Hey guys,

I wish I didn't have to be writing this, but unfortunately I am. You see, I've been dealing with a pretty big problem in my personal life for a little over a week now, and since then, anxiety, fear, and stress have been getting the better of me. I don't have the same strength I used to, I feel incredibly scared, and I feel like I'm disappointing God by having this anxiety and fear, which might be misinterpreted as a lack of trust in His timing and a lack of faith. I'd like to think not, because I truly believe I'm trusting in His timing and my faith remains intact, but what I can't avoid is how I feel. It's a problem that deeply wounds my soul. I cry practically every day. I'm experiencing severe anxiety symptoms that I haven't had for a while (thank God). My nervous cough, which I get when I go through these moments, has returned. The other day I started having nosebleeds. I pray every day, but since this problem began, I've been asking Him to help me, using the same words over and over again, practically all day long, from the moment I wake up until I go to bed, through tears. I even feel like I'm bothering Him with my persistence. So I'd like you to answer me: Is it compatible to feel anxiety and fear while believing in His timing and having faith in Him?

And lastly, it would be a great help if you could pray for me, light a candle, or simply ask God to help me with this situation, to hear my heart and help me with what I'm asking for.

I will also pray for you. Thank you so much, and God bless you.

In chapters 42-44, Clement says that the apostles, knowing there would be disputes over leadership, appointed bishops and deacons and then made** **provision for succession, so that when those leaders died, other approved men would succeed to their ministry.

From chapter 44: “Our apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that there would be strife on account of the office of the episcopate. For this reason, therefore, inasmuch as they had obtained a perfect fore-knowledge of this, they appointed those already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions, that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry”

How do protestants argue against apostolic succession? Disclaimer: I’m not trying to debate. In fact, I’m hoping someone can clear this up for me. I’m not a Christian, but have been close to converting for a long time. I don’t like the idea of apostolic succession—I don’t think it’s reasonable or biblical. But I’m having a hard time explaining how early church fathers like Clement and Ignatius—men who were disciples of the apostles—ended up having very high-church views surrounding apostolic succession, bishops, and church authority. Am I misunderstanding 1 Clement? Thank you all in advance.

This is my last time posting today lol.

Something i think about lately. I spend alot of time staring at tivers and lakes spending time with God.

Before we had running water communities would go down to the river to get water. So the river was like a community spot. And it still is in places that dont have running water.

Its just an interesting way to put living water into perspective.

Like when jesus and the lady at the well.

Nowdays i feel like we are losing our community by the river of life. With the internet and all these other distractions.

Hello all. I am retired and have been thinking recently about how I, as a Christian, should best be using my time. In a typical week I have a few commitments - Bible study and Church service each one morning, and volunteering one afternoon each at a charity shop and a food bank. Aside from that my schedule varies, with mostly one-off appointments. I'm generally healthy and I feel as if I could (and should) be doing more to help others. I did wonder if there's anything I can do at home, in terms of good works? I do also intend to ask whether I can make more of a contribution at my church, but I don't want to bring that up just yet because there's some other stuff that I'm sorting out first. I could look for a third volunteering role but I've only just started at the food bank and would rather become established there than try another new organisation. I'd welcome any thoughts or suggestions. (I am based in North West England, UK).

eu resolvi me afastar de uma pessoa, eu tenho muito desejo sexual por ela, a gente ja ficou, mas agora somos evangélicos e nao vamos nos casar somos somente amigos, mas sempre que estamos juntos, a gente fica se abraçando e se cheirando e assim eu acabo tendo muitos desejos sexuais por ela, meio que a gente nao consegue ser apenas amigos por ter ficado tanto tempo juntos, e agora que somos evangélicos, nao fazemos mais sexo ate o casamento, mas ja que nao vamos nos casar , eu nao me sinto confortável com tanto desejos e pensamentos impuros e resolvi me afastar.

Sera se eu estou em pecado de alguma forma? Deus sabe que eu quero fazer as coisas certas mas estou com medo de ter pecado por ter tido essa atitude.

Sem contar que, tem certas coisas que eu não consigo parar de sentir, e eu sinto que só consigo parar me afastando...

All throughout the Bible, it states children must “obey” and “honor” our parents. That being said, what does that really look like? I’m in a current position to where I still live at home (I’m working on finding out if God will allow that to be different for me one day), and while I help out (physically, emotionally, and financially) it’s not enough. My actions, emotions, thoughts, facial expressions, etc. are always assumed. I’m never asked “what’s wrong”, or Why about anything. I used to try to explain myself but I get told I “always have a rebuttal” or “talk too much” or “come speak like an adult since I have so much to say”. This has caused me to change myself. I am now more quiet, training myself to say nothing more but “yes” “no” and answer things in 10 words or less. I’ve tried communicating before, but it’s hard. I always have to think about each word I say so it’s not taken out of context. Sometimes I can’t finish a sentence all the way before the rest of my sentence is judged or assumed, or what I am able to get out is taken as if I am judging my parent and thinking “my poop doesn’t stink”.

It’s kinda difficult because there are only 3 of us. I have a sibling who’s 12 years younger than me but I make sure to let them know what’s going on without saying too much and don’t carry this disposition with them since they’re not doing anything wrong. But with us 3 living in a small/ medium space, the energy is off. I’ve dealt with this growing up but it’s getting worse as I age. Now it’s being dictated how I navigate my relationship with my sibling. It’s stressful. It’s like if I don’t walk the way my parent wants me to walk, it’s incorrect or I’m selfish or petty or immature.

I was raised so close with to my parent but this sudden shift is making me want to distance myself. I’ve always been the one to shake it off and carry on but I am tired of ignoring what I see and feel. Constantly placing my sad days to the side because “it’s not as much as my parent is dealing with”.

Please help me.

I am a F(30) and have been dealing with a lot. Not saying this as an excuse of any sort. But I have been using profanity more in the heat of the moment, and if I don’t use it, I feel deeply tempted to do so. Immediately after using it, I feel terrible. It is showing me that my heart isn’t truly as transformed as I thought. I have been saved since I was like 10 or 11 years old. I’ve rededicated my life. I went years without cursing. But in 2021, when I had to move back into my parent’s toxic home again due to my health, I cursed again for the first time that November. Since then, it’s been a battle, even though I moved out again in either 2022 or 2023 and moved out of the state last year (praise God).

Anyway, idk what I want here. Just needed to vent. I am tired of myself. I feel myself about to go into a downhill spiral of sin. I watched videos of people who don’t curse anymore and got offended out of jealousy and immediately became angry at my stupid family dynamic and simply at myself for the lack of self control and for the lack of heart change. I hope this all makes sense. Thanks.

Does Jesus, being God, personify all goodness? If so, is it true that being apart from him is required for a person to have no worth or good in him?

*Is having no worth in him a necessity of consequence for a person being apart from him?

I was raised in a context that said yes he is the source of all spiritual goodness, therefore if there is anything good it only comes from him.

I received a conflicting idea recently that human life has worth because disbelievers are/have the image of God (Imago Dei), without that worth being therefore ownership of the nature of Jesus or a nature like Jesus’.

I’m confused on if the image of God counts as a good thing that disbelievers that choose to be condemned have that does not come from Jesus.

Hi! I (27F) just ended a “situationship”. I knew that this was not the person God had for me bc I would feel so uneasy every time I thought about our relationship but I pursued it anyway because honestly I was tired of waiting for God to send me my person. I stayed with this person for ~6 months and during that time I was so disconnected from God… stopped going to church, praying, being in my word etc. (another sign I knew this wasn’t for me). Long story short we both decided to end things but I’m still struggling to get over the break up. I recognize that this feeling of heartbreak and loneliness is quite literally a consequence of my disobedience but I am looking for advice (scriptures, sermons, etc.) to help get over this but also things to help me in my waiting period and prioritizing God over my own desires.

Im sitting here thinking about something i heard a video say that i never thought about but is really interesting.

Ephesians 1:10 (KJV) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

2 Corinthians 5:19 (KJV) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Its interesting that scripture notes that even God himself is in christ.

Ive thought about what it means to be "in" christ.

One of the most important if not the most important sayings in scripture.

If anyone has anything to add or clarify on that would be great.

so to give context, I accidently did something that was super embarrassing and I could barely sleep due to it my mind was on it. I tried to not think about it and pray to God about it but It was always on my mind.. So what's the best way to overcome this and not let this control my life? Because I lost a lot of sleep due to it. My mind kept going back to it even when I try not to think about it.
I have tried praying to God about it but it kept getting on my mind.. so what can I do? Should I keep praying about it..?

Hey everyone, as you are probably aware Christopher Nolan’s the Odyssey is in theaters and part of the cast is Ellen Page who has in recent years transitioned into a trance man and goes by Elliot Page. I already watched the movie and it is absolutely fantastic, I will not give any spoilers, but because I am discussing this particular aspect of it I will say that page place a very small role in the movie. The point of the movie is not transgender ideology, although I understand that by casting a trans person, they are in a way affirming and promoting transgender ideology with which I obviously disagree with for biblical reasons.

However, her role is so minimal and insignificant by the time the movie ended I didn’t even think about her being in the movie at all in my assessment of the movie and how you know my “reviews” of it. I now see that Catholic (I’m not Catholic but hold Trent in high regard) apologist Trent Horn posted in his YouTube channel in on why he will not see the Odyssey and it is because of Ellen page being cast as a man. So it got me thinking should I have watched the movie in the first place? By the way, the movie is deeply theological and actually convicting of our sinful nature and many other aspects that I believe are either Christian verses or biblical principles that are beautifully displayed so anyways thoughts.

Edit: my main objection to Trent, for example though this isn’t a post to discuss his episode, is that if a movie having actors who hold to fundamentally unbiblical views, then the pool of movies to watch becomes very, very small. And even more, there are many “family” friendly or kids movies that portray vengeance as justice or self-reliance as the main theme, both of which are not Christian.

Edit 2: my title was meant as a question, not as me sharing my thoughts but rather asking for thoughts after I watched it

I was raised in a Christian household. When I was about seven years old, I went to Sunday church and children's church almost every week. For a long time, I watched Superbook, which I believe is the main reason I grew up believing that Jesus was God.

However, at the very beginning of my teenage years (when I was 13 ) i came to a full understanding of the Trinity. It shocked me to learn that Jesus wasn't the only person in the Godhead, but that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons making up one God. Before that, I thought Jesus was the only one. For six months, I desperately tried to convince myself of the Trinity, but I just couldn't understand it. I was filled with doubts. Still, I kept forcing myself to repeat the words over and over: Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are one.

By the end of December, at thirteen and a half, I hit a breaking point. I could no longer convince myself, and my doubts grew so overwhelming that I began to shake. I stayed awake almost all night, shaking from the terrifying thought that my entire life was a lie. My parents grew deeply worried and stayed by my side to comfort me.

At the time, this happened during the 7th grade, just before the COVID-19 lockdowns (i was very luckly). Before this crisis hit, my only goal had been to perform well in my school exams, but unfortunately, this happen. By January, I entered the most difficult period of my life. I struggled so intensely with my faith that it completely affected my mind. I went nights without sleep, and I struggled to fall asleep. Because of this, I gave up on my goal and stopped studying altogether. This dark period lasted for more than a year.

By the 9th grade, my faith was slowly starting to recover, but I developed an addiction to pornography. This addiction heavily impacted my mind and made my mental state much worse. There were nights I couldn't sleep due to the combined weight of my faith struggles and the porn addiction. My performance in school wasn't well, but I was myself and happy around my classmates, even though I had some conflicts with them.

When I started my first year of high school, I developed a deep insecurity about my accent (i know that sounds dumb). This insecurity caused me to socially isolate myself for the next two years. I experienced a bit of bullying; my classmates didn't like me, and I didn't like them either. I constantly battled anxiety, fear, and low self-confidence, hating the way I spoke. Eventually, it became too much to handle, and I transferred to a different high school for my final year.

By my final year, I had recovered a bit, but not 100%. Even at the new school, I faced issues with a few classmates and remained somewhat isolated. My friends throughout high school did not treat me well, and after graduation, I cut ties and never spoke to them again.

During my first year of university, I discovered a Christian YouTuber and influencer named R3alism. For an entire year, his content helped me realize that simply believing in Jesus without actually following Him wasn't enough. However, realizing this made me spend a full year feeling angry, ashamed, and deeply sad about myself because of my ongoing pornography addiction which my family was affected by my behaviour.

Now, as I prepare to start my second year of university, I feel like I finally have a full understanding of the truth. Yet, I am still trapped in my pornography addiction, and the scariest part to me is that I feel like I don't even experience remorse for it anymore. It is as if I am accepting a destiny where I will go to hell and suffer eternal condemnation alongside Satan.

I have come to the conclusion that I was never truly a Christian. The surprising part? My family was never truly Christian or following Jesus either. They simply believed in Him but never actually followed Him. It shocked me to realize the grim reality of humanity: that the road is narrow, the vast majority of people will end up in hell, and only a few will be saved. During my first year of university, I felt deeply angry at God. I kept asking: if the vast majority of people including me and my family are going to hell, why did He create us in the first place? Why did God create us if the road to salvation is so narrow? Why did He create us if failing at the very end means we will not be saved? As Matthew 10:22 says, "You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

However, despite these heavy thoughts, I am now ready to truly start my life with Jesus. I want to become a true disciple of Jesus. My heart needs to be 100% committed to Him, not 99.99%, but completely 100%. I am ready to deny myself, lay down my life to follow Him, and fully surrender to Him, because I know it is what is best for me and for others. I know that fully giving my life to Jesus and following Him will be incredibly difficult. I have done some many willfully sins and even worse but Jesus will forgive me if I repent.

My heart is numb, i didnt feel remorse and even i have blasfemed against Holy Spirit willfully. i hope that i will be saved but i dont know

What do you think also share your experience

My son is 13. I recently became aware that he had been engaging in self pleasure. Now previously I had talked to him about puberty and what intercourse was and that it was a good thing just for when he was older and married. But I had never really said anything about that solo activity.

So I had a little chat with him. Explained how God designed that pleasure for marriage when he was older and not for right now. How God wanted that act to be relational and not handled on your own whenever you felt like it. How self control and denying yourself was part of our walk with Christ.

We have devices locked down good so he wasn’t watching anything but I talked about lust and being careful of the media we consumed and how we should guard our bodies as they are God’s and we are just stewards of them. 

He seemed to understand. Was really embarrassed and looked sad. Said he didn’t know that wasn’t okay. Thought as long as he saved himself for marriage and didn’t do anything with anyone else he was doing what God wanted. Said it just felt really good and just made him feel relieved. I said that’s the way God designed our bodies, it just has to be used in the right place.

A few weeks later I became aware he was doing it again. So I had another little chat with him. Said I knew it was hard and we all fail some but we should try our best to honor God with our bodies.

He started crying. Said he was sorry. He said he was trying his best to stop. He said the feelings were just so strong. Sometimes it was hard to fall asleep at night. Said it was really uncomfortable and it was really hard to focus on other things when everything was so tense. He asked why God made him this way when marriage was so far away. 

He cried some more and asked if I was going to punish him. I said no. He said he’d try really hard not to do it again but it was so difficult. And to please don’t get mad at him if he failed again. I said I wouldn’t and God would forgive him and we will never be perfect this side of heaven but we should try to be more like him. And try to just think about higher things rather than worrying about getting it right every time.

He got a little annoyed with me and said I didn’t understand what it felt like and it wasn’t that simple or easy to just ignore it. I just said what God has called us to isn’t always easy, but he will give us the strength we need. I don’t feel he was convinced. 

He stayed in his room the rest of the day. Skipped dinner and said he wasn’t hungry. Seemed normal the next day. I gave him a big hug and reminded him I loved him. He said he knew.

He’s just such a good son and is so respectful and does his best to please us in everything he does. None of that typical teen attitude. He can be a bit anxious at times and it just really broke my heart that I feel I exacerbated him unnecessarily and just heaped on more shame than he was already feeling. 

What should I do moving forward? I feel from now on I’m not going to comment on specific private acts even if I become aware of them. I don’t want to monitor his failures. Just model good behavior and talk generally about following God. My wife says maybe I should take a more “active” approach and help him find ways to resist. Said it’s easier to set him on the right path when he’s young. 

I just feel he’s focusing on it so much it’s making it worse. But I don’t want to minimize his feelings and I’m sure it is intense at his age. And I feel like saying “don’t worry about it so much” isn’t the right message either. 

What else should I be doing or saying? How do I balance truth and grace with my son? This is so hard. I hate to see him like this. 

I've been posting on here quite a bit these past few days, because I have so many questions and so many doubts, and no one to help me in real life.

Today, I decided I would spend 1 hour praying/reading the Bible, even if I didn’t want to.

For context, I'm a skeptic. I'm also someone that has been wounded (as most have been) by people, and trust is hard to give. I didn’t grow up praying or attending church often (It’s mostly seen as outdated/traditional in my country). My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts 24/7, so concentrating on prayer is pretty difficult for me. It’s even more difficult praying without believing, because it feels like I'm pretending, and my body just wants to stop midway.

Today, I didn’t let it. I set up a timer for 1 hour, turned off wifi, put my phone away, and got on my knees. I started talking and talking, not really knowing what I was saying. It didn’t feel genuine, but I continued. I remembered people saying that repentance and gratitude are really important, so I tried, even if I was numb while doing so. I told Him what I remembered, but it felt forced. I kept going nonetheless. I even asked the Holy Spirit for help, even though every single word that came out of my mouth felt insincere.

After 20 (very quick) minutes of prayer, I picked up my old Bible from when I was 7/8. It has my name written in cursive in the first page (from when I was a child in catechism classes) and I thought it was sweet.

For some reason, Job came to my mind while praying… I don’t know if it’s because I saw a movie once that was a reenactment of that story or because I'm so used to seeing people on TikTok saying “God told me to read this book/chapter, and it spoke to me”. Maybe my brain just wanted to fit in.

I read two random chapters that came to mind… they didn’t really connect but, at least I was trying. Then the name “Ecclesiastes” came to mind and I read it all. I know I should read slower, to comprehend more… but I'm not there just yet.

I underlined a few verses that got me thinking…

Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (I definitely didn’t do this, I was all over the place…)

Ecclesiastes 11:9 “ You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment” (I feel like I've been failing in this, and it made me a bit sad. That God might expect more of me and that I am the opposite.)

Well… I know this isn’t much, I know I didn’t have an encounter or feel all the emotions, but this is what I managed today. I hope I will continue. I will be honest and say, I still feel nothing. But maybe God was listening nevertheless, because for some reason, I stayed. I’m stubborn enough to keep going, I hope.

I didn’t ask Him for any desire yet. I actually asked Him for the opposite. I want to be a mom, more than most things in life. But I don’t want to have a closed off wounded heart and soul while I do it. It’s unfair for the innocent baby, and I want to love them well. I just told Him to withhold that (and a loving husband) from me until He thinks it’s the right time.

I never asked for prayers in my life, but if any of you would kindly keep me in yours, I'd greatly appreciate it :)

I’ve spent years going from a staunch atheist to being interested in philosophy and religion, particularly Christianity. I found Catholicism to be intellectually compelling but after going to church multiple times, talking with Christians and praying, I never felt like I could take that leap of faith and fully believe. I stepped away from Christianity and my current worldview is closer to Neoplatonism, which I’ve found feels more comfortable as before I would go through high periods where I felt close to God, and then low periods where I would wonder if I was deluding myself or mistaken. I want to keep myself open to the truth, even if one feels more comfortable than the other, so given that I find both systems compelling, why should I believe in Christianity over my current worldview?

Today, my wife and I do street ministry, and words of knowledge often play a part in that. Over several decades, I have learned that not everything that looks like a word of knowledge necessarily comes from God.

I have identified four possible sources of spiritual or inward information. This is my personal framework for discernment.

1. Your own heart

The first possible source is your own heart, imagination, desires, fears, or internal monologue.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” — Jeremiah 17:9

A lot of people do not know the difference between their own thoughts, their heart, and the Holy Spirit. Because of that, they assume that every strong internal impression must be a word from the Lord.

The Bible tells us to commune with our own hearts (Psalm 4:4). We need to become familiar with what is already happening inside us. If you don’t recognize your own fears, desires, assumptions, and imagination, you may mistake them for spiritual revelation.

This is where the Word of God becomes essential:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.” — Hebrews 4:12

We learn discernment through practice. Hebrews 5:14 speaks of mature believers who have “their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” You develop discernment by repeatedly testing your impressions against Scripture, examining the fruit, and learning from the times you get it wrong.

2. Information coming from the other person

This part is based more on personal experience than on an explicit biblical teaching, so I hold it more loosely.

When I was young, my dad and I played what we called the “projection game.” He would visualize something, and I would try to identify it. I would usually get it right the first time, less often the second and third times, and then I would start totally missing it on the fourth try.

Whatever was happening, it taught me that we should not automatically assume that every piece of accurate information comes directly from God. Human beings communicate through words, expressions, body language, expectations, and possibly in ways we do not completely understand.

Jesus sometimes perceived what people were thinking in their hearts (Luke 5:22; Luke 9:47). That looks a lot like projection to me. This is simply one possibility I remain aware of when testing an impression.

3. A demonic spirit

The third possible source is demonic.

The Bible clearly warns about familiar spirits, divination, mediums, and other counterfeit spiritual activity (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10–12). Acts 16 tells us about a girl who had a “spirit of divination.” What she said about Paul and Silas was technically true, but the source was wrong—and Paul eventually cast the spirit out of her (Acts 16:16–18).

That is important: accurate information does not automatically prove that the source is God.

Some people visit psychics or séances and believe they are speaking with dead relatives. From a biblical perspective, we should not assume that such an experience is genuine communication with the dead. It may involve deception by an evil spirit.

I used to explain “familiar spirits” as demons assigned to particular families for generations. I got this from demons carrying out the curse to the third and fourth generations of those who hate God (Exo 20:5; Deut 5:9,10 Num 14:18).

4. God Himself

The fourth source is God.

Jesus said:

“The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do.” — John 5:19

He also said that He spoke what the Father had taught Him (John 8:28). Jesus lived in perfect dependence upon the Father.

For example, Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree before Nathanael came to Him (John 1:47–49). This was in the spirit. New Agers would call that remote viewing. Jesus also did unusual things under the Father’s direction (john 5:19), such as making clay and putting it on a blind man’s eyes (John 9:6–7).

I believe these accounts teach us to pay attention to what God is doing in the Spirit instead of relying on formulas.

Jesus also said that the Spirit of truth would guide His disciples into truth and show them things to come (John 16:13). Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Have you ever had a dream, and then when it comes to pass it rushes to your remembrance? That could be the spirit of Truth showing you things to come! Pay attention and test it against scripture (Heb 4:12).

We should desire to be led by the Holy Spirit—but we must also test what we receive:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.” — 1 John 4:1

“Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.” — 1 Corinthians 14:29

So, to summarize, these are the four possible sources I consider when something appears to be a word of knowledge:

1. The heart.
2. Information projected from the other person.
3. A demonic or familiar spirit.
4. God revealing something through the Holy Spirit.

Again, this is a discernment framework developed through decades of experience—not a replacement for Scripture.

The next time you hear someone give a word of knowledge—or you are trying to operate in this gift yourself—remember that supernatural accuracy alone does not prove that something came from God. Test the source, test the fruit, compare it with Scripture, and remain humble enough to admit when you may be wrong.

I hope this helps someone.

When you are going about your week and doubts about your faith, God, or the Bible start to creep into your head, how do you overcome them? I know there isn't one answer to fit all but individually what do you do? For me, if I'm not in the Word constantly that's when I start to question random things such as: how could people live so long in the OT (is that real?), questions about suffering and God being all loving, Jesus's claims being true, etc.? Hopefully that makes sense. Any advice?

In the following biblical verses, Paul clearly states that he handed some over to Satan so that they might learn not to blaspheme, and others who were fornicators, for the destruction of the body.

Does this mean that one can die physically because of an unrepentant sin, does this apply only for fornication? What is the difference between an unrepentant sin and a sin into which a person constantly falls because they are weak? At what point does God’s grace run out for them?

1)1 Timothy 1:19-20 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, *of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.*

2)1 Corinthians 5:1-5 Immorality Defiles the Church

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.

For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit,

*with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.*

~

For several days now, I have felt a sense of unease in my spirit regarding this matter.

Hallo zusammen,

ich brauche mal eure Meinungen und ehrlichen Rat, weil mich eine aktuelle Situation ziemlich belastet.

Ich war eine Zeit lang selbst etwas vom Weg abgekommen und habe in dieser Phase eine Frau kennengelernt. Wir sind noch nicht fest zusammen, aber wir lernen uns seit einer Weile sehr intensiv kennen und mein Herz hängt mittlerweile wirklich an ihr. Auch von ihrer Seite aus sind starke Gefühle da – sie sagt mir, dass sie so etwas wie mit mir noch nie.

Durch das Ganze ist mir aber wieder extrem bewusst geworden, wie wichtig mir mein Glaube an Jesus und ein Leben nach der Bibel wirklich sind. Ich will meinen Weg wieder ganz klar mit Gott gehen. Das Problem ist nur, dass wir aktuell aus zwei komplett verschiedenen Welten kommen:

Glaube & Interesse: Sie ist nicht gläubig. Aber sie hat angefangen, ein bisschen in der Bibel zu lesen und meinte letztens auch, dass sie das Thema eigentlich interessiert. Ich weiß aber ehrlich gesagt nicht, ob dieses Interesse echt ist oder ob sie das nur macht, um den Kontakt zu mir nicht zu verlieren.

Vergangenheit & Reue: Sie hatte vor mir ein ganz normales, weltliches Leben (F+-Geschichten, Party, Rauchen etc.). Wenn wir darüber reden, sagt sie ganz klar, dass sie nichts davon bereut, weil es halt Vergangenheit ist. Für mich gehört aber Einsicht und Reue dazu, wenn man sein Leben verändern und neu anfangen will.

Unterschiedliche Werte: Für sie sind viele Dinge aus der Welt ganz normal, während mir Reinheit und ein gemeinsames Fundament mit Gott extrem wichtig sind.

Ich stecke in einem riesigen Zwiespalt. Ich hoffe einerseits natürlich, dass Gott ihr Herz berührt und sie wirklich zum Glauben findet. Andererseits macht mich die Situation mental voll kaputt. Ich versuche, ihr das zu erklären – aber wir sind nicht mal zusammen und ich kann ja nicht ihr Erzieher sein. Der Vers aus 2. Korinther 6,14 („Zieht nicht an einem fremden Joch mit Ungläubigen“) geht mir einfach nicht aus dem Kopf.

Meine Fragen an euch:

Hat jemand schon mal eine ähnliche Erfahrung in der Kennenlernphase gemacht?

Wie merkt man, ob so ein Interesse am Glauben echt ist oder nur dem anderen zuliebe passiert?

Sollte ich das Ganze lieber jetzt beenden, bevor man fest zusammenkommt, oder dem Ganzen noch etwas Zeit geben?

Danke euch für eure ehrlichen Antworten!

TL;DR: Lernen uns seit einer Weile kennen, Gefühle sind auf beiden Seiten stark. Ich will meinen Glauben an Jesus wieder voll leben, sie kommt aus der Welt (Party, F+, meint Reue ist nicht nötig) und ist nicht gläubig, liest aber wegen mir etwas Bibel. Weiß nicht, ob ich es beenden oder abwarten soll.

I'm just now starting to learn about God, so I don’t understand much yet.

I know God has a will for our life. He wants to give us purpose. But I've heard different interpretations of this said will. Some say His will is the same for everyone: getting to know Him, build a relationship with Him, find salvation and sanctification. But, some people say He has a specific will tailored to each of us.

It might be both, since each and every person lives a life different than any other. But free will also plays a part in how our lives turn out.

I'm in a period of life where everything feels weird. Looking from the outside, nothing seems wrong… but I feel like my life is stuck. I’m still young and things can still change, but there are times in our lives where we have trouble imagining how. Everything feels bland and you just take it day by day.

I don’t believe God is a genie, so I don’t believe everything I want will be granted to me exactly how I want it. Because it hasn’t. Most things I desire are not material, and for some reason they haven’t come true… and that has left a void in me that I don’t seem to be able to fill. Maybe this is why God crossed my mind for the first time… because I realised I couldn’t find peace on my own.

I have trouble praying and I don’t why. Maybe it’s my skepticism speaking louder than my desire to build a relationship with God or maybe it’s my fear of abandonment, already preventing me from getting “ignored”. I don’t really know, nor do I try to find an excuse.

God is everything and I still doubt He can bring people into my life that will like me and stay. And I know this is wrong of me to think.

I don't know what to do in my marriage.

I say this as someone who deeply loves his wife and would do anything for her. But I'm incredibly frustrated, and I honestly feel like she's making life much harder than it needs to be.

We've been married for three years. When we got married, I moved an hour and a half away from my family and the place where I grew up. That was my choice, so I'm not blaming her for that.

I hate divorce, and I believe Scripture only permits it in cases of adultery or abandonment. I have no intention of divorcing my wife.

The problem is that we've had this same conversation over and over again, yet very little changes.

My wife struggles with depression, but she refuses to seek counseling or professional help. She's one of the most negative people I've ever known, and although I don't think she means to, many of her comments deeply hurt me. Living with constant negativity has begun to affect me too.

For the past three years, I've done the vast majority of the laundry, dishes, and household chores. When I ask for help, she'll usually improve for a month or two, but then everything gradually falls back on me again.

She's also very stubborn about simple things I've asked her to do, and I often feel like my concerns aren't being heard.

One of the hardest things for me is ministry.

I genuinely believe God has called me to pastoral ministry. But because of where our marriage is right now, I don't believe I meet the qualifications to pursue it. I've shared this with her multiple times.

She has told me she doesn't feel called to be a pastor's wife. That absolutely breaks my heart.

I've explained that I don't expect her to be some highly visible "first lady." All I've ever wanted is for her to faithfully follow Christ and worship with me. She doesn't have to lead ministries or be in the spotlight.

Church attendance has become another painful issue.

Our service starts at 10:30 a.m., and I usually begin trying to wake her up around 8:00. Most Sundays she still doesn't come. She stays up too late Saturday night and usually has some reason she can't make it. I jokingly call it "Sunday sickness"—she feels terrible until around noon.

Part of this started after we changed churches.

Before we were married, I told her that if she wanted to continue attending her church, I wouldn't stop her, but I couldn't stay there myself.

She grew up in a church that is very similar to the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement. Her grandmother, before she passed away, made her feel guilty for attending a charismatic church with me and accused her of abandoning her faith.

One night she came to bed crying because she thought she was living in sin simply because she wasn't exclusively using the King James Bible.

I've told her many times that I don't care which faithful translation she reads. If she wants to use the King James Version, that's perfectly fine with me. I think it's a wonderful translation. Yet this issue still comes up from time to time.

She says she doesn't feel close to God at our church and that it feels like a social gathering to her, even though our pastor faithfully preaches through books of the Bible, verse by verse.

I understand it's different from what she's used to. When I attended her former church, the pastor mostly preached by loudly shouting throughout the sermon. That's simply not my style, nor where I believe God wants me to be.

At this point, I've accepted that I may not be able to pursue pastoral ministry because of my current circumstances.

What I can do is strive to be the best husband I know how to be. I can stay faithful in prayer and Scripture. I can continue encouraging my wife to walk with Christ and attend church without nagging or becoming bitter. I can also continue sharing the gospel with others. I don't believe God has disqualified me from being an evangelist.

But I'm heartbroken.

I've shared all of this with my wife multiple times, and I honestly don't know what else to do.

Part of me wonders if this is my own fault. When I was looking for a wife, I pushed my sense of calling into the background because what I wanted most was a wife and a family. I also sinned sexually before marriage. I've confessed that to God and asked for His forgiveness. Sometimes I wonder if the hardships I'm facing are God's discipline for my past sins. If they are, then I still praise Him because He is good and just.

I was born with a bad back, which limits the kind of work I can do. I don't have a college degree. I'm thankful to have a job I can physically handle, even though it doesn't pay a lot. When we got married, my wife had an excellent job. She later left it, took another position that didn't work out, and thankfully now has a decent job again.

Sometimes I wonder if, because she has the more physically demanding or traditionally masculine job, she feels less responsible for helping around the house. I don't know if that's true, but it crosses my mind.

I'm trying my best.

Whenever I'm tempted toward bitterness, I remind myself how many times I've disobeyed God and how gracious He has been to forgive me.

I truly believe my wife is a Christian. I just don't believe she's in a healthy spiritual place right now.

I'm going to keep praying for her. I'll keep encouraging her to come to church. If she truly wanted to return to her old church, I'd even be willing to attend with her if it meant she would faithfully worship God, even though I know I would struggle there theologically.

Please pray for us.

If you have any biblical, practical, or wise advice, I'd sincerely appreciate it.

What do pastors / preachers usually say in response to God torturing humans with locusts and maiming and poisoning and burning all the land and sending the 4 angels out to each end of the earth to destroy humans in Revelations Chapters 7, 8, and 9 in the face of everyone saying "He" is an all-knowing, all-loving God?

At one point God sends an angel out to turn a river into blood, which forces the people to drink blood, earlier in that saga, after the 3rd angel blows the trumpet, God sends a star called "wormwood" that poisons a river, killing a third of humanity...

Many moments describe God as "perfect love"...
(1 John 4)

Non-answers:
1. "God works in mysterious ways". <- null-answer
2. "We cannot understand God's morality" <- than why is it described in such detail?
3. "God is judging evil, not being cruel" <- breaking His own rules.

Incoming 3rd yr student.. Planning to have my internship at OMF International by the time I reach my last semester in 4th year, where I could extend my assistance to communities in need, more specifically those who have been unreached... I would like to ask about the process and such requirements for those who have done their internship from OMF or the short term serve mission option

Thank you very much!

First off I'm 16M, Struggling with homosexuality. And my parents know and they somewhat? Tried to help me? But they always want the change to be instant like I wake up and suddenly realize I like girks and not boys and magically have a deep voice and start walking like a man blah blah blah. But I still haven't changed, I'm still struggling and so my parents hates me. And I'm almost at college and I feel like our relationship would be ruined. Then, I started to get into skincare because I'm someone with acne prone skin I just decided to invest in selfcare because you know what they says "your first impression is sometimes the best impression" so I want to look as neat as possible and clean. So I used cleanser serums and moisturizer and spf. But my mom thinks it gay for men to do skincare? Don't know where she got that from, I also used a conditioner because I have dandruff and anti dandruff products make my head itchy and realized that my dandruff was the cause of a dry scalp so I also bought some haircare products. My mom thinks it sgay and today she was so mad he rface turned literally red and crying and trying to grab my hair and picnha nd punch me, I hate it when men hurt women so.. yeah I didnt hit her I didnt feel hurt I didnt feel sad I didn't feel anything.. I guess I got used to it? Because all my life... my parents made it extremely clear that love was conditional and they didn't love me. My dad make sarcastic remarks about me and bullies me for being gay and says " u have a hole". They even said to my face how ashamed they are to have a son like me. So, I guess thats why I started to stop feeling amd sometime feel numb. Part of it is my fault because I refuse to change I get that. My mom also call me greedy because I wanted to buy an ioad and use the money I saved up for college which I'd say is my mistake. I only wanted an ipad to take notes and open pdf files from my school because buying paper over and over again is a hasstle so I just realized I'll just buy a tablet. My parents also say i'm prideful saying How I don't know the real world and think I can live by myself. They mad eit clear they hate me. And a part of me wish I was never born. I caused so much oroblems to an innocent family who gave their love to me... and I'm just a parasite leeching off of them. Out of all the babies aborted why did they have to be the one when it could have been me. If men and women were a reflection fo God then that would mean God hates me too. Because my parents are God's image and they hate me. So I have no place in God's kingdom... My parents also hate me for not being sporty thats why I asked before does it make me less of a man. Im everything opposite towards a real man. Im not sporty im a bookworm, i hate being dirty im into selfcare, Im not physical im more emotionals and sensitive, and I prefer women over men as friends because men my age arent sensible and very disrespectful.

Edit: I just remembered why I got triggered beign a homosexual. I think its because I got graped as a child. I was 5 back then and my first and last male friend was a few tears older and he did the unthinkable to me. I was young and gulible and thought it was friends stuff and i let him do me... djdbeidbeidbwidbeidbebe