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Post by John on Jul 25, 2018 19:53:14 GMT -5
It is amazing to me how many people today do not believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. They believe the Bible contains truth, but they don't believe it is fully trustworthy. I believe that people with that mindset will be easy targets for the coming one world church. If you don't have the Bible as your foundation, and are the type of person that sees things as grey rather than black and white, it will be easy to decide that there is nothing wrong with everyone being united and at peace. It will be easy to talk yourself into believing whatever is convenient at the time.
The people that the devil will have the hardest time deceiving will be evangelical Christians that believe the Holy Bible is God's Word, and whatever it says is absolute truth. Those who have taken the time to actually read the Word and get it into their heart will be difficult targets. Those who see things as black and white, rather than just good ideas will be the ones that will become the enemy of the new world order and the all inclusive church. What camp are you in? What do you have your faith in? Have you taken the time to get the Word of God on the inside? If they take away your Bible in the future, will you still know what it says because you have read it till it is part of you? You can believe the Bible is God's Word, but if you don't know what is in it, that won't do you any good. Just some things to think about as we see the day approaching.
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Post by 2fw8212a on Jul 25, 2018 20:16:02 GMT -5
It is amazing to me how many people today do not believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. They believe the Bible contains truth, but they don't believe it is fully trustworthy. I believe that people with that mindset will be easy targets for the coming one world church. If you don't have the Bible as your foundation, and are the type of person that sees things as grey rather than black and white, it will be easy to decide that there is nothing wrong with everyone being united and at peace. It will be easy to talk yourself into believing whatever is convenient at the time.
The people that the devil will have the hardest time deceiving will be evangelical Christians that believe the Holy Bible is God's Word, and whatever it says is absolute truth. Those who have taken the time to actually read the Word and get it into their heart will be difficult targets. Those who see things as black and white, rather than just good ideas will be the ones that will become the enemy of the new world order and the all inclusive church. What camp are you in? What do you have your faith in? Have you taken the time to get the Word of God on the inside? If they take away your Bible in the future, will you still know what it says because you have read it till it is part of you? You can believe the Bible is God's Word, but if you don't know what is in it, that won't do you any good. Just some things to think about as we see the day approaching.
I believe all people who believe the Bible is God's Word but do not heed the Spirit will also be deceived.
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6
Hopefully, many of them will wake up before it is too late!
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Post by tlsitd on Jul 26, 2018 7:35:32 GMT -5
It is amazing to me how many people today do not believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. They believe the Bible contains truth, but they don't believe it is fully trustworthy. I believe that people with that mindset will be easy targets for the coming one world church. If you don't have the Bible as your foundation, and are the type of person that sees things as grey rather than black and white, it will be easy to decide that there is nothing wrong with everyone being united and at peace. It will be easy to talk yourself into believing whatever is convenient at the time.
The people that the devil will have the hardest time deceiving will be evangelical Christians that believe the Holy Bible is God's Word, and whatever it says is absolute truth. Those who have taken the time to actually read the Word and get it into their heart will be difficult targets. Those who see things as black and white, rather than just good ideas will be the ones that will become the enemy of the new world order and the all inclusive church. What camp are you in? What do you have your faith in? Have you taken the time to get the Word of God on the inside? If they take away your Bible in the future, will you still know what it says because you have read it till it is part of you? You can believe the Bible is God's Word, but if you don't know what is in it, that won't do you any good. Just some things to think about as we see the day approaching.
I believe all people who believe the Bible is God's Word but do not heed the Spirit will also be deceived.
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6
Hopefully, many of them will wake up before it is too late!Yes; what good is it to believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, and that the sum of it is truth, if you don't live like it is? It's just a head belief then. How will that help you now or in the future? If you really believe what it says, you ought to live as though you believe what it says; otherwise, it is better for you to keep silent about the matter and not offend God. How can you say that you believe God's word is truth, but then do the opposite of it? You say you trust God, and you may even quote Scripture about trusting God, but you don't live like you do. You say that to live is Christ, and that He is life and wealth indeed, but you don't live as though He is. You say that the greatest of all virtues is love, but you show little of it. If that is the case, your 'faith' in God's word is worthless. It's just acknowledgment of truth and nothing more; not pleasing to God and not beneficial to you. It's important not only that we believe that God's word is entirely true, fully reliable, and without error, but also that we live according to what we claim to believe---not just to not be hypocrites, but also because God supports and strengthens spiritually those who keep His word, not those who merely acknowledge its truth. The Bible's truth isn't going to do us any good if we don't apply it to our lives. And if we are passionate about defending God's word as being inerrant and entirely true, God-breathed and fully reliable, and the supreme authority in all matters, we should also be the most diligent of all to be keepers of what we are defending. It's a better testimony to the truthfulness of God's word to simply steadfastly live the truth of it in the midst of a deceived world that contradicts and opposes it, and for God to confirm that same truth by working with you and for you in the sight of man according to what is written in His word, than to publicly defend the Bible's inerrancy, authority and reliability but not be a doer of the same. Zeal for the Bible should always be zeal for obedience to its Author also, and should be because of God, not us. (Can you imagine what God thinks of hypocrites who do otherwise? What exactly is the point of their zeal for the Scriptures if it is not accompanied by equal zeal for being doers of what is written in order to please and glorify God for God's sake?)
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Post by 2fw8212a on Jul 26, 2018 7:51:21 GMT -5
Can you imagine what God thinks of hypocrites who do otherwise? I can imagine:
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." - 1 John 1:6
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." - Revelation 21:8
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:22
But God knows each one's heart...
"Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”" - 2 Timothy 2:19
"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king." - 1 Samuel 15:23
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" - Romans 2:4
God bless you all in Jesus' name!
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PG4Him
Senior Member
Essay Moderator
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Post by PG4Him on Jul 26, 2018 9:42:03 GMT -5
I watched an interesting video from Dr. Caroline Leaf on this topic. She said the church is full of what she called "functional atheists." Basically these are people who believe in God mentally, but how they function in daily life is no different from an atheist. They may not be out there drinking or cursing, but that doesn't mean they have transformed minds. Their thought patterns, decision-making processes, knee-jerk reactions while reading news headlines, all geared toward secular thinking.
A person can believe right things for wrong reasons. I see it all the time. Someone might be pro-life just because she was raised that way. Nice position, bad logic. This is a case where flawed human thinking is overlooked because it's hidden under Christian values. Then that human thinking manifests in how she makes daily decisions.
Personally, I don't see it as a question of how much we believe the Bible, but how seriously we take it. We might believe prayer works, but we can have limited expectations on how well it works. A powerless life can start to wear us down. If we don't really expect any miracles to come from our prayers, then the miracles in the Bible become metaphors, and we're absolved of our duty to contend for salvations.
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Either we believe that or we don't. Either we act like it or we don't. Those of us who believe the Bible can't just hide in our beds all day while we criticize those who don't believe.
People tend to see the Bible as God's inerrant truth when they experience its power. The more it comes alive, the more strongly they believe it. You can't talk someone out of a truth that she knows from personal experience.
So as far as I'm concerned, we need to stop proving the Bible's historical veracity or its cultural relevance, and get busy proving its spiritual authority.
Please let me add, I'm not attacking brother John. This is not to say the OP is guilty. I'm just thinking out loud on what I see among some Christians.
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Post by tlsitd on Jul 26, 2018 11:30:13 GMT -5
So as far as I'm concerned, we need to stop proving the Bible's historical veracity or its cultural relevance, and get busy proving its spiritual authority. Please let me add, I'm not attacking brother John. This is not to say the OP is guilty. I'm just thinking out loud on what I see among some Christians. Amen.
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Dezi
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Posts: 431
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Post by Dezi on Oct 14, 2018 17:05:34 GMT -5
I'm really sad to say that I walked away from God for many of my adult years. Although I am back in God's family I have failed my son miserably in raising him to know about God. He has seen a little but not a lot of who God is. He is 15 now and I see him becoming very rebellious. I am sure some of it is from my divorce from his father. His new step mother is very controlling and "religious" as was my ex. So, he is feeling like God is just a bunch of rules with no love incorporated into it. What can I do to encourage his walk with God? I have recently started reading the Bible to him but I know it's irritating him when I do it.
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Post by 2fw8212a on Oct 14, 2018 18:19:35 GMT -5
What can I do to encourage his walk with God? Pray, and show love to him. And when I say love I mean the love of God.
"does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth..." - 1 Corinthians 13:6
"bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:7-8
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Dezi
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Posts: 431
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Post by Dezi on Oct 14, 2018 18:37:52 GMT -5
What can I do to encourage his walk with God? Pray, and show love to him. And when I say love I mean the love of God.
"does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth..." - 1 Corinthians 13:6
"bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:7-8He is adopted and I have always shown him extra special attention.... but I've been sick for a long time and I haven't been able to be the best mother. He is very loved by me though.
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Post by 2fw8212a on Oct 14, 2018 18:51:21 GMT -5
He is adopted and I have always shown him extra special attention.... but I've been sick for a long time and I haven't been able to be the best mother. He is very loved by me though. I am not very experienced when it comes to educate children but...
there are times we have to do things we would not like, but it would be the best for them.
"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11
"But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world." - 1 Corinthians 11:32
Blessings!
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Post by Abby-Joy on Oct 14, 2018 19:17:55 GMT -5
I'm really sad to say that I walked away from God for many of my adult years. Although I am back in God's family I have failed my son miserably in raising him to know about God. He has seen a little but not a lot of who God is. He is 15 now and I see him becoming very rebellious. I am sure some of it is from my divorce from his father. His new step mother is very controlling and "religious" as was my ex. So, he is feeling like God is just a bunch of rules with no love incorporated into it. What can I do to encourage his walk with God? I have recently started reading the Bible to him but I know it's irritating him when I do it. The best thing, in my opinion, that you can do for your son is to live out your life in Christ before him. (your testimony) When we came out of a very rigid, legalistic (controlling) religious (cult) church, my children ranged in ages between 4 and 12. It was a shock to their systems, because they were finally free to decide their own personal convictions. I, as their mom, gave them parameters, but I expressed to them that they were free to choose (with prayer) what their convictions were. What they were used to before was being controlled without any real explanation of why.
Your son may be rebelling against the rigidity that has been forced on him without relationship (with Christ). Rules for the sake of rules is never a good thing. When we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is rooted in love, then we will have a changed heart that wants to keep His commandments, and they will not be burdensome (because we love Him). If we feel burdened by rules, then I think we should refocus on our First Love (Jesus).
1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
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Dezi
Junior Member
Posts: 431
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Post by Dezi on Oct 14, 2018 19:24:41 GMT -5
I'm really sad to say that I walked away from God for many of my adult years. Although I am back in God's family I have failed my son miserably in raising him to know about God. He has seen a little but not a lot of who God is. He is 15 now and I see him becoming very rebellious. I am sure some of it is from my divorce from his father. His new step mother is very controlling and "religious" as was my ex. So, he is feeling like God is just a bunch of rules with no love incorporated into it. What can I do to encourage his walk with God? I have recently started reading the Bible to him but I know it's irritating him when I do it. The best thing, in my opinion, that you can do for your son is to live out your life in Christ before him. (your testimony) When we came out of a very rigid, legalistic (controlling) religious (cult) church, my children ranged in ages between 4 and 12. It was a shock to their systems, because they were finally free to decide their own personal convictions. I, as their mom, gave them parameters, but I expressed to them that they were free to choose (with prayer) what their convictions were. What they were used to before was being controlled without any real explanation of why.
Your son may be rebelling against the rigidity that has been forced on him without relationship (with Christ). Rules for the sake of rules is never a good thing. When we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is rooted in love, then we will have a changed heart that wants to keep His commandments, and they will not be burdensome (because we love Him). If we feel burdened by rules, then I think we should refocus on our First Love (Jesus).
1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."Yes I agree... I guess I am carrying guilt for the years I as in sin and not following God because those were his developmental years and I was not teaching him much about God. Then after my divorce he was tossed back and forth between my ex and I every other week. He hated it and his dad was very strict with lots of rules and I have always been the one that was easy going. He never really had it good either way. Being too permissive is not good and being too rigid is not good. ::sigh::
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Post by Abby-Joy on Oct 14, 2018 20:00:26 GMT -5
The best thing, in my opinion, that you can do for your son is to live out your life in Christ before him. (your testimony) When we came out of a very rigid, legalistic (controlling) religious (cult) church, my children ranged in ages between 4 and 12. It was a shock to their systems, because they were finally free to decide their own personal convictions. I, as their mom, gave them parameters, but I expressed to them that they were free to choose (with prayer) what their convictions were. What they were used to before was being controlled without any real explanation of why.
Your son may be rebelling against the rigidity that has been forced on him without relationship (with Christ). Rules for the sake of rules is never a good thing. When we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is rooted in love, then we will have a changed heart that wants to keep His commandments, and they will not be burdensome (because we love Him). If we feel burdened by rules, then I think we should refocus on our First Love (Jesus).
1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." Yes I agree... I guess I am carrying guilt for the years I as in sin and not following God because those were his developmental years and I was not teaching him much about God. Then after my divorce he was tossed back and forth between my ex and I every other week. He hated it and his dad was very strict with lots of rules and I have always been the one that was easy going. He never really had it good either way. Being too permissive is not good and being too rigid is not good. ::sigh:: Don't stay in the guilt, sister ... it will hinder you from moving forward. (Believe me, I've been there!!) It will not do you nor your son any good for you to stay bogged down in guilt. Be confident that once you've repented and turned back to God (which you have), He is able to help you regarding your son. Just be genuine and live your life of loving Jesus, in front of him... pray for him, and with him if he's open to it. Some of the most productive times with my oldest daughter was when she was having a difficult time, even after a temper flareup (of hers), we'd both end up having some long (sometimes tear-filled) heart to heart talks. She really liked that.
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Post by Sister on Oct 14, 2018 20:41:51 GMT -5
God has a hard time keeping all his children obedient to him also.
Teenage years are hard, no matter how strict we are. We are old souls, and have learn't from experience the repercussions of sin, our children however, are going to find out through experience also. I tried to rule my eldest daughter with a rod of iron but she rebelled terribly, and acted worse than any teenager I know. She was so beautiful beyond any girl I ever saw, and she covered herself in tattoos from top to toe, and had a foul attitude to go with it and grew into an abusive alcoholic especially after her boyfriend committed suicide. It absolutely broke my heart and I blamed myself all those years thinking where did I go wrong. Whenever I tried to preach to her she would shut her ears and say stop. We could talk about anything but that. The next boyfriend she had abused her terribly and she fled from him. She's in another on and off relationship now, (not married) and she's become a mother. Her partner is not that tender with her either, but doesn't harm her. I still treat him like a son because love is powerful and what he missed out from his family, he has here, and he fully loves us and is still maturing also. Despite this, her heart is so full of love not only for her children but for everyone. I have watched her become humble but not repressed. I also watch her discipline her children, and she does it in a way that is strict, but tender full of love. She gives all to her children, and that same love to any other child or adult. It blows me away. She has not fully committed herself to Christ yet, but I see qualities in her now that are righteous and fair. A total turn around. She is maturing, and is treating her children with the same love in the way she was treated. I can see where God is leading her, and it looks promising, because the soil has come good. She doesn't block her ears anymore when I talk about the Lord and has confessed that she's always prayed every night before eating and going to bed. I see a work in progress and I see that the Lord's mercy is so great. These are what I call silent miracles happening before our eyes.
So never think that all our hard work in the Lord is for nothing, because when the kids get older, they treasure that protection we gave and will always remember the peace they once shared in the home, especially after experiencing the world with all it's troubles, they will eventually realise that Christ was in that home and want to come back to all that was there. So when they get to a certain age, you can't wrap them in cotton wool, they have to choose their foundation also and taste what evil is and how it bites back, so that they can compare which side the peace came from.
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Cletus
Senior Member
Posts: 2,517
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Post by Cletus on Oct 14, 2018 22:08:02 GMT -5
Yes I agree... I guess I am carrying guilt for the years I as in sin and not following God because those were his developmental years and I was not teaching him much about God. Then after my divorce he was tossed back and forth between my ex and I every other week. He hated it and his dad was very strict with lots of rules and I have always been the one that was easy going. He never really had it good either way. Being too permissive is not good and being too rigid is not good. ::sigh:: Guilt is not from God. Guilt is something the enemy uses against us. THere is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Guilt is poison for your soul. pray on it until its uprooted and gone. some people say you do not have to forgive yourself that God has to. But God is faithful and I would venture a guess that those that say that have not commited acts that carry the shame that bothers them. I have. I had to forgive myself for things I had done, to others and to God before i could move forward. say Good bye to guilt every time it shows its face. the bad part about guilt is that if God has forgiven us, and He is faithful, if we carry that... in a sense we are beating up on SomeOne Else's servant... and we really do not have the right to do that. all you can do is settle it in your heart, I messed up but never again will i do that. even if it kills me. literally. brings you death. lots wife looked back. you cant live in the regrets of the past and be successful in Jesus today. all you can do is choose to live better right now, and from here on out.
I would recommend being transparent with your child. total honesty. It may not be a bad Idea to ask him to forgive you, pray about it.
I will pray for you and your situation. I would say for you to pray and ask God to restore what the moth has eaten, as He has a habit of making things that are crooked straight. God is willing and able. Be like that persistent woman who was beating on the judges door.
edit: Jesus has freed us from the law, sin, guilt and shame. Guilt is not a fruit of the spirit nor is it how The Holy Spirit convicts us.
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