“We are afraid that if we cannot control faith then we would be only robots. But this fear is unfounded because it is not built upon the grace of God but upon natural wisdom’s reaction to natural wisdom.” <-Jim well said! well said indeed! i enjoyed that very much!!  :) adam (luvin) ~ i enjoyed reading what you had to share.  :) for some reason when i woke up this morning, i was thinking about how easily i have always been affected by all that bondage (not just in ‘church’, but in everything around me and even within my own personal created bondages) and how i can eventually rebel against it - especially all the determinations of others to make sure i live up to the expectations of those ‘in control’. i could tend to be a people pleaser, with a strong need to fit in, to feel accepted, etc. yet i would soon be viewed as rebellious because i would eventually prove to not be able to live up to the expectations, (my own as well as others’) resulting in my no longer being ‘pleasing’ to much of anyone, which was interpreted as not being pleasing to god as well. with all of that kind of reasoning and bondage, it created so much contradiction, confusion, etc. within my heart and mind. it was always and continues to be so encouraging and uplifting to realize that it is christ who has made us new and always acceptable, pleasing and valuable always and forever more. being found in the beloved … in the eternal one … hid with god in christ jesus. i love that! it is refreshing to realize that we can give up the futile efforts to try to ‘prove’ ourselves to the world as being acceptable to god, because the world without god can not see it nor accept it without the new life of god giving them those miraculous eyes to see, ears to hear with the heart and mind of god. :)