anyone like me?

[Destiny78]

Just a couple thoughts on this.
1. Don't worry about commiting it. Unless you are a very old Christian who has experienced many supernatural things and who knows tons about the word of God... you will not be able to commit it.
2. In order to commit it you will have to know what you are doing. It is not something you can do by mistake. So if you do not know what it is....then you can rest assured that you are in no danger of commiting it.




Actually this was not a parable dear heart! It was an actual guy in a real life situation! And happy happy joy joy, he repented and got himself out of that mess. Most scholars believe that this passage in the next letter to the Corinthians refers to this same fellow and that he repented:

What do you suppose would have happend to the guy if he had not repented? What about the people that live ungodly lives (non-Christians) and are truly happy and content? Don't say there isn't any such thing, because I know of those people. Not that I want to be one of those people. I actually had a short conversation with God last night. I was very honest with him and with myself, but I don't know that it got me anywhere. I nearly forgot about it in the morning, and was drinking again tonight without even thinking about it, it was just natural. I didn't feel like I wanted to change. But who knows...maybe it was a start. Maybe it helped a little. I also read a little bit in the bible. I'm not sure if it helped, but like I said, maybe it was a start.

Wow, the supernatural experinces that you guys have talked about (Celeste and Lucubratus) actually kinda scare me. I know there is a spiritual war and world out there, but it becomes so real to hear that stuff. I have never really had an experince like that. In a way I am kind of glad, but in a way I wonder if it would make everything more real to me. I dunno...anyhow, thank you for sharing your experinces.

 

[Destiny78]

Also I wanted to ask... the parable about Jesus finding the sheep...someone posted it here awhile back, (I think Celeste) and I also just read it in another forum. How many times do you suppose that Jesus would go back to get that one that keeps wandering away?

 

[Lucubratus]

Destiny:

That really IS a hard question about people who live ungodly lives but live it more like a lot of Christians I know...lol. There will be a lot of people giving all different answers and some possibly saying well they're just out of luck if they deny Christ. But I also can tell you this; I work for some old ladies, many of them Christians and they tell a LOT of stories, along with just other things in life on a personal level - it's never too late to accept Christ. Some have done so on their death bed. After death, I don't know and I honestly don't think anyone can say for sure either - as there are varied interpretations people have of physical death in the bible. The dead know nothing, but what do we know what they did at that last moment in their consciuousbefore they died, you know? Right at the last split second, a lifelong practicing satanist could encounter God and then suddenly change his mind and accept Jesus. Nothing's impossible with God!
Coming from one whose had those hair rising experiences I often wondered that myself; would I be into God and Jesus if I never saw those things? I can't ever say because the first time in my recollection I had that experience I was 3 years old and I can't really remember much before that; but my Mom did have experiences before my birth and during her pregnancy with me so there's the possibility it rubbed off...lol
I wished a lot that I didn't have to see or feel these things - but then on the flip side, encountering the AWESOME feeling and (mental) image of a great many angels around me, it MORE than balanced it out and happily I haven't seen any shadow people in a very long time but sometimes still get the hackles up on my neck and know something's trying.
I really wouldn't wish that on anybody..lol.

How many times do we suppose Jesus would go back to get the sheep...

I'm only thinking, as many times as possible up until the sheep physically dies?
Who can say but I know it's good to keep asking, asking means wanting to know, wanting to know means seeking for your truth and seeking for truth means seeking Jesus *big grin*

 

[Celeste]

Destiny,He won't give up on you ,as long as you have it in your heart(and He knows your heart) to stay with him- but flubs up. God know what iis in your heart! As far as these people you talk about that have rosey lives and sin and nothing befalls them.Oh the world has plenty of those. God talks about them in the bible. He said yes, they have a life of riley so to speak, but that is all they will ever have. now and in the hereafter. It is in Job chapter 21.read the whole chapter and you will see at the end what they get.
I am glad you had your prayer time with God last evening. keep your prayer time going with God. And when He gets ready to answer your prayer He will. But he is listening to your prayers and you don't know it. Right now , in this time you have been sent here to this forum to ask questions about God and In this time we are here to try to help you in the most loving way we know how. This is Gods way really to LOVE people too.Remenber with God everything is possible. with out Him nothing is!
These experiences we have had are as real to us also. Don't be scared over them. they happened in the bible and I beleive they happen to us now. It was my way of telling satan to get out of my life! that's all. well I hope
I have answered most of your questions. God bless you, Celeste. Remember that prayer is the telephone between earth and heaven.By praying you can reach beyond the clouds into that place where the Lord and the hosts of heaven are. YOu can go before the throne of God who made the worlds, and talk with Him! Prayer is a miracle. It is a wonderful thing.Make no mistake about it. He will hear you. He already has.

 

[Chris Singletary]

I can tell you how.. but it is up to you to make it happen.

We are at war with our flesh. It wants us to cater to it. Give it more than enough food, it is quick to anger, slow to forgive... etc.. But it is only THROUGH the temptations of the flesh can you become perfected. Everytime you say no.. when the flesh wanted you to say yes.. you become stronger. Satan is here for a purpose.. to test you.. to see if you have the will to overcome.

Ephisians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

There is allot in the passage on how to stand strong. It is a topic in and of itself. Do you understand what is required to make this commitment every day? Do you know what Paul is talking about in this passage?

Two things are your most important armor items.. the Word of God.. and prayer.
You MUST read the bible daily.. and pray as often as you can. By doing so you develop your spiritual sence.. and you commune with your Father and my Father. Without either.. you will not survive the onslaught of sin that inundates our society.

May God give you strength of will and understanding in all things.. may love abound in your life and may the peace of God which passes all understanding have reign in you heart.

 

[Destiny78]

Remember that prayer is the telephone between earth and heaven.By praying you can reach beyond the clouds into that place where the Lord and the hosts of heaven are. YOu can go before the throne of God who made the worlds, and talk with Him! Prayer is a miracle. It is a wonderful thing.Make no mistake about it. He will hear you. He already has.

I so badly needed to hear that Celeste. The words keep echoing in my mind, and I think will continue to do so for some time. Thank you. Praying is something I was never very good at.

Chris- thank you for the verse. I have heard it many times, and read through it again "knowingly" but then when you asked if I knew what Paul was talking about it the verse, that kinda struck me, and I looked at it again realizing that no, I really didn't understand it all. I understand that it is saying to read the word of God daily, and to pray, and these are our weapons against satan. Is there more to the verse than that? Thank you for reminding me that sticking with faith doesn't always come easy. I have known people who have never really struggled with faith, or really even too much sin, and I always think I should be like them.

 

[Chris Singletary]

Hugs.. There is actually allot to those verses. I don't have the time this morning since I am at work to go through it but I will try this evening. It is one of the most important scriptures of spiritual warfare there are in the Word of God.

Thank you God for your child in Christ in Destiny Father. Give her strength and endurance in the race of life today and every day. Open her mind to the fullness of your will in her life and may she touch the life of others through the power and grace that comes from a personal relationship with You and your Son Jesus. Amen..

 

[Polycarp1]

A lot of people miss a rather subtle point Paul makes:

By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift from God.

God does not save you by your faith -- He saves you because of His grace.

Faith is not something that you do -- it's His gift, to have the confidence in Him to know that you are His, resting in His love, equipped to resist sin and remain true to Him.

What's asked of you is that you stay open to His grace, willing to receive His gifts. He does the work; you merely cooperate with Him as He does it.

Don't try to base your faith on proofs; that's a fool's game. Any statement for or against His existence and love can be countered by one working the other way. But if you know Him -- make His acquaintance, come to realize His working within you -- you know Him as loving and compassionate, ready to equip you with what you need to survive. The French have two words for "to know" -- savoir, which means to realize a fact, and connaitre, which means to make the acquaintance of. You don't savoir another person, you connaitre him or her. God is not Something you can prove, but Someone you can know -- and love, and trust.

 

[Destiny78]

Yay! I think that I have actually been moving a little closer to God. Like I said, I prayed the other day, and I didn't feel any changes, but I know that faith is not based on feelings, so I kept praying. I was very honest with God, and told Him that although I am not ready to accept Him (again???) just yet, I wanted to open communication with Him. I told Him my doubts, my struggles. Then I emailed my husband. He is in the Navy and out to sea for six months. He says he is a Christian, and used to live for God too, but hasn't for awhile. Anyhow, I was worried because I am so far away from him, and my husband and I are so close, and so much in love..I was afraid that if I started going back to God, it would somehow seperate us if we were living differently. I know that this is a bad thought, but I actually don't think i could live for God if my husband is not. So anyhow, I emailed him, and told him that I had been asking questions and talking to people here in this Christian forum, and that I started to pray again, and read a little bit of the Bible. I told him that I wanted to wat to go back to God again, and that I couldn't do it alone. I asked him if he could think about it too, and we could talk about it. He replied and said that he was thinking the same thing, and had even been talking to a guy on the ship who is a Christian also, and asking him questions and stuff. Yay!! That makes me so happy because it seems like it would be so much easier to go back to God if Andy (my hubby) went with me. Yeah, I know its a personal decision and before the throne of God it wont matter, but this is such a big burden lifted off my shoulders!! Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts. I am really not quite ready to commit yet, but I feel so much closer and so much more at peace. Thank you again

 

[Lucubratus]

Yay! I think that I have actually been moving a little closer to God. Like I said, I prayed the other day, and I didn't feel any changes, but I know that faith is not based on feelings, so I kept praying. I was very honest with God, and told Him that although I am not ready to accept Him (again???) just yet, I wanted to open communication with Him. I told Him my doubts, my struggles. Then I emailed my husband. He is in the Navy and out to sea for six months. He says he is a Christian, and used to live for God too, but hasn't for awhile. Anyhow, I was worried because I am so far away from him, and my husband and I are so close, and so much in love..I was afraid that if I started going back to God, it would somehow seperate us if we were living differently. I know that this is a bad thought, but I actually don't think i could live for God if my husband is not. So anyhow, I emailed him, and told him that I had been asking questions and talking to people here in this Christian forum, and that I started to pray again, and read a little bit of the Bible. I told him that I wanted to wat to go back to God again, and that I couldn't do it alone. I asked him if he could think about it too, and we could talk about it. He replied and said that he was thinking the same thing, and had even been talking to a guy on the ship who is a Christian also, and asking him questions and stuff. Yay!! That makes me so happy because it seems like it would be so much easier to go back to God if Andy (my hubby) went with me. Yeah, I know its a personal decision and before the throne of God it wont matter, but this is such a big burden lifted off my shoulders!! Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts. I am really not quite ready to commit yet, but I feel so much closer and so much more at peace. Thank you again

This suspiciously sounds like some answered prayers to me....

 

[Celeste]

Aw yes, it does. prayers answered! Praise God for his attention of this. All this advice that you have given on here people has been so heart warming.

Destiny, Please tell your husband. Thankyou, ok I appreciate him . and we pray for his safety.Hang in there destiny and keep praying. Here's the greatest prayer you may know but I will attempt to write it here now . it was said by Jesus to the Father in heaven . In a certain place where He was praying and the deciples said unto Him Lord teach us how to pray. And he said when you pray, say,

Our Father which art in heaven, Hollowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. as in heaven so in earth.Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone who has sinned against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.luke chapter 11: 1-5 KJV. may God bless you with every blessing to be closer to him who died for you and us In jesus sweet and glorious name. amen. PEACE! celeste

 

[Chris Singletary]

Well.. I am home and figured I would do an expository on those verses before I turn in for the night.

Ephisians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

The first verse in the passage is to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. He is alluding to the next few passages that will tell you how to do this.

Putting on the Armor of the Lord. The first thing you have to understand is He is telling YOU to do it. He didn't say he was going to put it on you. This is something that you have to do. It takes an effort on your part. He will supply the armor, but it is our duty to put it one.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Next.. remember to put on ALL of it.. not one or part.. but ALL. If you were a soldier and going into battle, you would not want to forget your helmet.. or flack jacket or rifle. Any item you didn't bring would be your weakness. So put it all on.

He also tells us that our warfare is not against people in the natural realm. Just remember that when a lady cuts in front of you in the grocery store or someone gets angry at you in traffic when you didn't do anything to provoke them. The world in which we live is mostly in control of Satan. From radio.. to television.. his propaganda machine never rests. Most of the people he influences have no idea he even exists. Just remember it is not people we fight against.. it is the influence they are under..
And he has power.. he is called the prince of the power of the air.

and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand

after you get your armor on.. STAND! don't let him beat you back.. dont give in without a fight.. have done all to stand.. STAND YOUR GROUND!

Now for the armor.

having your loins girt about with truth,

First.. your legs and waste area are to be protected with truth. The legs are how you get around.. if you do not live in the truth of the word of God.. then you are crippled.

Next..
and having on the breastplate of righteousness

The breastplate protects the vital organs of the body.. this piece of armour is very critical.. Remember this... Righteousness = right standing with God. This is your faith in the grace that Jesus did on the Cross.. this is your knowledge that you are saved! No one can take that from you.. and you are to live in that faith.

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

Feet are for movement as are the legs.. your feet are to give witness to others of what God has done for you. You must understand the Gospel and how it saved you.. and how it saves others to have your feet protected. Always be ready to share the Gospel with others.

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The shield of faith.. The shield was is in the oposite hand as the sword is.. it is deffensive in nature.. You faith is to defend yourself against attacks of Satan.. Remember when Jesus was in the desert and Satan came to temp him? What did Jesus do? He countered every argument the devil gave with scripture! When people complain when Christians post bible references in the forums you wonder why? lol.. we are using the shield!

Faith comes by hearing... and hearing by the word of God..

You want Faith? Read the bible all the time with your heart open to what it says. Pray for the wisdom to interpret it correctly and divine insite from the Holy Spirit.

17 And take the helmet of salvation,

This is similar to the breastplace.. but is specifically refering to salvation.. notice that it protects the head.. your mind.

2Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

If God gave us a sound mind.. that means we didn't have one before we were saved! lol.. you wonder why the world is constantly against you? Cause they are CRAZY!
Seriously.. they attack you for being a christian.. who.. by nature of being one walks in love toward his fellow man and does not harm.. why would they hate you? Cause the devil drives them nuts with jealousy and envy..

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Here is the offensive weapon.. the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. The bible is not only what your deffensive shield is based on.. but what your offensive weapon is based on!

To have faith.. you have to have the word of God.. and Faith.. will move mountains! You could literally do ANYTHING that God has called you to do because it isnt you who is doing it.. but Him! You just have to be in his will and using his word. READ THE BIBLE!
Never let a preacher tell you what it says.. read it for yourself and KNOW what it says.

and the last part of this.. is prayer.. it is the bolts that hold the armour together.
Without prayer.. you never get in touch with your God. You will never develop a relationship with him without it. Imagine if you have never talked to your earthly father for years.. How well would you know him??

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Also notice that it is not prayer just for you.. it is for others.. don't pray all the time for what you need.. pray for others needs! especially for the other believers.. we all need each other to overcome the onslaught of sin in the world.

One last thing and I will close.. You will notice that there is NOTHING for the back of the Christian warrior.. no armour for his back.. it is all for his front.. you know why? because you were NEVER meant to turn around.. you are not to run from a fight. You are to go into it with power and might fully equiped with armour and weapons and WIN!

God bless you Destiny.. may the Father of all things give you the spirit of understand and love that you might be a candle burning bright in times of darkness. I also pray for your husband that he too would see what Christ has done for us all on the cross and give his life to God.

I am was the one that brought Jesus to my wife.. and we have now been married 23 years. She is very strong in the Lord and I love her more now than the day we said our wedding vows. If you both will turn your lives over to Him.. he will ensure you two stay together and grow strong in both faith and love for one another. He is you lifeboat in these evil times of unfaithfullness and divorce.

 

[PastorFreud]

An interesting reading of the text. It is too bad you got caught up in the metaphor and missed the meaning.

Paul is writing to the Ephesian Christians. The executioner is on the way. Paul explains that we wrestle not against individual people, flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. When people band together the result can be healing and strength as we see in the church in Acts. All of the needs were met as each one sold what he had to sell. The widows and orphans were cared for. But the Roman opression represents power corrupted. Something can also happen when people band together and abdicate authority to the system. In this sense, the executioner is not your enemy, he is a victim of the system the same as you.

Paul then likens the Christian faith and life to image of the Roman soldier. Irony at its best. Paul is not telling Christians how to fight disembodied spirits or some "Satan." He is informing the Christians how to hold on to their redemption from violence. They were brought out of that darkness. Don't go back into a system of domination. Don't let yourself go back to hatred, enmity, and strife.

Destiny,
You seem to have a beautiful and gentle spirit. I am certain that God's love is larger than anything you might fear. In Christ, we see God's love that was not based on the behavior of people, but based on his own character. I pray you will continue to experience God's love and that it will address your fears and concerns. I also pray that your husband will grow with you as you journey together. Christians will differ in how they understand the Bible, but we all agree that Jesus has shown us the nature and character of God.

 

[Chris Singletary]

I didn't miss the meaning at all. The meaning is exactly as I put it. The history of where Paul got the imagery (which I agree) is correct, but that isn't the message Paul was trying to relay. I might look at the way a gazelle runs to get my analogy of the race of a Christian to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, but when I use that analogy, am I talking about where I got the imagery of the running of the Gazelle? Or the race of the Christian? Of course I mean the later of the two.

And I repeat

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

When Jesus was in the desert for 40 days, he wrestled with Satan and was an example on how to use the word to fight this spiritual battle.

Mathew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Some more of this glipse into who we fight against is found in the book of Daniel.

Daniel 10:7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. 10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days

No earthly king could have withstood an angel of God (more than likely the messenger sent to Daniel was Gabriel but I do not know that). In one place in the OT an angel killed 1,000's of earthly soldiers. The princes here in this passage are talking about spiritual princes. Michael an arch angel of God (called a prince himself), was called to break the impass that Satan's spiritual king of persia was creating from getting the message to Daniel.

We do not war against people.. we war against Satan and his minions. I would get into the hierachy of demonic powers but this is not the time or place for it. Just understand that is allot of things that seem to be in the natural realm that really have their bases in spiritual forces.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

*FRIENDLY MOD REMINDER*

This forum is for incouragement and building up not debate. . .please remember. .. .NO DEBATING. . Period. Thankyou

 

[Destiny78]

Wow, I am at a loss of what to say to all of that....hmm...thank you all for your posts, I have read and re-read them. I know your posts were meant to explain things, but for some reason when I read it, it almost seems like a different language to me. I will re-read them again though when I get more time and my kids aren't screaming and distracting me. Thanks again- sorry to start an arguement!

 

[Chris Singletary]

Wow, I am at a loss of what to say to all of that....hmm...thank you all for your posts, I have read and re-read them. I know your posts were meant to explain things, but for some reason when I read it, it almost seems like a different language to me. I will re-read them again though when I get more time and my kids aren't screaming and distracting me. Thanks again- sorry to start an arguement!

lol.. You did not start an argument. It was just a difference of opinion. This forum however, it not meant for debate but to assist.

Please feel free to send me a direct email message or ICQ, or anything else you need clarified when you are able. I understand perfectly what raising a family when they are young can be so demanding. My wife and I raised our two sons.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Wow, I am at a loss of what to say to all of that....hmm...thank you all for your posts, I have read and re-read them. I know your posts were meant to explain things, but for some reason when I read it, it almost seems like a different language to me. I will re-read them again though when I get more time and my kids aren't screaming and distracting me. Thanks again- sorry to start an arguement!

Sorry to confuse you Destiny. . . the confusing posts have been taken care of. One of them was mine. . I thought I was in a diff forum. Oops! I think that Chris gave you some good scripture and the application thereof. You may also PM me anytime.

 

[Destiny78]

Good News... I am starting to feel closer to God. I even went to church for the first time in awhile. I just have a question though. The people that I live with, aren't close to God, and I am afraid that when i start not doing stuff that I used to do (drinking, swearing, etc..) they will think I am weird, or question me, cause they have seen me do it before. Like the other not, they were all drinking, and I knew I shouldn't, and thought about my new "talks" with God (I refuse to yet say commitment) but I did anyways because I was afraid of what they would think. Also, is it bad to be still afraid to "commit"? To say that one final prayer?? I still think I am not ready.

 

[Starcrystal]

Destiny75,
Good News... I am starting to feel closer to God. I even went to church for the first time in awhile. I just have a question though. The people that I live with, aren't close to God, and I am afraid that when i start not doing stuff that I used to do (drinking, swearing, etc..) they will think I am weird, or question me, cause they have seen me do it before. Like the other not, they were all drinking, and I knew I shouldn't, and thought about my new "talks" with God (I refuse to yet say commitment) but I did anyways because I was afraid of what they would think. Also, is it bad to be still afraid to "commit"? To say that one final prayer?? I still think I am not ready

I went through something like this, when God was drawing me to Him but I wasn't really sure. When I did finally ask Jesus to be my Saviour, the desires for the drinking & swearing went away. I still struggled for a couple to 3 weeks, then gave it all up. My friends thought I'd snapped! I didn't let this bother me too much because I was making new friends in church ~ not just people who hung around for the party, but people who cared even if I had nothing to offer them.

I know some people might say its "bad" to be afraid to commit, and now is the day of salvation, etc. But I also know once God starts a work in someone, he'll see it through to completion. Seeking is good and I think God honors those who seek him, whether slowley or quickly. At least your'e not running in the opposite direction.

It must be hard to live with people who are still partying & cussing. I've had to deal with that at work, and still do. We'll pray that God give you wisdom in this situation and strengthen you by His might.