Batteling Christianity

[catherine]

Hi BW, I have prayed that prayer and will do so again tomorrow and the next day. I will try to find a Bible Study Group. I know it is important to meet with others and I am wary of the wolves but I trust God will direct me to the right place. Thank you for your help. I will let you know how I am getting on.

God Bless

Catherine

[FFC]

Hi BW, I have prayed that prayer and will do so again tomorrow and the next day. I will try to find a Bible Study Group. I know it is important to meet with others and I am wary of the wolves but I trust God will direct me to the right place. Thank you for your help. I will let you know how I am getting on.

God Bless

Catherine

Hi Catherine,
BW gave you some excellent and thorough advice as usual. Very good! I just felt like jumping in if I may.

If you are not indeed saved you are very close. I know for me personally it took the longest time for me to get out of my own way. I knew that God promised to save me if I believed in his Son for salvation, like it says in John 3:16, but my problem was that it seemed like it never "took" no matter how many times I prayed for it. At some point it was put to me that I needed to take God at His word, or conclude that He is a liar. I'm not saying that is where you are, but I know it jolted me enough to finally be assured that I was not dealing with a wishy washy God. I was dealing with a God who definately keeps His promises.

Does that make sense? It's early here for me, but I wanted to share before I lost my thought.

Take care
FFC

[catherine]

Hi FFC, yes, I understand what you mean. I think I need to 'step out in faith' so to speak and trust that God has heard my prayer and will save me. I am stuck in a sinful situation at the minute (I live with my partner and I love him to bits and want to marry but he doesn't want to marry in the near future- we've been together six years) so this is 'stopping' me from stepping out properly. I got myself into this mess I know and I feel more love for this man than for God. ( I've got to be honest. ) God is not as real and seems far away so I am 'stuck' in this quicksand that I know is my fault.

[FFC]

Hi FFC, yes, I understand what you mean. I think I need to 'step out in faith' so to speak and trust that God has heard my prayer and will save me. I am stuck in a sinful situation at the minute (I live with my partner and I love him to bits and want to marry but he doesn't want to marry in the near future- we've been together six years) so this is 'stopping' me from stepping out properly. I got myself into this mess I know and I feel more love for this man than for God. ( I've got to be honest. ) God is not as real and seems far away so I am 'stuck' in this quicksand that I know is my fault.

I understand what you are saying, Catherine, but just know that you do not have to clean up your life to step into a relationship with Christ. I would go as far as saying that it is impossible. Jesus wants you just as you are. a dirty imperfect sinner with nowhere to turn. God loves to show what He can do with those like us.

So by all means step out and let the cleansing and saving up to him. Yes it is true that true Christianity causes changes in a persons life, and sometimes they don't feel so good, but the point I'm making is that God will make the changes through his promptings and convictions, not anything you can do. That is called grace, unmerited favor. You are always going to have sin in your life that needs straightening out, so don't let that hinder you from surrendering yourself to the unconditional love of God. He knows your heart, Catherine. He knows your life from the beginning to the end and there is nothing taking Him by surprize. God is ultimately patient. If not I would be in so much trouble.

Take Care
FFC

[Zebulon]

Hi FFC, yes, I understand what you mean. I think I need to 'step out in faith' so to speak and trust that God has heard my prayer and will save me. I am stuck in a sinful situation at the minute (I live with my partner and I love him to bits and want to marry but he doesn't want to marry in the near future- we've been together six years) so this is 'stopping' me from stepping out properly. I got myself into this mess I know and I feel more love for this man than for God. ( I've got to be honest. ) God is not as real and seems far away so I am 'stuck' in this quicksand that I know is my fault.

Well Catherine I won't be the one to trow you the rock. I live with a woman who got divorced, we are not married, I had many sexual partners before and lived with various women before I met her. So my ticket to hell is waiting more than yours regarding what most scripturians think.

To me marriage is a mutual agreement under God and men (humans). I call Koko my wife, and everybody aroud us knows that we form a couple, including God. We decided to live like that in front of God and it is none of any other social or religious businesses. Get the point? Social or religious BUSINESSES, cause they are all a business witch is a sin.

So who will trow you the rock.

If it is your desire to reborn as one say, go ahead. And if the church or institution is against it, tell them that they are living in sin themselves anyway. No, don't bother, tell them to go to hell and change church or institution !

I am a sinner at start because of the original sin (becoming into flesh). So is everybody else including all pastors, priests, cardinals, archbishops, popes, prime-ministers, presidents, stars of Hollywood. Every single human living on earth.


Zebulon

[Lufia]

I'm not married and i live with the same man for about 20years now. I used to do bad things I am not to proud of ...

I am born again since last spring and believe me a lot has change in me: i have a new heart, new desires and i would'nt go in my 'old self' at all. I see the world very differently, God is first in my life.

I only have one big regret and it is that it took me so long to ask forgiveness and to give my life to God.

[B. W.]

...I live with a woman who got divorced, we are not married, I had many sexual partners before and lived with various women before I met her. So my ticket to hell is waiting more than yours regarding what most scripturians think.

To me marriage is a mutual agreement under God and men (humans). I call Koko my wife, and everybody aroud us knows that we form a couple, including God. We decided to live like that in front of God and it is none of any other social or religious businesses. Get the point? Social or religious BUSINESSES, cause they are all a business witch is a sin.


Zebulon

Do you love her?

Enough to spend the rest of your life with her and her you?

If so - why so afraid of making a legal commitment?

No one is throwing stones — just asking — are you willing to live the rest of your life with her and her you — no matter what?

Only you can answer that between the Lord and yourself...

What is the depth of your love?
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[Lufia]

I forgot to tell that Louis and i will get baptize november 8 and then we'll get married.

[Cross.eyed]

Hi FFC, yes, I understand what you mean. I think I need to 'step out in faith' so to speak and trust that God has heard my prayer and will save me. I am stuck in a sinful situation at the minute (I live with my partner and I love him to bits and want to marry but he doesn't want to marry in the near future- we've been together six years) so this is 'stopping' me from stepping out properly. I got myself into this mess I know and I feel more love for this man than for God. ( I've got to be honest. ) God is not as real and seems far away so I am 'stuck' in this quicksand that I know is my fault.

Hi catherine, B.W. and FFC have given good posts from the heart-very good advice indeed.

I too had to 'step out in faith' with prayer but the problem was, I wasn't praying with the right frame of mind. I was holding on to some kind of independance. I'm not sure what kind.

I had prayed for months, day and night, with the same results-little or no feeling from GOD.

I was lieing awake one night after prayer and thinking that maybe GOD didn't want anything to do with me, I couldn't blame HIM, I didn't want much to do with me either-I felt totally unnecessary.
Somehow, my thinking changed to "What can I offer you God?" The answer was NOTHING, in my own words-less than nothing!

I began praying again with nervousness but yet with more clarity that I didn't understand.
I confessed that I had nothing worthy of HIS Grace, but "If you would take me just as i am, filth and all the rest, and knowing I have no life of my own, will You please direct me to your will?"

Understand that I didn't know how to pray and it all seemed so scary but then the calm came after the storm.

If a picture paints a thousand words, then I could paint a thousand pictures that could not describe the feeling that came that night, but I knew I was saved.

Just as FFC wrote, we have to get out of the way. It's all about GOD, not our sinful ways.

[FFC]

That emptying of ourselves that Cross-eyed experienced is a very humiliating experience, but so freeing! It is actually something that we as Christians have to go through, not only when we come to him empty as a helpless sinner, but many times in our spiritual walk with Him. We are all very selfish and fleshly creatures, and God uses hard circumstances to drop us to our knees and draw us to Him. sometimes we learn and sometimes we keep going along our own path.

Anyway, Catherine, we are praying for you!

Take care
John

[rodyshusband]

I forgot to tell that Louis and i will get baptize november 8 and then we'll get married.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Good news, Lufia. Congratulations!

[Cross.eyed]

Good news, Lufia. Congratulations!

Yes! Very good news Lufia, thanks for sharing that with us.
I pray for you and your beloved, that you will have many years of wedded bliss.

[Lufia]

Thanks

I'm nervous about the baptize. Telling my testimony in front of a lot of people is frightening for me. So, if you can say a little prayer for a calm heart i would really appreciate

[catherine]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your help. Congratulations Lufia.

Zebulon, I have felt like I was married, as we are committed and everything is in joint names etc, but I still think it's important to make that commitment properly, in front of others, otherwise there wouldn't be a distinction made in the Bible. As my partner is a staunch atheist, he doesn't see marriage as important or necessary. I do however feel that as we are 'committed' and in a legal sense (property, pension etc) that it stands for 'something' and I'm just praying about the situation but thanks again for your comments.

Oh yes, and I know you're not meant to be yoked with an unbeliever so I feel bad about that too.......