Faith Crisis

[Siskie]

This will be a little long, but I have been in a crisis of faith.

I’ve lived a life of greed, sloth and material good, as well as being an atheist. In April, I joined my wife’s church after realizing God is real and Jesus died for my sins, but that was the extent of my knowledge (I was baptized at 10, as I was crazies Christian and went to various Christian schools, but removed God from my life after I graduated).

I was baptized again in her church and felt I was saved. I did repent to God of my life, and confronted some people I needed to after I was baptized. I stopped smoking weed, stopped porn and repaired my relationship with my mom (honour the father and thy mother).

However, I was doing some strange things (I had been developing a table top rgp before my conversion). I was thinking I could understand what God wanted me to do by asking him questions and judging the time and how numbers added up. I told you, some weird behavior.

I’ve realized that is messed up and have tried to stop doing it. I have been reading the Bible, and really enjoy Acts. But a lot has happened in the weeks since the middle of April.

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

I’ve been seeing 9 (Bible says that means judgement) everywhere. We play a card came called play 9 (after golf) and all my individual scores could be added to nine. When I realized the last score would, I purposefully messed it up. Then the next day playing it with my wife, the last box was 63; which adds to 9.

I’m in a terror. With lack of sleep, repeating numbers, sermons that say just believe, while others say it is more than that, along with how can I tell of my faith is faith or mental. Then to top it off, the Lion Of Judah on YouTube says God doesn’t even care about your reading the Bible, going to church or any of that, he just cares about what is in your heart.

I am so, so very confused. And because of certain requirements (appointments for my wife, my mom and dog obligations), I dont know how to fix the sloth part of my life; which means I am still living in sin. I can’t just give all my money away without abandoning my obligations in order to not be like the rich man in hell.

God isn’t answering my prayers. I am in a fright he has stopped listening to me and has already judged me. How do I get back on the right track? I believe Jesus Christ is God, came here to spread the Word, was crucified, died and resurrected for our sins. But, is that just mental knowledge?

Not to mention, since I basically became an atheist after years of removing God, that makes me guilty of apostasy; which I have asked God to forgive after my second baptism.

How do I fix this? How do I fix my relationship with God?

I am sorry this message is so screwed up; I need help.

 

[Siskie]

I forgot to add that I realized I was living in condemnation of my past, and in the following weeks we burned a lot of stuff I was holding above God; which I think was more out of a zeal.

 

[d taylor]

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​

To receive God's free gift of Eternal Life salvation and become a born again child of God. All God requires is to believe in Jesus for Eternal Life. Believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, that is what The Bible means when The Bible states believe in Jesus.

You can not do any more than that, that is God's only requirement.

All this other stuff that has been put into your mind amounts to noting toward receiving Eternal; Life.

Now proper Bible study will lead you to have more confidence in your faith and Jesus and you can grow as a believer. The other way just leads to confusion and doubt.

Here is a great website for solid Bible study. Grace Evangelical Society

 

[Michie]

This will be a little long, but I have been in a crisis of faith.

I’ve lived a life of greed, sloth and material good, as well as being an atheist. In April, I joined my wife’s church after realizing God is real and Jesus died for my sins, but that was the extent of my knowledge (I was baptized at 10, as I was crazies Christian and went to various Christian schools, but removed God from my life after I graduated).

I was baptized again in her church and felt I was saved. I did repent to God of my life, and confronted some people I needed to after I was baptized. I stopped smoking weed, stopped inappropriate content and repaired my relationship with my mom (honour the father and thy mother).

However, I was doing some strange things (I had been developing a table top rgp before my conversion). I was thinking I could understand what God wanted me to do by asking him questions and judging the time and how numbers added up. I told you, some weird behavior.

I’ve realized that is messed up and have tried to stop doing it. I have been reading the Bible, and really enjoy Acts. But a lot has happened in the weeks since the middle of April.

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

I’ve been seeing 9 (Bible says that means judgement) everywhere. We play a card came called play 9 (after golf) and all my individual scores could be added to nine. When I realized the last score would, I purposefully messed it up. Then the next day playing it with my wife, the last box was 63; which adds to 9.

I’m in a terror. With lack of sleep, repeating numbers, sermons that say just believe, while others say it is more than that, along with how can I tell of my faith is faith or mental. Then to top it off, the Lion Of Judah on YouTube says God doesn’t even care about your reading the Bible, going to church or any of that, he just cares about what is in your heart.

I am so, so very confused. And because of certain requirements (appointments for my wife, my mom and dog obligations), I dont know how to fix the sloth part of my life; which means I am still living in sin. I can’t just give all my money away without abandoning my obligations in order to not be like the rich man in hell.

God isn’t answering my prayers. I am in a fright he has stopped listening to me and has already judged me. How do I get back on the right track? I believe Jesus Christ is God, came here to spread the Word, was crucified, died and resurrected for our sins. But, is that just mental knowledge?

Not to mention, since I basically became an atheist after years of removing God, that makes me guilty of apostasy; which I have asked God to forgive after my second baptism.

How do I fix this? How do I fix my relationship with God?

I am sorry this message is so screwed up; I need help.

Welcome to CF. You may want to move your post from introductions to Requests for Christian Advice

You’ll get more answers there.

 

[Halbhh]

This will be a little long, but I have been in a crisis of faith.

I’ve lived a life of greed, sloth and material good, as well as being an atheist. In April, I joined my wife’s church after realizing God is real and Jesus died for my sins, but that was the extent of my knowledge (I was baptized at 10, as I was crazies Christian and went to various Christian schools, but removed God from my life after I graduated).

I was baptized again in her church and felt I was saved. I did repent to God of my life, and confronted some people I needed to after I was baptized. I stopped smoking weed, stopped inappropriate content and repaired my relationship with my mom (honour the father and thy mother).

However, I was doing some strange things (I had been developing a table top rgp before my conversion). I was thinking I could understand what God wanted me to do by asking him questions and judging the time and how numbers added up. I told you, some weird behavior.

I’ve realized that is messed up and have tried to stop doing it. I have been reading the Bible, and really enjoy Acts. But a lot has happened in the weeks since the middle of April.

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

I’ve been seeing 9 (Bible says that means judgement) everywhere. We play a card came called play 9 (after golf) and all my individual scores could be added to nine. When I realized the last score would, I purposefully messed it up. Then the next day playing it with my wife, the last box was 63; which adds to 9.

I’m in a terror. With lack of sleep, repeating numbers, sermons that say just believe, while others say it is more than that, along with how can I tell of my faith is faith or mental. Then to top it off, the Lion Of Judah on YouTube says God doesn’t even care about your reading the Bible, going to church or any of that, he just cares about what is in your heart.

I am so, so very confused. And because of certain requirements (appointments for my wife, my mom and dog obligations), I dont know how to fix the sloth part of my life; which means I am still living in sin. I can’t just give all my money away without abandoning my obligations in order to not be like the rich man in hell.

God isn’t answering my prayers. I am in a fright he has stopped listening to me and has already judged me. How do I get back on the right track? I believe Jesus Christ is God, came here to spread the Word, was crucified, died and resurrected for our sins. But, is that just mental knowledge?

Not to mention, since I basically became an atheist after years of removing God, that makes me guilty of apostasy; which I have asked God to forgive after my second baptism.

How do I fix this? How do I fix my relationship with God?

I am sorry this message is so screwed up; I need help.

Don't worry, those in apostasy don't repent and return, so instead your story is like the Prodigal Son story (Luke chapter 15), see. You returned by conscience in that you admitted wrong and returned in repentance. We are not already perfect here in this life (so we must confess sins as we go along (1rst John 1), but we are to follow Christ in faith and that's how we progress the right way! So, when you asked about faith and works, you will see soon in Ephesians the answer in just 3 verses (the shortest summary of all) in Ephesians 2:8-10 -- you see it's not faith vs works, but faith first and foremost, followed by faith-caused good works that God has prepared for us: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

And when I wondered at first "how are we to do the good works that God has prepared for us to do?" wondering for a moment how to know, it came to me (not from me, but from Him) that John 15 has our answer -- This is how: Bible Gateway passage: John 15:1-17 - New International Version

And do you remember how Christ specifically taught us to pray in Matthew, the precise way? It's so needed to do this daily prayer, because you can have total faith that this prayer will be answered (which we must have for prayer: Mark 11), because you can know it's perfectly aligned to God's will because it's from Christ Himself!: Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 6:5-15 - New International Version So, pray this prayer, and don't worry about various numbers coming around (there are many chance combinations). God gave us so much better in His Word, and now you are reading that.

So, you see, as you are reading along in the 4 gospels and then the rest of the New Testament, you will get more and more answers, so continue to believe in Christ, listening to His words, and you are on the right path. Welcome here, and glad to see you!

 

[tturt]

Siskie welcome to CF. Hope you find your times here rewarding.

Scriptures such as Eph 2:8 states "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
(You already know it wouldn't be a gift if we had to work for it).

We're not expected to give away all our earnings. An example is II Thess 3:10 that says to work so we can have food.

Commendable that you repaired your relationship with your Mom - that speaks volumes.

When the thoughts about numbers come - immediately focus on God and His Word. Encourage you to select some Scriptures that are meaningful to you and have them ready such as "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him]." I John 4

 

[Gregory Thompson]

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

Welcome to CF, I hope you find some rest in your soul.

We enter the reality of the kingdom of God through trusting God or faith. We continue to live by trusting God or faith. When a question was placed in your heart about doing works also, it disrupted the trust within you.

How it works is, you trust God, and the indwelling Holy Spirit produces fruit as you live life along side Him. Dead works are not required.

When a law is put into effect, this magnifies the Romans 7 sin phenomenon in your heart and hides the presence of God from the eyes of your heart. Recommendation, confession of sins to dissolve whatever's obstructing your spiritual vision.

 

[Christoph Maria]

.

Welcome to Christian Forums!
_________________________________________________________


LORD, those who know you will trust in You.
You have never deserted those who look to You.
Psalms 9:10
_________________________________________

"Here is what I am commanding you to do:
Be strong and brave.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I am the LORD your God.
I will be with you everywhere you go."
Joshua 1:9
_________________________________________

"Judah, listen to me!
People of Jerusalem, listen to me!
Have faith in the LORD your God.
He'll take good care of you.
Have faith in his prophets.
Then you will have success."
2 Chronicles 20:20
_________________________________________

Some trust in chariots.
Some trust in horses.
But we trust in the LORD our God.
Psalms 20:7
_________________________________________



.
​

 

[Siskie]

.

Welcome to Christian Forums!
_________________________________________________________


LORD, those who know you will trust in You.
You have never deserted those who look to You.
Psalms 9:10
_________________________________________

"Here is what I am commanding you to do:
Be strong and brave.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I am the LORD your God.
I will be with you everywhere you go."
Joshua 1:9
_________________________________________

"Judah, listen to me!
People of Jerusalem, listen to me!
Have faith in the LORD your God.
He'll take good care of you.
Have faith in his prophets.
Then you will have success."
2 Chronicles 20:20
_________________________________________

Some trust in chariots.
Some trust in horses.
But we trust in the LORD our God.
Psalms 20:7
_________________________________________



.
​

I have not read all of Genesis yet, but I have read the Gospels, Luke twice. I am greatly enjoying Acts. Acts alone has increased my faith. I am thankful to the poster that sent the link about just needing to believe. It is helping me. I continue to pray everyday to discern God’s will for my life.

Your response was a little ominous, but I don’t think God gives up on anyone; as Jesus talked about forgiving seventy times seven.

I thank everyone in here that has responded. God Bless you all.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

This will be a little long, but I have been in a crisis of faith.

I’ve lived a life of greed, sloth and material good, as well as being an atheist. In April, I joined my wife’s church after realizing God is real and Jesus died for my sins, but that was the extent of my knowledge (I was baptized at 10, as I was crazies Christian and went to various Christian schools, but removed God from my life after I graduated).

I was baptized again in her church and felt I was saved. I did repent to God of my life, and confronted some people I needed to after I was baptized. I stopped smoking weed, stopped inappropriate content and repaired my relationship with my mom (honour the father and thy mother).

However, I was doing some strange things (I had been developing a table top rgp before my conversion). I was thinking I could understand what God wanted me to do by asking him questions and judging the time and how numbers added up. I told you, some weird behavior.

I’ve realized that is messed up and have tried to stop doing it. I have been reading the Bible, and really enjoy Acts. But a lot has happened in the weeks since the middle of April.

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

I’ve been seeing 9 (Bible says that means judgement) everywhere. We play a card came called play 9 (after golf) and all my individual scores could be added to nine. When I realized the last score would, I purposefully messed it up. Then the next day playing it with my wife, the last box was 63; which adds to 9.

I’m in a terror. With lack of sleep, repeating numbers, sermons that say just believe, while others say it is more than that, along with how can I tell of my faith is faith or mental. Then to top it off, the Lion Of Judah on YouTube says God doesn’t even care about your reading the Bible, going to church or any of that, he just cares about what is in your heart.

I am so, so very confused. And because of certain requirements (appointments for my wife, my mom and dog obligations), I dont know how to fix the sloth part of my life; which means I am still living in sin. I can’t just give all my money away without abandoning my obligations in order to not be like the rich man in hell.

God isn’t answering my prayers. I am in a fright he has stopped listening to me and has already judged me. How do I get back on the right track? I believe Jesus Christ is God, came here to spread the Word, was crucified, died and resurrected for our sins. But, is that just mental knowledge?

Not to mention, since I basically became an atheist after years of removing God, that makes me guilty of apostasy; which I have asked God to forgive after my second baptism.

How do I fix this? How do I fix my relationship with God?

I am sorry this message is so screwed up; I need help.

Welcome to CF. Consider all your anguish the process of God cleaning His House. He makes His Home in the believer and though you feel the pain of your past , even haunted by it, He is your Comforter. Put away your doubt and put on the full Armor of God. His Holy Spirit is working in you and only doubt will quench Him. I'll pray that you be filled with His light, His Holy Spirit, daily.
Be blessed

 

[SuperCow]

This will be a little long, but I have been in a crisis of faith.

...

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

The faith/works thing is misunderstood. On one hand people say that all you need is faith in Jesus and nothing more. Then others are totally focused on their works, as if we should all be Mother Teresa and traveling the world helping the poor and debauched to find God.

Here's the thing. Only you and God know if you have faith. Many people go to church for an hour or two on Sunday and then do all sorts of ungodly things for the rest of the week. Do they really have faith if they think they can display it 5% of the time? And on the other hand, are you really behaving like Jesus if you criticize others who you think aren't doing enough "works" for God?

If you have faith, you will want to behave in a spiritual manner. You will want to help others. You will want to praise God. And if you do so, you have self-evident works. Several parables clearly explain that different people will have different abilities with regards to this. A prisoner or a drug addict who cleaned themselves up and converted may not have any ability at all to do anything other than pray. A wealthy tele-evangelist with 10 million viewers on channel Z has far more reach and therefore far more scrutiny to live up to.

We do not know if you have faith. If you do what you think are works for God, we cannot judge whether they are sincere and meaningful. The faith must come first. Works may help you reinforce your faith, but they are not what you should be judged on. Try to have faith for 7 days a week. Don't try to do works for 7 days a week. If you have faith, then opportunities to do good for God or people will automatically present themselves whether they seem tiny and insignificant to you or whether they are complex and difficult.

I’ve been seeing 9 (Bible says that means judgement) everywhere. We play a card came called play 9 (after golf) and all my individual scores could be added to nine. When I realized the last score would, I purposefully messed it up. Then the next day playing it with my wife, the last box was 63; which adds to 9.

I’m in a terror. With lack of sleep, repeating numbers, sermons that say just believe, while others say it is more than that, along with how can I tell of my faith is faith or mental. Then to top it off, the Lion Of Judah on YouTube says God doesn’t even care about your reading the Bible, going to church or any of that, he just cares about what is in your heart.

The number nine has nothing to do with judgement. I can't find that anywhere, but even if it is in there somewhere it has nothing to do with you individually. The only significance of 9 is that it is one more than 8 and one less than 10. You cannot, nor should you try to divine meaning from particular numbers. Any numbers in the Bible are either for regulation (7 days sabbath) or to recognize the enemy. (though in the latter it can be metaphorical like 666 which may reference ancient Babylonian deities.)

Don't fret about the cause of your faith. All faith is mental to some degree. You come to it by experience, logic, or emotion. Then you do something about it. God does not want you to come to him in extreme stress. You should be thankful that you have access to a Bible. Some people in the world do not. You should be thankful that you have food. You should be thankful that you have lived another day. You should be thankful that there are places you can go to worship.

You should not worry about if you are doing it right. Nobody else is doing it right either. They might just look more confident about how wrong they are. Think of your life as a sailboat. Sometimes it is easy with the wind going the direction you want. Other times it is blowing against you, but you can still tack left and right and get where you need to go, even if it takes much longer.

God isn’t answering my prayers. I am in a fright he has stopped listening to me and has already judged me. How do I get back on the right track? I believe Jesus Christ is God, came here to spread the Word, was crucified, died and resurrected for our sins. But, is that just mental knowledge?

Not to mention, since I basically became an atheist after years of removing God, that makes me guilty of apostasy; which I have asked God to forgive after my second baptism.

How do I fix this? How do I fix my relationship with God?

I am sorry this message is so screwed up; I need help.

God is not required to answer anyone's prayers, but that does not mean he has stopped listening. He has not already judged you. You cannot be guilty of apostasy if you don't believe. You are guilty of apostasy when you do absolutely believe and yet don't care and actively push others against what you believe. Confusion is not apostasy. At worst, it is whoever lead you to confusion that might be guilty of that.

You need to relax. Don't try to "fix" your relationship with God. Just try to "have" a relationship with God. Life causes you enough stress. God should not add to that, it should relieve you from that.

 

[tturt]

Also, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom 10:17)

 

[biblelesson]

The faith/works thing is misunderstood. On one hand people say that all you need is faith in Jesus and nothing more. Then others are totally focused on their works, as if we should all be Mother Teresa and traveling the world helping the poor and debauched to find God.

Here's the thing. Only you and God know if you have faith. Many people go to church for an hour or two on Sunday and then do all sorts of ungodly things for the rest of the week. Do they really have faith if they think they can display it 5% of the time? And on the other hand, are you really behaving like Jesus if you criticize others who you think aren't doing enough "works" for God?

If you have faith, you will want to behave in a spiritual manner. You will want to help others. You will want to praise God. And if you do so, you have self-evident works. Several parables clearly explain that different people will have different abilities with regards to this. A prisoner or a drug addict who cleaned themselves up and converted may not have any ability at all to do anything other than pray. A wealthy tele-evangelist with 10 million viewers on channel Z has far more reach and therefore far more scrutiny to live up to.

We do not know if you have faith. If you do what you think are works for God, we cannot judge whether they are sincere and meaningful. The faith must come first. Works may help you reinforce your faith, but they are not what you should be judged on. Try to have faith for 7 days a week. Don't try to do works for 7 days a week. If you have faith, then opportunities to do good for God or people will automatically present themselves whether they seem tiny and insignificant to you or whether they are complex and difficult.



The number nine has nothing to do with judgement. I can't find that anywhere, but even if it is in there somewhere it has nothing to do with you individually. The only significance of 9 is that it is one more than 8 and one less than 10. You cannot, nor should you try to divine meaning from particular numbers. Any numbers in the Bible are either for regulation (7 days sabbath) or to recognize the enemy. (though in the latter it can be metaphorical like 666 which may reference ancient Babylonian deities.)

Don't fret about the cause of your faith. All faith is mental to some degree. You come to it by experience, logic, or emotion. Then you do something about it. God does not want you to come to him in extreme stress. You should be thankful that you have access to a Bible. Some people in the world do not. You should be thankful that you have food. You should be thankful that you have lived another day. You should be thankful that there are places you can go to worship.

You should not worry about if you are doing it right. Nobody else is doing it right either. They might just look more confident about how wrong they are. Think of your life as a sailboat. Sometimes it is easy with the wind going the direction you want. Other times it is blowing against you, but you can still tack left and right and get where you need to go, even if it takes much longer.



God is not required to answer anyone's prayers, but that does not mean he has stopped listening. He has not already judged you. You cannot be guilty of apostasy if you don't believe. You are guilty of apostasy when you do absolutely believe and yet don't care and actively push others against what you believe. Confusion is not apostasy. At worst, it is whoever lead you to confusion that might be guilty of that.

You need to relax. Don't try to "fix" your relationship with God. Just try to "have" a relationship with God. Life causes you enough stress. God should not add to that, it should relieve you from that.

We are supposed to hope for answered prayers, Hebrews 11:1 KJV, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We are to believe He hears us, and He Has promised to give us what we ask for. Also if we have confidence in God (believe and trust ), then whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, 1 John 5:14-15 KJV

1 John 3:22 KJV says, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

What’s His commandments? Have faith.
What’s pleasing to Him? That we believe Him and that He is a rewarded of them that seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV, “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.”

The Holy Spirit is our teacher. We don’t have the type of faith that can please God, but God Himself through the Holy Spirit gives us what’s needed to please Him. All we have to do is ask God in prayer to help our unbelief, increase our faith in Him.

God bless!

 

[SuperCow]

We are supposed to hope for answered prayers, Hebrews 12:1 KJV, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We are to believe He hears us, and He Has promised to give us what we ask for, 1 John 5:15 KJV. Also if we have confidence in God (believe and trust ), then whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, 1 John 4:20-22 KJV

Us as humans having faith that God will hear us and answer our prayers is totally different from expecting God to answer our prayers. It's only by the grace of God that we are allowed to exist in the first place.

Your scriptural references are not a blanket reference to answering all prayers.

1 John 5:14 (one verse prior to the one you mentioned) - "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." I think 4:20-22 also provides some pretty obvious exclusions as well where it says you cannot love God if you hate your brother or sister. And if you do not love God, you cannot expect a response.

What if I pray for God to help me win the Powerball lottery? What if I pray for a meteorite to land on my wicked neighbor's house? What if I'm a child praying for a new bicycle?

God has no obligation to respond to us just because we pray to him. He loves us enough to listen when we have a genuine need. And we might not "need" what we think we need, so our answer might not be what we expect.

1 John 3:33 says, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

That chapter only has 24 verses, so the quote is probably incorrect, but this reinforces my point above. We should be looking to keep his commandments and trust he wants the best for us. If we do not feel he is answering our prayers, look inward to why. Do not put expectations on God as if we are entitled to it.

What’s His commandments? Have faith.
What’s pleasing to Him? That we believe Him and that He is a rewarded of them that seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV, “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.”

The Holy Spirit is our teacher. We don’t have the type of faith that can please God, but God Himself through the Holy Spirit gives us what’s needed to please Him. All we have to do is ask God in prayer to help our unbelief, increase our faith in Him.

God bless!

I agree. We need to focus on our own faith. Diligently strive to improve ourselves and others. God will answer us when we are sincere and have a need. Maybe he will answer directly, or maybe he will open a path or opportunity for us to fix our own problems with his guidance. Usually when people complain that their prayers are not answered, it's because they do not recognize it or because the request lacks sincerity.

The original poster's biggest problem seems to be stress about whether he has done enough to be saved. That is the wrong approach. He needs to build confidence that he is doing his best and do good deeds out of gratitude, not out of fear. Once you believe you have been forgiven, then it is much easier to have the state of mind to benefit from that forgiveness.

 

[friend of]

I would like to encourage you to find a church and make friends there. Your experience is not uncommon. Many true Christians go through trial that you are experiencing. People have given a lot of good advice already so I'll just say this: calm down, count to 20, take a breath. Focus on reading the whole Bible first. New Testament then Old. Come back to this website to ask questions. That's what it's here for. You will be okay. God bless.

 

[Ajj]

This will be a little long, but I have been in a crisis of faith.

I’ve lived a life of greed, sloth and material good, as well as being an atheist. In April, I joined my wife’s church after realizing God is real and Jesus died for my sins, but that was the extent of my knowledge (I was baptized at 10, as I was crazies Christian and went to various Christian schools, but removed God from my life after I graduated).

I was baptized again in her church and felt I was saved. I did repent to God of my life, and confronted some people I needed to after I was baptized. I stopped smoking weed, stopped inappropriate content and repaired my relationship with my mom (honour the father and thy mother).

However, I was doing some strange things (I had been developing a table top rgp before my conversion). I was thinking I could understand what God wanted me to do by asking him questions and judging the time and how numbers added up. I told you, some weird behavior.

I’ve realized that is messed up and have tried to stop doing it. I have been reading the Bible, and really enjoy Acts. But a lot has happened in the weeks since the middle of April.

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

I’ve been seeing 9 (Bible says that means judgement) everywhere. We play a card came called play 9 (after golf) and all my individual scores could be added to nine. When I realized the last score would, I purposefully messed it up. Then the next day playing it with my wife, the last box was 63; which adds to 9.

I’m in a terror. With lack of sleep, repeating numbers, sermons that say just believe, while others say it is more than that, along with how can I tell of my faith is faith or mental. Then to top it off, the Lion Of Judah on YouTube says God doesn’t even care about your reading the Bible, going to church or any of that, he just cares about what is in your heart.

I am so, so very confused. And because of certain requirements (appointments for my wife, my mom and dog obligations), I dont know how to fix the sloth part of my life; which means I am still living in sin. I can’t just give all my money away without abandoning my obligations in order to not be like the rich man in hell.

God isn’t answering my prayers. I am in a fright he has stopped listening to me and has already judged me. How do I get back on the right track? I believe Jesus Christ is God, came here to spread the Word, was crucified, died and resurrected for our sins. But, is that just mental knowledge?

Not to mention, since I basically became an atheist after years of removing God, that makes me guilty of apostasy; which I have asked God to forgive after my second baptism.

How do I fix this? How do I fix my relationship with God?

I am sorry this message is so screwed up; I need help.

I feel your struggle bro Im also struggling with the similar things except I just encourage you to just call out to God and do things even though you dont feel like you dont have faith or dont feel God. Just do it. I called out to God in probably my lowest moment where I did not feel him and after that I received answers on some other questions I asked on YouTube and it helped motivate me but not inspire me enough as I have ocd. You can check my thread or idk how to send it. God bless though.

 

[Blaise N]

This will be a little long, but I have been in a crisis of faith.

I’ve lived a life of greed, sloth and material good, as well as being an atheist. In April, I joined my wife’s church after realizing God is real and Jesus died for my sins, but that was the extent of my knowledge (I was baptized at 10, as I was crazies Christian and went to various Christian schools, but removed God from my life after I graduated).

I was baptized again in her church and felt I was saved. I did repent to God of my life, and confronted some people I needed to after I was baptized. I stopped smoking weed, stopped inappropriate content and repaired my relationship with my mom (honour the father and thy mother).

However, I was doing some strange things (I had been developing a table top rgp before my conversion). I was thinking I could understand what God wanted me to do by asking him questions and judging the time and how numbers added up. I told you, some weird behavior.

I’ve realized that is messed up and have tried to stop doing it. I have been reading the Bible, and really enjoy Acts. But a lot has happened in the weeks since the middle of April.

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

I’ve been seeing 9 (Bible says that means judgement) everywhere. We play a card came called play 9 (after golf) and all my individual scores could be added to nine. When I realized the last score would, I purposefully messed it up. Then the next day playing it with my wife, the last box was 63; which adds to 9.

I’m in a terror. With lack of sleep, repeating numbers, sermons that say just believe, while others say it is more than that, along with how can I tell of my faith is faith or mental. Then to top it off, the Lion Of Judah on YouTube says God doesn’t even care about your reading the Bible, going to church or any of that, he just cares about what is in your heart.

I am so, so very confused. And because of certain requirements (appointments for my wife, my mom and dog obligations), I dont know how to fix the sloth part of my life; which means I am still living in sin. I can’t just give all my money away without abandoning my obligations in order to not be like the rich man in hell.

God isn’t answering my prayers. I am in a fright he has stopped listening to me and has already judged me. How do I get back on the right track? I believe Jesus Christ is God, came here to spread the Word, was crucified, died and resurrected for our sins. But, is that just mental knowledge?

Not to mention, since I basically became an atheist after years of removing God, that makes me guilty of apostasy; which I have asked God to forgive after my second baptism.

How do I fix this? How do I fix my relationship with God?

I am sorry this message is so screwed up; I need help.

Hello siskie!


May the peace of the lord Jesus Christ be upon you!


I want you to know I too have experienced terrors like yours,particularly apostasy.

But regardless I WANT to help you dearly.

First and foremost Faith isn’t of your doing,it’s Gods doing,he gifts it,he controls it,he finishes it.And those he has elected(which based on your explanation gives me enough confidence to assure you you are) he WILL FINALLY SAVE NO MATTER WHAT.

Please know that new believers are priority number 1 for Satan,he’ll do anything he can to deceive you once again into the atheist delusion.One thing I’d like to reassure you of is when God saves someone he never lets go,ever,and he WILL finish the work he starts in you (Philippians 1:6).

Two,don’t get too wrapped up in numbers(not the book numbers,but significant numbers) they’re simple coincidences it sounds like to me.

Three,the Bible nowhere condemns wealth,im not a believer in the “prosperity gospel” (a false doctrine I advise you never to search) wealth only becomes sinful when it consumes you,becomes an idol,and causes you to love it more than Jesus ,obviously and sadly we in this day and age need money to pay for necessities(bills, food,taxes,payments,clothes,houses,etc.) wealth itself is a neutral thing,there are rich people who have been born again who do very biblical things with their money,and then there’s false “believers” (people who pretend to be believers but are clandestine atheists) that misuse and abuse their money.
Unless you’re spending money on things like expensive(not quality,but unnecessarily expensive things;Gucci,Louie,etc) items,never sharing(that is aiding those you come across in need or people at church who can’t provide proper necessities for themselves) having pride and boasting of wealth,gambling(which is never biblically addressed but personally should be avoided) you aren’t sinfully musing your funds.The parable rich man and Lazarus depicted a very wicked sinful wealthy man.Basically the wealthy man never showed a hint of sympathy,love,or empathy for poor Lazarus,a bedridden,hungry,sore-covered man who laid at the rich man’s gate who simply wanted “what fell from the rich man’s table” Luke 16:21,nothing more,not money,wealth,clothing,ANYTHING,but the the simply crumbs of the rich man’s table,and the rich man was so selfish and unsympathetic he refused Lazarus even that.what’s worse is that the rich man the whole time claimed to be a godly man,when God saw the complete opposite,Lazarus was a God-loving man.You see the difference?,The rich man COULDVE BEEN SAVED,but he refused to lovingly give what he was given to help others,that’s the picture of the rich man’s heart,selfishness,greed,hate, arrogance,and cruelty.That’s why he went to hell,his wicked heart,not his wealth.

Four,yes the Bible speaks of works,BUT NOT TO EARN SALVATION,The book of James speaks specifically to works as a MARK OF A CHANGED LIFE AND NEW DESIRES OF BEING BORN AGAIN.The people who heavily imply on faith only,are half correct;the half incorrect part is they aren’t specifically exact;faith(a gift of God that cannot be lost)=Born again(new heart new desires,death to sin),Love for jesus(obedience to his commands and in a way emotional love) and a changed life.basically my dearest friend when the Good lord blesses one with salvation,he takes the enslaved-to-sin/unrighteousness-loving/darkness-loving heart out and gives one a new heart which drastically changes one’s entire character,but it’s not a ZAP,it’s a lifelong process called sanctification which he conforms one to the personality and behavior of Jesus(Love for others,fruits of the spirit,hatred of sin).The Holy Spirit;the third person of the trinity,indwells within every believer,and he gradually changes one’s life and makes them productive fruitful branches.Basically fruits of the spirit are traits that come from one being born again.When I first placed faith into Jesus,my life was full of selfishness and sin,but here,5 years later my character has changed so drastically it’s almost impossible for me to think I was once that person.And the sanctification process is LIFELONG,it’ll never be complete this side of heaven.Yes believers like you and I struggle with sin,but we as believers don’t want to sin and want to get away from it and hate it.

Five;Something many of my brothers and sisters here have heavily acknowledged to me;a Christian sufferer of OCD,Autism,and ADHD;is that people who worry and fret of salvation and fruits are people who deep down truly care and for sure aren’t unbelievers,as a real unbeliever wouldn’t care for such things.

Six;On the lion of Judah,yes God cares about the heart,but reading the Bible although isn’t required for salvation,as that,once again is a gift,it’s crucially important for the health of one’s soul,as is church.

Seven DONT LOSE HOPE ABOUT GODS SILENCE,regardless,if God has saved you rest assured he has heard you,but perhaps is wanting to build trust within you to him,keep in mind that Job,a man who was dearly loved by God,and well obeyed God so well that God even showed him off!,was given a test by God,not as a punishment,to humble him,that lasted a long time,was God unfaithful?,Never!,but Job still trusted in God and loved him.I too have experienced silence from God but have I lost trust in him?,NOPE,and my dearest friend I encourage you to too.Trust him!


Eight;Mental k owl edge is different from true faith,mental knowledge is that of religion scholars Who study each religion and believe facts on them,but never heart fully lovingly have faith in them.Mental knowledge isn’t spiritual rebirth nor love of Jesus,it’s a simple acknowledgment of the facts but doesn’t change the life or heart.The demons do this and shutter!,James 2:19

Nine;(Sorry about the nine!) Apostasy can never be committed by a true believer,apostasy is an abandonment and forsake of Jesus and everything with him by a clandestine-atheist,unreborn,fake “Christian”.Contrary to Arminian theology,A real believer cannot fall away,again like I said Faith isn’t from us,it’s from God and what god Gives he keeps,he gives salvation and rebirth and he completes it.Do you think God didn’t care when he drew you back in?,would he have done that if he didn’t elect you?,would he have done that if he didn’t love you?,take heart in that.if the Gracious father didn’t care or elect/choose you he wouldn’t have drew you back to him! I too can as a testimonial relate exactly to you,but slightly different,I grew up in a Christian family,but when I went into my teens I claimed to be a Christian,but showed completely the opposite of a born again believer,in way I was more of a agnostic/sinful-professor,but when I turned 15 ,when I first started showing signs of OCD,I was so terrified I snapped into the conclusion that “I NEED GOD!” ,so I turned to him and ever since have loved him.

My dearest friend,fret not,this is hopefully a test and refinement of your character’s by Jesus.Please continue to love him,and I dearly love you as a fellow believer.Please,if you need any help,I’ll be here for you!


-Blaise N

 

[biblelesson]

Us as humans having faith that God will hear us and answer our prayers is totally different from expecting God to answer our prayers. It's only by the grace of God that we are allowed to exist in the first place.

Your scriptural references are not a blanket reference to answering all prayers.

First let me apologize, I typed the wrong scriptures. I corrected them in my OP.

My response to you is this:
God Has provided in His word how man’s prayer are to be answered. He Has determined it, not you!

It’s you not believing God, and you are adamant in teaching the opposite of God’s word because you don’t or won’t believe Him.
1 John 3:22 KJV, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

Do you see what God Has said in the above verse? But you don’t and won’t believe Him. You have added your spin on it and seem to be offended that others do believe; this is because you are operating in unbelief.

Having faith in God that He will answer our prayer is to expect God to answer.

You treat God as if He does not love us. You have harshly said it’s only by grace we are allowed to exist in the first place. Grace is not based on God deciding to allow us to exist. Grace is based on God redeeming us from a fallen state through His Son Jesus because He loves us. It is God who created us for His purposes. He does not hate us. We are not responsible for Adam’s sin, but we are born into that sin state. So a loving God removed Adam’s stain from us through His Son Jesus, Romans 5:12-22 KJV

1 John 5:14 (one verse prior to the one you mentioned) - "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." I think 4:20-22 also provides some pretty obvious exclusions as well where it says you cannot love God if you hate your brother or sister. And if you do not love God, you cannot expect a response.

So if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. Isn’t that what the scripture said? We know as Christians we are not to hate our brother and we know we are to love God - that’s His will. So then, why are you highlighting those things that are not God’s will as a basis to deny God Has said He will answer our prayers.

The scripture is talking about answered prayer, not unanswered prayer.

What if I pray for God to help me win the Powerball lottery? What if I pray for a meteorite to land on my wicked neighbor's house? What if I'm a child praying for a new bicycle?

God has no obligation to respond to us just because we pray to him. He loves us enough to listen when we have a genuine need. And we might not "need" what we think we need, so our answer might not be what we expect.

What does God have an obligation to do? God is obligated to the truth of His word. If He said it, He meant it. Who are you to say we might not need what we think we need? That’s not for you to judge. You are not God, and where is your throne! Each person/believer has a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. You have no idea how God chooses to work in a believer’s life.

agree. We need to focus on our own faith. Diligently strive to improve ourselves and others. God will answer us when we are sincere and have a need. Maybe he will answer directly, or maybe he will open a path or opportunity for us to fix our own problems with his guidance. Usually when people complain that their prayers are not answered, it's because they do not recognize it or because the request lacks sincerity.

We must understand that each believer is taught by the Holy Spirit. We cannot just make blanket statements based on what we think, that’s not scriptural.

There are many reasons why prayers are not answered and does not necessarily have anything to do with a person not recognizing their prayer has been answered or a lack of sincerity. God tells us that we are being conformed to the image of His Son.Romans 8:29 KJV.

We all must go through a sanctification process in the Spirit, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”

God’s sanctification work is to also chastise every Christian who He claimed as a son, Hebrews 12:8-22 KJV, “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.” “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

God is renewing our minds through the Holy Spirit, building up our faith to exercise the power He Has given us, 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV, and building us up in our inner man to produce fruit, “The Fruit of the Spirit.” The Husbandman desires the fruit, John 15:1 KJV, 2 Timothy 2:6 KJV.

As we go through this sanctification process, we are learning and failing, but always being guided by the Holy Spirit moving us to where God wants us. Therefore the truth of the gospel must be believed because it is the power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16 KJV.

We cannot exercise God’s power in us if we remain in unbelief!

 

[Aussie Pete]

This will be a little long, but I have been in a crisis of faith.

I’ve lived a life of greed, sloth and material good, as well as being an atheist. In April, I joined my wife’s church after realizing God is real and Jesus died for my sins, but that was the extent of my knowledge (I was baptized at 10, as I was crazies Christian and went to various Christian schools, but removed God from my life after I graduated).

I was baptized again in her church and felt I was saved. I did repent to God of my life, and confronted some people I needed to after I was baptized. I stopped smoking weed, stopped inappropriate content and repaired my relationship with my mom (honour the father and thy mother).

However, I was doing some strange things (I had been developing a table top rgp before my conversion). I was thinking I could understand what God wanted me to do by asking him questions and judging the time and how numbers added up. I told you, some weird behavior.

I’ve realized that is messed up and have tried to stop doing it. I have been reading the Bible, and really enjoy Acts. But a lot has happened in the weeks since the middle of April.

But I have developed insomnia, have had a few satanic dreams, since from the confusion of intellectual faith vs real faith, with some sermons saying all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you are saved, while others say “nope, gotta do works”. But then I read that works don’t matter. I’ve even donated to help a stranger and a few donations to charities, but I can’t tell if that is from the heart, out of fear or if it even matters (cause works don’t save you).

I’ve been seeing 9 (Bible says that means judgement) everywhere. We play a card came called play 9 (after golf) and all my individual scores could be added to nine. When I realized the last score would, I purposefully messed it up. Then the next day playing it with my wife, the last box was 63; which adds to 9.

I’m in a terror. With lack of sleep, repeating numbers, sermons that say just believe, while others say it is more than that, along with how can I tell of my faith is faith or mental. Then to top it off, the Lion Of Judah on YouTube says God doesn’t even care about your reading the Bible, going to church or any of that, he just cares about what is in your heart.

I am so, so very confused. And because of certain requirements (appointments for my wife, my mom and dog obligations), I dont know how to fix the sloth part of my life; which means I am still living in sin. I can’t just give all my money away without abandoning my obligations in order to not be like the rich man in hell.

God isn’t answering my prayers. I am in a fright he has stopped listening to me and has already judged me. How do I get back on the right track? I believe Jesus Christ is God, came here to spread the Word, was crucified, died and resurrected for our sins. But, is that just mental knowledge?

Not to mention, since I basically became an atheist after years of removing God, that makes me guilty of apostasy; which I have asked God to forgive after my second baptism.

How do I fix this? How do I fix my relationship with God?

I am sorry this message is so screwed up; I need help.

Confess your sins, as many as you can remember. Write them down. Then plead the precious blood of Jesus before God. Take that piece of paper and burn it. God forgets when He forgives. So should you. Start declaring what Jesus did for you by His death and resurrection. Take God at His word. For example, you are the righteousness of God in Christ. You have a righteousness that no one can fault and no one can take away. It has nothing to do with you; it is a gift from God. "By grace you are saved...." This is not a one off event. We are all saved by grace continually.

You lack a good foundation. If you are listening to preaching without the right foundation, you may misunderstand or get confused. Keep it really simple to start with. Faith is not nearly as difficult as people imagine. It is simply confidence and trust. Jesus loves you enough to die in your place. You can trust someone who will do that for you.

The word "saved" has come to mean "going to heaven when you die". It is vastly more than that. It means also "to be delivered". Many Christians know the salvation that gives us the right to go to heaven. Not so many know the power to overcome in this life. And this is what God wants for all His children. Romans 5:10 says "

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

Substitute "saved" with "delivered". "Delivered by His Life..........." Jesus lives in each believer in the Person of His Holy Spirit. Whatever you need to be, Jesus will perform it in you. Let Him be your patience, diligence, faithfulness and whatever else you should be but cannot be. Say something like this: "Lord Jesus, I cannot live the Christian life. If you do not live out your life in me this day, we will have a failure day. I that I can do nothing apart from you." Stand back and watch the salvation of the Lord! Then make sure that you express your appreciation for what Jesus has done and is doing for you right now. Does it work? For sure. Remind God of His word. He will watch over His word to ensure that it comes to pass.

 

[SuperCow]

My response to you is this:
God Has provided in His word how man’s prayer are to be answered. He Has determined it, not you!

I said as much in my post. I never claimed to determine anything. Quite the opposite. And you cannot determine it either.

It’s you not believing God, and you are adamant in teaching the opposite of God’s word because you don’t or won’t believe Him.
1 John 3:22 KJV, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

Do you see what God Has said in the above verse? But you don’t and won’t believe Him. You have added your spin on it and seem to be offended that others do believe; this is because you are operating in unbelief.

Here again, if you read the verse, it has conditions. You keep his commandments and do things that are pleasing. Then you receive of God, but only if you pray for things within his commandments and are pleasing to God. You cannot expect God to answer a prayer if the result is not pleasing to him or not in accordance with his word. I wouldn't think that concept would be controversial.

Having faith in God that He will answer our prayer is to expect God to answer.

I have faith that God will answer my prayer when I am in need, and sometimes just as a blessing. I have faith that if I unknowingly (or knowingly) pray for something harmful or greedy or stupid that God will have enough sense on my behalf not to answer it.

You treat God as if He does not love us. You have harshly said it’s only by grace we are allowed to exist in the first place. Grace is not based on God deciding to allow us to exist. Grace is based on God redeeming us from a fallen state through His Son Jesus because He loves us. It is God who created us for His purposes. He does not hate us. We are not responsible for Adam’s sin, but we are born into that sin state. So a loving God removed Adam’s stain from us through His Son Jesus, Romans 5:12-22 KJV

Don't mischaracterize my words. Romans 3:23,24 says we all fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, we all sin, and we all deserve to die. Left on our own, we all will die. If God did not love us that is what would happen to us all with no hope. Therefore, redemption through his son is obviously based on love and forgiveness. I don't understand why you would think differently.

So if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. Isn’t that what the scripture said? We know as Christians we are not to hate our brother and we know we are to love God - that’s His will. So then, why are you highlighting those things that are not God’s will as a basis to deny God Has said He will answer our prayers.

Then tell me what is according to his will? How do I know what I pray for is according to his will? If what I pray for is not according to his will, but still seems like something righteous and beneficial to me, how would I know? And should I be disgruntled if my prayer doesn't seem to be answered in the way I expect, or at all? No, because I have faith that his will is infinitely more intelligent than my will, and so I will pray and be grateful in the knowledge that only the prayers that are beneficial to humanity will be answered. That is not denying God in any sense.

The scripture is talking about answered prayer, not unanswered prayer.

What does God have an obligation to do? God is obligated to the truth of His word. If He said it, He meant it. Who are you to say we might not need what we think we need? That’s not for you to judge. You are not God, and where is your throne! Each person/believer has a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. You have no idea how God chooses to work in a believer’s life.

God is not obligated to do anything. We have faith that he chooses to do good by us and redeem us toward a salvation that we otherwise would not deserve. He does this because he loves us and keeps his promises, not because one of us prays to him and expects a response to anything he might ask because he said his followers would get what they asked for 2000 years ago. Everything you say about me having no idea how God chooses to work in our lives is true, but that also applies to you.

We must understand that each believer is taught by the Holy Spirit. We cannot just make blanket statements based on what we think, that’s not scriptural.

I agree entirely.

There are many reasons why prayers are not answered and does not necessarily have anything to do with a person not recognizing their prayer has been answered or a lack of sincerity. God tells us that we are being conformed to the image of His Son.Romans 8:29 KJV.

But you just said that God is obligated to answer all of our prayers. Maybe if you look at your statements you will realize we don't disagree as much as you think.

We all must go through a sanctification process in the Spirit, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”

God’s sanctification work is to also chastise every Christian who He claimed as a son, Hebrews 12:8-22 KJV, “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.” “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

God is renewing our minds through the Holy Spirit, building up our faith to exercise the power He Has given us, 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV, and building us up in our inner man to produce fruit, “The Fruit of the Spirit.” The Husbandman desires the fruit, John 15:1 KJV, 2 Timothy 2:6 KJV.

As we go through this sanctification process, we are learning and failing, but always being guided by the Holy Spirit moving us to where God wants us. Therefore the truth of the gospel must be believed because it is the power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16 KJV.

We cannot exercise God’s power in us if we remain in unbelief!

I don't disagree with any of this either.