“I THOUGHT!”

Genesis 20:3-4;9-11                             (ESV)

“3 But GOD came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, "BEHOLD, YOU ARE A DEAD MAN because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife."

4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, "LORD, will you kill an innocent people?”

“9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done."

10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you see, that you did this thing?"

11 Abraham said, "I did it because “I THOUGHT”, 'There is no fear of GOD at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'”

There is a Wikipedia article that was shared recently on a friends Social Media account regarding FALSE MEMORY SYNDROME.  There are sites that also claim to debunk such claims.  While I do not claim to be smart enough to “claim” or “debunk” such matters dealing with “the brain”, I can “only testify of what I have seen and heard” ( Acts 4:20)!  

The Wikipedia article begins with the following paragraph :

FALSE MEMORY SYNDROME:

False memory syndrome describes a condition in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by memories that are FACTUALLY INCORRECT but that they STRONGLY BELIEVE. Peter J. Freyd originated the term, which the False Memory Syndrome Foundation subsequently popularized. The term is not recognized as a psychiatric illness in any of the medical manuals, such as the ICD-10 or the DSM-5; however, the principle that memories can be altered by outside influences is overwhelmingly accepted by scientists.

When my brain hemorrhaged in 2007, I was placed in a drug-induced coma for seventeen days.  Evidently my brain was so traumatized by the Hemorrhage that “I THOUGHT” I had been in several different cities in the United States, including Chicago, Shreveport, Arlington, Little Rock, and others.  It literally took several YEARS for my wife to convince me that I had never left the hospital, that my journey had only taken place in my mind!  

Like I previously stated, I’m not saying that I am anything close to a BRAIN EXPERT, but what “I THOUGHT” was indisputable evidence turned out to have NO FACTUAL SUPPORTING EVIDENCE!  Reading my Medical Records (the TRUE ACCOUNT of what transpired) revealed to me that my wife wasn’t just trying to make me accept what she wanted me to believe, she was speaking TRUTH.  

Abraham could only SEE what was laid before him IN THE NATURAL.  His excuse of doing what “I THOUGHT” was best almost cost Abimelech his life.  Abimelech had done nothing wrong, but it violated GOD’s Plan.  We don’t need to try to understand and explain why or what GOD’s Plan is, we just need to be obedient to what HE has called us to do.  

Reading Genesis 20:14-21 tells us that GOD blessed Abraham immensely with wealth and prosperity, not because he was worthy, but because GOD was Believed to be WHO HE said HE was!  Hebrews 11:6 says “And without FAITH it is impossible to please HIM, for whoever would draw near to GOD must believe that HE EXISTS and that HE REWARDS THOSE WHO SEEK HIM.”  We are NOT called to do what makes sense, what “I THOUGHT” was the right thing to do.  We are called to follow where we are led!!!