16/ Lorraine
The God that I have come to know, through the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is interested in every person. Sadly, many are not interested in getting to know Him. He might cramp their style - or even prick their conscience. So for many people it is better to ignore God altogether, or follow a religious ritual on Sunday morning, seen as a "ticket to heaven"
My friend Lorraine only knew Catholicism. Fulfilling the required rituals wasn't too much of a burden; unfortunately those rituals had never introduced her to Jesus. I wondered why Lorraine hadn't responded to my sharing the Word of God with her. One day God showed me. He said: "There is a thick curtain between Lorraine and myself -that curtain being Catholicism." When I told my friend the spirit of religion spoke through her mouth. "I was born a Catholic and I'll always be a Catholic." Did the Catholic church or any denomination die on the cross? Jesus died on the cross for our sins, not a church!
For all her stubbornness, lasting ten years, Jesus finally set her free. Two years after the statement of being a devoted Catholic, Lorraine realised, through reading the Bible, that the belief she had been brought up on contained many errors. I suggested that she should seek God in prayer, handing over to him all wrong doctrine. She did as I suggested, but there was no change.
Some weeks later Lorraine, her husband and I sat down and decided to ask God what the problem was. After we had finished praying Lorraine shared the following.
"As soon as you finished praying, a voice inside me said, 'You don't really believe everything she tells you'." UNBELIEF! Lorraine also confessed to fighting the urge to pray to Mary. The act of praying to Mary, or the saints is displeasing to God and sorely grieves him. God wants us to seek his presence through the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the only access we have to God.
1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and mankind together, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself to redeem all mankind."
Mary is to be respected, Jesus is to be worshipped! Jesus clearly indicates his feelings on the matter when a woman in the crowd tries to glorify Mary.
Luke 11:27,28 ... "How happy is the woman who bore and nursed you!" But Jesus answered, "Rather, how happy are those who hear the Word of God and obey it!"
Matthew 12:48-50 Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" Then he pointed to his disciples and said, "Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants him to do is my brother, my sister and my mother."
Wow, I do digress, back to Lorraine! Besides praying to Mary, she found herself reciting set religious prayers, such as the rosary. After a prayer, which centred around renouncing all association with the Catholic church, as well as cutting the ties that bound her to Mary and the compulsion to say set prayers, Lorrraine felt totally free.
During prayer Lorraine had seen a bright light; although her eyes had been closed. Also she felt iron shackles fall from her wrists. Most amazingly the spirit of Mary worship fall from her waist.
Lorraine and I have been good friends for over fourteen years. The fact
that she called herself Catholic never worried me. Believing in wrong doctrine
and therefore never knowing the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ did
worry me. I know there will be those who, having read Lorraine's story,
will scream, "Catholic basher". No! If I take guests down the back stairs,
but don't tell them one of the steps is broken, I could be the cause of
their death. Through reading the Bible I have learnt the truth. I encourage
all Catholics who want a closer relationship with God to do likewise. Especially
in the case of my mother who joined the Catholic church, I know full well
that if she doesn't make Jesus Christ the Lord and Master of her life,
instead of the church, she will not go to heaven.
1/ Fiji
2/ Egypt
3/ Israel
4/ Papua New Guinea
5/ Forgive or I cannot forgive you
6/ Jesus still heals today
7/ Suicide
8/ Long Bay Gaol
9/ Attempted murder
10/ Bathurst Gaol
11/ Angels
12/ How to pray
13/ Cords
14/ Counting the cost
15/ The heart condition
16/ Lorraine
17/ Dracula - fact or fiction
18/ If you love me
19/ Being gay
20/ Faith
21/ Roots
22/ Malaysia
23/ Fiji revisited - 1997
24/ What Jesus means to me
25/ My diary entries
26/ Conclusion