vlad Posted November 12, 2017 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 5 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 470 Content Per Day: 0.09 Reputation: 171 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/02/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/07/1946 Share Posted November 12, 2017 On 11/11/2017 at 1:16 AM, Samantha86 said: Hi all, ive been a Christian for about 2 years, I have bi polar and I find church sermons seem to tell you, you can be more, do more, be better etc.. I'm just not like other people and I feel like there's a Christian mould that we are subconsciously told we need to fit. I think God make me with limits and when I try to be other than how God made me I feel miserable. It's not just church but society as a whole preaches the "god of self improvement". Any thoughts on this? Do you agree/ disagree? Dear Samantha86, may be the problem is that some people are very touchy and some are not touchy at all. Now the sermons are directed to people in general. Try not to overreact. In fact preachers are human beings with their own weaknesses and different degrees of patience. That mold you mention is not a demand. It is the ideal. Nobody is ideal but most people try. I mean generally. Many women desire to have a good figure and they try sometimes with irritation. May be sometimes we have the same irritation about moral ideal figure? Do not feel miserable. A church is not a place where holy people gather. It is rather a place for sinners who want to get rid of their sins. We are all with limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAZARD Posted November 12, 2017 Group: Royal Member Followers: 11 Topic Count: 320 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 6,829 Content Per Day: 0.85 Reputation: 3,570 Days Won: 1 Joined: 02/16/2002 Status: Offline Share Posted November 12, 2017 On 11/11/2017 at 9:16 AM, Samantha86 said: Hi all, ive been a Christian for about 2 years, I have bi polar and I find church sermons seem to tell you, you can be more, do more, be better etc.. I'm just not like other people and I feel like there's a Christian mould that we are subconsciously told we need to fit. I think God make me with limits and when I try to be other than how God made me I feel miserable. It's not just church but society as a whole preaches the "god of self improvement". Any thoughts on this? Do you agree/ disagree? Hi Samantha. God did not make you like this. Doctors don't completely understand the causes of bipolar disorder. But they've gained a greater understanding in recent years of the bipolar spectrum, which includes the elated highs of mania to the lows of major depression, along with various mood states between these two extremes. Bipolar disorder seems to often run in families and there appears to be a genetic part to this mood disorder. There is also growing evidence that environment and lifestyle issues have an effect on the disorder's severity. Stressful life events -- or alcohol or drug abuse -- can make bipolar disorder more difficult to treat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplejeff Posted November 12, 2017 Group: Mars Hill Followers: 12 Topic Count: 12 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 7,689 Content Per Day: 2.41 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 20 Joined: 06/30/2015 Status: Offline Share Posted November 12, 2017 "Worldly" 'science'/ drug makers/ claim a type of chemical imbalance that they then try to 'fix' with danagerous drugs they make for the purpose, with all the side effects and high cost that goes with it. Godly healers learn what the real imbalance is by testing, and can correct it naturally and usually, most often, easily, and with no side effects and very low cost that goes with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
listener24 Posted December 6, 2017 Group: Senior Member Followers: 43 Topic Count: 43 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 650 Content Per Day: 0.28 Reputation: 759 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/23/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted December 6, 2017 (edited) On 11/10/2017 at 5:16 PM, Samantha86 said: Hi all, ive been a Christian for about 2 years, I have bi polar and I find church sermons seem to tell you, you can be more, do more, be better etc.. I'm just not like other people and I feel like there's a Christian mould that we are subconsciously told we need to fit. I think God make me with limits and when I try to be other than how God made me I feel miserable. It's not just church but society as a whole preaches the "god of self improvement". Any thoughts on this? Do you agree/ disagree? Right.. I find better when I move my attention on the thought that Jesus loves me every moment, as I am, and always wants the best for me. This way, the improvements comes out of gratitude for Him, and not for this deified "self-improvement". For this, a daily relationship with the Lord and His Word is very helpful, especially through the Gospel. It's hard to feel the same gratitude and peace, when not having a daily relationship with His Word. Edited December 6, 2017 by listener24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daughterofGrace Posted December 10, 2017 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 4 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 136 Content Per Day: 0.05 Reputation: 145 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/20/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) I would have a problem with a church that simply teaches "self-improvement". Being a Christian isn't about working to improve ourselves. It's about working in the power of the Holy Spirit to become more like Jesus. The process is called sanctification and it's about reading the Bible regularly and prayerfully, praying to the Lord for his wisdom and guidance, participating in Bible studies, allowing the Holy Spirit inside you to empower you to overcome the obstacles in life and live life in God's wisdom. But each of us is different. Therefore, each of our walks with the Lord will be different to some degree. Sure, there are some experiences and lessons we share with others who are on this journey with Jesus. But we are all individuals and God will work with us according to our particular needs and abilities. The idea of cookie-cutter Christians scares me, too! God is certainly not the author of your bipolar disorder. We live in a fallen world and we are all of us broken in some way. But it is God's desire to heal us of our brokenness, be it spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, mental or whatever. So do not give up hope on being healed in your particular area of brokenness. Just remember that it isn't about you on your own trying to be the best Christian you can be. It's about you having the Holy Spirit in you to empower you, guide you, strengthen you, comfort you, etc. I know there are churches that never even talk about the Holy Spirit. I grew up in one. I used to try to be a good person in my own puny human power and felt like a failure a lot of the time. But when I was filled with the Holy Spirit and handed my life to him, I began to see changes in myself, changes for the better. That is what I desire for others. For those who aren't familiar with the Holy Spirit and want him in their lives, it's easy. Just pray to the Lord and say, "I accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit." I guarantee you that God will answer yes to that prayer and your life will never be the same. Edited December 10, 2017 by daughterofGrace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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