adoring1 Wrote:All of this is TRUE...but it still relates to things of the Spirit...If I prayed to be a gorilla...and believed that I could be a gorilla and really wanted to be a gorilla, and knew in faith that God had the power to change me into one...I guarantee you that God would not turn me into a gorilla...because that is not in his will or he would have created me as one. All Scripture works together for good...no one or two or three can be taken alone. The faith scriptures cannot be taken without considering the wisdom scriptures...the wisdom scriptures cannot be taken without considering the sovereignty of God scriptures... And as we have discussed many times Mel...God will answer our prayers...but they still may not be exactly as we ask...Live long enough and you will see for yourself. Be blessed in the Lord.

adoring1 Wrote:Reincarnation is NOT a Christian Principle... Mel...the Bible clearly says that. There is no such thing as reincarnation in the word or world of God...and yes God can change a person into anything he wants...and I believe that...but I also know that is not the type of prayer that he honors because it is foolishness and folly and is not based in the truth of his TOTAL word. The truth is do you really think that I do not want to see your prayers answered? Do you think that I have a selfish reason that would want you to not have this man in your life or your summer home in Japan or your kittens or anything else that you ask for? The truth is I want to see you happy and every Christian happy but I care more about your learning to walk with God in HIS WHOLE word. There are entire denominations Mel that have sprung up calling themselves Christian but failing to meet the test of God's definition that are based upon one set of scriptures...out of respect I will not name them here...but many of them grew like wildfire in the 80s...and many of them are now losing members like crazy because they taught a very narrow viewpoint of scripture...and their promises were not realized. We cannot take one narrow set of scriptures and live by them. Our life long journey is to understand that and to learn the ENTIRE word and intent of the Father...and because of that I will do something I rarely do...I will share a personal story that I hope will give you insight into what I mean.

When I was very young I met a boy...we grew up together. I really cared for him and him for me...but like you while still young he made a decision to break it off with me for his own reasons...he was young and wanted to see other girls and such. I went on a mission much like your own of praying and waiting and was truly unhappy because no amount of praying and waiting changed things. I did this for four years...at about one and a half years through the process my dad said to me...this young man is not for you...and someday you will meet the one who is...but...I want you to consider that I am a man...and have been around for a very long time...and as God is my witness...there is something in this young man's spirit that makes him not right for you. He was everything at that time that any girl would have liked...tall...extremely good looking, very smart and very talented musically. We attended a high school for the gifted and his primary area of interest was music but he was also an athlete...and was quarterback on the football team and I was completely smitten. I did not listen to my father and continued to hold him in my heart and and continued to believe that things would be what I wanted them to be. Oh I went to parties and to dances and still managed to have a good time, but I did not date anyone else I went out with groups of my friends...which was a custom then for Christian girls. My girlfriends thought I was crazy...I was an honor student...captain of the cheerleaders an accomplished ballet dancer, some said pretty, and could have had any boy I wanted...but I was holding out for him.

We graduated from high school and attended the same university...my freshman year was busy...I was accepted into the touring dance troupe with my school and between that and my studies...I majored in languages...and dealing with living away from home for the first time it was a whirlwind year. He was majoring in music and was quite the sensation as he created a band and played for a lot of the school functions. We were both from very good families with very strong Christian beliefs and pretty much had lived lives that were respectable with little difficulty with our parents...we weren't saints, but never got into any real trouble other than the normal shananigans that kids do. I have always been one who has had great faith in God...I guess it was the Father's gift to me and I never doubted for a moment we would be together. Because we had known each other since kindergarten...we remained true friends throughout all of this. I started noticing some changes in him at the end of that first year year in college that I did not understand...but by the end of the second year I did. He had started to smoke marijuana...and spoke openly about it...of course I wasn't going there, but I knew this was not the guy that I had known that I had grown up with. He had started coming around more...calling me more and of course I believed that this was a good thing...however my father did not. The summer in between my freshman year and sophomore years his dad (who was a good friend of my father) and my dad went hunting. When they got back my father asked me to come into his study and said he needed to talk to me. He told me that this young man's father had told him to keep him away from me...because he was going through some things and would not be good for me right then. I thought my dad was nuts...he had just started to come around again...but that was what my father said...and I was either going to follow his rules or have heck to pay for it. My godfather was our family doctor...and was also this young man's uncle...he had told my father the same thing...no-one told me why...it was just that I should not be hanging out with him. I thought it must be the marijuana...and thought hey that is just not that big a deal...but I had never disrespected my father and chose not to...however I was very angry with him...and very angry with the world. The first semester of my sophomore year he got a girl pregnant that I knew...we had also grown up together...and he reluctantly married her...but that was not the end of the story. He dropped out of school and by the end of that sophomore year it was known by all why my father had felt like he did...he had apparently started trying other drugs...along the way...and became a full blown heroin addict. His wife and child were really impacted by this...he remained one for many years...finally kicking heroin...but never letting go of some of the others...he died four years ago from cancer...which was compromised by late detection due to drug use. In the meanwhile...a young man who had liked me all through high school had gone off to a different university and who was one year older than me... that I had not paid any attention to of course...kept trying...we married and remained married from 1970 until 8 years ago.

Along the way I went to seminary to work on a graduate degree in Theology...and I learned so much from that experience...and finally came to understand the whys behind the prayers...answered and answered differently than I had expected. 4 years of intensive study of the Bible learning Greek and managing to learn enough Hebrew to understand the Torah in its original meaning...along with 25 more years of staying in the word allows me to say with true conviction...I understand...but still have more to learn. No article on faith can give us even a drop of what the Total word intends Mel. But anyway... mine was a good marriage for many, many years...and despite our no longer being married...we have remained friends...and are both enjoying our daughter and grandchildren very, very much. The point of the story...is there was a reason why God did not answer those prayers that I prayed so long ago...but he did answer my prayer for love and for a husband...a good husband who was and remains far more handsome :-) very accomplished...he is an attorney... with whom I had a very good life. I had never prayed for any other man way back then...but God knew that my husband was much more in my best interests. He lost his way for a while but he remains my very good friend although he is dealing with the consequences of some of his choices made in later life.

Mel...I have no idea as I have told you often what will or will not happen in your life with this man with, this summer house, these kittens...and frankly that is not my concern. What I hope for you is that you will come to know God in a TOTAL way and not put on blinders in how you interpret the word because of your desire to have whatever it is. God is not limited to just faith...or just wisdom or just justice or the scriptures that refer to them...or just anything. He is bigger than all of that... he is bigger than all of Creation which he made...and as I have shared with you...and as others have as well in posts on this board, and as saints have known since Jesus walked the earth...and when his word is understood in TOTAL...He does operate ONLY within his will. God bless you Mel...as you learn and walk with God.