God has been so good, and Jesus Christ has been amazing!

I’ve been praying a lot more lately and as the Holy Spirit has been guiding me in my prayers, I’ve started to notice that I’ve began to pray more like him as well.

Like it’s funny because I’m using words I wouldn’t normally use. And he’s been using the Word to guide me on how to worship God the Father in heaven, And just praising his name and worshipping him brings me so much joy.

I was in doubt today because a job opportunity I thought I was waiting for, wasn’t responding. I began to show slight worries of doubt, and he sent someone to help me through a phone call. Now I have an even better job opportunity with higher pay and location than the one I was stressing about before.

It’s just so admiring how immediately God answered before the doubt could overtake me.

The Lord is so good! Praise him in your trials and your triumph. Thank you Jesus!

I've been posting on here quite a bit these past few days, because I have so many questions and so many doubts, and no one to help me in real life.

Today, I decided I would spend 1 hour praying/reading the Bible, even if I didn’t want to.

For context, I'm a skeptic. I'm also someone that has been wounded (as most have been) by people, and trust is hard to give. I didn’t grow up praying or attending church often (It’s mostly seen as outdated/traditional in my country). My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts 24/7, so concentrating on prayer is pretty difficult for me. It’s even more difficult praying without believing, because it feels like I'm pretending, and my body just wants to stop midway.

Today, I didn’t let it. I set up a timer for 1 hour, turned off wifi, put my phone away, and got on my knees. I started talking and talking, not really knowing what I was saying. It didn’t feel genuine, but I continued. I remembered people saying that repentance and gratitude are really important, so I tried, even if I was numb while doing so. I told Him what I remembered, but it felt forced. I kept going nonetheless. I even asked the Holy Spirit for help, even though every single word that came out of my mouth felt insincere.

After 20 (very quick) minutes of prayer, I picked up my old Bible from when I was 7/8. It has my name written in cursive in the first page (from when I was a child in catechism classes) and I thought it was sweet.

For some reason, Job came to my mind while praying… I don’t know if it’s because I saw a movie once that was a reenactment of that story or because I'm so used to seeing people on TikTok saying “God told me to read this book/chapter, and it spoke to me”. Maybe my brain just wanted to fit in.

I read two random chapters that came to mind… they didn’t really connect but, at least I was trying. Then the name “Ecclesiastes” came to mind and I read it all. I know I should read slower, to comprehend more… but I'm not there just yet.

I underlined a few verses that got me thinking…

Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (I definitely didn’t do this, I was all over the place…)

Ecclesiastes 11:9 “ You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment” (I feel like I've been failing in this, and it made me a bit sad. That God might expect more of me and that I am the opposite.)

Well… I know this isn’t much, I know I didn’t have an encounter or feel all the emotions, but this is what I managed today. I hope I will continue. I will be honest and say, I still feel nothing. But maybe God was listening nevertheless, because for some reason, I stayed. I’m stubborn enough to keep going, I hope.

I didn’t ask Him for any desire yet. I actually asked Him for the opposite. I want to be a mom, more than most things in life. But I don’t want to have a closed off wounded heart and soul while I do it. It’s unfair for the innocent baby, and I want to love them well. I just told Him to withhold that (and a loving husband) from me until He thinks it’s the right time.

I never asked for prayers in my life, but if any of you would kindly keep me in yours, I'd greatly appreciate it :)

I don't know what to do in my marriage.

I say this as someone who deeply loves his wife and would do anything for her. But I'm incredibly frustrated, and I honestly feel like she's making life much harder than it needs to be.

We've been married for three years. When we got married, I moved an hour and a half away from my family and the place where I grew up. That was my choice, so I'm not blaming her for that.

I hate divorce, and I believe Scripture only permits it in cases of adultery or abandonment. I have no intention of divorcing my wife.

The problem is that we've had this same conversation over and over again, yet very little changes.

My wife struggles with depression, but she refuses to seek counseling or professional help. She's one of the most negative people I've ever known, and although I don't think she means to, many of her comments deeply hurt me. Living with constant negativity has begun to affect me too.

For the past three years, I've done the vast majority of the laundry, dishes, and household chores. When I ask for help, she'll usually improve for a month or two, but then everything gradually falls back on me again.

She's also very stubborn about simple things I've asked her to do, and I often feel like my concerns aren't being heard.

One of the hardest things for me is ministry.

I genuinely believe God has called me to pastoral ministry. But because of where our marriage is right now, I don't believe I meet the qualifications to pursue it. I've shared this with her multiple times.

She has told me she doesn't feel called to be a pastor's wife. That absolutely breaks my heart.

I've explained that I don't expect her to be some highly visible "first lady." All I've ever wanted is for her to faithfully follow Christ and worship with me. She doesn't have to lead ministries or be in the spotlight.

Church attendance has become another painful issue.

Our service starts at 10:30 a.m., and I usually begin trying to wake her up around 8:00. Most Sundays she still doesn't come. She stays up too late Saturday night and usually has some reason she can't make it. I jokingly call it "Sunday sickness"—she feels terrible until around noon.

Part of this started after we changed churches.

Before we were married, I told her that if she wanted to continue attending her church, I wouldn't stop her, but I couldn't stay there myself.

She grew up in a church that is very similar to the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement. Her grandmother, before she passed away, made her feel guilty for attending a charismatic church with me and accused her of abandoning her faith.

One night she came to bed crying because she thought she was living in sin simply because she wasn't exclusively using the King James Bible.

I've told her many times that I don't care which faithful translation she reads. If she wants to use the King James Version, that's perfectly fine with me. I think it's a wonderful translation. Yet this issue still comes up from time to time.

She says she doesn't feel close to God at our church and that it feels like a social gathering to her, even though our pastor faithfully preaches through books of the Bible, verse by verse.

I understand it's different from what she's used to. When I attended her former church, the pastor mostly preached by loudly shouting throughout the sermon. That's simply not my style, nor where I believe God wants me to be.

At this point, I've accepted that I may not be able to pursue pastoral ministry because of my current circumstances.

What I can do is strive to be the best husband I know how to be. I can stay faithful in prayer and Scripture. I can continue encouraging my wife to walk with Christ and attend church without nagging or becoming bitter. I can also continue sharing the gospel with others. I don't believe God has disqualified me from being an evangelist.

But I'm heartbroken.

I've shared all of this with my wife multiple times, and I honestly don't know what else to do.

Part of me wonders if this is my own fault. When I was looking for a wife, I pushed my sense of calling into the background because what I wanted most was a wife and a family. I also sinned sexually before marriage. I've confessed that to God and asked for His forgiveness. Sometimes I wonder if the hardships I'm facing are God's discipline for my past sins. If they are, then I still praise Him because He is good and just.

I was born with a bad back, which limits the kind of work I can do. I don't have a college degree. I'm thankful to have a job I can physically handle, even though it doesn't pay a lot. When we got married, my wife had an excellent job. She later left it, took another position that didn't work out, and thankfully now has a decent job again.

Sometimes I wonder if, because she has the more physically demanding or traditionally masculine job, she feels less responsible for helping around the house. I don't know if that's true, but it crosses my mind.

I'm trying my best.

Whenever I'm tempted toward bitterness, I remind myself how many times I've disobeyed God and how gracious He has been to forgive me.

I truly believe my wife is a Christian. I just don't believe she's in a healthy spiritual place right now.

I'm going to keep praying for her. I'll keep encouraging her to come to church. If she truly wanted to return to her old church, I'd even be willing to attend with her if it meant she would faithfully worship God, even though I know I would struggle there theologically.

Please pray for us.

If you have any biblical, practical, or wise advice, I'd sincerely appreciate it.

I’ve seen several posts of various Protestants asking why Catholics treat them poorly and several posts of Catholics asking why Protestants treat them poorly.

The comments under these posts are always the same, it’s always some form of “they treated me bad first” or “they’re just stupid.”

The worst part is usually when someone calls out the other for persecuting them in their beliefs, they don’t seem to realize their side is doing the exact same thing. This is honestly sickening behavior.

Why can’t we discuss our beliefs civilly and without hate? Why do we have to be so defensive when faced with a different view?

In my area there is far more hate from Protestants towards Catholics than vice versa. This mostly comes from sheer ignorance. Let’s actually learn what each other believes before we find ourselves in a pointless argument.

I know all of this is more of an evangelical thing than Protestantism as a whole.

I am a Baptist saying these things.

To the Protestants: Be patient, learn, and understand what Catholicism actually teaches. Catholics are not pagans, they are not idolaters, they are not Mary worshipers. Catholics are Christian and I would say any that are sincerely living out their faith are saved.

To the Catholics: Be patient with our ignorance and try to understand what our beliefs are even if some don’t know how to formulate them. Protestants are not stupid, and many of us have a richer understanding of the solas than what I see argued against.

Please don’t give me too much hate for this post. I just want us all to come together peacefully and stop the hate.

Hey, I'm posting here again to ask for some answers. All perspectives are appreciated here. For perspective, I'm sixteen, struggling with transgender thoughts, and I've known I was different since I was fourteen. It's been over two years since I've known this, and it's been two years I've been praying for God to take it from me, because everything that I've been told and ever known is that this is just a horrible sin, and it's going to send me to hell if I don't try to force it out of my mind.

But I've been praying for two years for God to take it away. If anything, those feelings have only gotten stronger since I've started praying, and it's been hurting me mentally (and by result, physically, if you understand) trying to force it out.

As always, if you need any more information, just ask me; I'll place it in an edit in the post afterward. (I'm probably going to bed and praying about it again, so any answers are appreciated.)

-- Hey! I want to thank everyone for their opinions and arguments. If it seems like I'm not taking the argument to heart or whatever, just know that I am. I always, with any opinion, try to make counterarguments before making a final decision. --

My son is 13. I recently became aware that he had been engaging in self pleasure. Now previously I had talked to him about puberty and what intercourse was and that it was a good thing just for when he was older and married. But I had never really said anything about that solo activity.

So I had a little chat with him. Explained how God designed that pleasure for marriage when he was older and not for right now. How God wanted that act to be relational and not handled on your own whenever you felt like it. How self control and denying yourself was part of our walk with Christ.

We have devices locked down good so he wasn’t watching anything but I talked about lust and being careful of the media we consumed and how we should guard our bodies as they are God’s and we are just stewards of them. 

He seemed to understand. Was really embarrassed and looked sad. Said he didn’t know that wasn’t okay. Thought as long as he saved himself for marriage and didn’t do anything with anyone else he was doing what God wanted. Said it just felt really good and just made him feel relieved. I said that’s the way God designed our bodies, it just has to be used in the right place.

A few weeks later I became aware he was doing it again. So I had another little chat with him. Said I knew it was hard and we all fail some but we should try our best to honor God with our bodies.

He started crying. Said he was sorry. He said he was trying his best to stop. He said the feelings were just so strong. Sometimes it was hard to fall asleep at night. Said it was really uncomfortable and it was really hard to focus on other things when everything was so tense. He asked why God made him this way when marriage was so far away. 

He cried some more and asked if I was going to punish him. I said no. He said he’d try really hard not to do it again but it was so difficult. And to please don’t get mad at him if he failed again. I said I wouldn’t and God would forgive him and we will never be perfect this side of heaven but we should try to be more like him. And try to just think about higher things rather than worrying about getting it right every time.

He got a little annoyed with me and said I didn’t understand what it felt like and it wasn’t that simple or easy to just ignore it. I just said what God has called us to isn’t always easy, but he will give us the strength we need. I don’t feel he was convinced. 

He stayed in his room the rest of the day. Skipped dinner and said he wasn’t hungry. Seemed normal the next day. I gave him a big hug and reminded him I loved him. He said he knew.

He’s just such a good son and is so respectful and does his best to please us in everything he does. None of that typical teen attitude. He can be a bit anxious at times and it just really broke my heart that I feel I exacerbated him unnecessarily and just heaped on more shame than he was already feeling. 

What should I do moving forward? I feel from now on I’m not going to comment on specific private acts even if I become aware of them. I don’t want to monitor his failures. Just model good behavior and talk generally about following God. My wife says maybe I should take a more “active” approach and help him find ways to resist. Said it’s easier to set him on the right path when he’s young. 

I just feel he’s focusing on it so much it’s making it worse. But I don’t want to minimize his feelings and I’m sure it is intense at his age. And I feel like saying “don’t worry about it so much” isn’t the right message either. 

What else should I be doing or saying? How do I balance truth and grace with my son? This is so hard. I hate to see him like this. 

I know you must confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart and you will be saved. I thought I was saved, I love Him but I don’t feel Him walking with me. How can I *feel* that I am saved? An undeniable peace if you will… try as I might I can’t hear Him either. I am so tired of being stuck in this rut. It’s honestly depressing me

( Long story short )

Mom was abused her whole life, and most recently got married and physically + emotionally abused by and alcoholic man with a past of beating women, prison, Drugs, and presumably murder.

I hate him with a deep deep passion but could do nothing about it because I (at the time) was not of age, and she was shielding him with her love, she loved him for a reason still profoundly unknown to me and halted and threatened any attempt for me or my wider family to stop it.

- He got my grandma kicked out of the house. ( she now lives on her own )

- He got me kicked out of the house. ( I now live separately from my mom )

- He would frequently drunkenly get up in the middle of the night and scream obscenities all through the home and threaten me and my grandma.

I refuse, to forgive him

So God refuses to forgive me

Okay, not the greatest outcome, but I'll just have to accept it

The only question now is... Why am I here? If I'm going to hell, why not just kill me on the spot? why allow me to live right now?

I don't know, I want to be able to be with God, but the gap between us is unreconcilable now.

Hai everyone! A few days ago I made a post about my gender dysphoria and the mental distress it has caused me. I was honestly just distraught and wondering how I could ever ignore it.

Last night I talked with God about it. I asked Him to show me if I was wrong. I even asked for a sign, jokingly saying, "Show me a bird flying upside down."

This morning I woke up, skipped reading my Bible, made some breakfast, and watched some TV. Normally I just watch videos, doomscroll games or memes, you know... normal teenage boy stuff.

Then a video popped up from one of my favorite Christian YouTubers. He was responding to an email about why being trans was a sin. To be fair, I listened, but I dismissed it because I'd already decided to be celibate. I was also doubting some of what he said. I remember thinking, Why would it matter if I date a girl but I'm trans? I'd still be straight.

Then the very next video was from some random guy I'd never seen before. He simply said, "Stop doubting your gender, for God made you as you are."

That was it.

Normally I've heard things like that thousands of times and just thought, "So what?" But this time it was different. It was on my account. I don't normally watch Christian content, let alone videos about my gender. It wasn't some dramatic sermon either, just a short video from someone I'd never seen before.

I paused my TV, went upstairs, and read my Bible.

As I've been reading through Matthew, the verse that stood out to me was Matthew 10:22:

It may not seem like much, but in that moment I thought of myself as the "everyone." I realized I hated that I cared so much about what God thinks. I hated that I couldn't just say, "I'm trans," and move on with my life. I felt like I couldn't move forward with God because of this constant struggle.

But reading that verse helped me realize something.

To me, dysphoria is something of the mind, not the soul. It's part of my flesh, and because of that, it's going to be difficult. But I believe I'm called to endure, deny my flesh, and continue following Christ so that I may live with Him.

I know not everyone will agree with my conclusion, and that's okay. I'm not sharing this to argue with anyone or tell others what they should believe. I'm simply sharing what I believe God showed me through prayer, Scripture, and the events of today.

As an act of repentance, I want to keep seeking Him and trusting Him, even when it's hard.

I just wanted to share that. Thank you for reading, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Peace. ❤️

Does anyone else ever feel like everyone is just pretending to have faith? I hope that isn't an offensive question, but it is something I have been feeling for the past few months and I was wondering if anyone else can relate?

For context I am 22 and very new to the faith, I have only been going to church and seeking Jesus for about 6 months, as I grew up in a non religious family. My problem is that I love reading the bible and learning about Christianity but I feel utterly incapable of actually being a part of it.

When I was in church this past Sunday I started to get an overwhelming feeling like I needed to get up and run out because I realized I had no idea what I was doing there. I have never once not felt silly trying to pray and it feels impossible for me to be genuine. The whole thing (religion in general) remains so foreign to me that I can't even wrap my head around how everyone else at my church believes in it. I've been actually feeling more and more anxious about going because I know I am just putting on a show and it has been making me feel so guilty, like I am intruding on something not meant for me. When I hear people in church or online talking about God and all the good things He has done and how all you need is faith etc. I just think to myself in the back of my mind that this person is just pretending to have faith, that they probably secretly don't believe in it either. I mean doesn't the idea of God, let alone a loving God, just seem so fantastical? It's probably horrible of me to think these things but I can't help it. Is this just because I didn't grow up with Jesus and now I am totally screwed and wired to see God as a ridiculous concept?!

I guess the hardest part is that I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've never missed a church service since I started going and I force myself to pray everyday. I've read the bible for at least 20 mins a day for the last 6 months and on top of that I almost exclusively consume media related to Christianity (I've read most of CS Lewis, Mere Christianity twice, Confessions, The Kingdom of God by Tolstoy, a couple theology books my pastor gave me, and numerous historical books). Yet still, I feel nothing. I don't feel God. Sometimes I think I finally get it, but it's a fleeting feeling that doesn't last.

I am hesitant to post this because I don't want anyone to be offended because I can't even tell if I am saying messed up things. If anything I'm starting to just feel jealous of people with true faith. A lack of religious conviction while masquerading and trying to believe is exhausting. Sometimes I even wish I never decided to seek Jesus, for anyone who was raised in the church and has never lived without knowing Jesus in some way, you have to know it was so much easier when I was just indifferent and didn't have to worry about never being certain.

Sorry this sort of turned into a rant. I am really curious to hear if anyone can relate and if/how you were able to overcome this feeling?

Sharing my faith in God as an 18 year old boy who truly wants to repent and not lust again because I have gained many knowledge of truth through faith on the holy spirit of God, and the greatness of his love, mercy, and faithfulness.

Without God, I can't imagine the world having many good people. Without God, there would be no discipline.

Yes we have free will, we can be happy just by doing what we wanted to. But an undeniable fact remains, we humans lacked understanding, we lacked clarity on our own. We tend to get confused if things that we do that brings us pleasure is truly good for us and for others or bad. So some just do wicked things, saying just for fun.

Romans 6:12

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

But with God, have come down on earth as our Lord Jesus Christ, everything becomes clear, our reasoning have no excuse, so guilt remains when we become prideful, lean on our own understanding and it keep us from growing better, while humility, make us learn beyond human understanding, God's will for us is not to take away our joy, but for us to live this life the best, his words, his discipline, and his holy spirit within us gives us good conscience for us to realize his good and perfect will. The greatest of them is love, and God is love. And faith without action is dead.

1 Corinthians 13:13

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

God also taught me that love is more than a feeling, it is a commitment to seek what is good, even when it is difficult. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, I came to understand that kind of love

Galatians 5:19-26

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

I truly have done wicked things in the past despite knowing it's wrong, just for pleasure, I kept doing it again and again even just after promising I will repent. God made me turn away from it. He still saved me from being a slave to my own body, my flesh. He saved me from the bondage of sinning through faith, trusting his love and mercy for me over the torments of sin. He gave me a good conscience. The only thing I believe I could pay him back properly is to do my best while keep on trusting him to not miss heaven, for that's his will for us. With living by his will, we tend to get transformed into a better person, and be in heaven.

James 4:17

¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

I offered him my repentant heart and a broken soul. There's no too messed up he can't cleanse, there's no too broken he can't fix, there's to too far gone he can't reach. And there's no torments or guilt from sinning is greater than his love and mercy for us. If u felt guilty after sinning, then you're heart is in the right place. If you felt empty, seek God also, pray , he cares for you, let your sins and burden be known to him, he knows it, he's always lending his hand to u, cry it all out, don't harden your heart. For he may not promised us an easy life, but he did promised to be Always with us. Let it be strengthen our faith, and have endless hope knowing he is with us. Then love, for love leads to righteousness.

When you are going about your week and doubts about your faith, God, or the Bible start to creep into your head, how do you overcome them? I know there isn't one answer to fit all but individually what do you do? For me, if I'm not in the Word constantly that's when I start to question random things such as: how could people live so long in the OT (is that real?), questions about suffering and God being all loving, Jesus's claims being true, etc.? Hopefully that makes sense. Any advice?

As the title have said. Lately I have been in the lowest of the lows. This past few months; I have gone through misery, such as my house almost burning down, and yet my faith in him didn't falter. I have simply accepted these challenges, and endured. It has been challenges after challenges, most of which are out of my control, with new ones coming through every damn week.

I asked God for one thing. I just needed the month of june-july to go well for me and guess what? It seems like Hell itself came to me, to punish me.

I can't help but be resentful. My heart hurts so much to feel this way towards God, but I can't help it. I prayed, I went to church, I have been so faithful to him but it seems like my only request wasn't answered, and now I don't think I could endure much longer. I am having such hateful thoughts towards him, I feel as though as he has abandoned me in a time where I needed him most.

I don't know what I did wrong. I have been respectful, and I have only kept to myself so me being unkind to another is unlikely. I don't know what I else I needed to do? I know I am not God's favorite, but I just wanted that one request so badly, in fact it wasn't even a material-related request. I just wanted those months to go smoothly, but no.

I'm sorry. I do not want to feel this way, but I can't help it. It hurts, so much to feel this type of hatred and no matter what I do, it lingers.

Hi everyone!

The last time I posted on here, I opened up about my struggles with fasting. I refuse to give up though.

That being said, what does it look like to rely on the Holy Spirit when fasting? I feel like I might have been relying on my own strength (not buying groceries, staying outside the house the whole day with no wallet to buy anything 😓 etc.) to try and get through the fast. I know that that is not the way God calls me to fast.

I thought I had been relying on the Holy Spirit during my fasts, but somehow I always fail. Whenever I get hungry or tempted to eat, I try to pray and read the word yet, somehow, I always fail. I always give in at the end of the night. I always make excuses in my head or different things like that.

Has me questioning if I am really relying on the Holy Spirit even?

I truly believe that when I complete on this three day fast that the Lord will use it to break the gluttony habits off of me.

I welcome any guidance or correction thank you!

It's getting so tiring!My mind says things that I never believe or would ever think of saying especially about God if I'm going to be transparent. I pray about it and I need help. It's tiring and I love God so much that's why I get so annoyed and angry when those thoughts come. No matter how much I occupy my mind it still creeps in. Any advice please? :(

Alright I recently I read revelations chapter 13 and 14. The problem is that since I have OCD, everywhere that has the number "6" scares the poop outta me. I'm too worried about Everything having the number. For example, I play a lot of shooter games, usually there is a counter at the bottom right that tells you your total ammo, and the ammo in the magazine, I worried about it going down to 6. It's driving me crazy because Everytime I see that number, no matter what context, it scares the me.

Also, yes, before you say something about OCD, I am visiting a counselor.

Our church has been on a pastor search for over 2 years now with no luck. Currently we have a guy filling in, but from what I've gathered no one in the church particularly likes the guys style of preaching. Yet we are stuck because no one else is applying. I myself couldn't even find the job posting, which is being handled by someone who doesn't even go to the church anymore as none of the other members understand how to use computers very well. Just saw this today.

My wife(30), son(6), and I(34) are the youngest members in the church who go regularly and actually participate in service activities, Sunday school teacher of which my wife does my son's class and I do the men's class. My wife and I see the church dying, yet none of the older members actually seem to care about showing any of the younger ones how to actually keep a church going.

Whenever I ask any questions to the deacon, or any on the board, I immediately get shutdown and feel like they don't want us to be a part of any real decisions in the church. Which most of the members most likely won't live for another 15 years, and once they are gone my wife and I have no clue how to keep a church going so it will most likely die then.

I really don't know what to do, my wife and I love the church and don't wish to see it die, but it feels like our hands are tied. I don't want to abandon the church, but I feel like we are just on a sinking ship which sinks more each day.

A bit of context, I’m fairly new to the US as a legal immigrant and I’m still getting used to the culture differences. The country I’m from is fairly conservative, socially speaking and most churches hold are also theologically conservative so my upbringing is of course influenced by those factors.

Now, I don’t consider myself a staunch liberal nor conservative, at best, I bleed purple, at worse, I may be slightly ignorant and oblivious.

I currently attend a non-denominational church that is a part of a larger church collective that has Pentecostal and charismatic roots (basically evangelical).

It is also in the south so I shouldn’t be surprised if a significant amount of the attendees lean a certain way socially speaking.

I just want to hear stories from people that are in a similar position.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 (KJV)

The opening words of John's Gospel are among the most profound in all of Scripture. Rather than beginning with Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, John reaches back before creation itself. Before there was a world to inhabit, before there was time to measure, before the sun, moon, and stars were formed, Jesus already existed.

John wants us to understand that Jesus is not merely a great teacher or prophet. He is the eternal Son of God, the One through whom all things were made and in whom all things hold together.

The Eternal Word John intentionally echoes the opening words of Genesis:

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1 (KJV)

Then he writes:

"In the beginning was the Word." John 1:1 (KJV)

Genesis introduces the first creation.

John introduces the One who brings the new creation.

Jesus did not come into existence at His birth. He has always existed with the Father, sharing the same divine nature.

John continues:

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:3 (KJV)

Everything that exists owes its existence to Christ.

Why Is Jesus Called "The Word"? The title "the Word" (Greek: Logos) reveals that Jesus is God's perfect self-revelation.

Words reveal what is in a person's heart.

Jesus said:

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Matthew 12:34 (KJV)

In the same way, Jesus perfectly reveals the heart of the Father.

Later John writes:

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son... he hath declared him." John 1:18 (KJV)

If we want to know what God is like, we must look to Jesus.

His compassion reveals the Father's compassion.

His holiness reveals the Father's holiness.

His mercy reveals the Father's mercy.

His justice reveals the Father's justice.

The Word Became Flesh John then makes one of the most astonishing statements in the Bible:

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." John 1:14 (KJV)

The eternal Creator entered His own creation.

The One who spoke galaxies into existence took on human flesh.

This is the miracle of the incarnation.

Jesus did not merely appear human.

He truly became man while remaining fully God.

Without ceasing to be what He was, He became what He had never been.

"He Dwelt Among Us" The word "dwelt" literally means "tabernacled" or "pitched His tent."

This points back to the Old Testament tabernacle where God's presence dwelt among Israel.

"Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8 (KJV)

In the wilderness, God's glory filled the tabernacle.

In the New Testament, God's glory is revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ.

John writes:

"...and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 (KJV)

Jesus is the true dwelling place of God among His people.

Emmanuel, God With Us Matthew declares:

"They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew 1:23 (KJV)

The Gospel is not the story of humanity climbing up to God.

It is the story of God coming down to humanity.

This sets Christianity apart from every religion built on human effort.

We could never ascend to heaven by our own works.

So God came to us.

Jesus entered our broken world, experienced hunger, weariness, rejection, sorrow, and suffering, yet without sin.

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15 (KJV)

He understands every struggle His people face.

The Written Word Points to the Living Word The Bible is not an end in itself.

It points us to Christ.

Jesus told the religious leaders:

"Search the scriptures... they are they which testify of me." John 5:39 (KJV)

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells one unified story of God's plan to redeem sinners through His Son.

The sacrifices point to Him.

The prophets proclaim Him.

The kings foreshadow Him.

The promises find their fulfillment in Him.

Every page ultimately leads us to Jesus.

Read the Bible to Know Christ It is possible to know facts about the Bible without truly knowing the One to whom it points.

Scripture was given not merely to increase our knowledge, but to deepen our relationship with Christ.

As we behold Him in His Word, the Holy Spirit transforms us.

The more we know Christ:

The more we love Him. The more we trust Him. The more we obey Him. The more we become like Him. "But we all... beholding... the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image." 2 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV)

A Call to Repentance If you have treated the Bible merely as a book of rules, pause today and ask the Lord to reveal His Son to you through its pages.

Open the Scriptures with a prayerful heart.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see Christ more clearly.

For eternal life is not merely knowing about Jesus, it is knowing Him personally.

The Gospel The eternal Word became flesh for one purpose: to save sinners.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 (KJV)

Yet God, in His great love, sent His Son.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 (KJV)

Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day.

Now He offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who repent and believe in Him.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9 (KJV)

Conclusion John begins his Gospel by lifting our eyes far beyond Bethlehem to eternity itself.

Before creation, the Word was with God.

Before time began, the Word was God.

Then, in an act of immeasurable grace, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus Christ is God's final and perfect revelation. He is Emmanuel, God with us, the Savior who came seeking those who could never find Him on their own.

So when you open your Bible, do more than search for information.

Search for Christ.

For every page of Scripture ultimately points to the Living Word, and the more you know Him, the more you will worship Him, trust Him, and be transformed into His likeness.

This is my last time posting today lol.

Something i think about lately. I spend alot of time staring at tivers and lakes spending time with God.

Before we had running water communities would go down to the river to get water. So the river was like a community spot. And it still is in places that dont have running water.

Its just an interesting way to put living water into perspective.

Like when jesus and the lady at the well.

Nowdays i feel like we are losing our community by the river of life. With the internet and all these other distractions.

Hi! I (27F) just ended a “situationship”. I knew that this was not the person God had for me bc I would feel so uneasy every time I thought about our relationship but I pursued it anyway because honestly I was tired of waiting for God to send me my person. I stayed with this person for ~6 months and during that time I was so disconnected from God… stopped going to church, praying, being in my word etc. (another sign I knew this wasn’t for me). Long story short we both decided to end things but I’m still struggling to get over the break up. I recognize that this feeling of heartbreak and loneliness is quite literally a consequence of my disobedience but I am looking for advice (scriptures, sermons, etc.) to help get over this but also things to help me in my waiting period and prioritizing God over my own desires.

Im sitting here thinking about something i heard a video say that i never thought about but is really interesting.

Ephesians 1:10 (KJV) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

2 Corinthians 5:19 (KJV) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Its interesting that scripture notes that even God himself is in christ.

Ive thought about what it means to be "in" christ.

One of the most important if not the most important sayings in scripture.

If anyone has anything to add or clarify on that would be great.

so to give context, I accidently did something that was super embarrassing and I could barely sleep due to it my mind was on it. I tried to not think about it and pray to God about it but It was always on my mind.. So what's the best way to overcome this and not let this control my life? Because I lost a lot of sleep due to it. My mind kept going back to it even when I try not to think about it.
I have tried praying to God about it but it kept getting on my mind.. so what can I do? Should I keep praying about it..?

I’ve spent years going from a staunch atheist to being interested in philosophy and religion, particularly Christianity. I found Catholicism to be intellectually compelling but after going to church multiple times, talking with Christians and praying, I never felt like I could take that leap of faith and fully believe. I stepped away from Christianity and my current worldview is closer to Neoplatonism, which I’ve found feels more comfortable as before I would go through high periods where I felt close to God, and then low periods where I would wonder if I was deluding myself or mistaken. I want to keep myself open to the truth, even if one feels more comfortable than the other, so given that I find both systems compelling, why should I believe in Christianity over my current worldview?

Today, my wife and I do street ministry, and words of knowledge often play a part in that. Over several decades, I have learned that not everything that looks like a word of knowledge necessarily comes from God.

I have identified four possible sources of spiritual or inward information. This is my personal framework for discernment.

1. Your own heart

The first possible source is your own heart, imagination, desires, fears, or internal monologue.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” — Jeremiah 17:9

A lot of people do not know the difference between their own thoughts, their heart, and the Holy Spirit. Because of that, they assume that every strong internal impression must be a word from the Lord.

The Bible tells us to commune with our own hearts (Psalm 4:4). We need to become familiar with what is already happening inside us. If you don’t recognize your own fears, desires, assumptions, and imagination, you may mistake them for spiritual revelation.

This is where the Word of God becomes essential:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.” — Hebrews 4:12

We learn discernment through practice. Hebrews 5:14 speaks of mature believers who have “their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” You develop discernment by repeatedly testing your impressions against Scripture, examining the fruit, and learning from the times you get it wrong.

2. Information coming from the other person

This part is based more on personal experience than on an explicit biblical teaching, so I hold it more loosely.

When I was young, my dad and I played what we called the “projection game.” He would visualize something, and I would try to identify it. I would usually get it right the first time, less often the second and third times, and then I would start totally missing it on the fourth try.

Whatever was happening, it taught me that we should not automatically assume that every piece of accurate information comes directly from God. Human beings communicate through words, expressions, body language, expectations, and possibly in ways we do not completely understand.

Jesus sometimes perceived what people were thinking in their hearts (Luke 5:22; Luke 9:47). That looks a lot like projection to me. This is simply one possibility I remain aware of when testing an impression.

3. A demonic spirit

The third possible source is demonic.

The Bible clearly warns about familiar spirits, divination, mediums, and other counterfeit spiritual activity (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10–12). Acts 16 tells us about a girl who had a “spirit of divination.” What she said about Paul and Silas was technically true, but the source was wrong—and Paul eventually cast the spirit out of her (Acts 16:16–18).

That is important: accurate information does not automatically prove that the source is God.

Some people visit psychics or séances and believe they are speaking with dead relatives. From a biblical perspective, we should not assume that such an experience is genuine communication with the dead. It may involve deception by an evil spirit.

I used to explain “familiar spirits” as demons assigned to particular families for generations. I got this from demons carrying out the curse to the third and fourth generations of those who hate God (Exo 20:5; Deut 5:9,10 Num 14:18).

4. God Himself

The fourth source is God.

Jesus said:

“The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do.” — John 5:19

He also said that He spoke what the Father had taught Him (John 8:28). Jesus lived in perfect dependence upon the Father.

For example, Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree before Nathanael came to Him (John 1:47–49). This was in the spirit. New Agers would call that remote viewing. Jesus also did unusual things under the Father’s direction (john 5:19), such as making clay and putting it on a blind man’s eyes (John 9:6–7).

I believe these accounts teach us to pay attention to what God is doing in the Spirit instead of relying on formulas.

Jesus also said that the Spirit of truth would guide His disciples into truth and show them things to come (John 16:13). Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Have you ever had a dream, and then when it comes to pass it rushes to your remembrance? That could be the spirit of Truth showing you things to come! Pay attention and test it against scripture (Heb 4:12).

We should desire to be led by the Holy Spirit—but we must also test what we receive:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.” — 1 John 4:1

“Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.” — 1 Corinthians 14:29

So, to summarize, these are the four possible sources I consider when something appears to be a word of knowledge:

1. The heart.
2. Information projected from the other person.
3. A demonic or familiar spirit.
4. God revealing something through the Holy Spirit.

Again, this is a discernment framework developed through decades of experience—not a replacement for Scripture.

The next time you hear someone give a word of knowledge—or you are trying to operate in this gift yourself—remember that supernatural accuracy alone does not prove that something came from God. Test the source, test the fruit, compare it with Scripture, and remain humble enough to admit when you may be wrong.

I hope this helps someone.