From: Gerhand
To: Victor Hafichuk
Cc: Paul Cohen
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 6:04 AM
V, I don’t know what I’m doing? Right this very moment thoughts of worries and I think fear overwhelm me! And I wonder if I’m still on the right track? If I’m pleasing the Lord even though out of my own I know I can’t? Am I doing what He wants me to do? Why does it feel like I’m just floating purposelessly? Why does it feel like I’m gaining knowledge about the Lord but I’m not growing spiritualy and I still don’t know Him?
From: Victor Hafichuk and Paul Cohen
To: Gerhard
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 10:36 AM
Subject: The Right Track
“For I did not keep back from declaring to you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27 LITV).
We were there in uncertainty as well, Gerhard, on and off at different levels many times. It’s part of the journey.
Gerhard, we want to ask you if you’re seeking the Lord for your own will rather than His. You are constantly trying to get something from Him, be it knowledge, explanations, answers to matters of curiosity, direction or whatever.
You are trusting yourself to save yourself for Him, which in reality is not for Him but for yourself. “Lord, do my will,” rather than, “Your will, not mine, Lord.” You need to put your faith in Him and in His righteousness, not in knowledge or virtue or us or carnal understanding or any of these things.
And, you need to make a difference between what is holy and what isn’t.
Let us now touch on what is a touchy subject for some. For as long as you’ve been with us, you know we’ve never asked you for offerings. And we don’t ask you for any now, God forbid. But have you not known that you should be honoring the Lord with the firstfruits of His provisions for you? Are you unaware of that? I’m asking you these questions for your sake, not ours. We’re not in need, and neither is the Lord, but you are.
Have you red https://www.thepathoftruth.com/teachings/tithes/index.htm?
Why is this a touchy subject? The answer’s obvious. We don’t want to ask for money and this could appear like we are. We’re not here for that but for Him. However, unless we preach to you the whole counsel of God, we fall short of our duty towards God and man.
May this not also be part of, if not the answer to your recent losses?
Victor and Paul
From: Gerhand
To: Paul Cohen
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 1:01 PM
Subject: Re: The Right Track
Hello P, I got a bit boycotted with pc failing, but I got running again so will continue with that. Do you want me to send some as soon as I’m finished.
On the subject of tithing, its not a sensitive subject at all. I’ve read the paper and actually did think about it and wanted to do it but not having a credit card to do internet payments I’m not sure how else to send money. Then again I could have asked so I apologize for that.
“May this not also be part of, if not the answer to your recent losses?”
This may be uncle
“Gerhard, we want to ask you if you’re seeking the Lord for your own will rather than His. You are constantly trying to get something from Him, be it knowledge, explanations, answers to matters of curiosity, direction or whatever.”
Uncle when I pray, I ask for Him to reveal His will for me. What He wants me to do? I don’t pray as much as I did as when I was in church cause I’m afraid of asking something for my self in selfish motives. Yes some times I ask for clarity and His mind on certain subjects and faith as well. But when I pray the session( if I can call it that) hardly lasts 2 minutes for I try to direct the prayers focussed on what He wants. And to me it means only to ask what He will have me do. If I do try to get some thing from Him it is only because I don’t know how else to pray and where else to go for answers. Its just that He says in His word that we must ask :
Matthew 7:7-11
7) Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.
8) For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.
9) Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone?
10) Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent?
11) If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him!
….So I ask. If it is selfish I pray that He reveals to me and give me repentance.
You said “…seeking the Lord… “
To be honest. I do want to seek the Lord for His will. In fact I don’t even know if how I’m doing it now is the right way if there’s a right way. That’s why I resort to your papers, the bible, maybe three sentence prayers, you, any thing ( not in worship) but in help of hoping to meet Him, hoping He might reveal Himself to me. Not that I’m worthy or think I’m worthy which I’m not, instead, I’m nothing, but I would not be desiring this out of myself. I only desire this because He draws me. And I can’t find the one drawing me. It seems I’m not getting closer to the one drawing me. And I know I’m standing in the way some how but I don’t know how to fix it. I need Him, I desperately need the Lord. I only have what He gave me, nothing more. Yet I want HIM. Maybe the problem is I want Him soon and its not His time yet. I don’t know uncle P…….
From: Paul Cohen
To: Gerhard
Cc: Victor Hafichuk, Sara Schmidt
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 11:19 AM
Subject: Re[2]: The Right Track
Hi Gerhard,
That’s good to hear about the offerings. Such steps of faith are what our walk with God is all about, as Victor has told you. Faith is what He gives us to do, not what we make up or try to make happen.
The problem with your prayers is that you’re trying to make things happen instead of believing God.
The version of Matthew 7:7 you quoted encourages you to pray without faith:
“Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.”
If you ask God according to His will, you don’t keep on asking Him, as if you have to move Him to do what He already said He wants for you. Here’s the correct version of the Lord’s words
“Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 MKJV).
You ask and believe God, not ask and then keep asking Him the same thing like He can’t hear or doesn’t care and live up to His promise to provide what you’ve asked for according to His will. Stop and rest in His faithfulness, Gerhard.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (1 John 5:14-15 MKJV).
If you ask according to His will, it’s a done deal. You just wait on Him to see how He will manifest what is already determined in Heaven.
The Lord goes on to say about asking and receiving:
Matthew 7:8-11 MKJV
8) For each one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened.
9) Or what man is there of you, if his son asks a loaf, will he give him a stone?
10) Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a snake?
11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?
You need to believe the Lord and what He says and stop putting faith in your efforts to reach Him.
Getting back to the words you quoted from Matthew 7, the Amplified version has many such booby traps of man’s thinking and wrong doctrine injected into their translation and commentary. You’d be better off staying away from it for now, until you learn to recognize the difference between truth and error.
As for offerings, the best way is by check or PayPal. Let us know which works for you.
As for the file of correspondence with us, do send that to me as soon as you’re finished, and make it up to date. I’ll then give you feedback.
Paul