My faith can be shaken so easily

Hi JF,

There are many questions that we can not find the answer. There are many things happened that could not be understand. But "we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and called according to His purpose".

Remember "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". This means we must still trust God even if we don't understand what's happening in our lives.

 

Then where is YOUR faith?

Diane

 

There are those of us who are more comfortable around the happy clappy music, and it DOES work for the listening and meditative section of worship. It doesn't have to be slow and tranquil for it to be spiritual and meditative.

One of my favorite songs to worship God with is NOT slow!

POD 'Alive'

Everyday is a new day
I’m thankful for every breath I take
I won’t take it for granted
So I learn from my mistakes
It’s beyond my control, sometimes it’s best to let go
Whatever happens in this lifetime
So I trust in love
You have given me peace of mind
chorus:
I feel so alive for the very first time
I can’t deny you
I feel so alive
I feel so alive for the very first time
And I think I can fly

Sunshine upon my face
A new song for me to sing
Tell the world how I feel inside
Even though it might cost me everything
Now that I know this, so beyond, I can’t hold this
I can never turn my back away
Now that I’ve seen you
I can never look away

[chorus]

[bridge:]
Now that I know you (I could never turn my back away)
Now that I see you (I could never look away)
Now that I know you (I could never turn my back away)
Now that I see you (I believe no matter what they say)

[chorus x 2]

I am moved by this song, and there is also many others that connect me to God. I've had a hard knock life, and music that is written by other people who have had a hard knock life touch me in a way that no 'slow' song can.

I enjoy Skillet, Tree63, Switchfoot, Audio Adrenaline, Delerious?, Pax217, POD, The Kry, and so many others.

We all have different lives, and are all in different places in our walk.

Our music should reflect that.

God Bless,
Kelly

 

by JF

You have to wait and leave the result to God.

"Commit thy ways unto the LORD and He shall bring it to pass."

 

Hi JF,

I think you have to study the life of Job. Please read and study Job chapters 39 and 40.

If you can answer all the questions of God to Job then i think you have the reason for what you feel.

 

I believe what is shaking you up is a miscomception of the purpose of the creation account and how it is seemingly contridicted by modern science. May I suggest to you the book of Genesis, like all other books of the Bible are much deeper than they appear on the surface. This Book was never intended to be strickly a historical event. Like all other books of the Bible this book is prophesy. It can get really deep but I will point out some facts about Adam and Eve just to give you a piece of what I am saying. It may also be helpful to recall that the Lord spoke in parables. He has hidden prophesy in parables throughout the Old Testament. God said it is not good for Adam to be alone. (compare Adam with Christ...see 1Cor 15) God put Adam in a deep sleep (When the saw Jesus was already dead John 19:33) and took part of his side (One of the soilders took a spear and pierced his side...)See the comparason? Eve (the Church) was the one tricked by Satan, She in turn brings her sin to Adam (Christ) and he partakes of her sin, and God throughout the rest of scripture blames Adam!! You see our enemy wants us to focus on defending something that is missunderstood! He wants to hide the prophsey in an attempt to blind us into believing this book is only history! Able, Abrahahm, Issac, Nohah, Joseph, Job, David, are all type of Christ! We see that events in their lives point to the Messiah. The first son of man rose against the second son of man and killed him. There was power in his blood! for this sin the first son was cast out, and became a wonderer on the earth, all who saw him sought to kill him. Jesus was killed by his brothers, they in turn wondered the earth for 1900 years, and his blood has the power to transform lives! Don`t let the Secular Humanist shake your faith with their own Genesus account! In my view it takes more faith to believe everything created itself based on assumptions of similarities between bones, than to believe a loving God showed us his power in predicting the future of man and his salvation!

God Bless!
bonehead

[ February 07, 2004, 02:56 PM: Message edited by: bonehead ]

 

I believe what is shaking you up is a miscomception of the purpose of the creation account and how it is seemingly contridicted by modern science. May I suggest to you the book of Genesis, like all other books of the Bible are much deeper than they appear on the surface. This Book was never intended to be strickly a historical event. Like all other books of the Bible this book is prophesy. It can get really deep but I will point out some facts about Adam and Eve just to give you a piece of what I am saying. It may also be helpful to recall that the Lord spoke in parables. He has hidden prophesy in parables throughout the Old Testament. God said it is not good for Adam to be alone. (compare Adam with Christ...see 1Cor 15) God put Adam in a deep sleep (When the saw Jesus was already dead John 19:33) and took part of his side (One of the soilders took a spear and pierced his side...)See the comparason? Eve (the Church) was the one tricked by Satan, She in turn brings her sin to Adam (Christ) and he partakes of her sin, and God throughout the rest of scripture blames Adam!! You see our enemy wants us to focus on defending something that is missunderstood! He wants to hide the prophsey in an attempt to blind us into believing this book is only history! Able, Abrahahm, Issac, Nohah, Joseph, Job, David, are all type of Christ! We see that events in their lives point to the Messiah. The first son of man rose against the second son of man and killed him. There was power in his blood! for this sin the first son was cast out, and became a wonderer on the earth, all who saw him sought to kill him. Jesus was killed by his brothers, they in turn wondered the earth for 1900 years, and his blood has the power to transform lives! Don`t let the Secular Humanist shake your faith with their own Genesus account! In my view it takes more faith to believe everything created itself based on assumptions of similarities between bones, than to believe a loving God showed us his power in predicting the future of man and his saivior!

God Bless!
bonehead

 

Then where is YOUR faith?

Diane </font>[/QUOTE]Oh man, I mean I have to know how it all works and how we are able to be faithful. I have to know everything, this is how I am, I am sort of pedantic but I wish I wasn't.
And how does one know wether you are really faithful ? How do you know wether you have absolute faith ? is this something you feel or something you know ? How do I know wether I really have faith in something or wether I only cheat myself ? Imagine somebody is dying and then the family members may believe that everything will be fine again simply because they cannot deal with the thought that this person might die, this is why they push away this thought and protect themselves this way. This isn't faith, this is simply protection. So what is faith and how do you measure it and how do you know wether you really have faith ?
When I imagine that I'm really really sick then I would believe that God will do something, I would think to myself that God won't allow that, but is this faith or is it simply the wish that everything will be fine again or you could also call it escape from reality. People which are sick sometimes deny their sickness simply to protect themselves. This is not faith, so what is faith ? You see, I'm really pedantic, but I really suffer from this. I ask things which nobody else would even think about, this is how I am. And I also torture myself by thinking about such questions all day, I just have to think about such stuff, it's kind of obsessive.
I also prayed to God to help me but nothing happened, I still think too much. </font>[/QUOTE]Jesusfreak, many people sometime have questions. When the questions become strong and seem too perplexing we call them doubts it seems.

But everyone who believes has some other reason that compels them to believe; I know I do.

What compels you? Why do you belive? Why do you want to believe?

I've wrestled with almost everything and many kinds of questions. But I continue because I am compelled. Going over your description of your "doubts" and your other post on UFO's, I find myself saying, 'yes, I remember thinking that'.

Some people have had a "miracle", or some kind of mystical experience, which you have mentioned. And for those people, this event compels them.

Other people have been seriosly affected by the charater and integrity of Christians who they have seen in action as it were, and then go on to find the source of that character in Christ. Once they read the teachings and character of the love of Christ, they are attracted in a powerful way that compels them to continue to belive in the face of whatever other questions they may have.

Other people find some powerful compelling beauty and logic in the scriptures that convinces and compels them.

What motivated you in the first place? Hang onto that, whatever it was. And then grow further.

I have had many questions as well, and I still do. But for me, when I read the gospel of John for example I am compelled to believe; I want to believe. When I read the book of Ephesians, that is another source that compels me. There have also been a few incidences in my life where I have had what some people would call a mystical "experience with God" as it were.

But even if you have any of the above, there is also an element of choice and will. I choose to continue and choose to believe (notwithstanding the theology of any Reformed or Calvinist brethren, who, even if they are correct, the end result is the same).

Some of your questions may be answered. You also probably have some initial experience or something else, some idea or value or love that makes you want to believe.

I have thought about whether life exists in outer space, or on other planets, and find that all of life in the universe is an axiomatic problem unless there is a designer. Yes there are still questions, but for me, this makes more sense. So things are settled enough for now.

I find a powerful attraction and love when I consider Christ. I feel and sense, and I think that a creator/designer is the only philosophical concept that fills the axiomatic void created by why did everything begin.

Why do you belive? Why do you want to? Go back to that and build upon it.