KeilanS

Hello everyone, I have recently taken on the leading of a small college group bible study. One of the questions that has come up is the question of how to determine what God is telling you to do, and how to ensure you are hearing God, as opposed to being mislead by your own desires or by satan. Now, that is a deep question, and I'm not asking for a complete answer or anything. What I want is a section of scripture to study inductively that might offer some answers. It has been suggested that I try the book of Nehemiah, but I wanted some more thoughts on the matter. The way I carry out inductive bible studies takes 2-3 hours per chapter generally, so I obviously can't do the entire book of Job or anything. I'm also looking for larger sections (a chapter at least) with discerning God's voice as a theme, rather than an odd verse here or there. So in short, does anyone have any recommendations for passages that might deal, either directly or indirectly with this issue? Many thanks, -Keilan

Glad to see they didn't change much. They're just telling the version from Hezekiah. "And thus, David flew his stealth bomber into the Philistine Camp, and Goliath was smitten by the might of a thousand bombs".

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This topic reminds me of why I stopped coming to the Worthy Forums. So I shall give my opinion. 1. Put a bounty on Muslims? How many times did Jesus say "Go out and make followers of me, and if they resist, stick em in bags and throw them out of the country!". Maybe that's in Hezekiah somewhere... 2. Now to argue the other side. Giving the Muslims a prayer space and refusing a similar demand from the Christians is discrimination. And if it happened in the US, everyone would be bending over backwards to help the Muslims and attack the hateful Christian fanatics who would DARE to think their religion should have precedence. Furthermore, I highly doubt the person who suggested the creation of a Muslim prayer room would be getting hateful calls from Christians. Short of maybe Fred Phelps bunch of loonies that is.

Interesting replys, and I am glad that the idea of tithing of our time has been brought up as well, because that certainly is part of it. Personally, I tend to resist the idea of the 10%. It seems to me to push this idea that as long as you give 10%, you're covered. You know, like that satisfies God, and then you're free to do what you wish with the rest. I like C.S. Lewis's take on it, which if I recall correctly, pretty much says that if you're not hurting from it, then you're not giving enough. On the other hand, rationally speaking, we can't just give everything away. God tells us to be good stewards of what we have, which I think means don't give everything away so you have to take out a loan to pay the rent. Which kind of brings me to my opinions on loans, which is that they should be avoided if at all possible. Debt is demoralizing and can very easily lead to poor financial stewardship, and an obsession with money. I personally would rather drive a $1500 beater that I've paid for, than know that I'm $30,000 in debt because of my brand new sports car. Just my two cents anyways. And of course I believe giving of your time is also important. A relationship with God could be seen as a relationship with a child (in terms of giving anyways, not in terms of who is telling who what they should be doing). You can't just throw money at it, time is needed to. And I think that if you take the time to build the relationship, the desire to give as much as you can will follow.

I am wondering where worthy stands on how a Christian should give financially. I have heard 3 major opinions: 1) The tithe was an old testament thing specific to it's time, you are not required to give anything. 2) You are commanded to give 10%. 3) The tithe was an old testament thing specific to it's time, you are required to give as much as you can afford. Obviously there are other opinions, so if one of my 3 does not fit you, let me know what you think! I am also curious about the question of how one balances a budget with giving. Are we to make sure we have enough to avoid needing to go into debt (or making are debt worse) and then giving after that? Or should we give and trust that the money will somehow be there. Specifically, should I keep enough money to pay my tuition to the side, and then give after that? Or should I give more than I can afford and hope for the best? Lastly, how does borrowing/lending play into all this? Should we borrow money, as Christians. Looking forward to your thoughts, -Keilan

Interesting turn of affairs... A step in the right direction, as far as this particular case is concerned. Now they just need to excommunicate the scum that raped the two girls. Agreed. I hate abortion, but when we're talking about a girl who is almost guaranteed to be killed in childbirth and who was also raped by her stepfather... well if there is such thing as a gray area, this is it.

Personally, I don't think the emerging church idea is all bad. Putting some of the more petty things we argue about aside is not a bad idea. Because honestly, we have so many denominations, and most probably can't even remember what it is that makes their denomination unique. Another good thing I hear from the emerging church type is a willingness to just stop whining about the evolution/creation thing. God did it. If He wanted to create it literally like Genesis describes it, great. If He wanted to evolve it, who am I to say He can't? It's such a stupid thing to argue about, when the real point there is that God is in control and he was behind it. On the other hand, I've found a lot that I don't like in the emerging church movement. There is a whole lot of "This verse is harsh, lets try to explain it away" that goes on. In Bible Studies in an emerging church setting, I hear "What are we going to do with this verse?" a lot, and of course the answer is obvious. Obey it. Edit: Some of the above discussion is talking about sides of the emergent church that I haven't seen, even though I know many people who would probably say they support the emergent church. Things like "God loves us because we're humans so we can do whatever we want" are DEFINATELY dangerous.

Where I live every indoor public place is non-smoking. Restaurants, libraries, government offices, ever bars. And I have to say, I would be most upset if they ever changed it. I accept that people have the right to smoke, but I think banning them from doing it in public buildings is perfectly fair.

I'm not so sure about this. Alcohol is certainly a problem, but cigarettes are almost guaranteed to kill you at some point and they are far more addictive. You can drink responsibly but you really can't smoke responsibly.

I would say that wearing a cross is just fine. On the other hand, going into panic mode when you lose it because you're afraid Jesus won't be with you that day... that is probably bad.

The term "Useless Gimmick" comes to mind for most of those. The one that kills power at the outlet level is just a downright bad idea. The thing about those electronics that use a bit of power all the time, is that randomly shutting them down is bad for them. You could kill your DVD player or something with that. The blinds are the only one I really like, that sounds very useful, assuming it works.

Thank you, everyone. Joe, one of the verses you posted confused me somewhat. This seems to me to be describing the earth, yet an unfallen earth. I also wonder why God would create such a beautiful earth and say that it is good, when His plan was simply to let us mess around on it for a few thousand years and then torch it.

Hey everyone, I'm not online much anymore, but I figured I'd come say hello. I've been at university for the past 6 months or so, and boy has it been busy and interesting. I have also seen a bunch of interesting religious ideas, that coming from a conservative background seem a little weird. I wanted to know what you all thought of them. So here goes: 1. Christians and the environment - This is the thing I've heard that makes the most sense to me. Basically what I have come to agree with is that we are to be stewards of the earth, and what that basically means to me is don't screw it up. Like whether or not you buy global warming, I still think that Christians should be supportive of ways to help clean up the planet, and stop us from making it any worse. 2. Rapture? What Rapture? - This is interesting to me, as I've done just about zero study in this area. THe idea I hear a lot is basically that the rapture is crummy theology, and that the endtimes are quite possibly more metaphor than anything. Furthermore, I hear a great deal about the new earth being the final destination of humans, and that the ultimate end of Christianity is not being swept up to heaven, but rather it is being resurrected on the new earth. 3. Hell - The majority of people I talk to do not belief hell is actually a place of fire and burning and what-not. Rather it is a place where people will be permanently seperated from God. Almost a C.S. Lewis - The Great Divorce concept of the afterlife. And then some even seem to believe that Hell is really just temporary, and nobody ends up there forever. This one I have the most problems with, simply because it sounds more like wishful thinking than scripture. So, I always used to enjoy the opinions I got here. What do you all think?

Thank you for the prayers and support everyone, I appreciate it.

Hey all, First off, I'm sorry that I only come here when I have problems, I feel kind of bad about it, but well, you guys are very helpful. I've been under a lot of stress lately, and well, it's hurting pretty bad. I have times where I can sit here and I can actually feel pressure in my head, like I'm going to explode. I know it's not healthy, and I am currently sick, and I'm pretty much sure it's the stress. Basically, a very close friend of mine has been going through a lot of trouble. Like he cries all the time, he's depressed, he talks about suicide frequently. I have no idea what to do. He is seeing a professional and such, but that only helps so much. And it's not just him, there are other depressed people I know too. I'm starting to feel like everytime I get to know someone enough, I learn that they want to kill themselves. Worrying that my friends might be dead in the morning is driving me crazy. My second problem is that it's Christmas break. I've been sitting here on my computer for 10 hours a day. I can't really think of anything else to do, as the weather outside is beastly. The problem is, it's giving me all this time to sit here and think and worry. And as a product of that, I think I'm developing paranoia. Or general anxiety disorder or whatever the psych term would be. I worry constantly, about stupid things like someone breaking into my house or a fire or the furnace exploding or CO poisoning, etc, etc. Worse than that, I've become distrusting. I've thought over in my head how I'd react if a friend pulled a gun on me. Made plans for all kinds of dumb situations. As a result, I trust very few people. In short, I'm a wreck and it's hurting. I realize the advice on such matters is pretty limited but any help and definately prayers (for my friend and I) would be great.

I am struggling with a few issues about the church, and this is something that has been weighing on me. Sometimes it feels like there is so much pain and confusion that comes out of my faith and uncertainty about it. I'm wondering what it is about Christianity that makes people decide to convert.

This is something that has been bothering me very much. How can we be happy or satisfied in life at any point knowing that people are going to hell and being tortured for eternity? It seems so brutal. Eternity is a long time. I'm having trouble not being weighted down by the thought. How do other Christians live with the knowledge of hell?

I've tried the KJV, but often times I have trouble reading it. I'm left trying to comprehend what I just read. Where as with the NIV, it's all clear and easy to read for me.

Thanks Nebula. And it's good to see you again as well.

Thank you for the advice everyone. Interestingly, I picked today to randomly look into my book shelf and find a book called "being God's man... by resisting the world", which was given to me about 4 month back. I had completely forgotten about it. Seems relevant, so perhaps God is trying to help me out here. Thank you for the prayers, I will try to keep you updated.

Kross. I am also not the most sensitive guy in the world. So it's all good. I think it is definatly fair to say that I am getting too caught up in the world. But it makes me think, how do I stop it? Like is it wrong for me to be passionate about what I study? I suppose a lot of the being caught is more about exciting plans for the future. I find it very difficult not to get caught up in how cool it will be when I'm finished university and finally get to work. Botz, the colours are definatly what stands out in Hawaii. You'll come across leaves that are the size of dinner plates and the richest green I've ever seen. It is quite the place. Thanks again for the advice!

Thank you Traveller. I will definately speak to my pastor. I can already tell what you mean about ruling your life. I feel like I'm starting to dread nightfall, just because I know the cold fear could come back. I will also read the book of John. It's been awhile since I have.

Botz, your reply has me almost in tears. I couldn't tell you exactly why, but it does feel good just to have somebody respond back to me about it. I was especially moved that you took the time to look at my blog. Thank you. I am going to my youth pastor's house tomorrow. Maybe I will request to talk with her about it sometime. I often feel like I don't have many people that I really trust with my fears but I guess I have to start somewhere. I have been reading scriptures, but right now I am in Isaiah and it does not really feel relevant. I read the chapters and I'm left confused. Should I perhaps read somewhere else and save the "cover to cover" read for later?

Hey everyone. I feel as if my faith has been slipping lately. I'm still a Christian but it doesn't feel like it means as much. I heard someone talking about how you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And I try to have one, but sometimes I feel like it's such a small ignored part of my life. The rest is spent with university, friends and other distractions. Now, that is a huge topic, and I'm trying to address it. But something I believe might be related is popping up as well. I've become scared of dying. And not just a little bit. Like petrified. I don't like being alone at night anymore, or in isolated areas. It started when I started university, I was so excited about it, and the idea of dying before I was finished began to scare me. I enjoy what I'm doing so much and I want more than anything to have a chance to do what I can (I am studying mathematics, and would like to research it as a career). Now that has settled into a general fear of death. I lie awake at night sometimes afraid that someone will break into the house. And I worry when I read about murders in the paper. It feels like life seems so much more fragile than it used to be. And it scares me. I don't even really know what to ask here. How do I stop this? I want to be able to go to sleep in an empty house again without feeling afraid. -Keilan