wingnut-

God does the enabling according to scripture, this is absolutely true. John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. When a person is drawn to God, it is at that point they must humble themselves and cry out to Him for salvation. For some this happens quickly, others are more obstinate. Whether one reaches rock bottom before they humble themselves or not is entirely up to them, the Lord is patient. God bless

Prior to the New Covenant you had the Old one, in which God compared His relationship with Israel to that of husband and wife. The Old Testament parallels the New, but the plan was always the same. As far as Jesus and the church as the Bride, it isn't a sort of reflection, it is exactly how it is defined in scripture. Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

The Lord established the marriage covenant from the start, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Maybe what you need to do is start fresh, somewhere new, on your own. It sounds like your family is wearing you down, breaking away from them may be the best option, as scary as it seems.

I have quite a bit invested myself, so sure. I think though, that it is important for people to understand the risk involved. It reminds me of something my dad taught me in my youth. If you are not willing to lose money, don't lend it, because you may not get it back. My investments are not for my benefit, the idea is to leave something behind for my daughter and grandsons, so when I am gone, I can still be of assistance.

The issue you will run into here, is what one person deems intimate another may not. In areas like that, you could get a different response from each person you talk about with it. I think it comes down to personal conviction. For me personally, I know the difference between right and wrong, without question, following the proper path is entirely on me at that point. So for instance, my views are more in line with traditional courtships. You are interested in someone, so you let your intentions be known. You spend time with that individual, get to know them, and decide if this is an individual you can see a future with. If so, then you move forward, if not, then you part ways. I don't think showering someone with gifts is of any benefit long term, and I don't think physical contact leads to good decisions. Flattery also seems to go hand in hand with motives, but speaking from the heart is an expression of truth, so I see a distinction there.

Some things can be harmless in and of themselves, it really depends on the two individuals. Consider what Jesus had to say in regards to lustful thoughts themselves and then equate that to where some of these things can and do often lead. Many people stumble with the best of intentions, there is a reason. Avoiding temptation should be the primary focus in my opinion, call me old fashioned. God bless

The marriage covenant is specifically linked to Jesus Christ and His bride. So who is His bride. Those born again. One is not born again in advance, they are not part of the bride until they enter the covenant. The same is true of marriage between two people, any intimacy prior to entering the covenant is an act of the flesh, not of the Spirit. God bless

If you do a search on her name it should come up, then you can send her a message.

You made the right choice, there is a more modern term used for the type of relationship he wants. I'm not going to say what it is, but dust yourself off from this and find yourself a decent fellow. God bless

Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Frienduff was kind enough to share this with me as well, and I thought it was something everyone should be made aware of. We all need to be watchful, paying close attention to what we are being fed, and for those with children what their children are being fed. Any church of any denomination that gets on board with this movement needs to be abandoned quickly, without hesitation. Alert and sober is the order of the times we live in, we all need to be prepared spiritually and mentally for the days ahead. God bless

Do you feel you have gotten an answer to your prayer one way or the other? One suggestion I might have, is if you are interested in supporting outreach ministries, there are options to do that through other means than your local church.

You have full member status now, the forum should all be open to you as well as the chatroom.

I can ask for a board mod to move this over to the advice section for you, it will probably get more views there. Initial posts appear in the welcome section and take a few minutes for someone to review, that is to keep bots and spammers from running wild.

No, you are doing just fine.

Welcome to worthy I think you should pray about it, and ask the Lord where He wants you to be. Praying for you as well, glad to have you with us.

I can relate somewhat to what you are going through. Really, all you need is one friend to connect with that asks how you are, or how your day was. Praying that you find that person. When I came to worthy nearly 11 years ago now, I made some lifelong friends that I enjoy fellowship with, whether it be more serious life issues, or just small talk. I hope you find this site as much of a blessing as I have. God bless

No. No.

I agree with your stance on this 100%, you are setting the proper guidelines as you should. What you need, is your wife to support you in this. Praying for you.

Hey there stranger, good to see you again. Well, sorta anyway, you still have your back to us. ?

The verse in question is very specific as to which group it is addressing. They won't all believe on Him as in He is the Messiah, the group in question will, and it is spelled out in other places as well. Also, the reason it specifies the inhabitants of Jerusalem specifically, is because at that time Jerusalem has been given over to the gentiles, and not everyone in the city will be a Jew. Sorry, I do not subscribe to replacement theology. We are grafted into the tree, they are still the natural branches. The replacement theology you continue to promote is not true. God made promises in the Old Testament to the prophets that He would preserve a remnant always, His promises are not broken. Romans 11 explains it quite nicely.

No, it is not. It specifically says the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. It says nothing about Judah or Israel. It also directly contradicts your false assertions from the previous post that I quoted. It is not foolishness, and it is in God's word, as I just showed you it is. Sorry, but you have the wrong guy, I won't be fooled by anyone. Your angst against the Jewish people clouds your vision.

Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn."