[May 2, 2011 chat]
Lysane described her spiritual condition as: “I was born again as a Seventh-Day Adventist, but I did not always obey God, I have a sensitive conscience and now I am spiritually dead.”
Lysane came to the chat because: “I am confused, I would like to hear God’s voice again, I believe He is coming soon. I saw a tree that fell and was empty inside and this is how I feel. I guess I like my comfort.”
Lysane:
When would be a good time to come back on the chat?
[May 3, 2011 chat]
Lysane:
It seems that I am spiritually dead. I even wonder if a bad spirit is in me. it may be related to money, even a little.
From: Victor Hafichuk
To: Lysane
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 9:58 AM
Subject: The Path of Truth
Hi Lysane,
You have been missing us on The Path of Truth. We have no set hours, but someone is often here from around 7:30 am Mountain Time, till around 10:00 in the evening. Would it be possible for you to write us a letter until we connect, telling us more about yourself? What is this about money and a bad spirit? How did you not always obey God? Tell us about hearing His Voice, and what you heard.
Give us the specifics, as much as possible, to help us help you.
Have you been reading on our site, and if so, are you getting anything out of our writings? If you haven’t been reading, we encourage you to do so. There is certainly hope. The Lord is not only coming, He is here, by His Spirit.
Here are some writings that could help, to begin with:
Holy Waters
How One Is Saved
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Repentance
The Three Degrees
So, You Want to Walk with Jesus?
Here’s what we can say about your comments:
We have never seen a Seventh Day Adventist who was born again of the Spirit of God. It sounds like you only had a religious conversion, and not a supernatural one in Christ. That’s why you are feeling dead, because you are dead and have been dead. Religion isn’t life; Jesus Christ is Life, and He isn’t found in men’s religions.
It could be a very good thing that you are starting to recognize you’re dead, in order that you may come to Him Who is the Resurrection and the Life for the first time. As Jesus said, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17 KJV).
If you aren’t aware that the SDA Church and doctrine is devilish, it may help to read our section on Seventh Day Adventism.
The churches of men are a snare, not to those who are right with God, but to those who aren’t. Is now your time to turn to Christ and get right with God? That would be wonderful, Lysane. You’ll have to take your eyes off yourself and look to Him Whom we preach, Jesus Christ, our glorious Lord and Savior.
Victor Hafichuk
www.ThePathofTruth.com
From: Lysane
To: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 3:12 PM
Subject: RE: The Path of Truth
Hi,
Thank you for your reply. Yes I must have missed you on line. You are saying that religions are a snare except for those who are right with God. I am sure there are a lot of people who are right with God in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
I believe that Jesus is with us now in the Holy Spirit and that He will come again in His glorified body the same way as he left this earth.
I will try to write you a letter shortly. I have been told to get my eyes off of myself and turn to Jesus. I guess I need more help.
Lysane
From: Lysane
To: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 12:21 PM
Subject: FW: The Path of Truth
Hi,
I am attaching a very personal letter. It seems I heard God once talking about prayer. But the time I was the most surprised is when I sold my house – I felt I had to go ahead with the sale because the real estate agent had worked so hard, and we told him never to send us a visitor on Sabbath, and he came up with an offer we could not refuse. But my husband was not ready to move. He thought I signed too quickly. Nevertheless this verse came to my head: IS41:10So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
I could recite the words and I did not recall reading it before.
Ironically, the house we bought had only been on the market a few days, so that agent did not have to work too hard.
Honesty is important for me, but I think I have done too many compromises since.
I have not read all the passages you talk about, but I will try.
Lysane
From: Victor Hafichuk
To: Lysane
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 8:25 AM
Subject: Your Letter of May 10th
Hi Lysane,
There was no attachment with this email.
Did those words come to you after you sold the house? Did your husband also sign on the sale of the house, and did things work out well there, as far as you can tell?
Where have you compromised on something the Lord told you or that you knew better than what you did? (Maybe that’s in the attachment you said you had sent?)
Victor
From: Lysane
To: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 8:54 AM
Subject: RE: Your Letter of May 10th
Hi,
Those words came after I sold the house. As you are asking the question, I don’t remember if my husband signed, but he had agreed to take a real estate agent to sell the house but when there came a buyer he thought things went too fast. I had a good rapport with some of my neighbors and the pastor of the Ontario church decided to do an evangelical campaign not far from this house after we had left! I was not able to convince my neighbors.
Here is my letter. Some things are missing, but this is a start.
Thanks.
Lysane
My religious experience:
I was raised as a catholic and I enjoyed my religion classes in elementary school. It was less religious in my high school years. I married another catholic but we did not practice our religion. We had 3 daughters. My husband’s aunt was very spiritual (although catholic) and she gave us a Bible.
I consulted a fortune teller a few times.
Then I followed the new age trend, mostly through a radio program that taught vegetarian cooking. Also there was a natural food stored that opened at the same time, near where I worked. At the natural food store they sold good fruits and vegetables and nuts and dried fruits.
Then I saw advertised some vegetarian cooking classes in my neighbourhood. But I did not register on time. Then came another advertisement for Bible conferences and I was interested because I did not understand the Bible we had at home, especially the Old Testament. It turned out that the same people who were offering the cooking classes and the Bible conference where the same people. – Seventh-Day Adventists.
I thought that God was calling me there i.e. the timing was perfect. They were offering a free Bible to those who followed all the Conferences. (The Bible I had at home was very big). They were offering a Louis Second hand size Bible (in French). I enjoyed the conferences, I learned a lot, I found out that the Pope was not the head of the church, but Jesus. – “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” The rock is Jesus. I was the only one who got baptized following this series of conferences. I needed Jesus to forgive a sin a had committed in my younger years, adultery, and was so glad that He died on the cross so that I could be forgiven.
I was so happy to be clean again and often when I heard a sermon I had already read on the same subject the week before. The pastor at the time was a very good orator and spiritual.
Being part of the church also meant that I was to give my tithes. It was hard as my husband was not working regularly and we had 3 children and the catholic church never asked 10% of our gross income. But I wanted to be faithful so I decided to give it until I could not give it anymore. (Testing Jesus). But I started to have doubts, because my husband did not believe in tithing and because it is only after my baptism that I told him about my sin. (I should have kept it between me and God, because it hurt him a lot.) Then, he thought that I wanted to betray him with the pastor. After being forgiven by Jesus, I certainly did not want to repeat the same sin. He broke a rib in my back. While in pain I phoned the pastor but he didn’t offer any word of comfort.
Then, concerning the tithe, as time passed by I was worried about the verse that said that we should leave our offering there and be reconciled. I wanted so much to be reconciled with my husband and he is always full of pain and hatred in his heart. -Another Christian told me that I should not start with the tithes and at the time I ignored her.- I felt I could never discuss anything religious with him, and it put a wedge between us because I could not be as open as I would like and he sensed it. On top of that he criticized all the people in the church and my children could hear it.
The pastor’s wife offered us to consult a psychiatrist for the whole family. We only went once or twice. I thought it hard to pay the doctor and my tithes. I thought God could help us. But that was a bad thing because we all needed this help and the children suffered a lot.
Eventually all my children got baptized. The two elders spent their teen summers as Literature Evangelists, and the younger one also did it at 13 years of age and later at 15 for about a month but now she is not in the church.
At the time we had a house in the country on 1 acre of land and a few animals, chickens…
While there, I had two car accidents. The first one was only physical damage. The second one, I lost consciousness and broke my arm. But God saved me. After this we decided to sell the house because it seemed too much a burden. One agent showed a house near my working place, but it seemed too expensive and I did not have enough faith to try to make an offer. We ended up far from my work in a house that did not really suit our needs (except for farm animals). Also it was on the same street as another member of the church (a man), and it did not help. It I was near the highway and very noisy, but not too far from the Ontario border and another church. It is people from that church who directed my children to the literature evangelist work. My first church was in Quebec, but because of my husband’s criticism, I started to go to the Ontario church, but my heart was with the Quebec church. Therefore more doubts in my mind about which church to go.
After 5 years there we moved to another town not too far from the Quebec church, but I continued to go the Ontario church. I also gave sermons at the Ontario church. But it meant that each Sabbath, my husband stayed alone at home (although he and my younger daughter had been baptized in the Hawkesbury church, in Ontario).-but they did not follow through.
In the meantime one daughter decided to get a diploma as Bible worker in the U.S. and once when we were going to visit her, and go to a conference with her – the conference was given by Doug Batchelor, we had a car accident in the State of New York. My husband received a blow in the back of his head and was hospitalized for a scan, then we stayed overnight in a hotel. In desperation, my husband touched the Bible and asked God to help him. – all the while my daughter was praying with people from her school. God told him that he would not loose me, not to be afraid. Then he was very interested in the Bible, and when he arrived home he did not recognize everything he liked – fish, books, etc. Only the Bible interested him (and I was even envious of such interest). But it did not last long, when his head healed, this did not interest him anymore, however it brought him very close to my daughter.
- I wonder if there is a special place on our brain that triggers such an interest.—
Eventually, my daughter finished her training, she married a graduate pastor from her school and started a school ministry in Brazil
My older daughter was coming with me to church in Ontario. She decided to do a Master in International Development at Andrews University in the States. She needed funding and got funding from the Quebec Conference and from two members from the Ontario church. But she did not feel comfortable in that church. My husband and I had to sign a line of credit for her of $15,000. That put another burden on us. (My younger daughter needed treatment for a eating disorder that had just cost us $10,000.) My husband could not see Jesus there. Also on the labour day weekend I was supposed to preach and my daughter said, you know dad does not like you to preach on long weekends. So I cancelled the preaching , found a replacement, and went to the ocean for the weekend. My mind was harassed all weekend. (a lot to explain…). This was a terrible mistake.
At the same time, my daughter who had been in Korea before had showed me to use the Bell calling call to make long distance calls. There was a contest on the Internet, that did not cost anything. I just had to write my calling call number. I thought that if I won it would be good for my husband. And I won! It gave me a trip worth $5,000, $4,500 for hotel and plane and $500 cash. I thought this is exactly the 10% that God is giving me to show my husband. But he did not see that way and a Christian women that I called said you should not take this ticket, it is not Christian, it is like the lottery. This put more doubts in my mind and after a lot of struggling, I decided to take the trip anyway and went to Brazil to visit my daughter, and on the Christmas holidays on top of that. I spent the $500 on 3 days vacation near the ocean at a city in Brazil where my husband could do skin diving and the rest of the vacation was at the school where my daughter is a missionary. We were not blessed during those 3 days. My conscience was stirred because of the tithe, and also because of Christmas.
One day as I was going to the Ontario church, my husband asked me how much I was giving to the tithe. I told him and he called the church treasurer and told her that he would burn the church. The pastor called the police and we had to go to the police station. After that I did not go back to the Ontario church. The treasurer returned the tithe to my home and I felt that I betrayed God. I eventually gave it back but it was not the same.
Then I started to downfall.
At work I applied to a job that was 2 levels over what I was doing. I prayed and wrote a decision list. I thought it would not leave me as much time for sermon preparation and also it was about being an administrative secretary in professional education and many of the courses offered to faculty (I work in a College) were given on Sabbath. I did not have to work on Sabbath myself. My conscience was not too happy, but I applied anyway. I worked for 3 years but I was always struggling. Although on my other job I had to do the pay for some employees who worked on Saturday.
I felt like Gehasi. I was offered to return to my former job once each year – per the Collective Agreement, but I liked my new salary, and started to know the job.
There was another snare. At work, our life insurance is not too expensive. For the last 20 years, I had taken a $100,000 life insurance for my family as the children were young for $25 per pay.
Now I toiled with the idea of increasing it to $150,000 to help pay for my daughter’s studies and give to the church should I die. ($17 per week premiums) But I had been praying before , and it seemed that God wanted me to cancel all my insurance. Then doubts came into my mind, the idea to increase seemed good but I would have to do a will (for the church part). One pastor told me : Do you love your husband, do you live God? So go ahead. But I kept being confused. Also at the same time I took a $50,000 insurance for me in case my husband would die. (at a cost of $5 per pay) . And all this made me sick. (part of the money for the increase came from cancelling my long distance forfait on my telephone bill). But I put it off continually and my mind got sick. Also when I took the insurance for myself, at the same time I wanted to help a church friend who was at the Ontario church, but who went back to the Quebec church, who was starting a ministry as a signer in Christian café. I supported her for a while, then I stopped. Now they have a family style church in Valleyfield that is worshipping the Lord with singing and prayers. I was called to go to that church before, but I stayed in the Ontario one at the time- I had a little training for church in cell groups, and I would have liked my husband to join me, just as we were together at school in grade 12. But I did not consider the pain that he had for what I told him after baptism and his anger against the church.- All the people who were with me at the Quebec church when I was baptised are now at the Valleyfield church. I would like so much to go to that church, but my husband thinks that our troubles are due to those people.
Also as I was about to take this simple decision (insurance), I called everybody for advice. I even called people while I was at work, and my work declined and I was advised to see a psychologist. I went to see one, once.
Then I called a spirit filled friend to ask her if I should see a psychiatrist. But I did not realize as I called her, that I was pressing her for an answer and she was not relying on the Holy Spirit at the time. She answered in the positive and then told the office that I agreed to see the psychiatrist from work. Eventually I was hospitalized for 4 months as they were giving me anti-depressants.
I am still on anti-depressants, and my mind is stable, but it seems blank. I lost all the little spiritually that I had.
A little after I moved to my new job…. I went to a Baptist prayer group and a girl in the group told me that I had a bad spirit on me for $17.00. She told me I should see an exorcist.
And 2 summers ago, I was visiting the botanical garden with a friend. I went to the Japan pavillon and wanted to buy a pen as a gift. I paid just $20.00 for the gift. Then I worried for two hours whether I should return it or not as it was a plastic pen and did not seem to be worth that sum. (The same bad spirit). When I returned it the lady said that it had never happened to her before and that she would blot my name from her list. – (The daughter who went to Korea, would have liked to be a missionary in Japan).
One day long before I became an Adventist, someone told me – you are ready to die for your daughter. When I recall this, I think of the spiritual death.
Now my husband wants us to spend our retirement in Brazil where my daughter is. She is thinking of doing other missionary work in another part of Brazil. The nature there is so beautiful, it appeals to my husband and would have a good influence on his spirituality. He is now taking Portuguese courses after work. (I try to learn on my own)
I told my husband that I was not paying tithe anymore, but last month I gave some to the church – another church in Quebec,- English speaking. The same day the Lord stroke me with a broken hip as I was walking the dog, I fell to the ground. (just as I read in Jeremiah – when the dogs were after His people). I had hip surgery and a prosthesis. I am now recuperating at home. I should have time to read the Bible, and I pass it by, I always find something to do, cook, read other things., walk (as therapy), even learn Portuguese.
This is very personal, and I don’t know if God wants me to reveal my sins, but I need help, as I can’t hear God, except that I did express my concerns to a lady I had met in the prayer group and I met her the same day I started to write this letter.
I read the teachings you had on tithes, still I needed to explain the situation.
May the Lord bless you.
From: Lysane
To: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 8:57 AM
Subject: RE: Your Letter of May 10th
Hi,
One other thing, when I fell and broke my hip, when the pain was intensive, I was thinking that this same week I should have cancelled the insurance I took in case my husband died. But I didn’t do it, because I was thinking that the premiums where so low. Still maybe it is better to spend it somewhere else.
Lysane
From: Lysane
To: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2011 2:28 PM
Subject: FW: Your Letter of May 10th
Hi,
Everyday, I check to see if you have answered. In the meantime I am reading what you have counselled. I have read also all the testimonies.
Lysane
From: Victor Hafichuk and Paul Cohen
To: Lysane
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 7:49 AM
Subject: Good Food and Drink
Hi Lysane,
We have red your story. Victor has some wise counsel for you.
It is good that you have already begun reading the links I sent you. Do continue. Wholesome, unadulterated food and water are necessary for true health, which you have never had.
Can you tell us why you have chosen to write us, of all the people on the internet? And, what do you see in our testimonies?
Here is Victor’s letter:
Hi Lysane,
I think it best if you spend time reading at our site. Ask God to lead you in it. He has made available good doctrine for you to bring healing, comfort and salvation. The truth makes free. We have posted the truth for all. Read and read again.
Perhaps I can make some suggestions for you to start you off, in addition to the ones Paul has already given you:
Here Is the Way It Is
Forgiveness
Victims and Perpetrators
We have given you lots of reading but read what you can; there’s no rush. If you should feel to read other articles instead, go to our Sitemap and make your choices, asking for the Lord’s help. He is the Answer to everything, and I DO mean, everything.
“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed’”
(Romans 10:11 HNV).
If you have questions, Lysane, write us and Lord willing, we will help you.
Victor
From: Lysane
To: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2011 9:56 AM
Subject: RE: Good Food and Drink
Hi,
You said that my letter is a story. In my indecisive state someone else also told me that is only a story. That something must have happened to me when I was young. That I must find out because I will lose salvation.
I found your site because your link was on the page I was reading. I don’t remember what it was. But it opened at the Seventh-Day Adventist testimony. (I wonder what happened to Lou Munilla.)
Then I read the testimonies of Victor and Paul and was impressed by their walk with God, and also Paul’s wife Marilyn.
In the Seventh-Day Church there was a man by the name of Roger Morneau, who first was catholic, then went in a Satanic cult which was in Montreal, finally he received Bible Studies and accepted Jesus. He had quite a struggle before he was free from the spirits attacking him. But he relied on Jesus and became a strong prayer warier.
In the testimonies I was surprised to find that Mark trusted God with half of his salary, and that he loved God so much that he shared it with Mariko. Mariko’s testimony shows that faith takes time. I read Daphne’s testimony first and saw that she grows in her faith. Lois put God first in her life and showed the same to Mark and Trevor. And how God talks through dreams. And Ingrid who had to let go of her children but God told her that they would have salvation that way. Joyce has difficulty. I really liked reading the testimony of Terri Cabrerro, how she trusts God through the difficulties at home, and that God gave their home ample water supply.
In all testimonies, there is a deep repentance before receiving the Holy Spirit. This is where I have difficulty.
I also had a dream a number of years ago. I was in the field at the time of harvest it seems, and I could see all the souls flying over. I was beside a man that I recognized from the church in Ontario. I was looking up but stayed in the field. I went to the church where that man was for 7 years, thinking this is where God wanted me to go. This man was very faithful in paying his tithes. Then I did not know if God was talking to me about the tithes or about the church.
I started to read Here Is The Way It Is, and there was a link about Evil and there is mention that Lucifer was the King of Babylon. In my French Bible they do not mention the name Lucifer, just Celestial Star. And what about Ezechiel 11-19, esp. v. 15 which reads: “Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in the.” And this a mystery. And 2Th2:7 “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work but the one who holds it back will continue to do so until he is taken away.”
In The Justified Walk Frank Phillips (now deceased) does say that everything comes from God.
I would have liked some comments on my letter, especially I don’t know what to think about life insurance.
Communion with God encourages good thoughts, noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth, and lofty purposes of action. {4T 624.2}.
The citation above is from Ellen White. It is truthful.
I continue to read the suggested readings. Thanks.
Lysane
From: Lysane
To: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2011 10:02 AM
Subject: FW: Good Food and Drink
Hi,
One more thing, maybe I would know the answer if I had the Holy Spirit, but is it be a unionized worker, as I am now at my workplace?
Lysane
From: Victor Hafichuk
To: Lysane
Cc: Paul Cohen
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2011 10:07 PM
Subject: RE: Good Food and Drink
Hi Lysane,
When I said, “We have red your story,” I wasn’t suggesting it was made up or wrong. It is the story of your life, as true as you related it.
Keep reading at our site where you will.
Life insurance – we don’t buy it. The Lord is our insurance. Put it this way: If He is with you, you don’t need man’s insurance; if He is not with you, man’s insurance won’t help.
Be faithful to those you work for; know their wishes and requirements and fulfill them to the best of your ability, though you needn’t be legalistic about it.
Victor
www.ThePathofTruth.com