Paradise Cafe Discussions - A Place For Bible Research And Christian Encouragement

Hi dear ones,

Sadly, I can´t write you much because my Computer is not giving me that luxury. I don´t even know whether this post makes it through. So, I must keep my question short.

This thorn in the flesh. ( 2 corinthians 12:7) I know that you all have it. Carrying it is quite a trip, isn´t it? Lol.

My question is, how are you coping with it?

Thank you all in advance for your input.

:heartbeat:

AR

Hi Iso,:clap::clap:

It is something explosive, bro. But I promise, I will speak out. Lets first hear whether others have something to say.

:heartbeat:

AR

:thinking:

Ive been dealing with it all my life. I always thought it would just get better, but as I age, it's intensifying. But I take account of the fact that many have it much worse then I. :huh: All in all, i should be happy.:)..:thinking:

Dear Teshome,
Some of us have many thorns in the flesh. We are imperfect and if we allow them to keep us humble as Paul was saying, then they are not all bad.
It is the person who says they don't sin who is the liar, and the greatest sin is pride. That is the sin that made Satan who he is.

I know people who have a great problem with anger. These are things that have usually built up from childhood. If anyone has this problem try to get professional councelling. I at one time had a lot of resentment. The only person this hurt was me. I was dragging the beast around and the ones who had hurt me were blissfully unaware.

My mother can be terribly annoying. I saw her wind up my father so much, he put his fist through a wall. He was a very strong blacksmith mind you. He did that because it was better than hitting her.

If you have alot of anger, make sure you direct it not to cause yet more pain, but to perhaps even create something good.
We needed a porthole in that ajoining wall!

Jesus cast out the money changers. Jesus and our Father are angry and hurt with what they see us going through. The way they direct their anger is the key.

If the thorns are sexual, try at least to keep your hands and eyes to yourself. Don't get too concerned about the 'M' word (Malakizo), since it isn't even in the Bible.
Someone in a good relationship should not even need it.

On the other hand, do consider fully the disasters of life when we commit the 'F' word.
Fornication, destroys relationships, families, and especially our children's lives, even before they have a chance to get going. Think through the scenarios of what our three minute fling thing can do in comparison to the amount of damage can be left in its wake. It can change lives for the worst permanently, making us lose the ones we truly love.

The 'thorn (thorn?) in the flesh' is an understatement in Bible translations.
The Greek word 'skolops' taken from Persian, means a stake pointed at both ends.
A 'skolops' could be used to run a person through or mount their disembodied head for display.
This was no gardener's rose thorn in the thumb. Paul's problem was big and probably so embarrassing, that Bible scholars today are still left debating about it.

Jehovah helped him with it, but allowed it to continue, because it meant reliance on Jehovah every day, and kept Paul humble.

Love to you Tesh, vicky.

Who has plenty of her own thorns in the flesh.
Might need to change my name to prickly pear.

You know, for a soldier to be strong he has to lift a lot of weight.
For a soldier to be fast, he has to run a great many grueling runs.
For a soldier to have wisdom and experience he has to have faced many battles.

God doesn't wrap up in cotton wool. We struggle and fight because we are called to be soldiers of righteousness. It'd be a lovely life if God made sure nothing bad ever happened to us, but we would never grow or learn or strengthen.

What you struggle in has purpose, it will build your character like nothing else will. Fighting, failing, falling, getting up and somehow keeping going, they're marks of maturity.

I have two really good friends. One has suffered appaling abuse and trauma at the hands of her stepfather and has been in mental institutions for years. But my Lord, she is the most amazing Christian I know. She has struggled with her own mind, with drug abuse, with sexual sin for twenty years and slowly, through small sucesses and many faluires, and a lot of screaming out to God (and suicide attempts) she is learning what it takes to be a real overcomer. She is such a different person from when I first met her six years ago, she is certain of God because no-one else could have trained her and supported her but made her do it herself for her sake.

My other friend has barely changed in the same six years. She's in a comfort zone and, because her sins aren't too bad (i.e, don't torment her and can be quite safely ignored in her own mind) she doesn't fight them, so they overcome her. I do believe she will sort herself out, but she might need a bit of a wake up call.

of the two, I know who has the real strength and maturity, and the pain she has gone through to aquire it.


You know the bit in the bible where it tells you all those sins that won't be in the kingdom of God - fornication, adultery etc? I know Christians who read that passage and panic, because they know they do those things.

But its not to condemn. I see it as a wonderful, glorious promise that all those things will be gone in the kingdom, we will be free of them completely.

God is faithful, but he also knows exactly who you're called to be and what needs to happen to your character to get there. I struggle horrifically with weight issues, bulimia and the like, but the more I fight, the stronger I get, the closer I get to God, the more I understand what's going on.

Seek God's face and his voice. They're the two most distinctive things about a person. Any family member you can recognise from the sound of their voice and their face, God is no different.

Like it or not CHristians need to be trained to be strong, to overcome our own sin and to be able to stand to help others overcome theirs. Some things take years to deal with properly, but if you can get into God's presence, you'll understand how these trials strengthen you.

Blessed be the Lord my rock who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

:friends::pray:Selam! His peace to you, my dear brother...

Surely you don't want me to list all my physical afflictions - ? - we don't have time! But I will say... I have a rare great day in the midst of not-so-great ones... and here lately, have been particularly puny after a simple cold... Comparitively, though, I have it so good I can't find much room to complain about anything too much.

My biggest hurdle has been mental. We've(JW's and XJW's in the lurch) been through such an emotionally and mentally exhausting several years. Myself, I've been turned upside-down spiritually-speaking. For a while there I was in serious crisis mode. :help: Only my faith in God pulled me through it - nothing I was capable of doing for myself.

"The imminent end of this system of things" has made us anxious and impatient, and at times we can feel apathetic, helpless and powerless. Malkah said it so well, though, that if we can see these afflictions, mental and physical, as building strength of character, then it's bearable. God disciplines His children that He loves, and I think He appreciates more than we do how our personal trials shape us in heart and mind, preparing, refining His people. There is always a lesson specifically for us if we can only see through the pain and torment of the moment. You know the saying: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." - must be true!

Growing as Christians always means we'll have 'growing pains' - most of which is shed by cutting loose all the stuff we thought we couldn't live without, lol. We didn't even realize how heavy it'd become till we couldn't move, breathe and think!

Sometime or another I read someone's comment that David was non-violent, and I thought of his words in this song...:thinking:

Today our battles are spiritual ones, and we are at war with everything our flesh represents. All of us, I think, long broken-heartedly to just, finally, go home.

Whatever your 'thorn' is at the moment, bro, someone else is there now or has been there - and I'm sure we can help by sharing our coping mechanisms. What is bothering you, brother?

:love:I love you dearly Teshome!
Your friend and sister in faith, Willa :peace:

Eeeshk....that's really pathetic. :shocked: Might as well stick with the 'M' word! :funnyface:

Therein lies the key, and that's why Satan (and the Watchtower) put so much energy into destroying relationships...so that you find yourself dealing with that prokops thing while people are throwing themselves at you....sad indeed, that so many will fall by the wayside because of this affliction...it's probably the biggest reason why attaining the Kingdom is so difficult. We have to deaden our body members and deal with all the garbage of life too....it ain't easy. I've found that the only way to deal with it is constant prayer. I ask God, "Why were we given such powerful chemicals that drive our libido, but have it so difficult in finding the proper mate?" It's one of the reasons why this system has to go....in God's perfect world, we could all be in happy relationships and not have to experience the constant bombardment of Satan's mind-control....

:heartbeat:
Jesh

Thorn?

I'm stuck in a briar patch!

Wish I could smoke my way out of it (the green kind, anyways, LOL)

My list has become so long that I feel too numb to write or read posts. Too much adreneline spent trying to fight my way out of the briar patch. Unfortunately, some of my 'thorns' live with me.

One problem after another. And now I feel sad that my compassion has dwindled. Usually, I have a wide margin of forgiveness. I feel tested to the point of becoming bitter to the point of no forgiveness being left for anyone. No forgiveness for them leaves no forgiveness for me, doesn't it?

Too much tension and I've isolated myself, again. Its so hard for me to interact and reach out when I'm in so much pain.

I'm going to stop here. I can't wait until I am able to spit out my troubles. That means that things are getting better and 'hope' is coming back into the picture.

With Christian Love, Debbie

Isa 4:5 And Jehovah will create over all the site of Mount Zion, and on her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for on all the glory shall be a defense. :6 And there shall be a booth for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge, and for a hiding place from storm and rain.

Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty. :2 I will say of Jehovah, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust. :3 Surely He will deliver you from the fowler's trap and from the destroying plague. :4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler.

When we are fatigued from fighting.... Father reminds us the fight is not ours. To come to him and rest under his shadow. To take refuge in him! Does one fight when they are in refuge? No,... they rest and let the walls of protection sheild them. We must let our father do our fighting, for by our own power we fail, but instead we rest,.... we rest and stand back and see the glory of God. In that way, the praise and glory goes to our father for our deliverence and strength.

:heartbeat:
lynn

Hi AR,:hibye:

I'm busy applying bandages as we speak. Thankfully the ransom covers even Jack the Ripper if he's sincerely sorry, and doesn't crush us with guilt either.

If we were expected to be perfect, we'd all be doomed.

Acts5v29:heartbeat: