What does it mean to be spiritually dead?

[Zeena]

Thank you for your comments and for sharing some painful experiences in your life. I appreciate your honesty. I only wish I could follow your advice. Unfortunately I cannot, because several times you write about responding to spiritual experiences, and I have never had a spiritual experience to respond to.

As a Christian you say that you feel God with you every day, and as a non-Christian you said that you once felt the distance from God. And that you ignored God on purpose. I have never felt God at all, neither close to me nor at a distance. I am certainly not ignoring God on purpose, because I would have to perceive God in order to ignore God, and I don’t.

You were open to whatever God directed. Again, I have no experience of God’s direction.

Follow the biblical Jesus and the Holy Spirit… I would love to follow the Holy Spirit, but cannot until I become aware of the Holy Spirit and where the Spirit is leading me.

However, I agree when you write that what is impossible for man is possible for God. I suspect that there is nothing I can do in my own strength, that could make me become spiritually aware. God could possibly help me to gain spiritual awareness; I have certainly asked God to do this.

Unlike you, I have never experienced Jesus working on my conscience. Similarly I have no experience of the Holy Spirit convicting me of sin – and this may be a necessary preliminary to becoming a Christian. This may be why I have never been touched by the idea of needing a saviour, nor of the need for eternal life.

It must be great to work prayerfully together with Jesus. Is it wrong of me to covet your relationship with the Lord?

I understand your warning about being sure to seek God and the narrow way. But to do this I would need spiritual gifts such as the discernment of spirits, wisdom and a word of knowledge. While I have zero awareness of anything spiritual, I am unlikely to gain these spiritual gifts.

Once again, thank you rocklife. I am not in any way trying to dismiss your spiritual awareness, or your relationship with God. I am simply trying to describe how I experience life, with zero spiritual awareness. It is not that I choose to ignore the spiritual things. I am just totally unaware of them, except for what other people tell me.

We alk by faith, not by sight..

Feelings come and go..

We cannot continue to base our identity on a FEELING!
For to do so would prove not only to be folly, but detrimental to our walk, be it in the spirit, soul or body!

 

[losthope]

Response to Zeena

Thank you for your three responses, #39 to #41.

#39
And, if you truly see yourself as 'poor in spirit' why not go to the ROCK, from which you were hewn? He has LIFE for us;HIS Life!
I did try to go to the rock, many years ago and more than once since then. I thought I had found the rock and that I was born again. I came to God with my sins, asked for forgiveness and offered my life to the Lord. But nothing happened; even after two years I still did not know God at all. I failed to obtain the LIFE that you wrote about, that the Bible writes about. I remained spiritually untouched.

And He, is pretty much the ONLY One not deaf, dumb, blind, mute, wretched, poor and miserable, naked and wanting!
I appreciate the sentiments here, where you compare your own spiritual awareness with that of Jesus. But it is unfair to compare anyone with Jesus, because if Jesus is the son of God, he is inevitably very different spiritually from ordinary humans. From what you have written in your posts I can assure you that you do not appear to be spiritually deaf, blind, etc. You describe things that have never happened to me.

God indeed does many miraclulous things in order to show a man the end from it's beginning.. It seems to me as if the Spirit of the Lord has lead you to this revelation for a purpose. Could it be that God has somthing better for you in the Life of Jesus?!?
You say that the Spirit has led me to some revelation… Sorry, but I do not understand. What revelation have I been led to?
God may well have something special for me. But so far, I do not know what it is. It is more than 32 years since I asked God into my life. Even Abraham did not have to wait for that long.

In post #40, you wrote about taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. I am not familiar with Christian jargon, so can you explain to me what do you mean by that?

We need HIS Life, and to do that we must yield to Him to recieve it from Him!
I did yield to him. At least, I yielded to the best of my ability, as far as I could in my own strength (and of course my own strength was all that I had, because I had not received any strength from God). But did I receive his LIFE? No.

#41
We alk by faith, not by sight.. Feelings come and go.. We cannot continue to base our identity on a FEELING! For to do so would prove not only to be folly, but detrimental to our walk, be it in the spirit, soul or body!
It was rocklife, not I, who wrote about feeling God, and feeling the distance from God.
I personally would never base my identity on a feeling, for the simple reason that I do not have strong feelings (for physiological reasons). So for me there are no feelings to base my identity on.
When I first became a Christian, many Christians told me not to rely on my feelings with regard to my relationship with the Lord. No problem; as I do not have feelings, I cannot rely on them at all.

 

[Zeena]

Ok, this will be extensive, but my hope is that you will hear the voice of the Lord through me this day..

First off, your name on the forums does not lie, men (and women) have a tendancy to name things by how they percieve them, just like Adam in the garden when God brought him the animals to name.. Your name indicates LOST hope.. Hope cannot be lost, unless it was first found! By this I gather you once had a hope in Christ and that you now feel He is lost to you.. Well, this simply is not true! And this just one of those instances when we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ! That thought that you have lost hope is simply not true, ergo not from God but from the enemy! [If you are not familiar with the Scriptures simply ask for any references to ANY thing I might say or imply here, the Spirit of God will provide for you]

As Christians we CAN be decieved into believing the enemy (flesh, world and/or devil), it's called being faked out, and this is why it is of the uttmost importance to take every thought captive to the Truth as revealed in the Living God! More on this later

And, if you truly see yourself as 'poor in spirit' why not go to the ROCK, from which you were hewn? He has LIFE for us;HIS Life!

I did try to go to the rock, many years ago and more than once since then. I thought I had found the rock and that I was born again. I came to God with my sins, asked for forgiveness and offered my life to the Lord. But nothing happened; even after two years I still did not know God at all. I failed to obtain the LIFE that you wrote about, that the Bible writes about. I remained spiritually untouched.

You said earlier you 'thought' you had been born again..
Did you not believe you were? it's called FAITH for a reason..

You also stated that nothing happened.. Well, Faith is the substance.. Those who come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who dilegently seek Him! Now, please don't get me wrong, I do NOT know your heart.. But do you? Do you know and believe that upon believing on the Lord Jesus you recieve a NEW heart? A new Spirit? A new LIFE?

You said also that you had failed to obtain the Life.. Can we honestly believe God can be put into one of our little boxes? What is the house that you would build for Him? He Himself shall build the house, this is not to be undertaken by the hands of men..

Faith in His Holy Name, resting in His Love for us, that He shed abroad in our hearts by His Holy Spirit.. Trusting, resting, abiding in that Love allows God to work thoroughly in and through us.. It's not a matter of what we can or cannot do, but a matter of what God will do!

And He, is pretty much the ONLY One not deaf, dumb, blind, mute, wretched, poor and miserable, naked and wanting!

I appreciate the sentiments here, where you compare your own spiritual awareness with that of Jesus. But it is unfair to compare anyone with Jesus, because if Jesus is the son of God, he is inevitably very different spiritually from ordinary humans. From what you have written in your posts I can assure you that you do not appear to be spiritually deaf, blind, etc. You describe things that have never happened to me.

I am needing of the Life of Jesus on a moment by moment basis.. To be my eyes, my ears, my fingers as I type! My Spirit, my soul, my body!

Apart from Him our spirits are dead to God!
Apart from Him our souls are bent!
Apart from Him our bodies are servants of evil, and ever increasing wickedness!
Apart from Him we are lost, decieved and dead to God!
We are, every one of us completely insufficient for this task called life..

You said I do not appear to be spiritually blind, deaf or dumb.. Well Praise God He Lives in me [by faith] 'cuz I AM blind, deaf and dumb..

God indeed does many miraclulous things in order to show a man the end from it's beginning.. It seems to me as if the Spirit of the Lord has lead you to this revelation for a purpose. Could it be that God has somthing better for you in the Life of Jesus?!?

You say that the Spirit has led me to some revelation… Sorry, but I do not understand. What revelation have I been led to?
God may well have something special for me. But so far, I do not know what it is. It is more than 32 years since I asked God into my life. Even Abraham did not have to wait for that long.

The revelation that you are insufficient, that you don't quite measure up mayhaps? And the leading to Jesus for His Life!

It's only as we come to the end of our resources that we are willing to look to God for more, and more He has in abundance!

In post #40, you wrote about taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. I am not familiar with Christian jargon, so can you explain to me what do you mean by that?

I am not typing this to you dearly beloved, I am yielding to the Holy Spirit to speak words of Life into your very being! Yes, what I see does not always indicate such, nor what I hear! My thoughts, they attempt to say 'NO! I'm alive and right here!!! I won't be ignored!" The devil says "you can be like God, and Minister to this person in your own strength!" and the world says "You can do it! Just do it!"

All the while, in the background even.. The Holy Spirit is speaking.. He is saying, you died with Christ sister! It's no longer you who live, but Jesus who Lives in you, to the Glory of God the Father!"

I am now faced with a dilema, to depart and be with Christ, or to be here with you?!? What shall I chose I do not know! For it is far better for me to be with Christ, but more expedient [or is it] for you if I remain!

I take these thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ my Lord! In Jesus Name!

Jesus Lives! And He is speaking with you now!
Praise God!

[He is The Living God, after all-heh]

We need HIS Life, and to do that we must yield to Him to recieve it from Him!

I did yield to him. At least, I yielded to the best of my ability, as far as I could in my own strength (and of course my own strength was all that I had, because I had not received any strength from God). But did I receive his LIFE? No.

I percieve the best of your ability at the time was a deception! For not only were you unaware that you died with Christ, but that He now Lives in you! Apart from His Life there is no power! You yielded in your own strength, now how's about doing it in His!?! God has marvelously provided everything we need in the person of Jesus! It's not a matter of us containing that Life, nor that power, but yielding to Him. Let Him be God!

We walk by faith, not by sight.. Feelings come and go.. We cannot continue to base our identity on a FEELING! For to do so would prove not only to be folly, but detrimental to our walk, be it in the spirit, soul or body!

It was rocklife, not I, who wrote about feeling God, and feeling the distance from God.
I personally would never base my identity on a feeling, for the simple reason that I do not have strong feelings (for physiological reasons). So for me there are no feelings to base my identity on.
When I first became a Christian, many Christians told me not to rely on my feelings with regard to my relationship with the Lord. No problem; as I do not have feelings, I cannot rely on them at all.

How's about relying on faith instead..

 

[revmalone]

This is the way I sometimes describe myself. I never had any type of spiritual experience, even during the two years that I spent as a born again Christian. Perhaps I am not spiritually dead, but spiritually deaf, spiritually blind and generally spiritually unaware. Is this why I have failed to experience God, why I have no awareness of God’s presence, of the oneness of creation, of God contacting me in any way?

Also, is there anything that I can do about the situation? I know that I am missing out on an important aspect of life. I have tried such things as silence, Bible reading, prayer and meditation, but I remain spiritually untouched.

It is not just Christians who despair of me. For example followers of Buddhism and of new age spirituality, and people who feel at one with creation, have also noted my spiritual emptiness.

Greeting
When you start sharing your faith with others it will bring in that peace and Your voids will begin to fill in your life and so much more.

Think about it, your helping build our family, the Eternal kingdom and it's really like pulling people out of burning buildings one at a time but it's the biggest thing to God and in this blessing we change and become that much more like the Blessed Jesus Christ.

If your shy, pray for courage, It really changed my life and me.

Peace in Jesus Name
Rev Malone

 

[reverend B]

lost hope,
i will not quote scripture to you, as that seems to be ground you have well covered. nor will i expound on spiritual experiences of others that you may or may not have shared. i will not suggest a path to you to find the true spirituality that you seek yet can't seem to find.

i will simply share this with you. i have been, and periodically still am, where you have been. this lack of a sense of the holy in my life often comes after a long interaction of several months on these forums. ironic? ah well, another story for another time.
what i do know, however, is that need in me to search for the truth about God, to be on the inside of what so often feels like a secret being kept specifically from me, the compulsion to know the Truth and to commune with that Truth in a truly personal way never leaves me. the incessant nature of my need, the refusal of it to give me peace, to let go of the struggle to connect with this God of Truth, that very need is the thing that connects me with Him. that connection is not always satisfying, not always inciteful, but it is...always. i am never relieved of its demand to search, to long for the intimacy that is so often lacking from my spiritual life.
perhaps it is being human that forbids us from forming the very thing we seek. perhaps the natural and supernatural are forever separated, leaving us only to wait for our natural lives to somehow be transcended so we may confront the Creator. can we transcend the natural by prayer, meditation, service, death? perhaps the answer to any of those is yes for a given person, and our door has not been revealed to us yet. but what i do know, and what i sense in you, is that there is really nothing that can stop you from caring about that relationship. it remains a focus, if a frustrating one, of our lives, and that is the presence of the Spirit that we have. He has not given up on us. the least we can do is return the favor and not give up on Him.

Merry Christmas

 

[revmalone]

lost hope,
i will not quote scripture to you, as that seems to be ground you have well covered. nor will i expound on spiritual experiences of others that you may or may not have shared. i will not suggest a path to you to find the true spirituality that you seek yet can't seem to find.

i will simply share this with you. i have been, and periodically still am, where you have been. this lack of a sense of the holy in my life often comes after a long interaction of several months on these forums. ironic? ah well, another story for another time.
what i do know, however, is that need in me to search for the truth about God, to be on the inside of what so often feels like a secret being kept specifically from me, the compulsion to know the Truth and to commune with that Truth in a truly personal way never leaves me. the incessant nature of my need, the refusal of it to give me peace, to let go of the struggle to connect with this God of Truth, that very need is the thing that connects me with Him. that connection is not always satisfying, not always inciteful, but it is...always. i am never relieved of its demand to search, to long for the intimacy that is so often lacking from my spiritual life.
perhaps it is being human that forbids us from forming the very thing we seek. perhaps the natural and supernatural are forever separated, leaving us only to wait for our natural lives to somehow be transcended so we may confront the Creator. can we transcend the natural by prayer, meditation, service, death? perhaps the answer to any of those is yes for a given person, and our door has not been revealed to us yet. but what i do know, and what i sense in you, is that there is really nothing that can stop you from caring about that relationship. it remains a focus, if a frustrating one, of our lives, and that is the presence of the Spirit that we have. He has not given up on us. the least we can do is return the favor and not give up on Him.

Merry Christmas

Greetings Brother
Well said. may the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and fill you with all your hearts desires to know our master and Great God our Saviour Jesus Christ.

I'll keep you in my prayers my Brother, Bless you in Jesus Name.

Rev Malone

 

[phoenixgw]

Ephesians 2 pretty much summarizes the concept of being spiritually dead. It would serve you well to know what you experienced when you said that you lived your life as a "born again" Christian for 2 years.

Did you make that "personal decision" to follow Christ? Did you walk down the aisle during the "altar call" when the organist was playing "Just as I am" au Billy Graham? Did you experience the "rite of passage" known as Baptism? Did you reach a point in your life where you handed Jesus the "keys" of your life & said, "You drive. I just can't do it anymore"? It is impossible for you to determine what you are feeling now without knowing what you experienced before this moment.

Lost in the wilderness, dark night of the soul, a return to your old way of life--deep down, you know the answer.

I will pray that you find God's strength in your weakness.

 

[losthope]

To revmalone. You wrote this:
When you start sharing your faith with others it will bring in that peace and Your voids will begin to fill in your life and so much more.
If your shy, pray for courage, It really changed my life and me.
I did share my faith with others. It brought me no peace and the voids in my life remained. Nothing changed.
As for praying for courage, unfortunately during my entire time as a Christian there was not a single answered prayer.
As I said, total lack of spiritual awareness.

To reverend B. You wrote this:
i will not quote scripture to you, as that seems to be ground you have well covered. nor will i expound on spiritual experiences of others that you may or may not have shared. i will not suggest a path to you to find the true spirituality that you seek yet can't seem to find.
i will simply share this with you. i have been, and periodically still am, where you have been. this lack of a sense of the holy in my life often comes after a long interaction of several months on these forums. ironic? ah well, another story for another time.
what i do know, however, is that need in me to search for the truth about God, to be on the inside of what so often feels like a secret being kept specifically from me, the compulsion to know the Truth and to commune with that Truth in a truly personal way never leaves me. the incessant nature of my need, the refusal of it to give me peace, to let go of the struggle to connect with this God of Truth, that very need is the thing that connects me with Him. that connection is not always satisfying, not always inciteful, but it is...always. i am never relieved of its demand to search, to long for the intimacy that is so often lacking from my spiritual life.
perhaps it is being human that forbids us from forming the very thing we seek. perhaps the natural and supernatural are forever separated, leaving us only to wait for our natural lives to somehow be transcended so we may confront the Creator. can we transcend the natural by prayer, meditation, service, death? perhaps the answer to any of those is yes for a given person, and our door has not been revealed to us yet. but what i do know, and what i sense in you, is that there is really nothing that can stop you from caring about that relationship. it remains a focus, if a frustrating one, of our lives, and that is the presence of the Spirit that we have. He has not given up on us. the least we can do is return the favor and not give up on Him.
Wow! You seen to have had it worse than I had. At least for me the hunger for spiritual awareness only appears from time to time; I do get some respite.
Can we transcend the natural by prayer, meditation, service or death? I have tried the first three unsuccessfully. I guess I’ll have to wait for the fourth one, and then I may discover if I really have God in me although I am totally unaware of it, or if I spent my life searching but failed to find God.
I don’t think I would agree with you that the frustrating focus on a spiritual relationship is the presence of the Spirit that I have. I would not say that I have any presence of the Spirit at all. I focus on a spiritual relationship because other people seem to benefit from it, and I want to have what they have, and what the Bible promises that I should have – but don’t have.
I have not given up on God. But I do think that the next move is for God to make, not me. So I hope you are right when you say that God has not given up on us.

To phoenixgw. You wrote this:
Ephesians 2 pretty much summarizes the concept of being spiritually dead. It would serve you well to know what you experienced when you said that you lived your life as a "born again" Christian for 2 years.
Did you make that "personal decision" to follow Christ? Did you walk down the aisle during the "altar call" when the organist was playing "Just as I am" au Billy Graham? Did you experience the "rite of passage" known as Baptism? Did you reach a point in your life where you handed Jesus the "keys" of your life & said, "You drive. I just can't do it anymore"? It is impossible for you to determine what you are feeling now without knowing what you experienced before this moment.
Lost in the wilderness, dark night of the soul, a return to your old way of life--deep down, you know the answer.
I will pray that you find God's strength in your weakness.

Ephesians is my favourite epistle. The first three verses of chapter 2 describe Paul’s concept of the effects of being spiritually dead. Though I can assure you that for me it does not imply that I have been disobedient, or that I am following the devil. Indeed, because I have no spiritual awareness, the devil has not touched me any more than God has touched me. On the other hand, if one day I do find some spiritual awareness, that will be the time when I really need people’s prayer, because I will then be open to temptation by the devil.
Most of the remainder of chapter 2 is about the blessings of being made alive in Christ, about becoming a dwelling for the Holy Spirit. Something I have yet to experience…
In answer to your questions, yes, I did make a personal decision to follow Christ. Not at a Billy Graham rally, but quietly when I was alone on my knees.
Have I been baptised? No, but before you suggest that is the problem, I should tell you that at no time during my two years as a Christian did anyone suggest that baptism would be a good idea for me. I knew very few Christians who had been baptised, and those who had not been baptised appeared to have just as good a relationship with God as the few who were baptised. Besides, I made no secret of my faith, so baptism was not necessary as a public demonstration of my faith.
Did I reach a point in my life where I realised that I could not manage any longer, and tried to hand over to Jesus? Oh yes. But did Jesus come and take over? No. I was left to struggle on alone until the burden became too great and I abandoned my faith.
What did I experience during my time as a Christian? From the spiritual point of view, absolutely nothing.
Is God’s strength available to me in my weakness? Maybe, but in the 32 years since I became a Christian I have not found it so far. I am, as you put it, lost in the wilderness. Or as I prefer to say, a lost sheep. Waiting for the good shepherd to come and find me. From time to time I call to the shepherd for help, but I receive no response.

 

[Optimax]

It is not just Christians who despair of me. For example followers of Buddhism and of new age spirituality, and people who feel at one with creation, have also noted my spiritual emptiness.

The above religions base their experiences on emotions and emotions are not the yardstick for anything in life. The reason being emotions can change from one minute to the nest.

The number one reason every person exist is to make the decision "will I accept God's way or seek my own".

God's way is Jesus. If one has questions the smart thing to do is accept him and then work on getting all the questions answered. Advantage? Makes one's life a success not matter what else happens to them. And once born again Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us.

You said you were born again, therfore He is in you. Get back into your Bible and read, read, read. Forget what your emotions, feelings and others may tell you. Allow the word to change your thinking and then you are on your way.

 

[losthope]

You wrote this:
The number one reason every person exist is to make the decision "will I accept God's way or seek my own".
God's way is Jesus. If one has questions the smart thing to do is accept him and then work on getting all the questions answered. Advantage? Makes one's life a success not matter what else happens to them. And once born again Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us.
You said you were born again, therfore He is in you. Get back into your Bible and read, read, read. Forget what your emotions, feelings and others may tell you. Allow the word to change your thinking and then you are on your way

Are you really suggesting that a person who has serious questions about Christianity should accept Christ anyway and then work on the questions later? What happens if they do not find any answers to their questions? They may remain a reluctant unhappy semi-believer, the kind of person who may put many other people off Christianity. What happens if the person finds that the answers are unacceptable? They then have to give up their faith. Both could become serious advocates against Christianity. I would not describe either of those possibilities as “life a success”.
Once born again, you say, Jesus is in a person and will never leave or forsake them. I suspect that you may find people whose experience is the opposite of that. For myself, I called myself a born again Christian but I do not know if I was truly born again, of not. I do know that I had no awareness of Jesus in me. I have never known Jesus.
Read my Bible, you suggest, and allow it to change my thinking. There is a slight problem here. I have done a lot of Bible reading, but it has not changed my thinking in the way you suggest. Why not? Because that could be described as a spiritual experience, and I have never had a spiritual experience. That is why I describe myself as spiritually dead.

 

[Zeena]

Ephesians is my favourite epistle. The first three verses of chapter 2 describe Paul’s concept of the effects of being spiritually dead. Though I can assure you that for me it does not imply that I have been disobedient, or that I am following the devil. Indeed, because I have no spiritual awareness, the devil has not touched me any more than God has touched me. On the other hand, if one day I do find some spiritual awareness, that will be the time when I really need people’s prayer, because I will then be open to temptation by the devil.
Most of the remainder of chapter 2 is about the blessings of being made alive in Christ, about becoming a dwelling for the Holy Spirit. Something I have yet to experience…

In the first bolded statement you assert that neither God, not the devil has touched you, which clearly speaks against what God has revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures..

Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience..

In the second, you assert that, once born again the devil will have a hayday with you.. Simply not true, in fact, quite the opposite!

1 John 5:18
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

1 John 5:4
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

And in the third statement you attempt to reconcile faith and experience.. This aught not to be so!

1 Corinthians 2:5
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Without FAITH in God, you will NEVER experience the reality of His Life!

Hebrews 11
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

It's a choice..

To believe, or not..