Nancy M Poesl Posted December 21, 2017 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 2 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/21/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted December 21, 2017 Why do Christians struggle in their faith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Thess Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Hello, and I am so sorry that no one has replied to you . . . even after two years. Wow. This is a most profound and perplexing question to tackle and answer; something 100+ other people could not do. Look, I find the Apostle Peter to be the exact kind of person that you might be talking about. Scriptures tell us that he was indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but much of the time, his behavior is just horrible. For example, in Galatians chapter 2, he leads Barnabas astray, and between the two of them, they led many astray. How could Peter fall victim to fear, fearing what James and his Jewish friends might say about him as he was sitting at a table with Gentiles, eating foods that the Judaisers of those days would not say is clean to eat. Peter had fallen from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and was now appearing, at least, to others as Jewish . . . again. Peter, for the time being, was recanting on his Faith. For me, Peter is always a thorn in my side, and in fact, is that the "thorn" that Peter prayed to have removed three times? Could that have been Peter himself. Yes, Peter could have very much been that "thorn in the flesh." Now, I don't believe that Peter is apostate, or worse, hell-bound. At this point in my studies, the only reasonable thing that makes sense is that God is capable of hardening our hearts so as to fulfill His Almighty, Holy and Mysterious Plan. So let's consider Peter and one of the three times that his heart was clearly hardened in the Gospel of Mark. As Jesus was in the process of being taken away, tortured and murdered, Peter denied for the third time that he was not a follower of Christ. Just in that moment, a young man standing close by was nearly grabbed and hauled off himself. He was left naked, as they grasped at his robe . . . but that young man escaped the exact same death that Jesus was to endure that day. My point is that the hardening of Peter's heart actually saved his life! God always knows what is best for each of us. He has a Mighty and Holy Plan that He has been cultivating since the very beginning. Therefore, we must trust that because He is in control of all things, so as to fulfill the incredible timing of His Almighty Plan, I believe that it is safe to conclude that at times God will work His Mysterious Plan in our lives just as He had in the lives of every Biblical character ever mentioned. Do not worry about anything. What I am asking that you would do is to begin a very specific kind of prayer life. This prayer life must consist of praying to have your choices, personal desires and even your own freewill, if such a thing exists, to have them all be taken away from you. You must pray that God would enable you to BECOME a slave for Him and Him alone. None other can you enslave yourself. Nothing will enslave you; no addictions; nothing. Pray He would Purify and Circumcise your heart, to remove a Stony Heart and to replace it with a soft, tender heart of flesh, allowing you to Love in a Righteous and Holy way. Pray that you would truly become a Slave. Love your God. Fear Him! But fear Him in a way that is Reverent. Fear Him with Trembling, but not because you are afraid of being destroyed, but because you know that He is All Power and All Powerful. Respect Him in everything you do, and know that you can vaporize you in a nanosecond. Believe Rightly. Submit, therefore, properly. You will Obey and Confidence will then reign in your heart and mind. After achieving True Confidence, you will begin to share your entire life, as well as the True Gospel to those that are waiting for you. You must transform. You must become a New Creation, one that has no pattern of sin and increases in Righteousness and Holiness on a gradual basis. I believe in you. You will be successful. I know you will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted March 2, 2020 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 0 Topic Count: 904 Topics Per Day: 0.19 Content Count: 9,642 Content Per Day: 2.03 Reputation: 5,828 Days Won: 9 Joined: 04/07/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted March 2, 2020 On 12/21/2017 at 6:57 AM, Nancy M Poesl said: Why do Christians struggle in their faith At the root of it all: Our individuality (awareness of self) often misleads us to trifle with the notion of self deification. We want to be God. â we may not actually want to BE God... we just want him to do things our way... (which is still the same thing). We don't like the way things are in life (which usually gets blamed on God. And we mostly want to incorporate into the divine will our pet sins (but it doesn't work that way)... so, in addition to God being invisible (Colossians 1:15) and heaven being invisible to us... and the things of the world being right here before our eyes and ears... people struggle with their faith. God knows all this. And he is there for us. The best thing to do is what is at the heart of faith and that is to TRUST God.  1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted March 2, 2020 Group: Royal Member Followers: 44 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.93 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted March 2, 2020 (edited) On 12/21/2017 at 4:57 AM, Nancy M Poesl said: Why do Christians struggle in their faith Nancy M Poesl Members  2 2 posts Joined December 21, 2017 Last visited December 22, 2017 Three year old topics receive minimal attention for 'two day only' members. Answer: doubt and disbelief. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in an archival topic/thread. It was tremendously fulfilling somehow. Edited March 2, 2020 by BeauJangles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Adams Posted March 2, 2020 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 26 Topic Count: 61 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 9,604 Content Per Day: 3.98 Reputation: 7,795 Days Won: 21 Joined: 09/11/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted March 2, 2020 (edited) I found that the The Lord is very gentle. He does not need to prove Himself over and over, yet He does. The Love He bestows is so deep, sometimes one can hardly handle it. But He does have Love especially for the weak. He will not snuff out the dimly burning wick, neither will He break the bruised reed... Edited March 2, 2020 by Justin Adams spell of course 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alive Posted March 2, 2020 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 22 Topic Count: 194 Topics Per Day: 0.12 Content Count: 11,053 Content Per Day: 6.58 Reputation: 9,010 Days Won: 36 Joined: 09/12/2019 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/09/1956 Share Posted March 2, 2020 11 minutes ago, Justin Adams said: I found that the The Lord is very gentle. He does no need to prove Himself over and over, yet He does. The Love He bestows is so deep, sometimes one can hardly handle it. But he does have Love especially for the weak. He will not snuff out the dimly burning wick, neither will He break the bruised reed... A beautiful post. Amen, brother. Amen. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted March 2, 2020 Group: Royal Member Followers: 44 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.93 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted March 2, 2020 2 hours ago, BeauJangles said: On 12/21/2017 at 4:57 AM, Nancy M Poesl said: Why do Christians struggle in their faith Nancy M Poesl Members  2 2 posts Joined December 21, 2017 Last visited December 22, 2017 Three year old topics receive minimal attention for 'two day only' members. Answer: doubt and disbelief. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in an archival topic/thread. It was tremendously fulfilling somehow. Pardon my somewhat abruptness. When an archived post is making what seems like a response to a member that will obviously never see it, I often wonder what the point is. Good answers, but unfortunate that it will not be received by the opster in this case. Sorry if my post appears a little over the top. Perhaps I need a little more sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mclees Posted March 5, 2020 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 5 Topic Count: 158 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 1,915 Content Per Day: 0.81 Reputation: 910 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/15/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted March 5, 2020 On 3/2/2020 at 3:06 AM, JohnD said: At the root of it all: Our individuality (awareness of self) often misleads us to trifle with the notion of self deification. We want to be God. â we may not actually want to BE God... we just want him to do things our way... (which is still the same thing). We don't like the way things are in life (which usually gets blamed on God. And we mostly want to incorporate into the divine will our pet sins (but it doesn't work that way)... so, in addition to God being invisible (Colossians 1:15) and heaven being invisible to us... and the things of the world being right here before our eyes and ears... people struggle with their faith. God knows all this. And he is there for us. The best thing to do is what is at the heart of faith and that is to TRUST God.  Why would we want God to do things our way. God said my ways are not your ways. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. As the heavens are so much higher than the earth so are mays higher than your ways Isaiah 55: 8-9 Still it is desired to have God upon the earth to sit on a throne such as in Rome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmuffet Posted March 5, 2020 Group: Royal Member Followers: 34 Topic Count: 1,990 Topics Per Day: 0.48 Content Count: 48,688 Content Per Day: 11.83 Reputation: 30,343 Days Won: 226 Joined: 01/11/2013 Status: Offline Share Posted March 5, 2020 Many Christians struggle because they are following their own perceptions of what is true rather than what is true by faith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiards Ball Posted March 12, 2020 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 1,502 Content Per Day: 0.66 Reputation: 662 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/05/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted March 12, 2020 On 12/21/2017 at 7:57 AM, Nancy M Poesl said: Why do Christians struggle in their faith Christians deal with doubt, discouragement and etc. but not always in triumph. Jesus saves weak, changeable, fickle people, and not just strong people. He saves strong and wavering, rich and poor, deaf and hearing people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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