Recent revelations

[Luan Cartwright]

Greetings all.

I went out the other night with my mum and learnt some very valuable lessons.
This is the email I sent to Victor about my experience:

Just thought I'd share with you an experience I had this evening.
A few weeks ago (before I knew better) I bought tickets to the symphony for my mum and I because it's her birthday coming up later in August (God most certainly is NOT over birthdays!! What a fool I've been)

Well for the last week I really did not have a good feeling at all about going, but because mum was really looking forward to it I decided I better go, and make the most of it.

We went out for dinner before the show, which was relatively enjoyable, that is until we left the restaurant and I noticed one of the chefs standing outside in his apron SMOKING! I felt so disgusted. Not long after we got to the concert hall I started having horrible, weird fluttery sensations over my liver which I realise now was indigestion. I could barely even focus on how lovely the music was because I felt so yuck.

After the show, we went for a walk and decided to have some tea and dessert. I really felt like it was a bad idea but went ahead with it anyway.
While we were having our tea we decided to get the train home rather than the tram (which was quicker and not as crowded)
When we got to the train station, it was going to be an hour long wait for a train and mum and I were both feeling tired by this point, plus its winter so it would have been a long wait in the cold.
We got a tram instead. I actually read your teaching about eating out (perhaps I should have read it before we went out to eat) on the way home and gasped out loud when I got to the part about the mice, how horrible!
When I got off the tram, I had to step onto the road and a fool in his car started driving at me. I literally had to put my hand up like a traffic cop to make him stop so mum and I could get safely onto the footpath, then he drove past laughing and mocking me, which in turn made me sin by feeling extremely bitter and angry.

Even though it's been a difficult experience, I've learnt to really listen when the Lord is warning me not to do something, and can see even more clearly that he uses both good and evil to teach, chasten and provide revelation especially when I'm acting against His will, which only leads to pain and anguish.
Definitely learnt my lesson tonight, and I feel very grateful that He is teaching me through all that I do, every second of every day.

And, yet again your words have provided me with some much needed perspective and guidance. I thank you and our Lord for all that He gives


And Victor's reply:

Hi Luan,

Yes, the Lord hasn’t warned us in vain of the world’s condition and ways – it took some time for Him to get through to me.

The whole world lies in wickedness, says brother John, yet we are inclined to flow with and indulge in it as though everything’s just fine, good and safe. We forget about the prince of this world and his children; we let our guard down; we perish for lack of knowledge. But the Lord warns, rebukes and chastens those He loves and if they receive correction, they will be spared, while those who won’t heed His correction, those who really don’t believe, are destroyed in a myriad of subtle and not so subtle ways.

Would love to hear thoughts from others, or similar experiences when you were new to the Lord and finding your feet in Faith. I'm the only person of Faith in my family, so it can feel a bit lonely sometimes (and they have pretty loose morals even for nonbelievers, so it can be very difficult to be around)

Thanks for reading

[Tang Williams]

If I may, I would like to add my follow on story. Recently, I attended a 21st birthday in Brisbane.

At the same time, I had just learnt about birthdays. I had verbalised my thoughts to my children that I will no longer be celebrating my birthday and fathers day...and Christmas etc. They know that now and support me with my decision. I told my wife as well. Since, receiving revelation on birthdays, I was feeling extremely uneasy about this 21st birthday. I wrestled many days about this and I was extremely stressed about. I was unfocused all week. Not because of the letter but because I sense the Lord telling me so. I told my wife about this but she still refused the truth.

However, I was reminded that I had promised months before to go. This was before I became involved with TPOT. Anyway, my wife went a week ahead and flew from Melbourne to Brisbane to help out as this was a family event. I followed a week later with my youngest daughter 17 on the 17 hour road trip to Brisbane. She drove a bit as she was learning to drive and needed some hours in her learners logbook.

Left at 3:00AM, it was cold and did not see a vehicle for hours as we lived in the outback. When we arrived [48 hours before the birthday], we were tired, needed rest and was famished. I met with my wife who in my opinion a slave for the host. Her purpose was to clean the house on behalf of the host [a family] before guests arrived. I felt the host was lazy but they knew how to manipulate my man pleasing wife. There was no where to lay my head after a late dinner. I went to one of the couches and fell asleep in the fetal position. Other unannounced guests had arrived earlier and slept on our beds. Funny enough, I said to my wife a week before that we should have stayed in a hotel. But, instead of listening to God, I listened to my wife again. Now I slept in the cold and could only sleep for a few hours because of a headache as I was sleeping on a rock!

The birthday girl was baking cakes all night for her birthday. She was tired and lacked much sleep. She was also fighting with her mum about the birthday arrangements. The birthday girl was paying most of the expenses for her birthday. She WANTED to have a birthday [for her Glory!], even though it would be a struggle to pay for it.

The mum could not help pay because the mum was unable to work anymore due to health reasons. I was told it was a stroke. Yet, a few years ago I said to her that she is making her daughter and herself far beyond obese through unhealthy eating and it will cost them their health. Apparently, I had made her daughter cry. The mother [host] phoned me and gave me a blasting over the crying incident. Later, when I spoke to the dad [a Pastor], he admitted that satan was killing their family through food. No kidding! They told me to shut up when I warned them years before.

I helped the husband [host] and others set the hall up. We were all tired and struggled because we were simply unorganised and there was plenty of disharmony. Anyway, I wanted to say a few things, but I was reminded that I was not up there to correct but help out. During the 48 hours leading to the birthdate, it was like watching a lot of headless chooks fight, run around aimlessly to set up the [church] hall and food. The parents did their own thing and the daughter was going in another direction. The daughter cried because the food menu and setting was unacceptable to her.

The food was unhygienic as a lot of food sat in room temperature for may hours. Then, after the birthday, I helped to clean up. I was extremely tired and feeling horrible for eating dead food. I slept for about 3 hours and we had to drive back for another 17 hours. I was not pleased because I am returning feeling worse off than I arrived. I had no peace, before, during and afterwards. I wasted my time and a lot of money. Since immersing myself in the Word of God through TPOT I value the resources afforded to me by the Lord.

Because, I spent my money as a result of this man pleasing and self glorifying event, it had an after effect that was more painful than trip itself. I could not pay for bills that suddenly turned up unannounced or budgeted for. The amount I spent on the trip was exactly the amount for these unexpected bills. I was forced to go into credit card debt for the first time in years and may take a bit of time to pay. I deserve this and needed it. "I repent Lord for my disobedience". Victor in my correspondence with said to me to forsake ALL. But, I thought I could reason.

To make things worse, I had to miss my first week of Sabbath Meeting on TPOT. I love getting up a 4:00AM Sunday to join the Sabbath Meeting. Who wants imperfection for perfection?

I paid the price for not forsaking all. All means all!

[Luan Cartwright]

Thanks for sharing Tang.

Our Lord surely does know how to chasten and teach us.
I empathise with you and have compassion for the difficulty of that situation, and am grateful to Christ that He has given you the strength and faith to endure.

I pray that your wife and children come to know Christ through the example He is making of you for Him, may His will be done in all things.

It's my mum's actual birthdate on the weekend. I was invited to go with both my parents to stay overnight with my other sister who lives on the great ocean road.
I had a pang of longing, because I really love the ocean, and my sister has a puppy. But yes Victor is right when he said to forsake all things. Nothing at all is worth going against the Lord's will, and ultimately we are better for it.

As hard as it is for our carnal nature to accept sometimes, there is nothing in Satan's domain we need, and to seek it and "want" it sets us back on the path to perdition.

Praise our Lord for all that He does in His divine, unfathomable wisdom.

[Paul Cohen]

What an excursion through hell you've just described to us here, Tang, both within and without. The Lord has come to deliver us from what you've described - the world and its utterly destructive ways. And how the world fights with Him over our souls!

This is a good thing, because we need to stand with God alone, or we fall and will remain with the dead. You can't wait for your wife or family to change - you have to be the change the Lord makes by His Word, planted by His faith that guides you into Life.

[Tang Williams]

Hello, and thank you Paul. Yes, you are correct that I should not wait as I had. In submitting my post I felt liberated by releasing it instead of hiding it. At the same time it is a confession of a bondage or really a prison term I did not realise I was serving until now. The Lord is showing, correcting, rebuking and liberating me from bondage especially through TPOT and friends at TPOT.

Yes, it is hell. Bondage is hell. I am talking of the bondage of man pleasing or seeking the approval of men [for decades]. Always living a life of walking on egg shells so as not to offend or upset others. What darkness and foolishness.

The event I described occurred weeks ago. In that time I sense a change in my thoughts and faith in the Lord. I am grateful what the Lord has done in me.

Just to let you know, I don't take the Lord's direction for me for granted as I have done in recent weeks.

As I am getting to know the Lord, I understand and accept that it is not my will (idolatry) but the Lord's will what He has install for my family. Phew, I feel a weight lift off my shoulders!

[Tang Williams]

Hi All,

I had a recent revelation in regards to [some] weddings.

Last Saturday, my wife, our teenage daughter, and I went to Melbourne. My daughter needed driving experience with city driving [traffic lights, driving in the tunnel and Westgate Bridge, heavy traffic, multiple lanes and bad weather] to go onto her learners log book. We don't have any traffic lights in our two horse town, but we do have 3 stop signs.

We also had to go to a wedding. On the way back we planned to help a friend by bringing him back to Deniliquin after his eye operation. We had left at 6:00AM and returned by 10:30PM. There was 12 hours worth of driving. My daughter logged 8 hours in Melbourne.

Anyway, we went to a family wedding after lunch. Officiating the wedding was our ex-pastor [AOG] from 12 years back. The pastor had conducted many weddings ceremonies in the past, and we had been there as invited. I did not realise what he had been saying [from the same script] over the years until this past Saturday.

There were three items that really stood out;

1. He quoted that husbands had to love their wife, whilst the wife's job was to submit to their husband. But, the husband has to love first before the wife should decide on submitting. Typical, giving the wife a loaded gun to dictate how the husband should behave and will demand the husband submit, otherwise the wife has no obligation to exercise her commitment. I have seen many Cook Island marriages dictated and led by the women. I know, because it's like the bubonic plague in my extended family. "A tissue and we all fall down!"

"22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" Ephesians 5:22-25 KJV

2. Their marriage is forever, [going into the after life, especially in heaven].

"34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke 20:34-36 KJV

3. That they repeated their vows in the name of the trinity.

"5 I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:" Isaiah 45:5 KJV

The people there were [spiritually] dead to discern any truth, being so deluded themselves. Most guests were from the same denomination as the pastor, the AOG. They were laughing at the Pastor making jokes as he entertained during the ceremony. I was not amused, as it was as lively as the dead corpse at a funeral.

This wedding was simply a man-made tradition modified from the truth but sealed with the approval of their trinity god that they say begun from the first marriage in the garden of Eden. Typical traditions using the Lords name [in vain].

The pastor said at the end, that marriage was between a man and a woman because the laws [of the land] says so....until same-sex marriage is also approved. To me, the pastor was implying that same-sex marriage is okay as long it is approved by the government. What a joke!

Anyway, we did not stay for the reception. We were there for the 15 minute ceremony and left swiftly [as preplanned]. I felt the Lord was reminding me of the following scripture;

"59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." Luke 9:59-60 KJV

Therefore, my recent revelation is that all man-made or pagan traditions [e.g. easter, birthday, Christmas, halloween, some funerals and now some weddings] are all but for the man pleasing dead full of lip service and no substance! Jesus said;

"8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:8-9 KJV

"Thank you Lord for your revelation."