Discovering the New Covenant by Greg Taylor - exAdventist Outreach

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DISCOVERING THE NEW COVENANT
come to us. He will not send deception. Many times I would
agonize with God and pray that He would lay me to rest
rather than let me be deceived or let me dishonor His cause.
The more I persisted, the more the Lord reassured me
through His promises and His Word. Galatians 5:1 would
come to mind with great clarity:
Stand fast (firm), therefore in the liberty by which Christ
has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a
yoke of bondage.
This process went on for months. At times I would
awake at 2:00 a.m. in a panic, terrified that I was going to be
lost or would lead others astray. I would start pouring my
heart out to the Lord and claiming His promises. Each day I
would go to the “Upper Room” and wrestle with God. Each
day I would come out of those times refreshed, filled with
the Spirit of God and resting in Jesus my Sabbath. The words
of the Bible would come to life for me. The fear would
disappear and the peace of God would flood my soul.
Greater clarity would come to me as I studied the Word.
Those sections of the Bible that I had always had to explain
away were now alive and full of joy and truth for me.
Each day the same pattern occurred. I would wake up in
fear, cry out to God, head to the secret place, my “upper
room,” to meet with Him and pour out my heart to Him.
Each day the promises and truths of God’s Word, the peace
and the joy, would flow over me. I can’t say exactly how
long this went on, but I know it was many months. Then one
day, during my prayer time, God got through to me. It was
not an audible voice, just a clear voice in my mind, as if He
had spoken out loud to me. “Where is all the fear coming
from, Greg? It is coming from the Adventism of your
childhood! Where is the joy and peace and freedom coming
from? It is coming from My Word and from time spent with
Me in this place! Fear is not from Me. My perfect love casts