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I listened to a man who said I
could know the answers to unanswered questions about life, which no theologian had
even given me--and which were never in my mind to begin with.
I listened to a man that said,
"the Bible interprets itself," not grasping that I was
letting him interpret it for me.
I listened to a man who focused
so much on Satan and the end of the world, that I was in fear that I
would die if I didn't listen to him.
I listened to a man, instead of
just reading my Bible--as I used to do when I was a young man.
I listened to a man who dragged
me through the streets and left me for dead.
Christ said to beware of false
prophets. But I didn't know how smooth they could sound, how sincere; how
much like "light and truth." I forgot they would appear
as "angels of light." I wasn't looking for them--and no
one warned me that I should. I wasn't informed that Satan makes use of
mind
control.
I think it must be one of his biggest weapons and comes under the
heading of "evil."
I never dreamed anything like
this could ever happen to me. But when it did happen, I was as innocent as if someone took a gun
to my head and robbed me of every last dime, beating me to a pulp in the
process. Why didn't I check out this huckster who ended up stealing my
mind? Why didn't I pray for discernment? Not
truth, I say, but discernment. Why didn't I prove the doctrines I took
for granted growing up? Why was I so timid to ask others about him while
I still had time? Why was I so thoughtless as to think that this one man,
more than anyone else, had to be "God's man," and all others
who said they were Christian, and preached differently, had to
be--must be--phony? When blindness finally comes, it is impossible to
see through that darkness.
Trusting a man, believing I was
serving my God. This world is not basically good and safe like I once
believed. The path through life is not one we should walk
without glancing to both sides. It is filled with con artists,
hucksters, frauds, deceitful workers of iniquity, evil men who care not
for our souls.
I listened to a man and I was
caught in his net.
Can any know the wretchedness,
the gut-wrenching pain, the emptiness--the absolute nakedness--when your
trust is finally smashed to bits and the truth has slapped you so hard in the
face you can barely think? Nobody can
know unless they have been in that kind of darkness.
I went in by degrees, I came
out by degrees. I even
contemplated giving up
my faith. In other words, just trash the whole package because if what the huckster
said wasn't true, then it couldn't be true
anywhere else. Or could it? I went down the road of give-it-all-up for
awhile, but I found out it is just another lie--listening to not one man
this time, but many, all wanting to turn me into another path of darkness,
while they promise me "liberty." It gave no satisfaction and
led
to emptiness and senselessness. Building on a
foundation of sand.
I've wondered
how many in
cults are even converted to begin with. Still, it's agonizing for anyone
to be treated the way we were. Prior to my getting hooked, I'll be
honest. I wasn't close to
the real, genuine God. It wasn't that I was against churches, like some
were. I just took church and God for granted. "They'll always be
here" kind of thing. I neglected to read
my Bible regularly. Where is that verse that says seek Him early?1
I didn't treasure that small faith I started out with as a young lad.
God's words didn't continue to have an influence in my life. The
spiritual lack inside of me left me wide open to listening to a man. I
remember coveting his literature and words more than just the words of
the Bible. I stacked up his booklets and magazines like they were
gold.
How was I to know
that liars use opposites? "Everyone else is on the wide path, but I
have the narrow path; follow what I say." The message looked and sounded
so true. Seduced into believing a lie--and dearly paying for it.
Only a lying prophet would tell me he has the truth that no
one else does! Especially that it's contained in booklets diametrically opposed to what
God had already revealed through His church for centuries. How mixed up
the mind can get when we get tangled in a web of lies. I failed to treasure the faith
I had known when young. How easy it is to desire something more than
what you have. But lies are
hard to live with. Their chains are
cruel and thick, packed with guilt and fear, and they give us no
rest.
Why do others seem
to go on believing after such treachery? Maybe they still love God, and they
know He (the true One) loves them, in spite of it all.
If there
is darkness, there has to be light. If there is evil, there has to be
good. If there is hate, there has to be love. So why would I think that I
would escape all pain in life? Maybe it's because to be lied to in the
name of God is the worst.
Things haven't been easy for
me, but they have gotten better with the passing of time. I know I am
going to survive. I'm smarter now. And I'm not alone.
I was His lost sheep, caught in the
dark web of lies. I know now He allowed it, for what purpose I don't
know, but He took no delight in the torture it took to break free, and
He has comforted me. I know He is greater than it all and nothing can separate
me from His love. We have to beware
of men who would deceive us. The religious hucksters are continuing to
hide in beautiful Trojan horses. The pipers of atheism call. More listen
to them with every passing day.
Today I know that life--real life--is about Jesus
and His love. Not listening to a man. Not following the rules in his
booklets. Not thinking he has all the answers. It's Jesus that changes lives. That is the
proof He's real.
Otherwise, the person who names His name is a liar. I know for a fact He
changed me. The Bible is TRUE.
Jesus is REAL. Don't ever let anyone convince you to the contrary.
By Hans (former
WCG member)
February 29, 2004
Footnote by ESN:
1
Psalm 63:1
Poems/Free Verse &
Comfort in Music (comfort for the broken hearted; no audio)
Books: Spiritual Comfort
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