Theophilus

To the proph and Civilpunch,
Both of you have by your effort to get into this forum demonstrated some degree of belief in God. As well, both of you are seeking answers and or the "feeling" of closeness to God that either you have felt at one time and or seen in another.
Unfortunatly what places you on the "non Christian"side of the registration rules is that you have not expressed your commitment to Jesus.
Hopfully we here at CFS can assist you in your efforts to know Him and help you get to the point of making that commitment.

Some things I wish to mention.
There is a differance between not believing and not knowing.
And there is a differance between believing, knowing and accepting.

Another aspect that needs concideration for both of you is the matter of "feelings"
In as much as all of these are variable, basicly intangable and relitive to factors such as maturity and situation we all (Even devout, mature Christians)have at times difficulty with them. So take comfort in that you are most definatly not alone.

Feelings

While feelings are an important part of any relationship, and certianly no less in ones relationship with God they should never be the only concideration.
Why????
Because "feelings" are affected by outside factors. Reflect back on your freinds or family. Have you always been happy with them??? always valued their relationship? always responded to it favorably? Always been as close as you wanted Have there been times when yo just saw them as strangers? distant? not present in your life?
We get tired, distracted or they do or say something that makes us resentful angry or feel rejected or distant.
Feelings are always in termoil. This is not a bad thing once one learns to understand and respect that.

There is purpose and value not only in feeling close to God but feeling distance, rejection and or anger from God in our lives. It lets us know that we need to do something or change something in our lives so that we again have that relationship and that feeling of closeness we want and need.
For both of you there is something missing, something in your heart that tells you that something is wrong.. You feel that and you are seeking it.

As I said in the begining it is not belief that you are lacking. No one seeks that which they don't believe exists. You are here because your belief has brought you to this point.

The more one knows the greater the possibility of knowing what it is that one is missing.
Your three most valuable venues for knowledge of God are; His written word (The Bible), personal contact/ relationships with those who know Him and last but certianly the most important is talking to Him personaly(prayer).


Sincerely His
Cliff

Jax

Dean I appreciate your point and of course you are right, but usually one can tell quite quickly on a forum where people are coming from and their agenda, it shows in a way it doesnt face to face for some reason!
However I am all for those genuinely seeking being shown hospitalty etc.

BreathOfGod

Cliff, your post about feelings is very good. I was suddenly reminded of a song by Don Francisco called "Love is not a Feeling." I'll post just a bit of the lyrics here.

"Jesus didn't die for you because it was fun,
He hung there for love because it had to be done,
And in spite of the anguish, his word was fulfilled....

Love is not a feeling, it's an act of your will.
Love is not a feeling it's an act of your will."

The whole song is better. I found a place where people can listen to this song and others by him. Free Don Francisco Music Online, Music Downloads, Music Videos and Lyrics - Rhapsody Online

I have always loved his music. If anyone hasn't heard his stuff, then I'd encourage you to listen. He has some wonderful songs with great messages. I grew up listening to his stuff on my mom's record player and tape recorder. I really need to buy some CD's.

(I'll make a thread in the music section of the forum with some of his music and links I can find.)

Boanerges

Civilpunch and proph- Jesus is about new life. He isn't about finding facts or living by rules. He is a living and vibrant person in my life. He talks to me, He helps me, He strenghtens me, He directs me, He gives me peace in otherwise impossible situations. I can read about a president in a history book but is that he same as knowing them?
If you can look at yourself honestly and realize that you cannot live a perfect life free from sin,
If you open your heart and accept the great gift of God's love - Jesus went to that cross for you- if you can accept His sacrifice for your sins and receive Him as Lord in your life then He will live and dwell in your very spirit. There is no greater find, there is no greater treasure than to find God and you will never be totally complete until you do.
He has kept you and brought you to this place and has stirred your heart to know the truth.
This same Jesus came to me as a young man. I was drinking, drugging and doing every rowdy thing imagineable. It is not that I really wanted to change. I Somewhere deep inside of me I knew ( as you do now) that He was drawing me. The day I chose to open my heart was the day things started to change. I hadn't really done anything different and probably din't know much better anyway- a friend once said you don't need to get cleaned up to take a bath. Once I met this Jesus I simply lost my desire to drink and drug as I found something so much better- there is no high like the Most High and His presence in your life will cause all else to pale. I then began to spend more time talking with Him and started reading His love letter to me ( the Bible ). The pages I had once read to no avail were now coming alive to me as God breathed His life into me, I was finding treasure on everypage. I made a commitment then to seek and serve Him, found a good church and have been in love with God since that day.
Sure I still mess up and make mistakes but my God is right there to pick me up and wipe away my tears . To know the love and grace of God almighty is beyond anything else and there is simply nothing that can compare. You are both in my prayers, Larry.

Who am I

Yes, I know… unfortunate as it is… we can’t always do things the way we would like. One thing I’ve learned is no matter what you do or how you do it, you will never make everyone happy.

__________________
Blessings to all

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Theophilus

Christian life is a progress ,often called a walk, indicating that there are steps and effort involved. That "walk" is not always easy, not always fun or exciting and most certianly not without error on our part.
The most comforting thing is to know where we are in relationship to were we and God wants us to be. Being in His will is the path of peace.

The biggest and most inportant step, actualy some refer to it as a leap, is the the commitment to and acceptance of Jesus as LORD.
It is the point at which one accepts Christ Jesus' will for their life rather than their own.
It is a very hard decission, but one that has eternal consiquences as well as consiquences here and now. A descission that without a doubt if done with sincerity will be life altering.
Just as a baby crawls before it walks and has to learn to stand before learning to walk ,so must the new born Christian work ,struggle and learn to walk with Christ.

As a lovng parent in their desire for the best for their child calls them, gets their attention, to stand them up and hold their hands, guide them, help them when they fall, that is how our father in heaven brings us along. Not with our eyes fixed on ourselves or the toys and things of this earth that catch our eye and attract us but by holdng his hand and looking into his face as we go through life.

Just as I told that feelings cannot be our only concideration ,I must tell you now that neither can "sight".

You will never see or know enough no matter how hard you try or how much you learn to accept Christ.
He has walked amung us made the path concoured the enemy and sits at the right hand of the father
But he does not just sit ,my freind. For with the same punctured hands that paid the price or our sin ,for our error, for our weaknss he reaches out to us . No matter were we are He is so close we can hear His whisper, so close that He hears our every murmur, so close that all we have to do is reach out to him in faith and accept him into our hearts and lives.

Trust in Him, step out in faith, accept Him as LORD and let Him show you the way.

Sincerely and
Respectfuly
His Cliff

Boanerges

Civilpunch has not returned to visit this thread yet. It may be adviseable to let him look over what has already been posted before proceeding.

chellow

If you come back civilpunch try C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity at Apollos.ws - Blog - Mere Christianity Audio*Book

Whirlwind

What a wonderful day!!!

You're no longer an atheist, my friend! SomeOne is speaking to your heart, and you're listening! *WW does a cartwheel*

How do you believe? You're doing it, my friend! Seeking is the first step. You know in your heart that He's out there. You're feeling in the dark for the shapes, you're looking for answers.

You're hungry, my friend, you're going to be fed. You're seeking, and you're going to find.

You've realized that there's a seed inside of you, and if you water and care for that seed, it's going to sprout and grow and grow and grow! You won't be able to contain it! I feel so excited for you, my friend! Wow!

Read the New Testament, and when you read it don't just skim the words. Pronounce each syllable in your mind and understand the meaning of every sentence before you go on. Taste the words and understand that they're true. Realize that it's not a work of fiction that you're reading, but the Holy Word.

You've taken your first step into an amazing adventure where your eyes will be opened and you're going to be blinded by God's precious light!

What a wonderful day!

__________________
Chapter-by-Chapter, verse-by-verse.
Jesus is the Living Word.

Pastor Gary

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