#faithask

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I got baptised on 25th of May 2014 and It felt so beautiful and wonderful and I knew its one of the greatest decisions i have ever made in my life. Now, I am praying to God to show me what to do next on how my spiritual life will grow with Him. If you could give me some advice about the next step for me being a christian I would really appreciate it :) Also what are your thoughts about being baptised? Thanks so much in advance! :-)

Hi!

I’d advise that you start with the basics.

Are you reading your Bible? It’s the word of God and it’s filled with countless stories, instructions, teachings and guidelines to live a genuine Christian life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Understand, it’s not always the easiest thing to read or understand, so I suggest a Bible Dictionary and a Bible Concordance so that you can decipher terms and accurately exegete (interpret) the word of God.

Are you praying? This is how you talk to God. Come to him with your problems, your questions, your doubts, your fears and most importantly, your worship. Thank God for all He has done, is doing and will do. Understand that there is no wrong time to pray. I’ve personally found that praying in the most awkward times makes the biggest difference. Praying reminds us to walk by the Spirit daily and not by the flesh. This means that we are Christ-minded and diligently searching after the heart of God. Philippians 2:5-8 says,

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

The more you practice walking by the Spirit, the more accurately you will be able to discern what is God speaking to you and what is you just talking to yourself.

Are you plugged into a church? Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to go through this life alone. You need people you can do life with. You need people that you can keep accountable and that can keep you accountable as well. It’s also important to have people that will pray for you. All these things can be found at a church. A body of believers can be a really great thing! Psalm 133:1 says,

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

If not chosen wisely, though, it can also be detrimental. Find a church that teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ, thoroughly consults the Bible for doctrine and emphasizes living a life that glorifies God in every aspect.

Baptism is very important in our faith. As a key sacrament, I think it’s great that you were baptized. It accurately depicts the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It also represents the old spirit man dying and the new spirit man coming to life. So baptism is great. Good stuff!

Like I said, these are the basics, but I hope that sheds some light on what you can do to please God.

Be encouraged!

In Christ,

Micah

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Hi, I really want to affirm you guys in what you're doing! I believe that you are really helping a lot of people and you're really showing an example of how we should all be helping and encouraging one another out in the faith, and trying to spread the gospel. Thank you so much! For me, I've been feeling very distant from God.. And I feel that I don't have zeal for His word anymore and it makes me really frustrated and sad.. I have also been questioning my salvation.. Any advice?

Hi! Thank you so much!

I fall into those thoughts sometimes. Seriously.

But you know how I reassure myself in the meantime?

I read my Bible. I read these stories about people who walked the Earth and proclaimed the name of Christ. I read instructions on how I should live my life in a way that would glorify the Lord.  I read about a God that sent Himself in the form of a man and died a cruel, torturous death, meant for me, just so I could be reconciled to Him.

And then, the cool thing about that is the fact that He uses what I’ve read to reassure me of His presence. It’s so dope how He does it. I personally find that He uses people close to me. One of the ways He does it, is people that are around me say things that pertain to the scripture I had recently been reading. They didn’t know I was reading about that, and here they are, unknowingly confirming things the Lord has showed me through His word. 

I also find that worshipping does nothing if not evoke the Spirit I know is living inside me. To be in the very presence of God and to just feel the anointing is one of the reasons people can’t tell me God’s not real! The Spirit operates in truth and freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says,

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

John 4:24 says,

"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Ultimately, you should dare God to reveal Himself to you. Tell Him straight up that you feel like He’s far away. Because He will prove Himself strong. And in a way that will BLOW YO MIND!

Be encouraged!

- Micah

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I recently received my financial aid status from the college of my dreams, I am beyond blessed to have received any money at all, but I didn't receive enough to even make a dent on tuition. As of right now I am beyond stressed out on how I'm going to pay for college, if you could please pray for me. I know God has a plan for me, but I am freaking out, please pray for my peace of mind. Thanks

Good morning, friend. A financial crises is always one of the most stressful things to have to endure… goodness knows I’m still going through it myself. It is one of those things that is ultimately out of our control, so we must learn to trust God that he has it under control. That choice, though, is a daily one.

One of my favorite verses is Matthew 6:25-27, which says,“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Ultimately, this verse is emphasizing one thing - God WILL PROVIDE what we need. He loves us more than anything, and we don’t have to worry about life’s necessities because he has it in the bag. The CATCH you may ask? The catch is that we as humans tend to distort what we define as a necessity. In my mind, sometimes I feel like I need to be some sort of graphic designer one day. Sometimes I feel the need to meet someone, get married, and have children. And while those are all good things, sometimes they might not be good things for me or at least not good timing in the moment where I feel I need them. God has so much in store for us individually, and he promises GOOD things to those who ask Him, not all things (Matthew 7:7-11). We can be sure that what God does give us, it is good beyond measure because it has eternal, spiritual significance and strengthens our love and trust in Him.

You know what the very best thing for us is? I know it sounds cliche, but really the best thing we could receive is a personal relationship with Jesus. When we decide that above all the stuff in life we’d rather have Jesus - that we’d rather love God no matter what our circumstances are - that is when He is the most overjoyed. That is the best thing for us and the best thing he wants to give us because that, my friend, is why we were created - to love and be loved by our Creator.

When this falls into line, it becomes easier to understand that whatever God has in store for you individually, it will be perfectly purposed for you and life will be abundantly more peace and joy-filled in light of that. Sorry for this preachy response! A little of it may have been what I needed to remind myself of as well. I am truly praying for your financial situation and hoping that, no matter the outcome, God will give you so much Joy in knowing you are just where you are at for a very, very good reason. 

Lots and lots of love,

Josie

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This will probably sound very weird but I've been struggling with my faith lately, I go to a Christian college and I'm in a Christian history class right now and I feel like the more I read and the more time I spend in that class, the more doubts I have about faith and the harder it is to believe any of it is real. Any advice for me? I'm trying so hard to hold on.

Hello! I do not think that sounds weird; sadly, I’ve heard of several cases where people studying theology in seminary turn away from their faith in Christ because their focus becomes primarily on logic, factual information, and debate, rather than derivative of a faith-based, relational understanding of the gospel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for building knowledge, but if you were to intricately pick apart the events, history, and meaning behind everything your best friend said or did in their life, if your faith and trust in that person were dependent on your ability to make sense of everything in their life, I can imagine it would take a toll on that relationship and make it stagnant, less joyful, and truth-be-told: hellish. While I think it is important to understand the basis of your faith, there is a point where it must reach, well, faith: confidence in something you can’t tangibly see or know. There are certain things we will never fully know or understand and that is just the way it is, regardless of whether you are a Christian. 

I have taken several theology courses myself and at times was challenged and overwhelmed by the complexity of it all. Somewhere along the way I prayed that God would give me peace with the truth - that his understanding would flood my mind where I couldn’t make sense of things. God blessed me in that moment with the Holy Spirit on my heart, and I know he can bless you in a similar way if you will call on Him. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that it takes just as much faith to believe that each complex, intelligently designed organism in the universe morphed into being by a bang than it does for me to believe that there is an intelligent being who designed it all in the first place. No matter what you believe: it takes faith to believe it. The difference with Christ is that we can experience the Holy Spirit through knowing him in our faith. The physical encounter I’ve had with the Holy Spirit has transformed my perception of who Christ is and helped me grasp the truth of the Bible in my own life.

In John 14:16-20, Jesus says: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” 

Praying for you friend, that you would experience the understanding, guidance, help, and peace that comes through a relationship in Christ through the Holy Spirit. I pray you won’t lose sight of the awesome God that he is. 

Love you dearly,

Josie 

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Hello I ised to have such strong Faith in God but recently my "realtionship" with Him has just felt empty. I can't find the strength or time to read my bible and when I do, I don't feel anything. I just feel like I'm talking to empty space. I still believe He exists but I'm really struggling

Hello, friend! First, I want to say that you are not alone in this struggle. In fact, I prayed for another individual just a few weeks ago who was battling a similar situation. I think the response I sent them might benefit you as well:

Almost every Christian I talk to, myself included, have had to endure these seasons of spiritual drought. When our relationship with God starts to feel dry or forced - I picture it like a relationship with any friend that makes its way downhill. Usually, if you examine that friendship, it feels dry and forced because deep down there is some sort of subconscious grudge you have been holding against that person. A belief that they were wrong - or worse that they were right and it stung your pride. There is usually no desire to hang around a person when that relationship stenches with bitterness. Now, this may not be the case for you - I am simply speaking from experience. If you are feeling frustrated or apathetic towards Christ and don’t find yourself desiring to be with him, then there is is probably an issue that is demanding your apathy. What are you afraid to surrender to him? Is there sin that you are holding on to that is demanding your attention and desire more than Christ? Tell him how that makes you feel. Rather than feeling guilty for it, pour it all out to Christ - tell him why you are frustrated that something is or isn’t working out. Ask him to transform your desires so that they are for him and not the silly, temporary things in this world. 

In Romans 7:14-25, Paul writes about this same struggle: 

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

& In Mark 9 when a father is pleading for healing for his possessed son, it reads: “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 

And Jesus healed his son! It is okay to identify those areas of doubt, and even more important to surrender them to God and ask him to help you out. 

I’m praying for you, 

Love, Josie