Strengthening My Faith

Hi there. I have been a christian all of my life. I am at a point in my life where I am in desperate need of help. Not financial, social but spiritual help! I have been having severe doubts on Christianity...or any god. I have prayed...and attempted to do a better job reading scripture...but its not seeming to help. The concept of not being able to scientifically prove anything has been bothering me. My faith is struggling..and growing up in a time where our nation is abandoning god is hindering ny case. I've tried reading apologetic books. It seems that no matter what I do my doubts are progressively getting worse. Questions such as why are there so many religions...why is there so much suffering, and what happens when we die have been plaguing me. Please help and please pray for me. Where should I start on combating my issues?? God bless.....CR
 
Suggest to take a break from philosphy and science...

Make yourself productive in other areas that we are more identified with as Christians.... i think : )

Read Peter, Hebrews.... i think, suggests...
 
I mean, i think discussion of philosophy and science are merely mind exercise....

Faith is one of the things Christians are identified with: it enables us to do great things....

We need to have the physical exertion as well : works....
 
I have prayed...and attempted to do a better job reading scripture...but its not seeming to help.

Why not? What's not being resolved?

The concept of not being able to scientifically prove anything has been bothering me.
How so?

Questions such as why are there so many religions...why is there so much suffering, and what happens when we die have been plaguing me. Please help and please pray for me. Where should I start on combating my issues?? God bless.....CR
What are your current answers to those questions?
 
Hi there. I have been a christian all of my life. I am at a point in my life where I am in desperate need of help. Not financial, social but spiritual help! I have been having severe doubts on Christianity...or any god. I have prayed...and attempted to do a better job reading scripture...but its not seeming to help. The concept of not being able to scientifically prove anything has been bothering me. My faith is struggling..and growing up in a time where our nation is abandoning god is hindering ny case. I've tried reading apologetic books. It seems that no matter what I do my doubts are progressively getting worse. Questions such as why are there so many religions...why is there so much suffering, and what happens when we die have been plaguing me. Please help and please pray for me. Where should I start on combating my issues?? God bless.....CR

Hi

Matt 10:39 comes to mind ;) 'Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it'.

First you must understand that God does not give two hoots whether or not you believe He exists!!! James 2:19.

Atheism is killed with these 4 verses:

Psalms 14:1 For the director of music. Of David. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

1 Cor 12:3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

Matt 16:16-17 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

Summary: 1. Stare at your thumb for a while until the reality of intelligent design slaps you in the face. 2. Acknowledge that believing in God is not the issue but finding the true God is! 3. Grasp that you need to come to God on His terms before He reveals Himself to you / you get a revelation of Jesus being Lord. 4. His terms are mentioned in Psalm 51:17, Matt 16:24, James 4:6. This leads to James 4:8 which then leads to being saved / born again / having an undeniable encounter with / revelation of Jesus. Where our faith is not in God's existence but in Jesus being Lord.

Good luck, praying for you!
 
I admit that I have struggled with my faith hard this year; for some of the same reasons others have listed and debated to death on this forum. What I have found out is that as long as there is a struggle to follow the truth in the Bible-my faith may plateau for a season-but it seems to be increasing the more I struggle with it. This is a very odd concept and hard to describe.

For many years I struggled with Creation versus evolution; especially since when I got saved I was 30 years old and had sat through the bombardment of evolution through public school and college. (Not to mention everyday life). Then I settled it in my heart to actually believe what the Bible said along with all the very real proofs of Creation that evolution attempts to contradict through pseudoscience. It was a tremendous weight of my shoulders. 'settle it in your heart'; or '"purpose in your heart" what you want your faith to be. We can't serve God and mammon.

The Bible says the 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand'; 'the kingdom of God is within you'-we just have to let it pour forth out of us; let The Spirit work in and through you. Jesus Christ gave us a couple of commandments: 'love one another..' and 'if you love me; obey my commandments.' We look so hard to find "proof" when all we have to do is love and the proof will come forth through us.

Love is your proof-it comes from the Holy One who created Life and Life and Truth which are all parts of His Love. Not to mention Mercy, Grace, Patience, Compassion, Longsuffering, etc.... In these things-in these Spiritual attributes lay our "proof". Not in the things of the world. 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of heaven'; the LORD does not dwell in things made by (man's) hands.... The Spirit IS the Treasure...
 
For many years I struggled with Creation versus evolution;
Why?

especially since when I got saved I was 30 years old and had sat through the bombardment of evolution through public school and college. (Not to mention everyday life).
There's a reason evolution is taught in schools and universities. What do you think that reason is?

Then I settled it in my heart to actually believe what the Bible said along with all the very real proofs of Creation that evolution attempts to contradict through pseudoscience.
Who did you rely on for your information, and what "pseudoscience" are you talking about?

The Bible says the 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand'; 'the kingdom of God is within you'-we just have to let it pour forth out of us; let The Spirit work in and through you. Jesus Christ gave us a couple of commandments: 'love one another..' and 'if you love me; obey my commandments.' We look so hard to find "proof" when all we have to do is love and the proof will come forth through us.
Exactly....when it comes to salvation, evolution is irrelevant.
 
Why?


There's a reason evolution is taught in schools and universities. What do you think that reason is?


Who did you rely on for your information, and what "pseudoscience" are you talking about?


Exactly....when it comes to salvation, evolution is irrelevant.

River, I respect your beliefs- I would ask you to reciprocate that notion. We have spent much time debating this in many forums. If you want to believe in evolution-go ahead. I just wish folks would recognize that it takes 'faith' to believe in it. Most are unwilling or unable to see that truth. It is senseless to debate it anymore. I grow weary of it...

I CHOOSE to believe the Bible. Thank you.
 
Christians rejecting scripture is such a joke these days. Interpreting scripture figuratively / spiritually / metaphorically has become completely ignoring it :D :eek: :(.
 
River, I respect your beliefs- I would ask you to reciprocate that notion.
I respect your right to believe as you wish, but I don't have to respect the actual belief. I have no respect for young-earth creationism and geocentrism for example. Why should I?

We have spent much time debating this in many forums. If you want to believe in evolution-go ahead. I just wish folks would recognize that it takes 'faith' to believe in it. Most are unwilling or unable to see that truth. It is senseless to debate it anymore. I grow weary of it...
Except it doesn't take any more "faith" to accept evolution as true than it does for erosion.

I CHOOSE to believe the Bible. Thank you.
So do I.
 
Christians rejecting scripture is such a joke these days. Interpreting scripture figuratively / spiritually / metaphorically has become completely ignoring it :D :eek: :(.
Nice try at a jab. I think we all realize that your brand of Christianity holds that "Unless you believe exactly as I do, you are rejecting scripture". :confused:
 
Nice try at a jab. I think we all realize that your brand of Christianity holds that "Unless you believe exactly as I do, you are rejecting scripture". :confused:
A jab? More like statement of fact. My brand? You just further prove my point. My ''brand'' is to accept and teach from scripture. Yours is to live by your opinion and mock / attack with it...instead of trying to help....from scripture. If you cared about me or any other Christian...you would use scripture and not your opinion to correct and edify. I see you as someone who means well but needs help and is too proud / set in their ways to take it. Even the elder brethren here have tried to help you but you refuse to learn. We / they are not attacking you if scripture is used, don't you get that? :(
 
KingJ,

The problem is, to those like you who think in a black/white manner, anyone who reads scripture differently than you must therefore be "rejecting" it. Do you understand the difference between "I read this differently" and "I reject it"?

As far as your approach to "correct and edify", I've shown how the data is clear that your approach accomplishes the opposite of our great commission. Rather than drawing people to Christ, the conservative Christian approach drives them away...by the millions.
 
No River, you do not get to let yourself off the hook like that. You do not interpret it differently, you reject sections completely. You do not come close to grasping John 1:1 / 2 Tim 3:16 and John 5:39.

Let me help you understand. Everything written must be dealt with. God is not dumb. He did not waste His time putting anything in His word. If God said homosexuality is an abomination, guess what? it is. If God said He created man beneath the angels, guess what, He did. When you come along and say no, He didnt' create man beneath the angels....He created a monkey that evolved to the point beneath the angels and nobody can find that or anything related to it in scripture, you are inserting your opinion which is fine if you never insisted it is a fact and were so closed to correction whilst being fully aware of Rev 22:19.

Yes, many run from Christianity when we take a ''conservative '' approach. But with your liberal view and removal of scripture, do you think anyone you convert will actually get to heaven? Are you a prophet that God has entrusted to add to scripture? If you are not, that makes you a false prophet...
 
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No River, you do not get to let yourself off the hook like that. You do not interpret it differently, you reject sections completely. You do not come close to grasping John 1:1 / 2 Tim 3:16 and John 5:39.
I understand that's what you believe and I understand that in a black/white mode of thinking, it has to be that way.

But not everyone thinks exactly like you.

Let me help you understand. Everything written must be dealt with. God is not dumb. He did not waste His time putting anything in His word. If God said homosexuality is an abomination, guess what? it is. If God said He created man beneath the angels, guess what, He did. When you come along and say no, He didnt' create man beneath the angels....He created a monkey that evolved to the point beneath the angels and nobody can find that or anything related to it in scripture, you are inserting your opinion which is fine if you never insisted it is a fact and were so closed to correction whilst being fully aware of Rev 22:19.
Except you are inserting your opinion as well. You have to...we all do. At some point, you have to make the decision on how to read various parts of scripture. You've obviously made the decision "I will read all scripture 100% literally with no consideration of any other context, history, or information." That's a personal opinion on how to read scripture.

Yes, many run from Christianity when we take a ''conservative '' approach. But with your liberal view and removal of scripture, do you think anyone you convert will actually get to heaven? Are you a prophet that God has entrusted to add to scripture? If you are not, that makes you a false prophet...
Do you think that if in my ministry work, I help someone see the truth of Christ and accept him as their savior, but that person decides that evolution and scripture are compatible, they will be condemned on judgement day?
 
Umm what was the topic? Oh, yes, helping Criow88.

Just a little bit from me in an attempt to shed a little light.

Our thinking. Our thinking takes us in the direction we desire to go. So, I choose my thoughts, I try to hold them in captivity.

Posture. I carry myself boldly as with confidence, not trying to be cocky, but secure in knowing God.

This helps me, and perhaps it may help you Criow88.
 
A lot of science really helps me see God. Like how someone, sorry forgot who, mentioned, 'just look at your thumb'. Well, you would have to be using your eye to do so. Just look at your eye, I know, how do you look at your eye? Sorry again, I have a little unusual sense of humor. But the human eye is an amazing thing. Also, when I see trees, plants, animals, humans, etc., i.e. creation, I see God all through it. And when I think about the sexes and how there is male and female for most animals and people. I sometimes chat with atheist, and if the topic goes towards evolution, sometimes I tell them they might be thinking with a monkey brain. I know, it might not be the most Christian thing to tell them, but I think it makes them re-think their position.

I know how one can be eager for answers, myself included. But I've found that life is a test, and God is letting this era run it's course. This world we live in has satan sitting on the thrown now, that's why a great many ugly things happen. This life is really short too, compared to eternal life, and those that get taken early, in some regards can be a blessing. Most of us will have another chance, provided we pass the test, judgment day, and choose Gods way. Trying to force faith almost seems to work negatively IMO. If I were you, I would continue to earnestly pray, and wait for Gods perfect timing, He will absolutely amaze you when He answers your prayers, if you don't already know this.

Yes, this nation is going down the toilet, for lake of better words. I don't expect things will be getting much better either. It makes me think of what I tell a person if I see them carrying a bible, 'That's a really good book, but the ending gets a little scary'. Yes, I'm still trying to work on my mouth and a little thing we call sarcasm.

So many religions- satan knows his time is short and he is busy going back and forth stirring up, yes, you guessed it, deceit. *grin*

Reading suggestions- Ecclesiastes, and an author named Max Lucado

When we die- it is my belief that God takes our spirit and stores it. Our spirit remembers everything about us, so when Jesus comes back, we can be resurrected just as we are/were, except satan will be bound and no longer a hindrance.
 
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