God Speaks

Has God revealed something to you?  Ever have an epiphany you just had to write down?  Never been a song writer or a poet and suddenly you're filled with melodies and rhymes you know are not your own?  

  • Mary O

    I was thinking that in forgive is the word give. Forgiveness is given. It's not something you can earn from God. He simply gives it. There's no way to repay God for that. It's free.

    Love,

    Mary

  • Seek

    Merry Christmas!

    Here's a little view from home. My landlords entrance to the property. 

  • Lina

    I wonder if anyone has ever felt self doubt...  Every now and then I wonder if I am on the right track on this faith journey.  I sometimes doubt myself in matters of faith.  I try to wonder if my Lord is happy with who I am, my ways, my interactions with my fellow men and my attitude towards people who offend me.  Family, I always fall short when I do self introspective. 

    As a child of God, I should be sure of what ever I do but my case is different. I try to live according to my beliefs and do what the Lord's commandment says.  I get flooded with guilt when I think of my past life which I am not so proud of.  I know my Lord died for my sins on Calvary.  How do I rid myself of this past guilt and self doubt? 

     

  • Seek

    Everyone battles this. If they say they never have, rest assured that they're living a fantasy life.

    I read an article just yesterday that might help you understand this from a Biblical perspective. Excerpts:

    Paul writes that he was “a persecutor of the church.” New Testament exegete Ralph P. Martin writes, “Paul seems never to have been able to forget his persecuting activity, based on that misdirected zeal for God (Acts 22:2, Romans 10:2) and His cause, of which he speaks here. The memory of it continually haunts him; so much so that he uses the present participle of the verb, diokon, persecuting, as if the action were before his eyes at the time of writing.” (emphasis added) Here Paul vividly—like experiencing a flashback or an extremely active imagination—possibly relives that dreadful day of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:3), which would have been the inglorious capstone of all his persecuting activity. Paul was a supportive witness of the ghastly and cruel execution of a beautiful deacon of the Lord’s. Such memories must have been hard indeed to live with, even after he was saved by Christ the Lord (1 Timothy 1:13).

    What did the Apostle Paul do about his reoccurring disturbing memories?

    Saint Paul trained himself (Philippians 4:12-13) to say, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).” Meditating on the sovereign Lord Jesus Christ who controls today, yesterday and forever is always illuminating, healing, and exhilarating to the Christian’s soul.
  • emmanuel opoku

    In Him is life

  • Seek

    I've been so busy I haven't kept up here, but I wanted to pose a question that I will also pose in the forums.

    I wanted to check out the beliefs of a local church that is closer to home where a family member attends.

    Everything seemed to be good until I read their stand on gifts.

    We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of his gifts, and that these gifts are intended to edify the Church. We believe that the gifts of healing, tongues, interpretation of tongues, performance of miracles, and other gifts associated with the charismatic movement were temporary, sign gifts that are no longer needed after the completion of the New Testament and therefor are not practiced in the Church today. We do believe that the sick may call on the elders of the Church to administer anointing oil and to pray for them. God is the great and divine healer and does hear and answer prayers of faith in accordance with His will for the sick and afflicted.

    Where does scripture tell us the gifts were only temporary? How can one say the believe God bestows gifts but then say....except these?

    A lot of churches hold this belief, but I've always heard the reasoning as being they "believe" (they believe they were only for the 12 or only for a time...though Paul spoke in tongues but wasn't one of the 12). What I haven't seen is any of them say...this is what scripture says.

    So if we say the Bible is truth and the Bible says God gives the gifts of prophesy, tongues, healing, etc., aren't we saying God's Word isn't true?

    Isn't it more plausible to believe that people's trust and belief in miracles has grown dim rather than God only giving temporary gifts while saying they follow everyone who believes rather than just the New Testament saints?
  • Tammy

    I've heard that same argument many times about it was no longer needed. The reason I feel some say this because they have never experienced it. I have never experienced it personally but the Bible says it so I believe it. I also think something that discourages people from looking into a couple of gifts is because it's usually not done as the Word says it should be. Tongues rarely follows an interpreter. Women are the biggest tongue speakers & they are told to be silent. So, they may have seen it but it wasn't obedient to the word so that brings doubt - my opinion.

    Gift of prophecy - I believe that, as far as the 2nd coming of Christ, it's all been said. It doesn't need to be added to. I trust & believe almost everything David Wilkerson says. I considered him to also be a great prophet. There are also ways you know if the prophet is real. If these things are not in place, you have a liar or someone who lives in lala land. 

    As far as this church, there are a few things that you disagree with in your own church? I don't believe that any church is going to agree with our beliefs 100%. I say try it & the Lord will let you know if it's the one for you. 

  • Seek

    I still love the church I'm in but was considering the distance now with moving where I am. Just a time savings. But it's not that I disagree with this anymore than I do have disagreement iwith my own church but was curious as to why some believe these were no longer given. God bestows gifts as He chooses for reasons we don't understand.

    I know Paul said women are to keep silent and ask their husbands. But he did not state what to do when there is no husband or when the husband is ungodly. And he was also addressing certain discord taking place apparently because of some women in the church. But we see several instances where women received gifts and spoke out. There were women in the upper room and the spirit sat on all of them and they spoke in other tongues. So women keeping silent has to be more than just the one verse and has been discussed often.

    I speak in tongues myself but low, quietly. I've heard some do this only because of being close by. They're not speaking out or out of turn but quietly to God.

    Some also say it must be interpreted but Paul spoke of speaking in tongues of men or angels, angels not having a language understood by men.

    There are women in my church who speak in tongues. Only one I've seen without a husband who speaks aloud. The whole church goes suddenly silent just before she speaks. Eerie as over 200 can suddenly hush without any prompting. When she's done there is a pause for a few seconds and a man, usually the pastor, begins speaking an interpretation that often deals with growing the body and winning souls to Christ. But I know about an equal number of men and women speak in tongues in my church and more men speak loudly. Some interpreting themselves just after doing so and most often during prayer service when praying for people at the altar.
  • eric hendrickson

    God is with me as he is with everybody.  God resides in every human beings brains at the pineal gland which is said to be our third eye.  God made human beings in his own image and gave every human the same potential for Holiness as He has.  It is up to every person to learn how to best use this potential.  According to "The Secret" our brains are essentially transmission towers to the Universe.  The Secret is an audio book by Rhonda Byrne explains how we can ask the Universe for anything we want, fame, fortune, money, success, etc.  God is Holy because he is the Master Creator and he has a distinct advantage over others.  God does not intend to be a supreme being who rules over others, but instead a supreme example of what others can become!

  • Tammy

    Hmmmm That really sounds a little New Age to me. I know everyone isn't a child of God so is God WITH everyone? I know He sees them, knows them, etc but is He with them? I guess it's according to how you would define this. 

  • Seek

    Eric, what you're saying doesn't line up with Scripture. I'd read the Bible before this Rhonda Byrne who is only giving HER opinion. The Bible is full of eye witness accounts and not just opinion.
  • Noor

    Whenever I am worried or uncertain I recall promise of Christianity that grace is by faith, not by our deed. I just have to believe in Jesus as saviour and he will take care. The next moment I am completely relaxed, feel strange joy
  • Masamuel

    Jesus lives

  • Carla

    1 John 4

    1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesusa is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time. (emphasis mine)

  • Carla

    Do you deny that Jesus came in the flesh?

  • Carla

    Answer the question

  • Carla

    Did Jesus come in the flesh?

  • Carla

    You said "To all whom believe, not in the flesh, but in the spirit of GOD"

    Explain!

  • Carla

    Why won't you answer the question?

  • Carla

    1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesusa is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.