Christians on CS!

[panhead]

Please pray for my friend who has cancer...

she's doing okay but she is still listing more and more problems that are attacking her.



Also
I find out about my next year's school placement this week... I hope that God chooses what is best..



and
with my relationship..

woo. How do I say to God that I want him to take full control and lead me to have a good relationship and give it all to him?

as for what I said about a month ago,
he says


I'm not very religious, but I have gone to church and believe in God.



That is
good..

right?

[catra]

I was looking at this thread and I saw this ad.

[Helmuth]

@ the panhead:

I will pray for your friend. As for God taking control of your life, it's hard. Or, for me, it is. Letting somebody -- and not just a somebody, but Somebody -- take control of your life... is difficult. I'd start by praying that you will know Him and feel awed by His power in your life.

As for being "religious," you don't have to be religious. In fact, if you read through the Bible, Jesus shunned the "religious" people of his time, the Pharisees. I think you just have to continue praying and be immersed with God's unconditional love for you. I'm no expert and I'm not a preacher, but that's what I'd do.

[starry--knight]

@panhead- I will certainly pray for you! And as for your relationship I encourage you to pray to The Lord and tell him he has all the control, that you are ready for him to lead you wherever he may take your relationship. He will always take care of you and lead you down the best possible path for your life!

I would be 100% sure your faith and his faith are equal. Like, if you are more religious then he is or the other way around it can cause strain in your relationship. I am in a relationship where my boyfriend does not believe in god at all, I try to say anything about god and then things go south...very fast. So yeah, that's my advice

[panhead]

Thank you. c: that just takes like..

200% of everything off of my chest and I feel lots better about it c:

[starry--knight]

Glad to know our advice helped! If you need anything feel free to pm me! (: I'd be more than happy to help with anything you need or have questions about!

[Helmuth]

@ the panhead:

I'm sorry. I re-read what I had posted and wasn't clear. Jesus didn't shun them because they were religious; it was because they were strict under the Law and pretty much believed that anybody who disobeyed the law (which is everybody, because everyone sins) wasn't good enough. And it's true, but now that Jesus came, I believe He shunned them because He defeated the Law -- which they were living under. I know this is a terrible explanation and I'm not 100% on this, but I think it's correct.

I regret that I was wrong; read rory's explanation as to why Jesus shunned the Pharisees, not because they were living under the Law, but because they wanted men's approval in life rather than God's.

[peachy keen-]

please pray for me and my family. we are in our church basement because a tornado has been spotted close to use and to be honest...I'm terrified.

[pyro,]

I don't know how to write this but please pray for my perants and especaly my mother, because she just got on a plane with my one year old brother for 14 hours to germany, and I just want her to have a safe trip. my father already got there and she is meeting him there. but I'm scared, scared that something will happen. so please pray for my father, mother and baby brother to have a safe trip back home and for my mother and baby brother to have a safe trip there. thank you!!

[paz]

@ the panhead:

I'm sorry. I re-read what I had posted and wasn't clear. Jesus didn't shun them because they were religious; it was because they were strict under the Law and pretty much believed that anybody who disobeyed the law (which is everybody, because everyone sins) wasn't good enough. And it's true, but now that Jesus came, I believe He shunned them because He defeated the Law -- which they were living under. I know this is a terrible explanation and I'm not 100% on this, but I think it's correct.

actually, he shunned them because they were hypocrites and wanted approval from men. they turned the temple into a market place. many times you will see in the bible that the pharisees and sadducees were only looking for praise from man, rather than from God.

i can get some verses if you want me to. c:

I've got two unrelated questions for any Christians out there, please noted that I do not fully understand Christianity, so I may get some things mixed up. Also if at any point I come off as rude or accusing, please don't talk it that way, I am not trying to be.

1#
Why does hell/Satan/demons punish bad people? Also, why are they considered evil, they punish the bad people, I don't see how that makes them evil. If anything wouldn't that make them good, because they discourage people from being bad. Like a cop or prison guard. f they're goal is to get everyone to be bad, shouldn't they be rewarding people who are bad in life? That way more people would be bad do to lack of repercussions in the afterlife.

That's always confused me.

question number one:

one thing that needs to be understood is that our God is a very just God. demons do not punish anyone nor does Satan, at least, not in the way i think you are asking. God made hell for Satan and the angels who followed him. He never intended it to be a place where people would end up in. Matthew 25:41 says, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Also, 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." and when you say that they are rewarding them, sin is people's reward. when people get high or drunk, that is what they get. anything bad after that is the consequence of the sin they committed. and how exactly do they punish people who are bad? i don't understand your question exactly, but i hope i answered it.

I took out the second question because it seems to be the subject of an argument right now.

As for the first, from what I've heard and seen from almost everyone, if someone commits sins and doesn't ask for forgiveness, and they're bad sins, not just something little like littering, you're supposed to got to hell. Like a mass murder. I've also heard of the nine rings of hell for really bad people. But it seems to me like the devil would want to reward people who commit sins, not punish them. If he wanted people to be evil, then why doesn't he just reward people who are more evil then others in hell. It would remove the motivation for not being evil in afterlife terms.

Did the devil just not plan this out very well?

Also, what exactly did Lucifer do in order to become the devil? I know that he tried to take over as god or something like that, but that's not really evil, just war/a difference of opinion. I don't see how trying to become the leader/disagreeing with someone can make someone evil.

Thank you for answering my questions, I can get a bit confusing/ed at times.

okay, very quickly, before i answer your questions, how exactly is the devil not rewarding people for sinning? how is he punishing them?