I have decided I am going to keep going toward God. I want to learn more and I am going to give him my whole life. I been praying more and I can feel a slight peace in it. It feel like they are getting heard and I think I need to break down the wall in front of me and him. I am not sure how to do it yet. I am going to keep praying and reading the bible. I have a friend who I like to talk about this with and she been giving me a lot of answers I been looking for.
How I am feeling?
- Thread starter Wayne
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Prentis
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That's good Wayne. We all have our walls around us that keeps God from getting to us... We must start breaking them down!
I have found in my life that God will test me by seemingly leaving me alone, only to return and ask me 'Why did you not have faith?' Think Adam and Eve in the garden, God 'comes' and asks why they are hiding... Did he ever not know? Did he not see all along? He did, but he tests us to see whether we be found faithful.
If we fail, we must find why we were lacking, and seek God for it, and refine our character according to it, that we might be found standing the next time the test arrives. He is also testing WHY we serve him. Because of what we get? Too often sadly, thus he wishes to mature us in this! :)
God bless you, Wayne!
I know exactly how you feel. I remember having the same feelings you do about your faith. And I also remember people telling me to read Job. When I did, I wept. And to be very honest with you, at first it didn't make me feel much better. I mean Job went through SO much! I never thought I could ever go through anything like that. But the more I thought about my life, I realized that I did go through alot. And I wept again when I remembered that the only way I ever got through any of it was because of God!
My father, God rest his soul, always told me "nothing good comes easy". Growing up I really didn't get the jest of what he meant. But now I sure do. And I have found that my father was quite a wise man....because everything I do have did not come easy..but that's what makes it good! So, have I just confused you even more? :wacko: Or do you see what I'm trying to say? If I was talking face to face with you it would be easier for me...LOL!!
There are times in my life, even most recently, that I know my faith was being tested. But it was my faith that not only got me through it, but made what I endured a victory for me...even if it seemed I was losing.
Wishing you the best and hang in there!! :)
God doesnt test us. The bible is very clear on that.
James 1:13 When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone. 14 But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death.
We should never NEVER accuse God of being the one who brings trials and tribulations upon us. Its not him. Its our own sinful desires that do that, and its Satan who puts the temptations before us.,
While God has permitted Satan his time to put tests on us, it doesnt mean God is the cause of the test. God would never try to make you do something bad, he would never deliberately hurt you or cause you pain because he is Holy and Good and Righteous.
You are changing the word of God and replacing it with your own words and then building a mistaken theology around your misinterpretations. You are interchanging the words trial, temptation, and test as if they are interchangeable. They are not. But you have already demonstrated a resistance to sound theological definitions so I will leave that dog lie and instruct on the word you left out... EVIL.
God is not tempted by evil nor does He use EVIL to tempt us. He may indeed tempt us with things that are not evil (i.e. a job offer that we know we aren't a good fit for, or volunteer for a position in the church we are not qualified for; those things are not evil but He certainly can and does use those to test, bend, and even attempt to break us with.
A muscle that is not exercised becomes useless very quickly, so it is with our faith. If we are not continually pushing and being pushed in our faith it will become stagnant and useless for His work.
So be careful with your universal negatives and sweeping statements upon God's word. There is much more there than anyone has ever discovered, even Peter, even Paul, and especially us.
God is not tempted by evil nor does He use EVIL to tempt us. He may indeed tempt us with things that are not evil (i.e. a job offer that we know we aren't a good fit for, or volunteer for a position in the church we are not qualified for; those things are not evil but He certainly can and does use those to test, bend, and even attempt to break us with.
A muscle that is not exercised becomes useless very quickly, so it is with our faith. If we are not continually pushing and being pushed in our faith it will become stagnant and useless for His work.
So be careful with your universal negatives and sweeping statements upon God's word. There is much more there than anyone has ever discovered, even Peter, even Paul, and especially us.
I know exactly how you feel. I remember having the same feelings you do about your faith. And I also remember people telling me to read Job. When I did, I wept. And to be very honest with you, at first it didn't make me feel much better. I mean Job went through SO much! I never thought I could ever go through anything like that. But the more I thought about my life, I realized that I did go through alot. And I wept again when I remembered that the only way I ever got through any of it was because of God!
My father, God rest his soul, always told me "nothing good comes easy". Growing up I really didn't get the jest of what he meant. But now I sure do. And I have found that my father was quite a wise man....because everything I do have did not come easy..but that's what makes it good! So, have I just confused you even more? :wacko: Or do you see what I'm trying to say? If I was talking face to face with you it would be easier for me...LOL!!
There are times in my life, even most recently, that I know my faith was being tested. But it was my faith that not only got me through it, but made what I endured a victory for me...even if it seemed I was losing.
Wishing you the best and hang in there!! :)
I understand every much. I my self at young age been through a lot and I still believe I got more stuff I am going through that I am going to go through. I just need to keep my head up and keep my faith strong. For my age I do consider my self to be very wise but there is still I got to learn. I am going to go through Job one more time and hopefully it will make more sense to me.
True, true faith is something I need to work on. I need to read my bible and pray more often.
Yes very true but what I do is common as human is blame God. Which isn't right because was my sin full way letting Satan get his way. One thing I been forgetting is the devil is here to steal, destroy, and kill.
i think we all fall into that trap from time to time, especially when things are not going so well for us.
But if we keep reminding ourselves that these trials are not because God is angry with us or because we have displeased him, we will be more inclined to keep trying to remain close to him.
God doesn't test us...Satan and his evil does. Satan tries to make us think it's God's fault. Satan will tempt, test, twist and turn everything to get you to his side of the fence.
While I realize God doesn't test me, it's Satan and evil that do.
And I LOVE the feeling of victory; knowing that with God on my side, I will NEVER LOSE! My faith is stronger every single day, as is my love for God!!!
Wayne, you are loved by Him...and I know you know that. Satan keeps pulling though, using his evil to try to win you over...hang in there.
May you have a wonderful and blessed day! :)
While I realize God doesn't test me, it's Satan and evil that do.
And I LOVE the feeling of victory; knowing that with God on my side, I will NEVER LOSE! My faith is stronger every single day, as is my love for God!!!
Wayne, you are loved by Him...and I know you know that. Satan keeps pulling though, using his evil to try to win you over...hang in there.
May you have a wonderful and blessed day! :)
aspen
“"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few
I see Gnosticism is alive and well in the lives of Christians today. God and the Devil are still portrayed as heavyweights, fighting for our souls.
This is not Christian doctrine, folks. The Devil is a created being, just like us - he is not all-knowing, all-present, or all-powerful. He can be extinguished by God as quickly as any other created being.
Our greatest enemy is our own capacity for evil, not the the devil's or anyone else. The Devil is merely a cautionary tale.
This is not Christian doctrine, folks. The Devil is a created being, just like us - he is not all-knowing, all-present, or all-powerful. He can be extinguished by God as quickly as any other created being.
Our greatest enemy is our own capacity for evil, not the the devil's or anyone else. The Devil is merely a cautionary tale.
The bolded should be reversed, imo.
Cautionary Tale? :huh:
I'm not a confrontational person and this forum honestly doesn't need any more, but I couldn't look past this...well, lie. I'm not suggesting any duality between Satan and God because all creation is beneath God.
The difference is that we are powerless humans by nature. Satan and his demons are non-human spirits exponentially more powerful than us who looked at us as from the beginning as exploitable toys. The only reason we have the power to rebuke and resist the devil at all, is because of the spirit Jesus imparted into us when we accepted him into our lives. We share it, we don't own it, and without it we are ripe fruit for the devils appetite.
Sin didn't come into the world until the devil came as a serpent to tempt, lie to, and murder mankind. Neither Adam, nor Eve knew what good or evil was. They didn't even know what "naked" was. Almost infantile, imo. Satan used his foreknowledge of the tree of good and evil and his supernatural understanding of us corruptible humans to pervert God's will.That same devil was thrown down here, the kingdom he created for himself, to rule and spread his evil among his children who chose, and still choose, his lies over Gods command.
Our "capacity for evil" stems back to the one that brought the evil in the first place, imho.
