I was wondering, of those who have had religious experiences, what was it like and was it vital to your faith? What did you feel, go through, see or hear? If you dont understand what religious experience is, Wikipedia has a good definition. Thanks!
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religious experiences?
- Thread starter LadyNyx
- Start date
An athiest, believes in no God. As far as I've been told an agnostic, believes God could exist out of your knowledge. Well he does and he slowly coming into your life and making youa ..CHRISTIAN. God Bless welcome to the forums, anyway:
It changed my life. Seriously, I was bad as we are all sinners. But it transforms you, you become good as you have inner peace. You have hope ans assurence for ETERNAL life. The Bible with the Lord will change you for the better. He won't take away your personality but make it better. Really, I suggest trying the Holy Bible, it will change you!!!!!!!!
It changed my life. Seriously, I was bad as we are all sinners. But it transforms you, you become good as you have inner peace. You have hope ans assurence for ETERNAL life. The Bible with the Lord will change you for the better. He won't take away your personality but make it better. Really, I suggest trying the Holy Bible, it will change you!!!!!!!!
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I've had dreams, and each one had a great effect on me. The amount of peace you feel after an experience with God goes beyond any kind of peace you can feel from this world
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Harlan Norris
Well-Known Member
Shortly before I became a Christian,I'd decided to see if I could grow some opium poppies.The seed was easy to find and the process seemed easy enough.Shure enough,my crop came in.About mid summer they began to bloom.Shortly afterward the pods appeared,and natureally I had to sample them.Before you know it I was having an opium smoothie about every other day. One day as I was driving to the store,listening to some political talk drivel on the radio.Then, clear as a bell,a voice said "It started out as an experiment.It will become an addiction".On some level I just knew That voice was God's. I threw the poppies in the trash,and never used them again. Months later, after I'd become a Christian, I was about to be baptised. A woman in the congregation gave me a post card. It said,The lord is near to all who call upon him.Psalm 145:18.Best wishes congratulations on your baptising. That's nice I thought.I looked at the other side of the card. It was a poppie field. I'd never told anyone at church about my poppie adventure,or the voice.This was God,confirming that the voice I'd heard was indeed his. I still have the card.I keep it to remind me of the time God delivered me from addiction,so that I could come to him in truth.
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£
£amb
Guest
I too had a dream that set my life back on track. It's the weirdest thing, but the hardest thing to explain to someone at the same time. People just think you're just dreaming what your mind wanted to. It wasn't a prophecy or anything like that. I am a christian, but went about my own ways for about 5 years. In that time, I dreamt I was in heaven getting the grand tour. I noticed that there were many sized leaves all around on vines. Some were as big as houses. I questioned the person I was with, and he responded that your christian life reflects the size of the leaf you live in. Yes, in my dream, you lived in a leaf in heaven. I got to my leaf, and it was extremely small. I started crying because I knew there was no way I could fit in my leaf and didn't know how to. At that moment, I woke up feeling overwhelmed. For some reason, I knew that God was telling me that my christian walk totally stunk. It's taken time, but God is still straightening me out.
It's a dream I'll never forget.
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dvd_holc
Senior Veteran
I took care of my wife when she was sick, I love her, I opened a door for a stranger and wait for them to pass, I forgave a person who hurt me, I picked up a stranger who was a lady walking in the dark up a curvy hill going on to traffic, I gave money to charity, I helped the Red Cross, I choose to love people more fully...and I know the Spirit of God is with be working toward completing me which brings me great joy, comfort, and rest of the soul.
Oh yeah, I have received mercy. I have received love from strangers, I have received care from loved ones, I have received aid when I needed. I have received many things when I needed. But even when, I did not receive what I thought I needed...I received what got me through.
Oh yeah, I have received mercy. I have received love from strangers, I have received care from loved ones, I have received aid when I needed. I have received many things when I needed. But even when, I did not receive what I thought I needed...I received what got me through.
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My life is crazy. If I could hope to explain even a few of my experiences, most here in this forum would be in disbelief. I have experienced and I have seen and I am still trying to figure out why. Why me? Why was I chosen to see such grandiosity? Surely there must be purpose in it all... but as of yet I have not seen anything, really. Mabye in the time to come, I do hope.
Ten years ago I consciously separated myself from God. I had grown up with the church and was tired of the hypocritic thought. "Why doesn't common sense and God coexist?" I wondered at the very deepest level. So I left. I wandered incredibly depressed for years and swung all the way to atheism. And then, on easter night of 2000, it happened. I had a huge epiphany: No matter how I tried, I don't control ANYTHING. This thought changed everything.
The next morning, two things happend. 1. Light beamed out of the void of my depression. 2. For the first time in years, I admitted that maaaaybe there was a God. Shortly afterwards, I started seeing coincidences. Everywhere. God was showing me the Way.
He has also shown me things that you wouldn't believe.
You ask if this has affected my faith. Well, yes, of course. But not necessarily my Christian faith. Because of these constant experiences, my faith in God is beyond just a hope. I know that God exists and he shows me (in many ways) on a daily or hourly basis. But because I am so close to God, I see the fallacies of the Christian faith. And though I know and interact with God, I have lost my faith in Christianity. Instead, I see an underlying truth of all religions-- iincluding Christianity. I see as much truth in Hinduism or Buddhism as Christianity. God is bigger than any creed. God is bigger than what we give him credit for. Yes, there is truth in Christianity. But there is also truth in everything. God is indeed everywhere.
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Definitely religious experiences. (-:
What makes the most impact for me is not the stunning moments like those above, although they are so meaningful to us, but the constant reassurance that He is with me. That's just me.
Throughout the day I feel and hear nudges to do things, say things, contact people... and following through always amazes me at the helpful network that God has arranged -- like a spider's web -- almost invisible but flexible and unusually strong.
Sometimes it's just as simple as feeling like I need to go downstairs -- then find that I'm burning dinner. Or needing to pray for someone --then finding they were just about to face danger. Or feeling like I need to drive a different route to work, and finding I've avoided traffic around an accident.
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I believe my first real "religious experience" happened when I was 16. I had become pregnant and was absolutely terrified. I had no one to support me in my decisions, not even my family. I could choose to keep my baby but find somewhere else to live or I could give her for adoption. Finally, after exhausting all other options and seeing things in black and white I realized that adoption would be best for my child, because I couldn't provide her everything she would need.
The moment I made the decision, I became filled with peace and strength like I had never felt before. Of course, my heart still ached but I knew that God was seeing me through. He took my mistake and made something good out of it. Not only did he give me strength but He obviously had a plan for my baby. I soon met a wonderful Christian couple who were in town visiting for a few months and we became friends. When I asked them if they would adopt my baby they prayed about it and said yes. They named her Destiny.
My God is an awesome God!
The moment I made the decision, I became filled with peace and strength like I had never felt before. Of course, my heart still ached but I knew that God was seeing me through. He took my mistake and made something good out of it. Not only did he give me strength but He obviously had a plan for my baby. I soon met a wonderful Christian couple who were in town visiting for a few months and we became friends. When I asked them if they would adopt my baby they prayed about it and said yes. They named her Destiny.
My God is an awesome God!
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That's such a difficult thing to go through. Pregnant girls feel so trapped -- having to be cautious about how many people know and who knows. Not having rides to places that can help. Some kids get kicked out of the house for this, forced to have an abortion or marry the guy, grounded, excommunicated, future movements controlled... you really have to plan your moves according to what you know to be safe. And meanwhile, outsiders say "just do it [this] way.. no problem."
So glad it worked out well for you.
So glad it worked out well for you.
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Dondi
Veteran
One small one out of many I could relate to:
As we moved into our new house, we told the landscaper that we wanted this particular tree that was planted too close to the house to be moved out into the yard aways. But it seemed that when they moved it, it wasn't replanted right and seemed to die on us, for as Spring arrived, all the other trees in front of the other newly built houses on our street were blossoming. Ours had absolutely no signs of life whatsoever.
We called the landscaper and asked to have the tree replaced, but he we had to wait a few more days before he could do the job. Well, I guess we could wait a little longer.
To our amazement, the tree blossomed on Easter Morning.
As we moved into our new house, we told the landscaper that we wanted this particular tree that was planted too close to the house to be moved out into the yard aways. But it seemed that when they moved it, it wasn't replanted right and seemed to die on us, for as Spring arrived, all the other trees in front of the other newly built houses on our street were blossoming. Ours had absolutely no signs of life whatsoever.
We called the landscaper and asked to have the tree replaced, but he we had to wait a few more days before he could do the job. Well, I guess we could wait a little longer.
To our amazement, the tree blossomed on Easter Morning.
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How cool!
(It's normal for trees to take a year to adjust to their new spot. Sometimes it takes a few years. And sometimes they have gone through too much shock to make it. That usually relates to how long the tree was out of the dirt, or how much you watered it after the replanting. )
(It's normal for trees to take a year to adjust to their new spot. Sometimes it takes a few years. And sometimes they have gone through too much shock to make it. That usually relates to how long the tree was out of the dirt, or how much you watered it after the replanting. )
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From Glory to Glory
Veteran
Yes, I have had many experiences with the Lord...dreams, visions, instances where natural laws were transcended. For instance, last spring, I had really been struggling with finding time for God. I was so caught up with the busyness of life that I neglected my relationship with Jesus. I truly ached for Him and missed Him and a few weeks later, I planted some marigolds in my front yard landscaping. I am always looking at and inspecting my bushes, flowers, etc. I planted the marigolds on Labor Day 2006. Just 12 days later, I was coming home from picking up my daughters, and I couldn't believe what I saw. Across the sidewalk from my marigolds...at least 4 feet away from them...are my rose bushes. And on that morning, there was a marigold growing in my rose bush! It had not been there earlier and when I went over to inspect it, I had to actually pull it out of the ground, it was that firmly planted, so there is no way that it was kicked there by a human, animal, etc. I researched all over the place the growing habits of marigolds and there is just no way that a fully blooming marigold could have gotten there--4 feet away from the others, with a sidewalk between--by itself, or in that amount of time. I knew instantly this was God teaching me to believe for things that make no earthly sense, especially since that had been a specific prayer of mine.
Also...I kept feeling like there was a deeper meaning and one night, I felt led to read the Parable of the Sower in the Gospels. I realized that God could have put that marigold in any of my other bushes, but he chose the rosebushes (with thorns) and I wanted to know why. I came to realize that this was a modern day Parable of the Sower lesson for me. I had allowed the cares of this world (the thorns) to choke the Word and its fruitfulness from my life. Wow! Were my eyes opened!
Another cool thing happend in August of this year. I was absolutely desperate in my relationship with Jesus. I was in major need of some help. One night, I awoke because of an intense burning smell that occurred when I was asleep. I was not dreaming about anything burning at all. I just smelled such an intense burning smell (it smelled like burning flesh) that it actually woke me up and I tried to wake up my husband to tell him that we had a fire in the house. But, as soon as I woke up, the smell was gone--it was only a burning smell in the spiritual realm, not the physical. Instantly, I knew that God was warning me that I was about to undergo a time of testing and refining. And God has been confirming this ever since. I have been in situations, one after the other, lately where God is rooting out old mindsets, behaviors, and characteristics of me that are keeping me from Him. It has been painful, and "burns", but I know for sure that I am in the will of God and that He is preparing me for service.
One last thing that I want to mention (and I could go on and on). A couple of weeks ago, I climbed into bed in my dark bedroom and I looked up in the darkness. My eyes were wide open and I was fully awake. Right away I saw what looked like the numbers on a digital clock, just floating in the air! It said, "3:00". I stared at it for a while, and then it faded away. Actually, I only clearly saw the "3:0", but I assumed that the other "0" was implied since it was the numbers on a digital clock that I saw. I tried over and over again to replicate this occurrence by staring at my real digital clock (which said 12:46) and then looking into the darkness to see if there had been some sort of visual transference (even though I had not even been staring at my clock before I had gotten into bed), but I could not get it to happen again. I have been seeking the Lord on this and believe there is so much that He is telling me with this occurrence...including that He was giving me an invitation for intercessory prayer. I was surprised to hear of how many people are woken up in the night at 3:00 and feel compelled to pray (3:00 pm was the time with Jesus died and 3:00 a.m., being its opposite, is a time of intense spiritual battle due to the prayers of those of satanists, etc. at that time). So, I got up a few nights last week to pray and spend time with Jesus and always felt refreshed the next day.
I could go on and on...the spiritual realm is very real, even though we (usually!) can't see it with our natural eyes, although I believe that God is blurring that division much more so lately because He desires people to know Him and His Son on a much more tangible basis.
Thanks for letting me share!
Pam
Also...I kept feeling like there was a deeper meaning and one night, I felt led to read the Parable of the Sower in the Gospels. I realized that God could have put that marigold in any of my other bushes, but he chose the rosebushes (with thorns) and I wanted to know why. I came to realize that this was a modern day Parable of the Sower lesson for me. I had allowed the cares of this world (the thorns) to choke the Word and its fruitfulness from my life. Wow! Were my eyes opened!
Another cool thing happend in August of this year. I was absolutely desperate in my relationship with Jesus. I was in major need of some help. One night, I awoke because of an intense burning smell that occurred when I was asleep. I was not dreaming about anything burning at all. I just smelled such an intense burning smell (it smelled like burning flesh) that it actually woke me up and I tried to wake up my husband to tell him that we had a fire in the house. But, as soon as I woke up, the smell was gone--it was only a burning smell in the spiritual realm, not the physical. Instantly, I knew that God was warning me that I was about to undergo a time of testing and refining. And God has been confirming this ever since. I have been in situations, one after the other, lately where God is rooting out old mindsets, behaviors, and characteristics of me that are keeping me from Him. It has been painful, and "burns", but I know for sure that I am in the will of God and that He is preparing me for service.
One last thing that I want to mention (and I could go on and on). A couple of weeks ago, I climbed into bed in my dark bedroom and I looked up in the darkness. My eyes were wide open and I was fully awake. Right away I saw what looked like the numbers on a digital clock, just floating in the air! It said, "3:00". I stared at it for a while, and then it faded away. Actually, I only clearly saw the "3:0", but I assumed that the other "0" was implied since it was the numbers on a digital clock that I saw. I tried over and over again to replicate this occurrence by staring at my real digital clock (which said 12:46) and then looking into the darkness to see if there had been some sort of visual transference (even though I had not even been staring at my clock before I had gotten into bed), but I could not get it to happen again. I have been seeking the Lord on this and believe there is so much that He is telling me with this occurrence...including that He was giving me an invitation for intercessory prayer. I was surprised to hear of how many people are woken up in the night at 3:00 and feel compelled to pray (3:00 pm was the time with Jesus died and 3:00 a.m., being its opposite, is a time of intense spiritual battle due to the prayers of those of satanists, etc. at that time). So, I got up a few nights last week to pray and spend time with Jesus and always felt refreshed the next day.
I could go on and on...the spiritual realm is very real, even though we (usually!) can't see it with our natural eyes, although I believe that God is blurring that division much more so lately because He desires people to know Him and His Son on a much more tangible basis.
Thanks for letting me share!
Pam
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