I have been a believer in Christ for over thirty years. My only desire has been to know God and equally important, who I am. In 1986, I began pouring through scriptures trying to make sense of it all. Soon, six years had passed and I found myself a teacher, elder and at times a minister of healing at a local church. I saw and experienced amazing things such as: people healed of sickness; spiritual giftings and foreknowledge displayed openly; and powerful manifestations of God's Spirit upon people physically and mentally. However, after several more years I knew inside me it was time to leave that local church, and no one could understand why. At the time, even I did not know why. Today, others still do not understand why! Through eyes of judgement, they can only see me and my family as "lost."
Now, it is easy for me to look back and see why I was to move on in my spiritual journey. I had become a very, religious person. Religion is the false, man-made idea of who or what God must be. The truth will not be found within the walls of religion. I thought I knew God because I knew the scriptures. Did I really know truth or did I simply learn too well the beliefs others had taught me? Was I willing to let go of all doctrines and ask God to show me the truth of who He is and who I am? Did I really understand the scriptures and the meanings behind the sayings Jesus spoke? Would I lay scriptures down and trust God to not only "save" me, but also speak to me by the voice of His Spirit?
It is safe to say that I have a very good perspective from which to write. If you think perhaps that I lack understanding of traditional teachings and doctrines of the scriptures let me say you are mistaken. For years, I taught the very doctrines many believe and hold true to today. I had believed I could prove to you the doctrine was true based upon lining up one verse of scripture with another verse. Even though I was a very good lawyer, making my argument with a book of law known as the "Bible," it did not mean I was correct in understanding or knowing truth. When I began hearing for myself the truth within me, it challenged the very doctrines I had defended whole-heartedly. It has taken many years for these things to be undone in me, and still today I seek to know the answers...the truth.
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