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oi_antz

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So it's all about having faith.. basically it boils down to having faith that god's moral standards are right and his will is the best for us.. is that right?

What is your motivation Asvin? I remember reading from you in a previous post a month or two ago that you had become Christian, what exactly do you hope to get by being Christian? Better grades on your exams? You need to investigate this because it seems to me that the wrong motive will not produce the right results. Also, when you humbled yourself and repented, why did you repent? You need to investigate your motive, is it "me me me" or is it truly that you want to do what is in Jesus' best interests? Because being Christian is not something you can say "I'm in" when you feel like it and "I'm out" when you don't. If you find the narrow gate and go through it, you are in for life. You can't treat Jesus like a door mat expecting Him to make your life better, that isn't His deal. Do you understand? You need to investigate whether you want to be Christian for His sake or your own sake.

The Way of the Cross

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Read this, let it sink in. What does it mean when you read it? Does it mean that getting better grades is what Jesus wants you to do?
 
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drich0150

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OldWiseGuy

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So it's all about having faith.. basically it boils down to having faith that god's moral standards are right and his will is the best for us.. is that right?

What's with the creepy eyes? (I think God might be afraid of you. )
 
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Asvin

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Asvin

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The only reason I became a christian is because I liked the way Jesus lived and truly understood what he did for mankind.. I DID NOT DO IT FOR SELFISH NEEDS! I did expect to see changes in my life, attitude, etc. but nothing happened! Is that too much to expect from such a drastic change in your life?
 
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OldWiseGuy

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God won't pull you out of your former life too quickly. It all takes time, and on God's schedule, not yours. You state that you chose to become a Christian, but it's God that does the choosing. God is arbitrary in who he calls and shows mercy to. 'Many are called but few are chosen'. Jesus said to his disciples: 'You have not chosen me, I have chosen you.' And, 'Not everyone that (calls me) 'Lord' is my disciple.' Don't misunderstand the verse that says, 'Whomsoever will....may come.' What this means is that those who God knows will immediately surrender their will to him can 'come' to (towards) him. And of those not everyone is finally 'chosen'. Lot's to think honestly about here.
 
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Asvin

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You basically agreed with me on my claim that god chooses certain people over others.. if he loves everyone unconditionally, i don't see why he wouldn't give everyone the equal opportunity to know and establish a relationship with him! The verse is talking about those false christians who claim to be one but live according to their own will and what not, but you gotta understand that I wasn't doing so when I was one!

If I created two things A and B, and B was being a jerk like satan, I would just annihilate B and let A be safe.. If I didn't, then that implies I have other sinister intentions.. not a quality to be associated with the christian god!
 
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OldWiseGuy

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As others have observed you are placing conditions on God to do things your way, else he is not a good God. That dog won't hunt.
 
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bling

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It is unfortunate but Christianity is probably growing the fastest with the underground church in China (now thought to be 60 to 100 million). This is with most being killed just 50 years ago and was thought to be wiped out. Unfortunately Christianity grows best under persecution (this has been my observation).
 
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salida

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God talks to christians through the holy spirit. Natural man can't understand the things of God as they are foolishness to them. They are spiritually discerned. For example, before I was saved the bible was like chinese and I didn't like billy graham at all-I had a fallen nature. After asking Christ into my life-the way I looked at things changed from the inside out.

God isn't biased-he wishes all would come to repentence. Can u keep the 10 commandments all the time-100% of the time? Only Christ did. These commandments show us how its impossible to do keep them-its the school master and shows us how mankind has fallen short. This is why we are saved through grace. Good works is a byproduct of saving grace. Visit livingwaters.com and go to are u a good person?

Is a cop biased when someone breaks a traffic law? Thus, God isn't biased when one breaks an eternal spiritual law. The consequences must be paid.
 
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eyerobot

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If I had to guess, I would say that your feeling the frustration and pain, That comes from spiritual growth. I don't recall reading anywhere that growth was painless, But I always assumed it was. Wasn't it God who had to ask "Why do you kick against the pricks?" In other words, I am leading you in a certain direction, And your butting your head against the walls I created to guide you.

We see a wall, And we want to jump it, knock it down, Everything but go the way its leading. This is extremely frustrating, And we get very mad at God for putting this wall there.

Right now, You consider yourself to be outside of that guided path, But I have seen no evidence that you were not forgiven of your sins. The reason you have the inner turmoil, Is because your trying to think your way around that wall, You may have denied that the wall is there. But you still can't get through it. God is far from finished with you.

Is there a quick and easy way to learn what God wants to teach you in this situation? I don't know, It depends wether your as hard headed as I am. It took me years to learn, That I knew nothing to begin with. On the other hand, You may be at the breaking point, Where you finally stop attacking the wall, And are able to follow God's guidance without becoming angry.

One thing I know for sure, Is that God himself is dealing with your heart, Because the human mind isn't capable of humbling itself. So obviously there is some outside intervention going on, And it's on your behalf.

Have a nice long talk with God, Not a formal prayer, Just say what your thinking. Express to him what you feel, And you might just recognize some of your own faults. Maybe that's all he wants you to learn right now. After all, He doesn't want your mind, He wants your heart!
 
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drich0150

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Asvin

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Thanks for stating your observation, but what does this have to do with my OP?
 
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Asvin

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You have a valid point.. but your analogy doesn't explain why god used significantly different methods to reveal himself to me and to lucifer, as stated in my OP... The bible states that god said that he never changes.. but he did.. he changed his way of revelation!

Back in 2008, I used to smoke a lot of weed.. I felt pretty bad about it most of the time, but never did anything to stop it.. then I got caught with some weed by my mom and she got mad at me.. I felt really bad about it and have never smoked anything since! Then I took steroids last year.. same thing happened! Then I became a Christian last december! It felt great for a week or so.. I actually was so caught up in the videos I was watching about christian testimonies, success stories, and about saints! Then came some days when I didn't do that.. however, I did read the bible, repented my sins daily, and prayed.. What I noticed was that the joy I got was from watching those videos.. It could have been about Gandhi or something good and totally non-christian, and I would've still been happy! I know this from other experiences that have made me happy!

How can I then know if it is the holy spirit or if it is just some emotions? The bible's descriptions of christians, who are saved, aren't that much different from non-christians! (Their actions and feelings I mean)
 
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oi_antz

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Hi Asvin, I'm a programmer so I tend to notice flaws in logic quite easily:
I DID NOT DO IT FOR SELFISH NEEDS!
This statement contradicts the following statement:
I did expect to see changes in my life, attitude, etc. but nothing happened! Is that too much to expect from such a drastic change in your life?
It's not too much to expect, but remember that you have to make the changes yourself. When the rich man came to Jesus and asked for eternal life, did Jesus say "don't worry about it, I'll do all the work for you"? No, He said "Give everything you own to the poor and you will have riches in heaven". That is the action that the rich man couldn't perform. Whatever Jesus expects of you is your own private matter, because sin is extremely personal, even our thoughts must be pure!

I think you could benefit from watching the following sermon, it identifies what is wrong with modern evangelism and it could help you understand why your salvation hasn't become real.

Hell's Best Kept Secret

After watching that, meditate and pray over this verse, because Jesus has made this promise and He is true to His word. If you want Jesus in your life you have to cut loose all sin, and obey Him.

“All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.

This is a wonderful promise. Let us know how you get along.
 
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FutureAndAHope

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so why doesn't god talk to us in the same way he did before?

Hi dude, glad to see you again. He does still talk to people today. My website is full of examples of God taking audiably to me (and to others). He has also done other stuff as well like heal the sick etc. It is a long read but if you want to know the truth, he is still knowable today. I would be honered if you would have a look, I would love you to experience the good things he has done for me. See Know God Personally These are all my experiences they are not second hand gosip.
 
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Hakan101

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I think God being unchanging is referring to his character. Of course he doesn't do everything the exact same way, how bland would that be? He doesn't always reveal himself as a burning bush, but he always reveals himself in a way that you personally know is him. God's character never changes though.

The joy of the Lord is not just an emotion of happiness, this is something I have heard many times. It is a kind of strength that helps you persevere through crushing times, knowing that they will be overcome with God. This is what I would consider to be the definitive difference between other things that "make you happy." Because life's not always full of happiness, suffering is inevitably going to happen. But Jesus said that if we remain in him, his joy will be our joy, and our joy will be complete. I believe that was from John 15, it is a very interesting and explanatory chapter. I would recommend reading it.
 
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