Sometimes it is very difficult to put down exactly what a person believes other than the simple mechanics of one's faith. But that alone cannot convey the life of experiencing it, truly living it.
So I will give a type of testimony of how I was led.
I have known God for as long as I can remember, I don't know why. No one taught me or "led me to the Lord". I was in an abusive home and I just always seemed to be talking to God and He back to me. When I got a little bigger it was always my habit of chatting with God on my walk to school. (The person who adopted me did not allow me any socialization, so I walked alone.) Suddenly, when I looked at the other children walking I realized that their lips did not move, the other children did not talk to God on their way to school! I had just assumed everyone did, because that's all I knew.
I had an innate sense of right and wrong. I felt inwardly which children were on the wrong path even at that young age. I read the bible since I was able to read, it was used to teach reading in the home and I must say that it does give a child a larger vocabulary and of course the morals which were not being taught in the schools anymore. Prayer had just been removed from the schools.
I knew that Jesus was God's son, but really didn't understand what it all meant, except that he was loving and kind and that I should try to be like him. At 13 I had a deeper revelation of Jesus, who He is, His sacrifice, what it accomplished, that He died, rose again and is now seated at the right hand of the father.
Later I understood that I wasn't walking with Jesus, because He is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father. But that He left the comforter, the Holy Spirit to indwell us. To lead and to teach us, that we didn't need any special teacher because that Holy Spirit showed me that if He inspired the writers of the bible and those who followed the Lord, surely He (the Holy Spirit) was the ultimate teacher!
All of this, no man taught me, it came to me by the Spirit and confirmed in the bible. All at a very young age.
Later as an adult the Spirit taught me that the gifts which He had given were irrevocable and where for us to use today. He especially opened to me the importance of a deep prayer life, obedience, simple faith, prophecy, and healing, which He used to flow through me to others .
After the Spirit led my husband and I on a long journey (many years) through both non-denominational and denominational churches, and through many experiences both wonderful and sorrowful we were left hungering and thirsting for a way to serve the Lord in simplicity. We did not see the use of all the trappings that accompanied many of these groups. Some of them looked no different than the world to us. And there was a lack of the holy presence of God's Spirit which we both longed for. A respect for the meeting, that they were going to worship the Lord. Instead, there was so much selfish chatter. Even during singing and the sermon.
I tried to be content, I blamed myself for judgment, but it just would not leave me. There was no point in going. My husband and I started to worship alone in our home. It was much more rewarding. The Spirit would speak to us and lead and guide in many ways.
During this time the Holy Spirit began to teach us about seeking to live more simply. That we were to be in the world but not of it and at the moment our society was labeled (even by themselves) as consumer driven. Words like shop-aholic, hoarder, and celebrity lifestyle were now a common part of our vernacular. And with them all the noise, junk and stuff which polluted our world, our minds and our spiritual lives.
We saw the need for some house cleaning, both literal and spiritual. The more we did, we would find the less we needed. And that is still going on today.
This is the funny part. Quakers were in my lineage. But I really had no idea what they were all about. I just knew it was in my background and maybe that explained my natural love of quilting and lace making, lol. Then I was online one day and the silliest thing happened. There was one of those tests....answer the following questions and we will tell you what your religion is. So I took it, and guess what...
It told me I was a Quaker!! Ha-ha. I chuckled. But I became curious just the same.
That's when I began to do my research, and what do ya know...I really was a Quaker.
And my husband also became convinced as well.
However, since we have been isolated for so many years, we have much to learn.
The Spirit has led us to seek out fellowship and we feel we will be relocating in July when we can finally become a part of a community of friends.
Now, this is really a small synopsis leaving out many experiences but it will give you an idea of where we are at.
