I don't want to rely on Google AI to answer this question cuz that just feels stupid. I recently had to block a lot of people out of my life siblings, coworkers, etc. simply cuz of the realization that I'm never going to be like anyone else (in a bad way) Also cause I feel like with what people have been supporting and doing I just don't feel like there are any pleasant people in the world anymore. But if there's any good soul out there that can answer this, please. Do any of you know any good bible stories about people going through loneliness with nothing else but a relationship with God. I'm sure they maybe a few or at least one.

I’ve noticed that in many ministry stories, the breakthrough doesn’t happen immediately. It starts with someone showing up, listening, drinking coffee, building trust, and entering someone’s life slowly. Why do you think trust matters so much in spiritual conversations?

ive been struggling in my relationship with god since I’m lazy and on my phone to much and have school I’ve been on my phone less and a little less lazy and praying about to recently and I still just feel far from god and I know it’s a dedication thing and how I don’t really put him in everything I do he’s more of a side thing but I dont know what to do or how to put him in things I do like school or terraria and without electronics I just sit around for 5 hours then sleep after school any advice?

Hiya I’m a Christian woman (24 years old) from London and just wanted to know the experiences of other Christian Londoners. I attend an Anglican Church and doing my best to meet up with other young adults and build connections. My workplace has a lot of secular people ; I work at a bowling place and serve drinks at the bar. I felt a bit guilty for enjoying making the cocktails and serving the alcohol. However I was glad at the fact that I learned how to pour beer and make cocktails pretty quickly, even quicker than my duty manager. I know people have their own convictions about being surrounded by alcohol that’s why i was a bit unsure. But yea rambling aside , what’s it like for you guys ?

Someone told me once that a Christian must not seek to see their offender punished for the injustice they perpetrated, but rather want them to repent without trials.

I have been quite a victim to persecution lately in my daily life. Lies about me, for example. Upon learning today someone false witnessed about me, I was taken by wrath (though I kept it to myself). I don't know how to face this kind of thing without desiring who do such a thing to me to face the consequences - even if in a trial that ultimately changes the person for the better.

I need this sense of justice.

Am I not being pious? How else to see justice if not like this? People wrong me and sometimes I am helpless, I can't seek justice by confrontating these people.

It seems wrong to me to see some even having great success in life.

I know that for most of the Christian world, the trinitarian formula is required for a valid baptism, as that's the one Jesus gave us.

But Acts has Peter and the apostles baptizing people in the name of Jesus Christ, not in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

So uh... are the baptisms performed in Acts invalid? Surely not?

I know that what happened could be protection, redirection, correction, or something God has a purpose for. I understand that He has a plan, and I genuinely want to trust Him. I keep seeking Him through prayer and the Bible, praising Him, and trying to live the way He asks me to.
And some days, after desperately seeking God because I’m in so much pain, I eventually feel okay. I feel like I’ve surrendered it. Like, “Okay, God. I give this to You.”

But then the next day comes, and it hurts again.
And it feels like I have to let go all over again.
Every day feels like another act of surrender. Every day I have to remind myself of the things that stabilize me, almost as if I didn’t just learn them yesterday.

I understand that healing takes time, but sometimes I genuinely question myself: If I had really surrendered this to God, shouldn’t I feel free by now?

How do Christians actually live with this kind of pain every day? Does surrender eventually become something you no longer have to consciously do, or is repeatedly giving the same thing back to God actually part of surrender?

I live in a liberal city and know almost no Christians. I was saved about 3 years ago, but the more time
that goes by, the more apparent the difference between Christians and non-Christians become. For example I work around a lot of pro-choice women who truly seem demonically possessed at times. Unfortunately my family members are also lapsed Christians. Outside of church, I'm surrounded by unbelievers.

How do you guys handle being in environments where you are such a minority? It's wearing on me to the point where I'm considering moving to a red state.

I had a friend ask me a question about his baptism and I am puzzled over it. Here is the situation:

1. He genuinely put his faith and trust in Christ for his salvation
2. He believed in the Trinity
3. He believed Jesus bodily died and resurrected
4. However, when he was baptized, it was done in the name of Jesus and it was done by a unitarian apostolic preacher

I honestly don’t know what to tell him about the validity of his baptism outside of if the Holy Spirit convicts him to get baptized again then he should

I’m looking for your thoughts/opinions/experiences as it relates to this issue.

Most of our congregation is 65+ and cant tell.

Over the past year it’s gotten increasingly worse. He’s barely looking up from his notes. He’s reading things and I can tell that in moment he realizes that it doesn’t quite fit, but he pushes past it. He’s also using AI generated images in every single PowerPoint slide.

I know that unfortunately this has become more common among bivocational pastors. But at this point, it’s become very difficult for our family to focus because there is clearly no soul in what is being said. It’s clear he is burnt out, and I don’t blame him. But we are very heavily considering leaving the church for this and other reasons.

The people there, including the pastor and his family have been great to us and clearly love God and stretch themselves thin serving in the church and elsewhere.

It will be hard to tell them we are leaving, and why. To me it almost feels petty, but on the other hand this issue is very serious to our family.

Hey! As someone who struggles frequently with my faith, as well as the different interpretations of the Bible, it can make everything much more confusing. In you all’s personal experience, do you believe that if something was meant for you, it’ll happen regardless? Or can you do things you weren’t supposed to do, causing it not to happen, even if it was meant for you?

Secondly, do you believe we genuinely have free will? If I tell God I’m not ready to lose something, will He ignore my wishes and do it anyway? The question isn’t whether it’s for the better. The question is, do I really get a say in my own life?

Lastly, how do I determine the difference between a coincidence and God removing things from my life, especially when I’m not ready for the answer or for things to be removed?

(Sorry for my bad english)I've been struggling with lust (im M19) for year's and I don't know how to control it, I tried so many methods but non of them worked.

I though the reason I can't find a girlfriend is that I can't beat lust.I tried my best to fast for 40 days but my best run is 30.

I don' know if I have to beat this cycle fully to find the person I want or something else.

I don't know what to do

Scripturally, is there any hope of a gentile Christian moving to Israel during the first half of the tribulation for the sake of fleeing into the wilderness or mountains. I ask because God called me to celibacy when I gave my life to Christ last year and it just caused me to rebel persistently against him. And I’ve been wanting to move to Israel for the sake of fleeing so I can get married.

What method or how have you fleed from Lust, stopped a porn addiction or sexual content leading to porn, or sexual content leading to masturbation.

And a follow up question: Do everyone think that masturbation is fine according to the Bible, when it is not included with porn or a mind focused on adultery. And if yes, how does one masturbate in that manner?

Im going to be honest here for a second, I want to walk with God but I love worldly things to much. I have problems with drinking, lust, my phone, music and a few more and torn between the two but i feel more leaning away from God.

I used to have a lot of fire for God but over the months, I've been losing it more and more and feeling less convicted when I sin and start to love worldly things. I never pray nowadays and I've been skipping church and when I do go to church I don't listen and I see it as a checklist activity and caring less and less for it.

I know I cant live like this but I still do it.

I went to church yesterday ( as of writing this post) and the main reason was because it was near where I planned to go and I might as well. However, during and after the service, I feel like that spark and the urge to run to God has come back and thank God it did. The sermon was about the prodigal son and the story felt so relatable and reflected my situation right now.

I’m 19 years old male, I haven’t choked my chicken in 10 months but I keep having wet dreams, I don’t drink before bed, I make sure to pee before bed, I don’t eat before bed, I pray before bed and ask for protection from God so I don’t have any sexual dreams, I limit what I watch, if something weird comes on my fyp, I either scroll, block or click not interested. I do all these things yet after at least every 10 days I have a wet dream where I either have a full load come out or what looks like a precum stain that’s barely visible. In these wet dreams I’ve noticed that sometimes I can avoid what’s happening in them and I don’t have a wet dream, other times I can’t do anything, and most times I try to stop it but no matter how hard I try I can’t wake up before it happens and all this leaves me with guilt shame and makes me feel like a failure and as weird as it sounds, it makes me think all the happy times I’ve had since my last wet dream are meaningless, and like I can’t get joy or nostalgia from them, idk if that may be related to OCD or something but to my knowledge I don’t have that. Idk what to do, I’ve read that wet dreams are normal and sometimes can persist into late adulthood but is this really true. Is this all normal and I’m just tormenting myself with something that’s out of my control?

Recently I started attending a Pentecostal church . The community is accepting and I feel god spirt stronger then anywhere else I’ve ever attended!
My only problem is this branch of Christianity is very strict and certain things do not align with what I believe.
I don’t believe If I don’t where dresses that’s a sin. I dont believe letting my children watch cartoons is a sin. There are other things aswell but I’m not sure if the devil is in my ear or if I’m realizing it too radical for me.
Even if I miss a service because I’m ill (I have brain cancer currently in treatment)
they make it seem like it’s because the devil is after me nd I need to push though and come anyways.
I am very conflicted because I have loved the service and how strongly everyone believes and is excited about god but I can feel them wanting to change change things about me and my family that’s I don’t consider sins. Any opinions or incite is appreciated especially if you know anything about Pentecostal Christianity

Not looking to get into pros and cons or fights or debates about scripture interpretations. Just curious about the balance of receptivity to the idea of female clergy or women in other leadership roles, here.

Im a teenage girl who loves Jesus and wants too grow closer too him i just don’t know how!! I feel like recently ive been drifting away from him and this isnt how I am, my parents notice it, too a point where I believe in him, but I don’t rely on him at all. Havent read a bible verse since 6th grade and Havent felt like that happy jolly girl I always was ever since.I have many opportunities like separate teen classes where they’ll guide you about the bible in a certain way. The only issue is it’s a small group packed with teens I don’t know at all. Im not an awkward person but when it comes too learning about Christian studies I hate it. I was never really into learning about god and found it boring. I stopped pushing my beliefs too liking it. And thats when I lost him, I don’t know if it was also change in life,Deep down, I just really need some genuine advice.

I’ve been seeing on instagram reels “fake” christians pray like this, like that and its so draining because I’m so scared to not be welcomed into God’s home, when i have free time i read my bible, i pray consistently every night and during strong emotions (i don’t pray before meals yet i plan on doing so). i really want a relationship with God but I’m scared I’m doing this all wrong and I’m missing something i SHOULD be doing. Please help i really do want this but its like everything i do is wrong and I’m always a bad person.

of course tried to post in the regretful parents sub but being childfree it didn’t count lol

This includes topics like marriage, children (wanting them or not) and purity culture

Little recap about me, I am (28F) married (32M) very grateful for him, he’s very calm, he actually likes to clean the house at least more than I do, very hardworking, decent human being overall, lol love him sm.

We have been married for 1.5 years, we dated for 2 years and we were friends for 3-4 years so needless to say we know each other very well, we’re mature, we have a nice house, he works remotely, I run a flower shop, everything is cool, we have debt that’s freaking me out (around 8k but it’s not from shopping and traveling it’s actually from the business like buying a cooler and materials and stuff) but overall we’re in a good position I guess.

Anyways, we are childless, we have 3 cats I guess that doesn’t count, we eventually want to have kids (maybe 2-3) but I am scared for life everytime I read your posts and I am truly sorry you go through so much.

Here’s where the christian part becomes a little relevant, bear with me I’m getting to the point, we’re both christian, regular people, not holier than thou, I come from separated parents both believe in God , not church goers, my husband comes from separated parents too but they were together for a long time, served in the church for like 20 years, and my husband’s middle brother and his wife and kids are christian too, so that’s relevant because me and my husband met in church, in youth group when youth groups were still decent (meaning actual bible study and community, not the freaking purity culture sermons every saturday to make you avoid sex and encourage you to marry fast and unholy amounts of gossip)
When we first started dating the pastors started to push us into getting married within a couple months, we were smart, we didn’t listen, then everyone became so obsessed with getting a husband and eventually I got proposed to and married (in our own time) but everyone around started to do the same but like at speed light with people they’ve known for just months, trying to catch up I guess? after we got married like 4 young couples did it too within a year getting pregnant and all lol .
We changed cities and we attend church 1-3 times a month mostly to learn scripture but we have no friends other than old ladies (love them) but everyone ask us:

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE CHILDREN??????!??

AaaaaAAAAAAAaaAhhhhhhhhhh it drives me nuts, seriously. I try to act cool and laugh it off but i’m done.
When we visit my husband’s brother and his wife it intensifies, they have 2 kids, (a 3 year old boy and an 1 month old baby girl) our nephew drives us absolutely freaking crazy within the first 15 minutes, he’s very entitled (they’re rich RICH) wants all the attention, wants to play 24/7,
they asks us (more like demand us) ever since we got married to “give him some cousins to play with” holy shit.

As I mentioned they’re super rich they have all the help in the world but still they seem so miserable all the time and want us to go through the same thing?????!? Like 5 months ago when she was pregnant she said she hated every second of it but in social media she portrays it like it’s all rainbows and butterflies ?!?

The most unhinged moment ever was when LITERALLY 10 MINUTES after we first got married at the civil court my father in law asked AND WHEN WILL THE KIDS COME ??

Everyone is always asking, assuming i’m pregnant because I left social media, everyone around me is getting so pregnant so fast, and here’s my confession: I was diagnosed with endometriosis a month ago and it’s been devastating, for my health, sex life (TMI sorry) work and also the “”””dream””” of having kids, there was a time when I didn’t even want them (i’ve never been good with kids like EVER)

When we were deep in the last church I got convinced that was my life’s purpose and I wanted like 7+ kids and a homestead lmao, now that i’ve taken the time and have moved away from that pressure sometimes i’m even okay with the idea of not having any, although I do believe they’re a blessing and babies are so cute ngl.

This was just like a get out of my chest thing, and also wanting to know if someone had kids because the pressure of the church, do you regret it??

Also if you’re christian I know there’s a lot of shame if you don’t want to be a parent so I am a safe person I will not judge.

Like I said, we want them, but not now, or should we?? but also we don’t want issues with conception if we wait too long. Oh God.

Will be posting this in another specific christian sub I guess .
Thanks for reading :)

It’s been a week since I redirected my life back to God and honestly I’ve never been happier

For context : HII I’m 17 I have been trying to get close to God ever since I was 11 so nearly 7 years as I turn 18 in December, I’ve had an on and off relationship with him for such a long time and I was just tired of it so I kept living for the world instead of trying to lock in and get closer to him!

I don’t have a crazy story on how I locked in but it was the same day I went to enrolment day for college ( I dropped out and decided to come back this year) on that same day I just randomly thought oh I really want to lock in being closer to God since I’ve always believed in him, I started small with “no saying swear words” anytime I catch myself nearly saying it I stop myself , I’ve been learning patience & I have managed to take care of myself better ever since giving my life to him again.

I do pray in the mornings before going on my phone, I pray before breakfast, lunch and dinner I also pray when I’m feeling upset or feeling guilty about anything and I do repent if I accidentally sin. It’s crazy how much someone’s life can change in a week🥹I hope I stay consistent bc I know it’s only been a week but it’s genuinely been the best week with him by my side <3

Please reply to this post with your prayer requests. Be advised that prayer requests may contain sexual subject matter or disturbing content.

Help keep prayer requests easily accessible for those who want to pray for you. Leave them here in comments. Let others know you're praying for them by upvoting their comment or replying with encouragement.

Please remember: Prayer Requests regarding finances are not allowed in this sub.

Please also be advised that isn't a place for receiving crisis assistance. While people here care and wish to help, we aren't experts.

If you're in crisis, we urge you to reach out to someone who is better equipped to provide you with professional care and/or connect you with other useful resources.

If you're in the United States, you may call or text the Suicide Crisis LifeLine at 988, or text “CHAT” to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. If you're a young person in the LGBTQ+ community, you may also text “Start” to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386 to reach The TREVOR Project. If you're a US Veteran, you may text 838255 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.

If you're in Canada, you may also call or text 988 to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline.

If you're in the UK, you may call 116 123 to reach Samaritan's free 24/7 help line.

If you're in Australia, you may call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 to reach Lifeline.