Alpha courses are both for seekers and for new Christians, teaching about the basics of the Christian faith. There was a mixture of both seekers and new Christians on the last Alpha course I attended, in 2007.
I didn't know that. Did you find the course helpful?
In a sense, my spiritual problem is that I appear to have no spiritual awareness of any kind. No Christian spiritual awareness and no secular or other type of spiritual awareness either. That may or may not be the reason why I have not heard God via experience and do not get sudden clear insight into scriptures in the way that many Christians describe.
I think that any christian in your pretty unusual situation would need to be incredibly strong in their faith. They would need to trust that despite never getting sudden insight or experiences like others describe that God still loves them and understands them as the unique individual they are.
Psalm 139
I principle I agree with you. But if God was going to teach me some special lesson, I would not expect it to take so many years for God to do this. I sill have not learned the lesson, whatever it was, and the process began more than 37 years ago – which is longer than Abraham had to wait as described in Hebrews 11, and Abraham had been given information by an angel – an advantage that I never had.
How long was Moses in your situation?
Moses and 40 Long Years What good came from that long period in isolation?
Psalm 25:9 ,
Proverbs 3:34 ,
Numbers 12:3 ,
Matthew 5:5,
hebrews 11:23-29
For me, lacking spiritual insight into the spiritual meaning of Bible passages, there must inevitably be the risk that I would fail to grasp the deeper meaning of a passage. And if I ask a Christian for help, who knows what strange ideas they might have?
You have a vey genuine reason for concern there. Even the most learned christians can go off the rails. History has many tragic examples. That is how many cults get their weird doctrines too by building whole doctrines on isolated verses (and ignoring many verses that contradict those doctrines). That is why it is so important for
every christian to learn what the Bible actually says so they can keep it all in context.
I know that many Christians have told me that I will not really understand the Bible unless I am guided by the Holy Spirit – which leaves me unable to benefit from this.
Being guided by the Holy spirit does not mean
feeling guided by the Holy Spirit. What is a christian supposed to grow in?
2 Peter 3:18 ,
Ephesians 4:10-16. Is there any mention of feelings there? Hint: love is more than a feeling..... I know those thoughtless words have wounded you.
Can you mentally take a step back and remember that these people feel things unlike yourself?
I listened with interest to the two broadcasts that you recommended, about depression in the Bible and about modern spirituality and your mind. Both made some good points but the first was for people who are not in my situation.
I thought that your feeling (seeming?) separated from God and the resulting depression from that fitted the message of that sermon perfectly. I was inwardly smiling while listening to it, thinking of yours and my situation and how much I wanted you to be helped by it too - all at the same time. But then I do have my feeling side, even though it can be my own worst enemy at times.
The second made some unjustified statements and assumptions which undermined the value of the arguments.
Can you tell me what points you disagreed with?
For your interest's sake that sermon was just what I needed to hear although I was just thinking of you when I listened to it. I learnt today that my husband's job interview seemed successful and they are going to be contacting his referees. If he does get that job then in distance that is moving from one side of Europe to the other. Back to the tropics, back to a mining town (and I loathed the mining town I was in before), leaving the army culture and all its support and so on.
In previous times I would have been worrying and trying to find out what God's will was and trying to find everything out whether by information, looking for signs or by feeling God's annointing etc. Exactly what that preacher condemned because christians are supposed to be trusting in God. If christians seek to learn more than God wants us to we really are rebelling against Him.
1 Samuel 15:23
Right now I am trying to do what the Israelites did to comfort themselves. They remembered what God had done for them and how He always kept His promises.
Exodus 15 Psalm 136 It is really hard though.