“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (KJV)

Jesus never promised His followers an easy life.

He never said that following Him would eliminate disappointment.

He never promised that people wouldn't hurt us, finances would always work out, relationships would never become difficult, or painful seasons wouldn't come.

In fact, Jesus told His disciples exactly the opposite:

“In the world ye shall have tribulation.”

Not might.

Shall.

Trouble is part of living in a fallen world.

But thankfully, Jesus didn't end the sentence there.

He continued:

“But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

That's where Christian hope begins.

Jesus Didn't Hide the Reality of Suffering Sometimes we mistakenly believe that if we're walking closely enough with God, everything should start becoming easier.

But Scripture doesn't teach that.

Jesus prepared His disciples for hardship.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” John 15:18 (KJV)

The apostles experienced rejection, persecution, imprisonment, loss, and suffering.

Following Jesus doesn't mean avoiding every storm.

It means discovering who is with you in the storm.

Christianity isn't God's promise that nothing difficult will happen.

It's the assurance that our difficulties do not have the final word.

Jesus does.

“Be of Good Cheer” Doesn't Mean Pretending It Doesn't Hurt When Jesus says, “be of good cheer,” He isn't telling us to pretend suffering isn't painful.

Christian joy isn't denial.

There are times to grieve.

There are times to cry.

There are times when life genuinely hurts.

Jesus Himself wept.

But pain doesn't have to become the ruler of our hearts.

Our circumstances may affect our emotions, but they don't have to become the foundation of our hope.

That's why Jesus begins John 16:33 by saying:

“...that in me ye might have peace.”

Notice where peace is found.

Not in circumstances.

Not in people.

Not in money.

Not in everything going according to plan.

“In me.”

Our peace is found in Christ.

Who Are You Becoming While You're Going Through It? Sometimes we're so focused on asking God to change our circumstances that we never stop to ask what is happening inside us while we're waiting.

It's easy to say:

“You don't understand what I'm going through.”

And perhaps the person standing in front of you doesn't.

But suffering doesn't give us permission to become cruel.

Pain doesn't justify treating people poorly.

Disappointment doesn't give us permission to live in bitterness.

Trials don't excuse abandoning our walk with Christ.

So perhaps alongside:

“Lord, when will You change this?”

we should sometimes pray:

“Lord, what are You producing in me through this?”

James writes:

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” James 1:2–3 (KJV)

The trial may be doing something we cannot immediately see.

Don't Let Trouble Turn Into Bitterness Hardship can expose things already living beneath the surface.

Fear.

Anger.

Pride.

Impatience.

Self-reliance.

Bitterness.

And when those things surface, we have a choice.

We can feed them.

Or we can bring them to Christ.

Hebrews warns:

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you...” Hebrews 12:15 (KJV)

Be careful what takes root during difficult seasons.

What happened to you matters.

But so does what is happening within you.

Don't allow somebody else's sin to become an excuse for your own.

Don't allow disappointment to convince you that God has abandoned you.

Don't allow suffering to slowly harden your heart toward Christ.

Bring the hurt to Him.

Your Joy Has a Stronger Foundation Why can Jesus tell suffering disciples to be of good cheer?

He gives the answer:

“I have overcome the world.”

That's the foundation.

Christian joy isn't:

“Everything is going wonderfully.”

It's:

“Jesus has overcome.”

Christian peace isn't:

“Nothing bad can happen to me.”

It's:

“Whatever happens, I belong to Christ.”

Christian hope isn't:

“My life will eventually unfold exactly how I planned.”

It's:

“My Savior has conquered, and my future is secure in Him.”

That's a peace circumstances cannot manufacture and circumstances cannot ultimately destroy.

The Cross Looked Like Defeat When Jesus spoke the words of John 16:33, the cross was approaching.

Soon His disciples would watch Him be arrested.

Beaten.

Mocked.

Crucified.

Killed.

From their perspective, it would appear that everything had gone terribly wrong.

But the cross wasn't the defeat of Jesus.

It was part of His victory.

Jesus willingly gave His life.

And three days later, He rose from the grave.

That's why our confidence isn't wishful thinking.

Our hope is anchored in our risen Savior.

The Gospel: Jesus Has Overcome The greatest trouble humanity faces isn't financial hardship, broken relationships, sickness, disappointment, or difficult circumstances.

Our greatest problem is sin.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23 (KJV)

Every one of us has sinned against a holy God.

And sin has consequences.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (KJV)

We couldn't rescue ourselves.

Good works couldn't erase our guilt.

Religion couldn't make us righteous.

So God came to us.

Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, lived the righteous life we could never live.

Then:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (KJV)

Jesus took our sins upon Himself at the cross.

He died.

He was buried.

And on the third day, He rose again.

He conquered sin and death.

And salvation is offered to everyone who turns to Him in repentance and faith.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9 (KJV)

This is why Jesus can say:

“I have overcome the world.”

Our hope isn't that we'll somehow become strong enough to overcome everything ourselves.

Our hope is in the One who has already overcome.

A Call to Repentance Maybe suffering has been revealing something in your heart.

Maybe you've become bitter.

Maybe you've been taking your frustration out on everyone around you.

Maybe disappointment has caused you to distance yourself from God.

Maybe you've been trusting your circumstances more than Christ.

Bring it to Him.

Repentance doesn't mean pretending your pain isn't real.

It means refusing to allow your pain to become permission for sin.

Tell God the truth.

“Lord, this hurts.”

“Lord, I'm angry.”

“Lord, I'm disappointed.”

“Lord, I'm struggling.”

And then surrender it.

Ask Him to keep your heart tender.

Ask Him to help you forgive.

Ask Him to produce patience.

Ask Him to keep you faithful.

Ask Him to make you more like Christ even here.

Don't Waste the Trial Maybe the question isn't only:

“How do I get out of this?”

Maybe another question is:

“Who am I becoming while I'm in this?”

Is the trial pushing you toward Jesus or away from Him?

Is it producing greater dependence upon God?

Is it teaching you to pray?

Is it revealing where you've been placing your security?

Is it exposing something that needs to be surrendered?

Don't assume every hardship was specifically sent by God to teach you a lesson. We live in a broken world, and suffering has many causes.

But whatever its cause, God can meet you in it and work through it.

Conclusion: The Trouble Is Real, But So Is Jesus You may be walking through something difficult right now.

Don't minimize it.

Don't pretend it doesn't hurt.

But don't give your trouble more authority than your Savior.

Your finances may change.

People may disappoint you.

Plans may collapse.

Doors may close.

There may be seasons you never expected to walk through.

Jesus already told us:

“In the world ye shall have tribulation.”

But don't stop reading there.

“...but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (KJV)

The trouble is real.

But so is Jesus.

The pain is real.

But so is His grace.

The trial is real.

But so is His peace.

The battle is real.

But so is His victory.

Don't let what you're going through determine who you're becoming. Keep your eyes on Christ. Keep walking with Him. Keep trusting Him. And when the world gives you trouble, remember: your Savior has already overcome the world.

I got saved a little over 1 year ago but have neglected reading my Bible tbh.

I’ve struggled with cptsd, ocd, depression, self hatred and anxiety disorder all my life and I’m in a really dark place right now.

God has blessed me with a wonderful, loving husband but my mental illness makes it hard for me to fully commit. I‘m scared to my core of hurting or disappointing him and I think about leaving because of this.

I started grabbing my Bible more often and I actually want to stick to reading and journaling daily. It’s actually my last straw tbh since therapy and medication haven’t done too much for me.

Has it helped you with mental illness and general life quality? Do you have any tips on how specifically you’ve journaled? I was thinking about a gratitude type journal. And just writing down Bible verses that give me hope.

I really hope there is light

I haven't thought hard about it until now, maybe I didn't but whatever, I say this because of my problems, like I frequently get an astmatic attack so frequent, I kinda loose some sleep over it though it is on me in some way still though, not to mention how horrible I'm doing academically, I legitimately can't do any form of math that isn't from fith grade, and knowing my mom and dad had me and my sister before marriage I think I'm their punishment sent from God and it makes me feel so insignificant such a failure am i

Though I wouldn't also say failure completely I am wanting to learn coding and so I am learning but other then that I cause so much problems to my parents, I do horrible decisions, I have horrible medical problems, one that can lead to cancer and a respiratory one I want to think I'm.not made to just punish my parents but so much of me seems to point to that aaahhh

Unable to explain all the details and the ins and outs of the situation in its entirety, but am hoping to get some guidance and clarity regarding a voice heard speaking clearly many years ago and more recently. The experience began years back but has reached a critical point recently.

Are there some people/situations where God needs to be very direct, blunt and straight forward?

I do believe that God can and at times does speak to individuals personally. I understand that not every voice is of God. Would God say something such as; "you had your chance", "you can't have your way" etc?

Without giving the context of the situation it may be a challenge to determine whether a voice heard would be God or not. Uncertain of what I have been hearing as the source. It is always accurate in what is spoken, even in regard to events or situations that are far ahead into the future.

Hello everyone,

This is my second time posting here, and I come back to read these prompts often, so it felt fitting to share this. I’m in a new stage of life: I’m married, I bought a home, everything is going well! However, lately there has been an attack on my mind regarding my past decisions.

Life couldn’t be better right now, but I haven’t always been the way I am today. A few years ago, I was a bit troubled: getting into fights, doing unchristian like things, and I was not the person I am today.

Looking back on these things fills me with rage and a bit of despair, I wish I could take back how I acted or carried myself. Lately, I find myself reflecting or lamenting on a past moments that I am not too proud of.

I’m looking for some advice to ease my mind and even to know I’m not alone in this. It has really impacted me lately and I don’t want my sadness to be portrayed onto my new marriage and many current blessings. Peace & thank you!

I feel like I’m to blame for a certain situation that I could have prevented. What if I had done things differently? The situation happened over five years ago and I think about it every single day and the feelings of guilt come back. I can’t forgive myself for it. I get stomach aches and have to cry because of it and I just want to scream because I can’t turn back time and undo what happened. Does anyone else struggle with feelings of guilt and what has helped you? I feel like this is going to stay with me for the rest of my life.

It is so hard to find genuine friends in general when you are already older (I’m 29F) it seems, but especially Christian ones.
Most people do not seem to know how to communicate and reciprocate a genuine connection, at least the way I’d like.

Is there something wrong with me? Are my “standards” too high. I have been told I’m too picky before. 😭 though I feel it is the bare minimum.

I feel like I just have such a short fuse now with others. Once someone starts to consistently not acknowledge me or what I’m saying, I just don’t want to partake anymore.
I lose interest quickly.
It has happened so much now where I’m not given the same that I’m giving within a friendship or relationship that I’m just over it. I do trust God with it though… is anyone else experiencing this 😭

The last time I posted about my personal problems I thought to my self I won't do this again. Thats because I believe it removes attention from the more positive posts here. But here I am again hopefully this is the last time.

In my previous post, I complained about being a child of a narcissistic, emotionally and mentally manipulative unbelieving father. Some of the comments were ... "its a season, practice being a better Christian, its a test." Few people actually condemned my father's behaviour and wished me a better future. Thanks to the latter.

So its been a year and guess what? Same situation, first class degree holder cant get a job and cant leave my toxic father. I live in Africa to those wondering and my country has almost a non existent industry. However my friends did find work, which im happy for them. But it has me thinking, are my prayers unheard? Do my requests matter or am I an object of wrath. A person burdened to suffer from birth till death. That would not surprise me as that has been the highlight of my life. I used to laugh and say one day I will leave home and live a better life.

I need real help. Yes prayers help but also lend out a hand. I dont want your money, I need a referral, an opportunity to work my way out of this prison. I have the qualifications and a years experience.

I recently lost something important im a huge clutz but I went out of my way to really make sure this never happened and so honestly one of my first thoughts was to pray to find it lol. in my situation in particular I’ve already got a huge situation with god and I’m already so far so in comparison it’s minuscule but I still do pray I find it.

Im just wondering do other people do that? And even though im on thin ice with god right now with my situation could I maybe pray about it?

I need counsel please. I dont want to write an essay on how I ended up in the trenches. Recently I got close to God again and its only gotten harder. I'm at my wits end. I am jobless, late on rent, stuck really and I have been hoping and trusting for so much. I need a word, encouragement or something I started fighting with him and leaving only to apologise and seek his presence right after. If you have any questions I will answer

Hello all,

A recent question (and form of doubt) I've been struggling with recently as a Christian is on why God created everything in the particular form it takes. This is not necessarily replicating the question of why we have evil and suffering, but why evil and suffering go to the levels that they do. For example, God could've allowed free will and its consequences of evil to be far less painful upon humans and animals than he did, but he made it so. The question "why does God allow kids to have cancer" doesn't necessarily challenge why evil/suffering exists alongside God, but moreso why God made such suffering exist in the first place, when so many other forms of suffering, many of which are far less painful, exist, and can enable equal growth in his creation, equal growth in us. We experience evil when someone steals from us or lies to us, we experience suffering when a child we know we know dies from illness or a natural disaster, and yet, God created a magnitude to those forms of evil and suffering - why DOES the illness of the child cause unfathomable pain when it didn't need to, why DOES the natural disaster, such as a tsunami or earthquake, have the magnitude it has? Why did God design everything in the way it is, when he could've done so much more, yes, but could've also done done so much less.

It's hard for me to articulate this question, so I hope it makes sense, but please let me know if it doesn't.

Thank you, and as always, God bless and keep you all.

Why do Protestants affirm the Nicene Creed if it affirms baptism forgives sin? As Protestants, we believe water doesn't take away sin. And what about the Catholic Church?

Where is Scripture stating baptism grants forgiveness?

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

(I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.)

(I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins) and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

I've been a "Christian" all my life and while I think deep down I believe, at least to an extent, there's this disconnect between me and God and the Christian life that has been there always as well. This past year I've been searching for God or a sense of understanding and peace but no matter what I've tried, I don't feel even remotely close to connecting. I've maintained some bad habits but I have tried to repent but that never works. I've tried surrender and praying for true surrender but that hasn't happened either. Every day I'm stressed about something to the point it makes me depressed and I turn away from God even more. I've asked God for solutions and help but I feel I'm in the desert. I heard someone tell me my lack of peace and progress comes from the fact I'm not Born Again. If this is true, how can I become Born Again truly so I can finally find peace and surrender in my life?

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father (and the Son),
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

If you disagree with any of it, then how is it the defining line in the sand of whether you are a Christian or not? I ask this because, by necessity, some denomination have to reject the last paragraph.

​

Hi, ive been getting into faith for a little over a year. It started with praying, then going to church and finally learning a rosary. I went to confession like 2 weeks aho for the first time ever. I was in there for over an hour and it was so wonderful. I also thought abt it more and more and reflected and thought that i wasnt so bad in sinning after all, that i didnz sin at all and that i was practically perfect...well, i think god wants to give me a sign and strike me down bc ive been rlly struggling to pray and stay away from sin.

I also noticed how i purposefully choose the "easy" way by just sinning and thinking: i dont care, god isnt real anyways, why should i restrict myself. It scares me and i want to get away from that mindset as quickly as possible bc i was in such a good place mentally after confession and i felt so joyful and healed and close to god...maybe with a bit too much pride.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Or does anyone know how to deal with this? Thank u so much for reading this, i know it might be weird and too personal but i rlly needed a place to finally speak my mind.

I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding that is not about any one thing, but about lots of things, details.

I notice that so many people are worried about trivial details, like there are rules on behavior that you must worry about whether you technically broke or not. Ridiculous things like whether reading Harry Potter is bad.

I suspect that what we are supposed to do or not do is not the point. It is about the type person we are or become.

Consider the commandment to not murder. What is the difference between murder and killing? Justice. Not technical details about an explicit rule, nor some difference in action. The difference is a more fundamental and spiritual thing, the purpose behind the killing, that is the difference.

I suspect all the rules are similar.

I suspect that a couple gay guys in the neighborhood who keep it to themselves and otherwise act neighborly are not a problem, but pride parades and celebrating gayness is a problem.

I suspect that occasional woman in the workplace or women voting is not a problem, but feminists who say equality but push for matriarchy and favoritism to women is the problem. I know many woman who are decent and able to work without getting inflated expectations, but at the scale of society there are trends that are bad, such as the expectations women as a whole have that are absurd.

I think that worrying about details, about specific actions taken should be left to conscience without fear of getting it wrong, but rather we should worry about whether are morals are in the right place, whether our habits are correct, whether our motivations are healthy, etc.

Not a legalistic view of technicalities of rules as procedures, but of motivation and aim.

I think part of the reason for this misconception is complexity.

When Einstein figured out Relativity, even other scientists had trouble understanding, and some never understood even after hours with Einstein himself. It is folly to think that the common individual understands it. Now imagine trying to teach it to people in the ancient world.

I think that likewise, the people in the ancient world had things put to them in a way they could somewhat understand and try to figure out rather than something that is clear yet so far beyond their understanding that it be clear as mud and thus give them bo path at all.

Yet now things have become fossilized, with a childish view and no progression to higher understanding.

Consider the history written in the bible, yet we have not added to it in 2,000 years, why?

Just something to consider.

I've asked people if they think they are saved and, based in my experience, they tend to answer in two ways:

1. "Yes, I am very confident in my salvation because I have faith that I am saved through Christ's death and resurrection." These people are confident that when they die they will be in heaven with God.

2. "Only God knows if I'm going to heaven or not at the end of the day he is the judge and my salvation is at his mercy." I think these people don't want to sound overly confident and try to be humble about whether they're saved or not.

Why do people post things in r/TrueChristian seem designed to damage other people's faith in God or start arguments? Maybe the community reinforces their beliefs. For me, seeing these posts makes me feel hopeless and makes salvation seem extremely difficult or impossible, while the people making those posts seem to think they're spiritually ‘in the good.

So I’ve been talking to this great guy for the last few weeks. He’s caring, emotionally mature, handsome, so sweet, he always makes me feel good about myself and so much more. We instantly connected the moment we met. I prayed to God to speak to me about if he is someone I should pursue and I feel like God has given me multiple signs to go for it however I recently found out the guy I like doesn’t believe in God. I don’t even know if this is right subreddit to post in (sorry to the mods if this is the wrong one) or if there is a Christian relationship subreddit I should be posting in either way I don’t know what to do.

Edit(I realized I should’ve added this up here and not at the bottom) : Okay you all have made valid points and yes being equally yoked is extremely important I guess I’m just a little disappointed. He seems like such a great guy and he’s been very understanding of me refraining from sex until marriage, he respects my beliefs etc but like I said the disappointment is there. I was hoping this relationship would be different and what’s crazy is that I wasn’t even looking for a relationship but we met each other, started talking and we instantly clicked. I asked him about going to church with me one day and he basically told me that he wouldn’t. I couldn’t really ask about it, it was late we both were tired so we just said our goodnights and went to bed. I want to talk about it more with him today but I’m not sure how to go about it.

Heyyy!!! I'm a boy.. 19 years old and I'm new into christianity. I'm was a complete atheïst, but now I'm reading the bible I pray etc, but I find it difficult.. can you help me?

I feel just... empty,stressed, not hungry,ignored, left out, alone and not excepted in this world and I want to find God really bad.. can anyone help me please??

I had an addiction to pornography for about 3 years. And i want to improve myself to stop for my gf. I’ve never told anyone before as i am afraid of getting judged. The longest i’ve restrained myself to not do it is for about 28days but now is about 3-4 days apart. I do act knowledge my triggers but i still cant seem to escape it. I also find it difficult to quit because i am a teenager with puberty hormones ( although i shouldnt use this as an excuse) and i also enjoy my gf’s affection towards me and i feel like its dragging me into lust more and more. I also feel like im growing further away from God. I feel ashamed as i keep going to God for forgiveness but still doing the same sin over again. It feels like im taking advantage of his love and grace just because i cant let go of it.

There is still a battle that we must overcome in this life, empowered by the Holy Spirit, our strength in victory so that we may inherit the promise.

If perseverance of the saints were true, the New Testament authors and Christ himself didnt get the memo. Here is the truth laid bare.

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”

— Revelation 2:4–5

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.

20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.

22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,

23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.”

— Revelation 2:18–23

Hence why Christ warns genuine believers to return to their proper state of being if perseverance of the saints were true; how is it possible that these beleivers abandoned the faith they had at first?

“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise.” — Hebrews 10:36

Again, why are belivers being told they have need of endurance if faith necessarily produces endurance?

2 Peter 1:5–10 — “make every effort,” “be diligent”

Why make every effort if the faith you expressed at first was the end-all, be-all?

1 Peter 5:8–9:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” — Ephesians 6:11

Why is Satan still presented as a genuine threat to believers? If indeed perseverance of the saints were true, this would be nonsensical.

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…”

— 1 Timothy 6:12

What is there to fight for or take hold of? It's already been done, as they say...

7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

— Galatians 6:7–9

There is clearly a sense in which giving up is a real possibility in Paul's mind; this is incompatible with the doctrine of perseverance of the saints. Furthermore, Paul warns the belivers not to sow to the flesh, which shouldn't be possible under this framework.

These verses only scratch the surface; there are hundreds of verses that directly fly in the face of this doctrine, and I'd wish Christians would start to take the scriptures seriously and revolt agaisnt the false doctrines that infiltrated and seduced the Churches.

So a while back I was attending a retreat for Christian and one of the Catholic priest was talking to us.

And the story he told us was this (paraphrasing it):

A pastor, who rejected Catholicism passed away. When his soul reached heaven Mary came down to hug him and welcome him. And the pastor asked why she was hugging him when he lived his life telling others not to venerate her.

She replied : because the pastor loved her son above everything else.

I have seen so many members of the Christian community divided among themselves and trying to argue who is the real Christian.

If you are more worried about whether your faith is the real way then aren't you just being performative.

It really doesn't matter whether you are a Catholic, protestant or orthodox.

As long as you believe Jesus Christ is the only saviour and you follow the two commandments that have been given to you, which are (love God above everything and love everyone else as much as yourself). It's simple but difficult commandment. Something we all struggle with. Because to love God and others we must be able to let go of the things that make you part of society.

Maybe many christians believe that their lives would in some sort improve or become significantly better in some way after being baptised. Perhaps that is not always the case and people would get disappointed or fall away. So I wonder what advice could you give new baptised christians out of your experience?

I’m new in my faith and think community is to best way to grow in it. I’m based in the UK but am excited to speak with other likeminded women from all walks of life that share the same love for Christ. To speak with, Bible study and give advice/ recommendations on topics.

While I am part of a church, it’s very traditional and can be difficult to meet people through/ speak with people.

I’d love to connect with other people also looking for friendship!

If there are any current setups, I’d love to know :)

Thank you and God bless!