Lesson Summary, So Far - II

It has been over ten days since the last post.  This is not because I have nothing to write about. To the contrary, I have notes or draft versions of three posts waiting in the queue.  However, they are all taking a different direction. They are more related to current events, and they are illustrating how KatieLyn's decision making has parallels with the decisions that our politicians have been making for us. I don't want to "go there" without first solidifying where this blog is now. It is appropriate to have a post that summarizes this.

The first "Lesson Summary, So Far" was post #25 dated Saturday, August 15, 2015. At that time I thought I'd be summarizing about every 25 posts and probably be done with this blog by Thanksgiving, 2015.

Today, over 150 posts and a year later, I am posting my second summary. There was never a need for interim summaries because not all that much has changed. Here is what I wrote back then:

To be a good wife, it is important to be able to hear and follow the leading of the Lord. I am of the opinion that the Lord allowed this to come upon her because she really does have the grit it takes to stand up for herself. But she has not had much practice doing that and it is very uncomfortable for her.

I still believe that KatieLyn has the grit it takes to stand up for herself, but she has not.

You probably have a hint at the new direction for this blog—Americans are starting to stand up for themselves against the nanny state. They had not had much practice, they were regularly lectured to be tolerant, and it has been uncomfortable to face the fact that those in authority were deceiving them. But that is changing, and it is most evident in the Trump Movement. Stay tuned...

I think it is important at this point to briefly explain why Joe's early prayers to have KatieLyn see the truth have not been answered yet.  The explanation is this: He was not going to indulge in witchcraft.

That might sound like it is coming out of left field, but really it is not. Witchcraft is using any power other than Allowing God's Power to control or change another person. Using this definition, which can also be restated as witchcraft is the intent to control people and make them do what you want by any spirit other than the Holy Spirit, it is easy to see that witchcraft is performed regularly in Washington. Witchcraft has two forms of abusive power: works of the flesh (cf Galatians 5), and demon-assisted power.  That is the basis for the connection, and Lord willing, that will be explained more fully in future posts.

For now, however, and to stay on the topic of the Runaway Bride, a prayer for KatieLyn to "see the truth" can sound very 'religious.' But such a prayer is pious only if the Holy Spirit does the revealing, and the Holy Spirit will not force KatieLyn or violate her own will to choose. Whenever intimidation, domination, or manipulation is used to make KatieLyn doubt the truth, witchcraft is being used. We know this because God does not intimidate, dominate, or manipulate. A codependency is ungodly because all three of these are in play in that kind of relationship.

The Lesson
It would be an evil thought to assume that because KatieLyn and Joe never worked things out and got back together that God's will was done. Satan's will was done. KatieLyn's low self-esteem makes it unlikely that she will ever be able hang onto and pursue God's best for her. God gave her the grit to stand up for herself, but it is buried very deeply beneath the lies that she believes.  She will not throw off the shackles that make her feel safe as long as she chooses to believe those lies.

KatieLyn is a bookworm, but I guessed she missed one of the main lessons of CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia: Aslan is not a tame lion.   I believe that she was attracted to Joe because he was the "wild side" complement that God had placed in her life to meet her need to know that. She rejected it.




PS. I am taking a short break from this blog to write on my newer current events blog, Bootcamp Planet. Don't look for any new posts here until well after Labor Day and even then, rarely until the election. As the tagline on Runaway Bride says, this is a Bible-based blog comparing real life with scripture; there are a lot of time-sensitive comparisons to be made between politics and scripture during this election season! Bootcamp Planet takes that similar approach with current events. Hwere is a link:
Which Bible Character is Donald J Trump?