Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

I believe I had the spirit of slumber and of sleep. I didn't search the word of God. I was asleep to doing the work of God. Even though I was reading the word of God, I could not understand it. Even though people sometimes quoted me scripture, I did not see it. Even though my eyes beheld the words of Jesus in black and white on the Bible page, I could not see it. I was content with just going to meetings and listening to the workers. I was as one asleep to God speaking to me.

I am glad that through obedience to the word of God (in following the specific teachings of Jesus on how to handle offenses Mat 18) that I was able to escape from the cult and come to know the real Jesus. Interestingly, it was by remembering what a worker said about how to handle offenses (he read part of Matthew 18 and used verse out of context), that God was able to use those very same words to show to myself and others that the cult did not believe in God, that I was not saved, and that by obeying God's crystal clear word I would be healed of my affliction.

I am confident that if you too are in a cult, that God is able to use cult leader's own quotes of the scripture to show you your condition before God and bring you to salvation despite the cult. God loves and can help everyone.