is happening in Israel at the moment, it’s overwhelmingly apparent how many hearts are hardened against the truth.
As you say, “If you are an unbeliever, it is impossible for you to discern these events without being possessed by the Holy Spirit. You might find them interesting, but nonetheless, you will end up in this is just more of the same. This is the exact ideology the upcoming Antichrist needs to establish his fake world peace”;
This has never been more clear to me than in the last several days. Around every corner, it seems that all I see is people screaming for this fake world peace without the understanding or discernment of what is truly unfolding before our eyes.
I thank God for placing you in my life. Because of Him, you helped lead me to seek and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. Only as of late, am I realizing just how blessed I am to be shielded by the Holy Spirit, against all the chaos and evil that is surrounding us.”
I battled with this for nearly 40 years of my life. Always uncertain of why things happen. Always thinking I was choosing to be good or making the right choices that I thought God would approve of. It wasn’t until I admitted to myself and to Jesus Christ, that I was broken and I was a sinner and I asked Him into my heart and into my life, that I realized how impossible the choice between good and evil was. I believe there is both a clarity and comfort that cannot be truly explained but only experienced, when we take that step to accept Jesus Christ. Do I battle the choices still? Definitely! But, I have a comforter. I have a promise that I will not be lead astray. When we truly depend on Him instead of ourselves, He is our escape from agonia.
Bill, thanks for your comment. I appreciate your sharing this story by commenting here. The purpose of Rational Spirituality is to bring souls to the truth of the Divine, however they choose to define 'Divine.' Your comment inspired me to compose a piece arguing against religious exceptionalism - be it Christian, Islam, etc. I'll publish it Wednesday.
The premise is that the Holy Spirit is present in every human heart; it's part of our DNA; the very life of our eternal soul. The Spirit expresses itself according to the soul's need, which can vary during one's life. Today, the Spirit is suppressed by many. Some are evildoers.
We're cautioned in both the Old and New Testaments: "Do not harden your hearts." Thank you again for the dialog, Bill. These are trying times, as you duly noted. Whatever disagreements we may have don't amount to a grain of sand in the desert. We stand with the Lord.
The latest round of tribal warfare that has wracked the Middle East since time immemorial does not an apocalypse make. Did you get this hyperbolic a few months ago when Azerbaijan seized and ethnically cleansed a considerable portion of Armenia's territory? Did you even notice when it happened?