I see the same wars and rumors of wars. I see the squeeze of those in power over humanity. I see the arrival of a digital currency that will can force people to adhere to laws or have their ability to pay removed. I see the Epstein files on the White House website that shows anyone who cares to know that demonic forces are running powerful governments. I see massive poverty and a world that is becoming increasingly apathetic to it.

I also know that we all live in our own bubbles and some people don’t pay attention.

Do you see it? Does it give you pause?

I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for almost 1,5 years with another Christian.
He now just discarded me terribly, which hurts me despite how much he had already hurt me, because I am pretty sure I have a trauma bond and the amount of faith and hope I put in God, to wake him up one day, just makes it so hard for me to lose that faith. I cannot say I haven’t done anything wrong.
I definitely did. Sadly, he’s a person that used even scripture to silence my pain, I lost my entire health for over a year. I am extremely underweight and have had issues eating for over a year now.
I have autism, so his cruelty was even more physical to me, even tho we were long distance, because I feel terror and fear very intensely. He’d lied to me a lot about his past and due to me feeling when someone lies I became kinda obsessed with asking him a buncha questions. Because my mind just couldn’t rest. Well whenever at some point I just wanted to talk to him about how I feel or how hurt I am, he would meet me in contempt. I started having trauma reactions like whenever he raised his voice or I was afraid he would abandon me again, cuz he always just hung up on my face when he was overwhelmed I guess, so I would start shaking severely and my heart rate would go up to 200.
He never cared. He always said things like “ YOU DONT CARE ABOUT ME SO WHY SHOULD I CARE” and what he means by that is me still trying to resolve things that have happened in the relationship and trying to talk about it so we can have relational healing. So basically, he would yell and say things like “ YOU ALWAYS DISRESPECT ME CUZ WHEN I SAY STOP TALKING U DONT STOP TALKING BUT THEN WHEN I START YELLING OR CUSSING OR HANG UP ON YOU IM THE ABUSER”
Oh guys.. he really did make me start questioning my sanity so much, that I sometimes started slapping myself to sleep telling myself I am worthless and I deserve how he’s treating me.
The worst thing is, both of us were moderators in a Christian discord server for a long time, both of us left the server tho months ago.
While he held Bible studies there about how to love thy neighbor, he would still treat me this way. He had absolutely no control over his anger claiming I made him abusive cuz I’m just so sensitive and so quarrelsome. He would call me the contentious wife how the Bible describes it. He really caused my entire self worth to go down hill. Also the very thing I trusted him with, which was us sadly lusting together as well. I gave him that out of love and trust and he then started saying things like “ I’m getting nothing but lust out of you” and in my mind I was just like “ but what about the moments we are silly, laugh, dance and share love..💔” at some point I was immensely scared to even have reactions anymore. The problem is also that he always claimed he loves me with his entire being and then as this stuff kept going on, he at the end said he does not love me anymore he only ever always returned due to lust. And that breaks me so terribly. He promised me everything. And now he’s walking away all peaceful having the narrative in his mind on how justified he is on just leaving me in shatters, not even giving me any closure. I did start resenting him while he treated me this way, but I still loved and sadly love him so much because he was severely bullied as a kid. And his parents didn’t allow him to cry etc. so.. how can I expect someone that learned total avoidance of feelings, to meet my emotions with tenderness😔 guys this was so horrible and he doesn’t even understand that some of the basic boundaries I had considering one on one occasions with other females, were normal. He would always tell me how sick he is of my insecurities. And I can admit, maybe I am too scared or too jealous and this might me smth I need to work on.. but guys I am deeply traumatized and I just still wish for him to wake up. Because when I was in my clinic the workers told me it sounds like he has a narcissistic personality disorder and he acknowledged it.. but then he flipped it again. I hoped knowing this could wake him up, but no. I believe he is deeply mentally ill and needs a lot of prayers. Because he is twisting realities in his mind entirely and I’m certain he doesn’t do that out of malice, but that something really just is wrong with him. Whether it’s pride, whether it’s fear, whether it’s him trying to protect himself of feeling shame. Please guys pray for him to wake up. I know, why should God wake someone up that does not repent.. but I have so much faith and hope, because all of this was just horrible. And I hope that one day he stops being so self centered and actually starts caring more about others than himself. Cuz he also told me he rarely feels any empathy for anyone, which also aligns with npd disorder. They have no access to emotional empathy in their brains. Idk guys pls pray, I’d be so so thankful for you all. My name is Nana and I won’t say his name obviously, but maybe knowing my name is enough for your guys prayers🙏🏻❤️
I typed a lot. God bless you all.🙏🏻

As an example. Lady Gaga claims to be a "non-traditional" Christian who believes in God and Jesus but doesn't appear to like the church or "religion". I don't need to go into the other ways she clearly doesn't agree with the Bible's teachings. We have all seen them.

My understanding of Progressive Christianity is it's a person who professes to be a Christian but cherry picks which Bible teachings they want to support and follow and disregards the teachings they don't agree with. Is my understanding of "Progressive Christianity" correct or am I missing something?

You can't accept Jesus as savior and then cherry pick the Bible's teachings.

BTW. I am not claiming to be some great Christian, but I do know what the Bible teaches and I accept it as truth, and I repent for my sins. A "Christian" who doesn't agree with the Bible's teachings is doing more harm to Christianity than an Atheist imo.

I know this is a common theme with ROCD. I’m terrified of cheating on my partner. I’m starting to become scared of going to the gym because I feel like if a guy looks at me then I’m cheating or looking for attention. I try to avoid eye contact with other men. My partner says cheating is unforgivable to him. I’m starting to think that me interacting with any man is considered cheating (even though I know it’s not true) I don’t even want to smile at other men because I’m afraid they’re gonna think I’m flirting with them. Please help what do I do… this is so exhausting.

Something has been weighing heavily on me lately, especially as I continue working with young men in different areas of ministry.

I think the Church has a serious problem when it comes to raising and discipling boys into godly men. And I don't think we're talking about it nearly enough.

We tell boys to be godly men, but who's actually teaching them what that means? Who's showing them what it looks like? Who's taking the time to walk alongside them and prepare them for the responsibilities they'll eventually carry?

Where are the men teaching boys what it means to be the spiritual head of a household? To be a faithful husband who loves his wife sacrificially, as Christ loves the Church? To be a present, intentional father? To lead with humility, wisdom, courage, and integrity?

And I'm not just talking about spiritual concepts, either.

Who's teaching them how to manage money, maintain a home, work hard, resolve conflict, communicate effectively, make difficult decisions, and take responsibility when things go wrong? Who's teaching them practical life skills alongside biblical principles?

These things used to be passed down intentionally, often through fathers, grandfathers, mentors, and older men in the Church. Now, increasingly, I see young men growing up without that kind of guidance.

Instead, their time and attention are consumed by video games, sports, entertainment, social media, celebrity culture, and countless other distractions.

And before anyone misunderstands me, I'm not saying those things are inherently wrong. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a football game or playing video games. But when those things become the primary influences in a boy's life, while discipleship and preparation for adulthood become afterthoughts, we have a problem.

What's especially concerning is what I'm seeing firsthand in ministry.

Across nearly every area of ministry I'm involved in, I encounter young men who are increasingly unwilling to step up, step out, take initiative, or accept responsibility. Many struggle to read and understand Scripture for themselves. They know bits and pieces of Bible stories, but struggle to connect those stories to the larger message of Scripture or apply biblical teaching to their lives.

And perhaps one of the most troubling things I see is their misunderstanding of leadership.

They think leadership means being the boss. Being in charge. Being number one. Having authority over everyone else.

But that's almost the exact opposite of the example Christ gave us.

In Mark 10:42–45, Jesus explicitly contrasts worldly leadership, which seeks authority and status, with godly leadership, which is rooted in servanthood.

In Ephesians 5:25, husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.

That's an extraordinarily high calling. Biblical headship isn't permission to control people or demand that everyone serve you. It's a responsibility to love sacrificially, lead humbly, and put the needs of those entrusted to your care ahead of your own.

And if we're not teaching boys that distinction, we're setting them up to misunderstand what biblical manhood actually is.

But here's where I think we need to be especially careful.

I don't believe we can simply blame the boys.

How can we expect young men to demonstrate biblical maturity when so few people are intentionally teaching them what it looks like?

How can we expect them to lead when they haven't been shown how to serve?

How can we expect them to understand Scripture when no one has taken the time to teach them how to study it?

How can we expect them to become faithful husbands and fathers when they haven't seen those responsibilities modeled consistently?

Titus 2 speaks about the importance of teaching and modeling godly behavior across generations. Paul tells Timothy to entrust what he's learned to faithful people who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

Discipleship is supposed to be intentional, relational, and reproducible. It isn't supposed to be something we leave to chance.

And yet, I think that's exactly what we've done in far too many churches.

We create programs. We organize activities. We entertain. We deliver lessons. But how often are we actually getting into the lives of these young men and preparing them for the responsibilities of biblical adulthood?

I'm increasingly convinced that teaching a weekly Bible lesson, while important, simply isn't enough on its own.

Young men need older men who will invest in them. Men who will open Scripture with them, answer difficult questions, hold them accountable, teach them practical skills, bring them alongside them in ministry, and demonstrate what a life of faithful obedience actually looks like.

And those older men need to be living examples of what they're teaching.

This is something I'm actively working to change in how I mentor and disciple the young men God has placed in my life. I'm realizing that I need to be more intentional, more practical, and more willing to personally invest in them rather than assuming they'll figure these things out along the way.

I'm certainly not claiming to have it all figured out, and I know there are faithful fathers, pastors, and mentors already doing this work.

But from what I've experienced, I believe we need a significant shift in how the Church approaches discipleship for boys and young men.

We cannot keep telling boys to become godly men while failing to show them what a godly man looks like.

And we cannot expect the next generation to lead faithfully if this generation isn't willing to invest in preparing them.

I'm curious what others are seeing in their churches and ministries.

Are you seeing similar struggles with young men? What does intentional discipleship of boys and young men actually look like in your church? And perhaps most importantly, what are we doing to change this?

Disclaimer: Just sharing. I know it’ll probably come, I won’t engage, but please don’t comment if you’re offended by what I’m sharing or it just isn’t for you. I’m not posting this for advice or ‘this is what the Bible says’. I’m posting to connect with others who might be where I’m at in life and for those who compassionately understand. Everyone is at different places in life so let’s respect that and listen and learn and treat each other with kindness.

Wanted to put this out there to connect with others who understand (or maybe you were here but life has changed for the better for you). I’ll be the first tell you I’m not at my most optimal self atm (as mentioned in the title). I’m working daily to be more like Christ and community/church-oriented.

Most people that I know are living life pretty much alone right now. I know that’s not everyone and some people are older or younger (I’m in my 40s), have big families or small close-knit families, involved in their church and have very socially active lives. I’m not speaking directly to you, though I welcome everyone who wants to comment as long as it’s building up, constructive and in love. I was most of those things at certain times of my life but life is alone for the most part now.

To share, I have and will always love people. I do feel like ‘evil is winning’ right now in the world. People, Christian or not, are following the trends and ways of the world. I’m exhausted with people—so I admit I avoid them (I love being around animals and nature though). I know this is not the best. But it does work to protect my health (mentally emotionally physically spiritually). “Love God love people” “He who hates his brother” I know these verses well and they’re constantly on my mind. I don’t hate people (although it can be a fight not to start teetering there with the evil and corruption people do), I just prefer the company of God, my own company, people I know, cats and dogs, seagulls at the beach lol, yup had a little buddy that was chilling with me the whole time I was there recently.

I’d love to be a part of a church and community. That’s where my heart lies. Like I said I love people - I’m just at an interesting juncture where it may not look that way on the outside. But I see a lot of good done by people too (most people are just hurting), and I think to myself ‘how could you die for us Lord…but you know way better than me so I do as you say’. But I can’t deny the obvious which is life is very much alone right now.

I’m happy, I’m working towards goals, I have a plan. But I’m also overwhelmed, can get overworked, wish I had someone or some people to share life with (I do but not much in person).

If anyone relates feel free to comment and dm me. I’d like to connect and have good convos and prayers.

I'm pushing 30, born and raised in the church. Life long Christian. I love my community, I serve on the worship team every other sunday. I married a fellow believer and we are raising a family in the faith.

Over the last couple of years, my faith has been slowly and painfully ripped away from me. As desperately as I try to hold on, I can no longer deny that I simply don't believe anymore. Cognitive dissonance is eating me alive. If my wife knew about this crisis of faith, I'd be toast.

I don't struggle with the problem of evil. That's not hard to reconcile for me. It's just the fact that this all seems to be the product of human imagination. I don't say that lightly, or to be patronizing at all. I am naturally a harsh skeptic of everything. Especially people. Our memories are unreliable, eye witness testimony is not to be believed. My faith was handed to me by my parents, so I never really criticized it...until the last couple years. Thanks, Alex O'connor.

It starts with Genesis for me. Why on earth anyone believes stories like Noah's Ark happened as literally described is beyond me. So then that begs the question, did the author (not Noah, but a later scribe as I understand?) believe it was a literal account when he wrote it, or not? It seems to me people believed all this stuff was literal until our empirical account of reality grew to conflict with it. Then "oh it's allegory, it's metaphorical". Sounds like God of the Gaps to me.

In fact, this sounds like God of the Gaps all the way from the start to me. We didn't know how we got here, so the story of Adam and Even was born. Now we figured out where we actually came from, so what do we do with adam and eve? Work backwards and try to reconcile. That's exhausting and dishonest in my opinion, and I find myself doing that with like everything in the bible that requires faith to begin with.

Literally everything that is supposed to be supernatural has potential natural explanations. Nothing at all is undeniably divine intervention. At least, not that I have seen or heard. "That's why it's called faith" that sounds like a cop out to me.

When I suspend my disbelief for a moment and just embrace what my heart has come to believe is true, which is all of this was born of ancient misunderstandings and has survived thanks to it's remarkable ability to always somehow be reconciled against anything logical (it was a regional flood man!!!), I feel free. Like an enormous burden is lifted from my shoulders. Then it comes crashing back down when I remember the reality around me, which is my wife & all immediate family are devout believers, and to become athiest would be to lose everything I love.

I don't know what to do. This is not an attack on my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am just lost and broken and don't know where to turn. I am still holding on.

For some context: I’m doing a 10-week Bible study on the prophets starting in January at my parish, but I started a study of Genesis on my own time last week. I just finished Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn after reading some of St. Louis de Montfort’s texts. I’m alsl considering St. Louis de Montfort for my confirmation saint.

Confessions - St Augustine
The Lamb’s Supper - Scott Hahn
Exodus - Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
Isaiah - Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
Dei Verbum - Vatican Council II
The Pentateuch - Joseph Blenkinsopp
Hexaemerom with On the Making of Man - Sta Basil of Caesarea
Love of Eternal Wisdom - St. Louis de Montfort
Uniformity with God’s Will - St. Alphonsus Liguori
The Imitation of Christ - Thomas Á Kempis
Interior Castle - St. Teresa of Avila
Dialogue with Trypho - Justin Martyr
The Dark Night of the Soul - St. John of the Cross
Theology for Beginners - Frank Sheed
Against Heresies - St. Irenaeus of Lyons
On the Incarnation - St. Athanasius
On the Holy Spirit - St. Basil the Great
The History of the Church - Eusebius
Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist - Brant Pitre
Jesus the Bridegroom - Brant Pitre

If you have anything else you’d suggest, let me know! But if you have any input on the stuff I listed, do comment please!

Thank you and God bless you

So, since I want encouragement for us in trusting God, I am interested if any of you or people you deem trustworthy have ever experienced either miraculous healing or something that can be potentially described as supernatural phenomenon? I have found posts like this before, but I think a post every once in a while like this is good.

Forewarning I'll be ok. Just a bit of a rant.

Pretense. I'm not sure if anyone knows Mr.buzz? Or deals with deliverance but I've been considering his method at this point. I've never been one to acknowledge deliverance until I've just gotten to the point of last result lol. I went through one with my local church and have felt better since but I still have some issues. Example I've been getting attacked with lust and mainly fits of rage at work that I try to contain.

I figure a lot of this just has to do with fatigue and burnout because of the nightshift and living off grid.

Anyways I don't know what to think anymore. I apologize on advance to my Orthodox friends as I have been interested in the faith.

Basically the last things Im down to regarding deliverance is throwing away all of my video games which I don't understand because I see many Christians who are ok with it. So I ask why me?

I'm just tired y'all and I don't really care anymore. I'm becoming more and more ok with just uprooting my whole life and living in my van until I find out where I'm supposed to be and start life.

Other than that it's the whole "graven images thing" I'm not sure if it even makes sense to me or if I agree with it.. but anyways a friend of mine gave me qbeloved icon of our Lord and a prayer rope from his trip to greece. Mt.Athos. I thought it was really cool.

Anyways though, according to this deliverance guy, and common protestant belief, is that iconography can be idolitrous.. Forewarned, I'm just a guy who believes the Bible. No demomination. Just trying to grow and love God and trying to repent and atone for my past and get on with my life. So I guess I gotta throw that away too?

Anyways. I hope this makes sense and sorry for any offense. I've been confused and led into several different directions unfortunately because everyone believes and says different things. I struggle with OCD so it's just tiring as well. I almost feel like a loon and bipolar.

Jesus says my followers will hear my voice and follow Him so.. I mean I'm trying though I don't do so perfectly. Then people will say God only speaks through the written Word. Which at the very least believe it is our main discernment. (Heb 4:12)

Maybe Im just looking too deep into everything rather than just simply believing and letting go. I can't seem to help it when I have so many questions.

Anyways my trigger of this was because I keep having sleep paralysis, and weird dreams. At this point it doesn't bother me. I just rebuke it in Jesus name and go back to sleep. But it does still suck and is annoying lol.

Idk just rambling. I hope this makes sense. I could use some guidance. Godbless and peace! 😊💛

I wanted to share a miracle my wife underwent. In January 2026, on the way home from a date night, my wife experienced some shortness of breath and heart racing. We went to a local emergency room and she got an IV in her left arm (important to remember), some fluids and felt better and we were discharged. We weren’t sure what prompted the symptoms but she rested over the weekend and we felt okay. That Monday, I got her into a cardiologist just to make sure things were okay. Everything checked out and he wasn’t concerned. However, over the week, she began to have left arm pain and heaviness around the clock that was very bothersome. I’m a physician myself so I got a friend to order an ultrasound done that Friday. It showed a 7-8 cm clot in her left upper arm. I immediately called the cardiologist and she was started on a blood thinner meant to prevent new clots but not break down her existing clot as her body would eventually break down/resorb the existing clot.

The next day after we found the clot, my wife began having the shortness of breath and heart racing and I took her back to the emergency room. They repeated her ultrasound. There was no clot there anymore. They got a CT of the lungs to see if it had moved there. It wasn’t in her lungs. We were stunned. There was nowhere else it could be. We were discharged home and referred to a hematologist who has always been very confused and unsure of to make of all of it. We all believe the clot was from the IV placed during the initial symptoms but the hematologist has always maintained it takes weeks to months for a clot to resorb. My wife’s clot was gone in a single day. Since that day, all her left arm heaviness and pain has resolved.

Now the flip side of this is where God was truly working. The fear from the clot unleashed a lot of fear, anxiety, and OCD in my wife that had been untreated for years and held back like a dam. In some ways, she was very strong being able to contain and suppress it. But it made sense that it would eventually all come spilling out uncontrolled.

The next few months were hard. Really hard. She developed severe anxiety and thoughts that she had lymphoma, leukemia that caused her clot. Then it evolved into colon/pancreatic cancer. Then ALS or MS. One fear was just evolved into the next. At first, I was concerned something medically was wrong and took her to the emergency room 5 times in 5 weeks. I used every connection I had to get her in with every specialist. All the testing was normal. Despite the reassurance, her fears got worse. She began having nightmares about dying. At first, I would wake her up but learned to let her sleep through them as, if she awoke, she would be hysterical and crying. She was fatigued with low energy and depression. Any time she would rationalize that everything would okay, it felt like Satan would rev up her fears and spiral them even worse. She even had fears that if she died, our kids would forget her face and I would remarry and they would call this new lady their mother. It was a very hard time and her fears definitely paralyzed her life and ours.

While I tried to remain strong and help out around the house while balancing my job, I began to fail. We got into bad fights because of how frustrating it was with how incapacitated we were. In my “graciousness” and “patience”, I was truly acting selfishly and holding grudges about how much I was having to do to keep our house together. It truly was not Godly grace nor patience.

Then around Easter 2026, I broke down and submitted myself to God. I was raised in the church but had always been on the fringe of belief. We went to church weekly but my life revolved around my work, not God. I remember listening to sermon about God’s love on my back porch and began bawling and crying realizing I needed God more than anything else right then.

Since then, our commitment to the Lord has never been stronger. My wife was always a strong Christian but she has always had fear/anxiety that has made it hard for her to fully trust to the Lord.

This is my theory: I believe so this clot was put in place to make her address these issues of anxiety and fear head on while taking the one thing that could kill her (the clot) in a single day. At the same time, this experience has refined and transformed me in my faith. Like Paul, the scales have fallen off my eyes and I can’t see what see now and I don’t want to go back.

At the beginning of this, I used to pray for my old wife back but now I pray for the new refined version of her only possible through God. Not only have I stepped up as the head of household from a Christian husband/father standpoint but I see the trickle of our faith in our 3 kids’ lives. It’s truly amazing.

My wife still struggles some days. We are noticing a pattern around her period where symptoms worsen so maybe something perimenopausal. However, she has a great Christian counselor and a therapist who specializes in anxiety and OCD. She’s on an SSRI and maybe it’s working? Not sure entirely about that. She has had great support from a neighbor to meet weekly and read the word. I see a Christian counselor at my church weekly for support for myself and have a men’s bible study. We read the bible together and pray with ourselves and kids. She’s improved a lot and I can only thank God for really working in our lives.

Since all this, I’ve told this story to many of my physician colleagues who have been amazed. Doctors are a funny bunch; we are skeptics and that’s because it’s part of our training so a miracle like this is quite crazy. And trust me, at the beginning of all this, I was skeptical. I took the disc of her ultrasound clot images to multiple radiologist at my hospital to confirm there really was a clot (there was) and not one can explain how the clot disappeared the next day. I’ve even shared this experience with a Muslim colleague of mine (who, since our increase in faith, my wife has had three dreams about sharing Jesus to him and his family). I told him that it was Jesus and Jesus only who could have saved us. We pray a seed has been planted in these efforts.

Anyways thank you for reading this far. I wanted to not only share this but to thank this community as I came onto this subreddit many times to use for reference when I poured into the bible and didn’t understand something. This understanding has helped us grow our faith.

For those who are curious about Christ, John 14:6 really sums it all. He is the way, the truth, and the life and only through Jesus can we reach God. If you’re thinking about taking the leap, do it. You will not regret it.

Our group meets twice a week, and for a long time most of us only really opened our Bibles once a while. A few things changed that, and I wanted to share them in case they help someone else:

1. We selected a book to study together. One book at a time, so there's something shared to talk about.
2. Everyone goes at their own pace. Some days a chapter, some days three verses. Both count. Comparing amounts was killing it for the slower readers.
3. A tiny daily check-in. Just the passage and one thing (at least) that stood out. It takes a few minutes, and seeing others' check-ins pulls you back on the days you'd skip.
4. Missing a day isn't failure. None of this earns anything. God's grace doesn't depend on our reading record. It's just a way of staying close to His Word together. If you miss a day, you come back tomorrow.

Full disclosure: I ended up building a mobile app around this that our group and other groups now use, called Eagrly, so I'm biased. But all of this works in a WhatsApp group or a notebook too. The important part is reading together, not the tool.

How does your group keep going between meetings?

I didn't know what to title this, sorry. For context, I likely have a disorder that involves psychosis (probably bipolar, have been in treatment for related issues since November last year). I've been stable for months on meds, thank God, but... that is starting to teeter. I'm feeling it creep up on me, I want to think about the signs I'm seeing in the world around me, I want to fixate on it even though logically I know that's stupid dangerous.

How do I turn my focus more towards God and away from this stuff? How do I honour and love God when it's like this? Wouldn't I be a better servant if I didn't have these issues?

I hope you can understand all the questions. I don't know how to write them. Please understand, please help. I've been thinking about them for years because I've been ill for years but sometimes they knock me all for six. I don't have a definitive answer. I don't know how to pray about all this right now. I'd appreciate resources and relevant pieces of Scripture as well as kindness.

Many of us are guilty for seeking signs instead of a relationship with God. If we're not seeking a relationship with God but claim to be followers of Him, we are basically admitting that we're ashamed of the Gospel and testimony of Jesus Christ. In our hearts, we still condemn him and in our communications & actions, we prove it.

• Matthew 12:39:

But he replied to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign. Yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah,

We learn through the story of Jonah that the call to repentance is vital. Jonah was caught up in the belly of the whale for a time, symbolizing; a period of trial, surrender and death to self.

We are reminded of the death and resurrection of Jesus, he was put to death and buried for our transgression and then risen three days and nights later. He rose from the grave for our benefit so we might share an inheretance with him forever in eternity.

[Transgression: A willful crossing of a divine or moral boundary, often used synonymously with sin or rebellion against spiritual law.]

We must be careful in the signs we seek!

• 2nd Corinthians 5:7

For we live by faith, not by sight.

• Colossians 3:2, 2nd Corinthians 4:18, 1st John 2:15, Romans 12:2;

We should always focus on the eternal goal of our faith instead of allowing a material world to guide and lead us on some strange path we claim to be a “spiritual journey”. The patterns of life can easily lead us further away from God and we should never become comfortable following the traditions of men.

Job: After confronting God's majesty, Job declares, "I retract my words, and I repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6), expressing a deep sense of smallness and unworthiness.

Isaiah: Upon seeing a vision of the Lord, the prophet cries out, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5).

Ezekiel: The prophet describes people looking back at their moral corruption and "loathing yourselves for the evils that you have committed" (Ezekiel 20:43).

What is God's will for us?

God wants believers to grow in purity, character and love. He wants us to enjoy the life that he gave us and to continually give him thanks in all things we face in life.

• 1st Peter 2:15-17

For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live like free people, and do not use your freedom as an excuse for doing evil. Instead, be God’s servants. Honor everyone. Keep on loving the community of believers, fearing God, and honoring the king.

• Romans 12:1-2:

I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.

Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.

Remember that God's plans overrule ours and he is above all!

• Job 42:2;

Job makes this confession to God at the end of his trials, acknowledging divine sovereignty.

• Isaiah 14:27;

A declaration that God's judgment and decrees against nations will happen as planned.

• Psalm 33:11;

A song praising God's power over history and creation.

• Proverbs 19:21;

A contrast between human-made schemes and God's unassailable will.

God's Plans?

Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for well-being, and not for calamity, in order to give you a future and a hope.

We're in it for the long-haul, we must be patient and seek understanding.

• Proverbs 4:7

Wisdom is of utmost importance, therefore get wisdom, and with all your effort work to acquire understanding.

• Proverbs 2:1-6:

My son, if you accept my words, and treasure my instructions— making your ear attentive to wisdom, and turning your heart to understanding— if, indeed, you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and learn to know God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

God's promises, mercies and faithfulness endure through all circumstances.

(Prayer)

“I encourage and challenge the Body of Christ to pray with boldness for the lost, abandoned and struggling members of the Family of God so that we honor God continuously in everything we pursue in our relationship with Him. ”

God Let Us Bless Every Soul!

To tell a long story short.. I was a kindergarten teacher and I asked parents about religious beliefs. Which I know was wrong but I'm over here trying to further the Kingdom. My principal busts into my room and told me I was going to get them sued in front of the kids. Then she told me I was unapproachable and had rbf. I go out of my way to spread happiness and Jesus. Then I couldn't do anything right. She gas lit me and lied about me. I have lost all confidence in myself. I had another job interview the other day and they told me I didn't get the job because I was too nervous during the interview. I have no confidence in myself. All I want to do is people please and I'm always nervous and afraid people won't like me. The reason I'm saying this is because I'm in a season of waiting and in a valley. I'm trying to trust in God but it's so hard when I don't see a light at the moment. I need prayers for my confidence and job search. That God would show me His plan for my life. I want to help kids. Any advice also welcome!

im 21 f and live at home. I have severe anxiety since last year and struggle getting into vehicles so I don't go out much. I fight with my parents almost daily and have broken and toxic relationships with them that have broken and teared my heart apart multiple times. it's affected me into the person I am. all of my friends are in other states, busy with college and jobs and life. I want to move out but can't because I have no money and I have no money because I dont have a job and cant find one.

I only have God. and I'm just so angry at Him. furious even. He left me alone. with no one. just surrounded with people that actively hate me and want to break me. everyone that healed me and brought me joy and love is so far away and busy. it seems like God is tryna force me to rely on Him. the answer seems easy right? just let Him and rely on Him. no big deal

no it's not that easy. I have cried endless nights, begged for love and support. sat outside at night, wanting to die and hoping something happens to me. most of the time, I need a shoulder to cry on, a hug. god isn't going to come down from the skies and give me a hug. he isn't gonna put his shoulder for me to cry on. all I have is some good ol' prayers that I have to hope and believe he's listening to but not gonna respond prolly. some good ol' scriptures to read and hope and believe I find something or some response and believe it came from Him. some good ol' church to walk for a whole hour and listen to ppl ramble about their own experiences and trauma.

god isn't feeling my needs. I want a person. someone I can see with my own eyes, not a being I have to hope and try and believe he's listening to me and there for me because I don't see him anywhere. everything I love and that makes me happy isn't here. just two parents that make me want to get hit by an 18 wheeler and struggles with some addictions. being forced to rely on God is making me lean more towards anger, and probably atheism tbh.

EDIT: before anyone starts with the whole gratitude sermon with my parents, my relationship with them is tense, broken, toxic, etc. they don't accept me, they put me down, they insult me constantly, have broken my trust idk how many times, threaten me all the time, emotionally neglect me since I was a child, shun me, will refuse to even acknowledge me, throw my things away just "because its their house", etc. my father won't speak to me because I didn't accept his advice a few months ago and constantly threatens to kick me out and my mother broke my trust recently after I gave her another chance despite my trauma. so don't come to me with "be grateful to your parents" because it's incredibly difficult to live in an environment like this and heal and be all happy and smiling.

I faithfully tithe and give to my local church, but I am currently facing nearly ₱700,000 in debt due to past financial mistakes and living beyond my means. Naturally, I am a generous person who loves to give. Today, I live very simply and I only buy what I truly need and use things until they wear out.

As the primary breadwinner, a large portion of my income goes toward my debt payments, my church tithes and a fixed monthly amount to support my family, and some expenses for basic necessities. I haven't shared the full extent of my situation with anyone because of shame. While my family knows I have loans, they have no idea how overwhelming the total amount is.

Tithing is strongly encouraged in our church, though not strictly required. Every payday, I resolve to give only what I can afford, yet I always end up giving the full 10%. When I tithe, my cash flow turns negative, leaving me stressed and burdened. But when I don't, I am consumed by guilt and fear that disobeying God will sink me even deeper into debt. I have already cut my living expenses as much as possible, but I feel stuck. I also tried to find another job but I cannot find any. I want to be debt-free. I know that this is just temporary but I am too pressured to be debt-free.

Thank you for your insights.

I have a question I would like to get some advice on. What do you believe do not have any other gods before me means? I ask this because I recently had someone tell me that they feel like that scripture is implying the existence of other gods. So they don't think it's wrong to have other gods as long as you don't put them above the God of the Bible and you just put him first. Also they said witchcraft is no different than prayer because both are just seeming answers from a divine being. I would love plenty of advice on this from a biblical perspective. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and answer my question.

Feeling lonely, even when I'm surrounded by people

Hello everyone! I am an 18 year old student in my last year of school. I've been following Christ for a few years by now, and I am so happy with this decision, and so grateful that God showed his light to me, and has helped me so many times, and I am grateful for Him always being there for me, even when I don't have anyone else.

But let's start with the problem. Through out my life, I've always had attachment issues for some reason. I am not sure why, Ive always had people I think of as friends, so I am not quite sure as of why I do that. As I've grown older, even though I have many friends (for which I am so grateful), Ive never truly had someone I could call my "closest friend", which hasn't been a bother to me because I do not like putting people I love in such categories if I could call them that. But the main issue always came when I found a group of people I really loved being with, and so I get attached to them really quickly, and then they disappear from my life. It's probably for the best, because God does know what's best for everyone, but it still did hurt a lot cause I got so attached to them so quickly.

Later down the line, I met many new people, who were also following Christ, and till this day they are still with me. They all care for me, talk to me, and all of the good stuff about real friends, for which again, I am so grateful for having them in my life. But even though they are here for me, I still feel lonely a lot of the time. I still feel like something is missing, even though I have everything I could ever need - a loving family, friends, relationship with God. But despite all of that, I still feel lonely, I even though I am surrounded, and far too attached to the people around me.

The worst part of this issue comes whenever I meet someone I could really start calling my "closest friend", someone I could share everything, talk with all of the time, someone I could rely on, someone with whom I have so many things in common, down to the dreams and goals we have. And everything looks good, I get attached believing that this person could be THE person (not talking romantically if anyone got confused), but then, after some time I see them becoming more distant, and then I am the only one keeping that friendship alive. And when that happens, I just start feeling even lonlier, I start feeling like ive done something to that person, even though I know I haven't, I start feeling scared, panicked, and then I feel empty again, that empty feeling that I usually feel when I'm with people, I start feeling it again, knowing that that person for one reason or another has moved away from me. And this has happened so many times because I get attached to people so easily.

And ive come to the realization that I am too emotionally dependant on other people. I feel like I need people to accept me, to approve me. And I've asked myself the question "why am I doing that" so many times, while knowing that through all of this, God has always been there for me, God has always been loving me God has always accepted me, He even died for me. I am searching for someone who would do the things that I'd do for them, but the whole time I've already had that person, and that's God. And I only recently realized that. J realized that I've been searching for someone to depend on, instead of depending on God who has always been there. I've realized that I've been depending on other people way too much Instead of depending on God.

But now, even though I've realized the issue (or at least I think I have), I still am not sure what to do. I still feel lonely, even after realizing that I need to depend more on God. Maybe I lack faith, maybe I lack patience, whatever it is, I just know that I need to believe in God more, I need to depend on Him more, and only then, I know I can escape this trap I've been living in for so long. I am grateful that God is here for me, and that He is the one that has already given me everything I've been searching for. I just am not sure what to do now, I am not sure how to stop this lonely feeling, how to rely on God more, how to trust Him more.

If anyone has any advice, if anyone could pray for me, I would be forever grateful. Thank you everyone for reading through this, I probably look so pathetic I all of this, but i just want to hear what others might say, even if the truth can be painful. For now, Ill try to strengthen my faith in God, because I believe that's exactly what's lacking, I need to stop thinking that anyone in the World could ever give me the emotional and spiritual support He could. I need to stop trying to depend on the people around me for peace, love and happiness, and start relying more on Him, the only one who could truly give that to me, even if sometimes days are rough, I know He loves me, and I need to learn how to truly appreciate that and love Him truly with all my heart and soul without of course forgettingto love everyone else, as He has thought me. Thanks for reading again, love y'all and God bless you❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

This all started after 6 years from running away from God, even with synchronicities/Divine Providence. So, I think Proverbs 29:1 might apply to me. Also, "To whom much is given, much will be required.". Life was my playground and I was always happy, I opted to live a secular life and now I think I got smited dealing with benzo tolerance and ME-CFS.

Even before starting a benzo and/or pregabalin tapering, I can't read nor watch TV

I have a lot of diazepam in my blood with a very longer half life compared to the normal due to Luvox that ignorant doctors associated.

Now, I can't entertain myself, have no social life. I am getting crazy and having SIs.

I am considering even cold turkey given the point I am.

I wonder if anyone who have/had severe ME-CFS was able to taper benzos that was taken for years and recover reading and watching TV abilities.

I can't do much right now. Nor reading, nor TV, and then I still need to take years and years to quit diazepam and pregabalin, only getting worse with zero autonomy while my mother is now at her 60yo and getting older?

Can someone give me a good reason to keep on this burden? I don't intend to do anything but damn, the Nietzsche quotes about dying with dignity or the stoics talking about exiting the house full of smoke make a lot of sense.

If I broke without remedy, I rather not take my mother's life with me too, and also, for me, it's being a torture. Idk what to do.

I think I was saved when I was around 13–15. I grew up in a Christian family, believed in God, read my Bible occasionally, prayed, and watched sermons online. One day, while watching a sermon, I realized I had never actually given my life to Christ, so I felt moved to do so.
However, I never really pursued God consistently. I would go months without reading my Bible or praying, and I occasionally skipped sermons. This continued until I was 20. During that whole time, I struggled with a lot of mental anguish and frustration because I wasn't following God. At some point last year, I was at my brink and I prayed to be saved again, but I eventually returned to my old ways.
A few months ago, I reached another breaking point. I felt like God had turned me over to my heart and would never let me come back to Him. I went to my mom for help, and after talking with her, I started genuinely trying to pursue God.
For the past 3–4 months, I've been going through a cycle. Initially, I was doing okay. I was taking things slowly and trying to learn about God and Jesus. But at some point, I started feeling like God wanted me to do certain things, and I would take them too far. I became obsessed with making sure I was doing His will correctly, and every week, I'd end up breaking down from the stress. I'd go to my mom for advice, she'd help me understand where I went wrong, and I'd feel better and do things right for a week before the cycle started again.
Today, I had another breakdown because I felt like God was telling me to walk by faith. I was terrified of messing up and sinning, and I felt guilty because I don't I trust Him enough. My mom told me I was stressing myself out over nothing and pushing myself to the point of insanity. And I agree with her.
Because I spent so many years not doing anything for God, whenever I think He's asking me to do something, I feel like I have to give it my all. Anything less feels like I'm not doing what He asked. I push myself to make sure that I'm serious about following Him, but I end up making myself miserable.
Ex: Last week, I thought God wanted me to spend more time with Him. I ended cutting off all technology and dedicated all my free time to Him. I thought it was a way to prove that I was serious about following His will and wanting His Spirit to fill me. At one point, I got the stupid thought to throw out my TV. I didn'tdo it for a while because it didnt make sense, especially since i was using it much anyway, but I was afraid, since I didn't want to throw it away, I was idolizing it. The thought bothered me all week until I broke down.
My mom has become frustrated with me and told me tonight that she can't help me if I'm not willing to help myself. She said I'm acting like a Pharisee and making myself miserable. I don't know what to do anymore. It feels like everything I do is wrong, and I constantly misinterpret what God wants from me. I'm so afraid of disobeying Him or drifting away from Him that I push myself to the limit, only to end up doing the very thing I believe He doesn't want me to do, making myself miserable trying to follow Him or working for grace or something..
I genuinely want to know God, love Him, follow Him, and become the person He wants me to be. I thought that as I pursued Him, He would guide me through my issues one at a time, like instruct me, and eventually, I'd grow in my faith and perhaps even minister to others like im supposed to. I thought things would start to make sense, and I wouldn't feel this way all the time. Instead, I feel like I'm going no where, im just running in circles.
It's even starting to affect my physical health. I've been staying up until midnight or 2 am because I'm busy "meditating." Last week, I spent hours praying at the end of each day, so I developed bumps on my knees from kneeling for so long. My knees ache from prolonged prayer, my face is rubbed out from crying so much, and I accidently started neglecting basic self-care, like moisturizing my skin, to the point where it's become so dry I needed to borrow eczema ointment from my brother.
I used to constantly worry about whether I was saved. I thought I'd overcome that fear about two weeks ago, but now I'm questioning everything again. I feel like I don't truly know God, that I've misunderstood Him completely, and that I've gotten everything wrong. I know salvation is not by works. Its just, how can I have everything so backwards and I don't even know Him the way I should?
I'm exhausted, frustrated, and scared. I don't know how to pursue God without turning it into an obsession. I don't know how to tell the difference between genuinely following His guidance, simply acting out of fear or if its the devil. I don't want to give up on Him, but I can't keep doing this

From a letter to Proba by Saint Augustine, bishop

(Ep. 130, 11,21—12,22; CSEL 44, 63-64)

On the Lord’s Prayer

We need to use words so that we may remind ourselves to consider carefully what we are asking, not so that we may think we can instruct the Lord or prevail upon him.

Thus, when we say: Hallowed be your name, we are reminding ourselves to desire that his name, which in fact is always holy, should also be considered holy among men. I mean that it should not be held in contempt. But this is a help for men, not for God.

And as for our saying: Your kingdom come, it will surely come whether we will it or not. But we are stirring up our desires for the kingdom so that it can come to us and we can deserve to reign there.

When we say: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are asking him to make us obedient so that his will may be done in us as it is done in heaven by his angels.

When we say: Give us this day our daily bread, in saying this day we mean “in this world.” Here we ask for a sufficiency by specifying the most important part of it; that is, we use the word “bread” to stand for everything. Or else we are asking for the sacrament of the faithful, which is necessary in this world, not to gain temporal happiness but to gain the happiness that is everlasting.

When we say: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, we are reminding ourselves of what we must ask and what we must do in order to be worthy in turn to receive.

When we say: Lead us not into temptation, we are reminding ourselves to ask that his help may not depart from us; otherwise we could be seduced and consent to some temptation, or despair and yield to it.

When we say: Deliver us from evil, we are reminding ourselves to reflect on the fact that we do not yet enjoy the state of blessedness in which we shall suffer no evil. This is the final petition contained in the Lord’s Prayer, and it has a wide application. In this petition the Christian can utter his cries of sorrow, in it he can shed his tears, and through it he can begin, continue and conclude his prayer, whatever the distress in which he finds himself. Yes, it was very appropriate that all these truths should be entrusted to us to remember in these very words.

Whatever be the other words we may prefer to say (words which the one praying chooses so that his disposition may become clearer to himself or which he simply adopts so that his disposition may be intensified), we say nothing that is not contained in the Lord’s Prayer, provided of course we are praying in a correct and proper way. But if anyone says something which is incompatible with this prayer of the Gospel, he is praying in the flesh, even if he is not praying sinfully. And yet I do not know how this could be termed anything but sinful, since those who are born again through the Spirit ought to pray only in the Spirit.

RESPONSORY

2 Maccabees 1:5, 3

May the Lord hear your prayers

and make peace with you;

— may the Lord God never abandon you in time of evil.

May he give to all of you a heart

to worship him and to do his will.

— May the Lord God never abandon you in time of evil.

Hi, there is something I've been really thinking about and that is christian influencing & the lifestyle they share while doing it. Some do paid partnerships/collabs with sites like Temu/Shein, I always wonder that do they feel convicted at all in doing them (because there could be child labour/poor condition of the workers)

Because I do feel personally convicted about doing something like that and I got offered a Temu collab but I just dont think it would be right. Are my convictions wrong and I should collab for getting money to live? I don't have any work rn so social media could be my job. But I have done zero collabs with brands if they seem shady in their working conditions and I just don't know if its okay to Jesus.

One christian influencer I follow got a personalized car that was very expensive and they showcase it to their followers. I know there are a lot of people struggling right now and I just don't understand how they don't feel convicted at all about these things when so many are near homelessness/or homeless, even christians. I mean its totally okay to have a car but then I wonder - does Jesus support this lifestyle they showcase? Is it okay for a christian to promote that stuff and live lavishly?

I'm asking this because I wonder if I just am too sensitive and feel convicted about the wrong stuff or what christian influencers are doing is actually against God? What do you guys think? I don't mean any harm to any influencer I'm just genuinely wondering about this because I have been thinking about doing brand collabs but don't know if its okay.