I was on the way out to work and felt the urge to read my bible. On the side was my King James Version, and it was nearest, so I picked it up and opened it. I was moved to find a passage of scripture that had recently been quoted to me - a passage in Luke 11:9,10, but also one in Matthew 11:28-30.
My bible fell open at Matthew 6 and 7, and as I tried to turn to Luke the pages stuck together in a block. So I thought "Okay, line of least resistance, I'll look at the verses in Matthew first". Again, the pages weren't parting easily, so my eye fell on the page that was open.
It was the parallel account to the Luke one that I was searching for, starting with Matthew 7:7! The verses that sprang to attention (bearing in mind that I usually used the NWT bible, in modern English, so the KJV is not as familiar to me, neither in use of language, nor in what to expect to see on each page) are as follows (all in Matthew):
6:14 Forgive men, Father will forgive you.
7:1-3 Judge not, straws and rafters
7:7,8 Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find; everyone asketh receiveth, seeketh findeth
7:26 Hearer and not doer is foolish; built house on sand
8:2,3 Leper; thou canst make me clean; I will, be thou clean
7:16-20 Fruits - bad tree hewn down
7:21,22 Not all saying "Lord, Lord" will enter into the kingdom of the heavens
Then my eye came back to 7:7 - ask and it shall be given.
.
Needless to say I found myself in fervent prayer at that moment (in fact I was driven to my knees - not my usual attitude for prayer).
I was pitched into a real low, moved to repentance as if I was the worst ever sinner. I felt desperate, I craved forgiveness and asked for it from the bottom of my heart, crying out from the depths of my soul. I also asked for godly peace and I instantly grew peaceful, and as I asked for Holy Spirit to help I felt I received it. I felt cleansed in a way that I had never experienced before.
.
I have opened my heart to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, and He has taught me in a tremendous way. There were a few fights, early on, and occasionally I still have to guard myself when I see that I am resisting.
It's been a rollercoaster, but one that I wouldn't have missed for the world.
It took just two months for me to realise that I had to leave the JW's, even though I had known nothing else. Many times my bibles would literally fall open at texts that I needed.
.
I first looked at Grace, gifts of the Spirit, then the Trinity (tying up the person of the Holy Spirit, as I went) and the elect.
Currently I am looking into predestination. I'm holding off on Hellfire, for the minute, but will examine it at some point - but, what the heck, I have no intention of going there whatever I find!
.
Romans 8 and 1 Cor.11 were chapters that fell open in my bible, a couple of days after my conversion. The understanding leapt out of the pages at me. You may already appreciate how I previously interpreted those pages all my life. I have no doubt at all that I have been called by the Father to my Lord, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and am literally on fire for Christ.
More recently have been Rev.1 & 22 regarding Alpha and Omega; also Rev. 7, 14 regarding the temple sanctuary.
.
Links
