Am I sinning?Need help.

[Gold fish]

Am I sinning by praying to Jesus over and over.To help me go out of body?Or to help me by sending me a lucid dream?

 

[RaymondG]

Yes.

"And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

 

[tampasteve]

I do not think that it is a sin, but I also think that at some point we need to realize that sometimes our prayers are answered with a "no". We may not know the reason, but that is sometimes the case.

 

[RaymondG]

God never answers "no." So be careful what you ask for, because you will get it, whether it is good for you or not......If you know how to ask.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Am I sinning by praying to Jesus over and over.To help me go out of body?Or to help me by sending me a lucid dream?

The question has to be asked why would you want to go out of your body? And what do you mean by a lucid dream?

 

[RaymondG]

Some desire to go out of the body to go places they have never been or cannot go in the body.......it also releases one from the fear of death....experiencing life outside of the body.....or walking in the spirit.

A lucid dream is a dream in which you "wake up" inside the dream.....and can control it, knowing that nothing in it is real and you will eventually "wake-up." It still state, nothing is impossible....

 

[Hanging by a Thread]

Am I sinning by praying to Jesus over and over.To help me go out of body?Or to help me by sending me a lucid dream?

Well if you are, I’m right there with you. I’ve been offering the same prayer for over a year now. I know how you feel (if you’re like me on this, maybe you’re not).
You want a sign from God. You’re finding the Bible to be a bit confusing and have nowhere else to turn other than man’s interpretation of the Bible and the idea of a Holy Spirit that’s difficult to distinguish from our own thoughts. You want to actually here the voice (or some type of sign that can’t be written off to coincidence) in the same way the biblical prophets, mystics and the NDE people claim.
Certainly the Bible offers reasons you won’t get such a sign. Jesus makes a quote at some point saying he will not give a sign but defers to the sign of Jonah (but it could be argued he was only talking to his immediate audience- an adulterous generation). And “thou shalt not test…” could be an indirect indication that you’re sinning.
But, as is often the case, the Bible offers counter evidence:
Malachi 3:10 – God flat out says to go ahead and test him.
And it could be argued that it’s through miracles/signs that God/Jesus prove themselves:
When an imprisoned John the Baptist wanted to be sure Jesus was the messiah, Jesus sent his messenger back to John with a list of miracles.
In Duetoronomy 11:1 thru 7 it could be argued that God did not expect his laws to be obeyed by those who did not witness his miracles. He basically says, “hey, you guys saw the miracles so you’re in the know, you’re children did not so I’m not really referring to them..”
I also believe that at some point in the Bible there’s a passage where Jesus offers a higher praise to those who believe without having seen the miracles that his immediate audience witnessed.
The Bible is full of miracles—parting seas, the voice of God, burning bushes, walking on water, the resurrection…..
Where would our faith be without the miracles?
We have reports in this day and age of such miracles/revelations. Sister Maria Faustina H. Kowalska wrote a whole diary full of her conversations with and visions of God. Julian of Norwich is another. Mother Theresa was inspired to do her work via the voice of God she heard on a train ride. And then there’s all of the NDE reports.
Scizophrenia and hallucinations could certainly be an explanation for this, and with the NDE’s you can tell that some of them are just flat out phony apparently to sell a book or to garner 15 minutes of fame. (But then, if you actually did see or hear a spirit, wouldn’t that by definition have to be considered a hallucination?)
But even if these explanations were eliminated, none of us are willing to accept these revelations in the same way we accept reports of angels, lucid dreams, and the voice of God in the Bible. A Bible which was written over 2000 years ago and has been translated and retranslated. It puzzles me why we should believe that all miracles end with the last page of the Bible.
So while I would suggest that it’s a “big ask” for some type of unmistakable sign, I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request. And Jesus says you can ask God for anything and he'll give it to you. So I’m gonna keep asking.
Couple of caveat’s, though. I think Jesus at some point also says that even if he produced a sign, it would not be enough to cure any doubts.
I also consider the “careful what you ask for” aspect. Such a sign might be too much to handle and freak me out (LOL).

 

[Hanging by a Thread]

God never answers "no." So be careful what you ask for, because you will get it, whether it is good for you or not......If you know how to ask.

I'm still waiting on that million dollars, Raymond.

 

[St_Worm2]

I'm still waiting on that million dollars, Raymond.

Bummer dude, me too

We must not know the right way to ask!!

@RaymondG, perhaps you could help us with that?

Thanks

--David

 

[Tolworth John]

Am I sinning by praying to Jesus over and over.To help me go out of body?Or to help me by sending me a lucid dream?

As has already been asked.
Why?

What purpose is there in seeking an out of body experience or a lucid dream?

Jesus has given crystal clear instructions. He said if you Love me obey my commands, what are his commands, the ten commandments.

 

[Tolworth John]

You want a sign from God

You have one, it is called the resurrection.

 

[tturt]

You have already experienced "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:44

Encourage you to just pursue God and not an experience - lucid dream or out of body experience.

Would be careful testing God except for tithes "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Mal 3:10

 

[RaymondG]

I'm still waiting on that million dollars, Raymond.

Then you have proven my point......you desire to wait for a million dollar.....and God will make it so that you will to continue to wait for it.

When you learn how to ask aright, you will get everything you ask for........or better yet.....as we see here, notice that you have already been getting everything you've been asking for.

 

[Marumorose]

Am I sinning by praying to Jesus over and over.To help me go out of body?Or to help me by sending me a lucid dream?

Firstly, Why do you want to go out of your body? I tried to do that in the past and God actually warned me never to do that. That can be dangerous because you might not come back! The spiritual world is good and EVIL too.
May God Bless You

 

[RaymondG]

Bummer dude, me too

We must not know the right way to ask!!

@RaymondG, perhaps you could help us with that?

Thanks

--David

Sure, would you like for me to give you 1 million dollars, or teach you how to ask for it yourself?

 

[Hanging by a Thread]

Then you have proven my point......you desire to wait for a million dollar.....and God will make it so that you will to continue to wait for it.

When you learn how to ask aright, you will get everything you ask for........or better yet.....as we see here, notice that you have already been getting everything you've been asking for.

Is this from the book of Raymond, or...?

 

[Hanging by a Thread]

You have one, it is called the resurrection.

Yes, and I appreciate that, John. Of course, you’re right. But even Thomas, who was with Jesus during his mission and was foretold of the resurrection could not believe until he saw it for himself. And Jesus made it a point to accommodate him. So I gotta think that Jesus understands my current struggles. I’ve believed in the resurrection all my life and still do. I’ve just hit a rough spot in my faith is all and suddenly I’m having trouble making sense of it all. I’ve explained my reasons/logic in asking for a sign in my original post. I’ll leave it at that as I don’t want to poison this site with the negative thoughts/arguments that I’m dealing with and I don’t want to plant any doubts in anyone else.

But yes, you are correct. The resurrection is our sign/miracle. The only sign that matters.

Thanks for your comment, John.

 

[St_Worm2]

Sure, would you like for me to give you 1 million dollars, or teach you how to ask for it yourself?

How about both

 

[RaymondG]

Is this from the book of Raymond, or...?

Actually it is from "The Gospel according to Raymond"

Eventually one must become Doers of the Word and not hearers only.... History will remain a mystery until is becomes your-story.....after which, you too can begin writing your book...

Until then, we must remain interpreters of other peoples experiences and writings.

 

[RaymondG]

How about both

I love to give....so I have no problem sharing. It would be a little more rewarding for you to discover that your Father will give you your desires....and you can go to Him directly. But I guess getting an easy Milll from man is not bad either....I find no fault in it.