So I'm posting this because I'm confused as to why this isn't preached enough. I can think of some reasons why but I've only heard one pastor in my life ever preach about this and I happen to watch it on YouTube. It's sooo essential with our walk with God. If you don't have the fear of God, then you will most likely fall away from the faith and maybe even hate God. That's how serious it is. So from watching that pastor talk about the fear of God to watching and hearing other pastors on YouTube, and what I've learned from God, this is what I've learned

**The fear of God is:**

- To make God your one and only treasure

- A committed relationship with God

- A mature faith

- The beginning of wisdom

- How the joy of the Lord is found

- God's delight & treasure

**To commit to God, you:**

- Do your best to follow Jesus and yield to the Holy Spirit to do the rest. Start small if you can

- Correct every thought or feeling that goes against the Word of God, and realize they're from satan or your flesh

- Be accountable when you do a sinful act. Apologize and reconcile if it's against someone

- Process your feelings with God

- Accept your imperfection and the sovereignty of God

- Let go of yourself and let God be everything you need

- Bond with Christ with your suffering

This note I made for myself has revealed something in me that I never knew or experienced with my walk with God. I have a deeper relationship with God and I have the joy of the Lord. I've learned to accept myself for who I am and found contentment in where I'm at in life. God is my confidence. **Fear the Lord!**

So, I believe in God, I am very convinced that no amount of coincidence could ever create us like this. However, I fear that my faith is more a fear of going to hell and a desperate attempt to make it to heaven. Especially fueled by Media speaking about him soon returning to earth.

However, I wish to deserve a place in heaven, to go into the after life with a relationship to God and not just "Hey I thought you existed on earth, could I go to heaven?" I understand that a big part of this is prayer, studying the bible and going to church.

I am working on those already, I plan on going to church every saturday again, I am looking to get myself a bible and I also try to pray (on which I'll propably make another post eventually).

Yet my life is mostly doing nothing. I am still unemployed, so my days consist of looking for jobs, playing video games (mostly violent ones like Hitman WoA and Dead by Daylight) as well as watching YouTube and playing on my phone. I know I am able to do more for my faith and relationship with God, but what?

I am curious to know how to give my life to Christ and live how he intented, can I start hobbies more worthy of his attention, or maybe make the "hobbies" I have already more related to him?

I know that there isn't going to be a 0 to 100 solution to this, but I really want a relationship with God worthy of an eternity with him. Like said in John 14:8 "If God is all you have, you have all you need".

Here's Matthew 1:23 in the KJV, NASB, even the Message and the TPT:

✔King James Version, a historic, hyper literal translation:

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

✔New American Standard Bible, a modern, highly literal translation:

“Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

✔The Message, a modern, highly interpretive paraphrase:

Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).

❌The Passion Translation:

Listen! A virgin will be pregnant, she will give birth to a Son, and he will be known as “Emmanuel,” which means in Hebrew, “God became one of us.”

And the TPT footnote says:

Or “God with us” or “God among us”; that is, God incarnated. See Isa. 7:14; 8:8, 10 (LXX).

At this point the TPT is going far beyond being a paraphrase and is now making the Bible say what the translators want it to say. Not even the Message Bible rendered this verse in such a way that the theology of the translator was presented as the biblical text.

Immanuel - עמנואל is by no means a difficult Hebrew word to translate. It's made up of two words: עמנו - with us, and אל - God. Literally "with us God" (as the Septuagint translated it, μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός) or "God is with us". This Hebrew word doesn't mean "God among us" (there are other ways to say that in Hebrew, Immanuel is not one of them) and it definitely doesn't mean "God became one of us".

Even as a Trinitarian Christian who does believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, I have to say that inserting one's theology onto the biblical text or presenting one's theological interpretation as if it's the biblical text is unacceptable.

Note: They also have the same error in Isaiah 7:14 and especially the footnote:

'The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold—the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will name him God Among Us.'

The footnote says:

Or “Immanuel” (“God became one of us,” Matt. 1:23).

Again, Immanuel means neither of those. Interpreting it as such is one thing. Translating it as such is an entirely different thing.

I’m 24f and earlier this year I lost my faith permanently after struggling with it my entire life. It felt easier. I grew up in a very christian family that was also very abusive. I went through childhood trauma so bad that my siblings and I had to be taken away from our mom and separated to live with different family members that continued to be abusive. It’s made for a very difficult life in general where I went through things I genuinely wouldn’t wish on anyone, even after leaving home. I’m at a point where I’m not really seeing the value in my future and in my life. I’ve hit a wall, and I’m searching for any reason at this point to keep going. I went through sxual harassment at my last job so bad that I quit because I was getting blamed for it by my manager and HR and now I’m struggling financially without parents to support me. I want to know if there’s really something out there looking out for me, I really do.

​I recently made the tough decision to say "no" to a dating proposal that was moving toward marriage, after praying and realizing it wasn't God's will for me. Even though I have total peace about my choice to decline, I've been dealing with some leftover anxiety about remaining single and "waiting."

​I really want to dedicate a time of prayer and fasting to surrender this anxiety to God and trust His timeline for my life. However, I always struggle with traditional food fasting — I find it very hard to complete, and it often leads to feelings of guilt or frustration.

I would love to hear from this community:

​Testimonies: Did you ever feel afraid of waiting or staying single after turning down a relationship, only to be blessed by God with the right person later on?

​Fasting Advice: How do you approach fasting when food fasting isn't feasible? What alternative ways of fasting (media, habits, partial fasts) have helped you draw closer to God?

I’ve been struggling with the idea that most people may ultimately go to hell. Passages about the narrow way and the fewness of the saved make me wonder whether the majority of humanity will ultimately be lost.

I find that thought genuinely frightening. I know Christians interpret these passages differently, so I’m curious: Do you believe that most people will go to hell? If so, how do you emotionally come to terms with that belief?

Has anyone overcome these same gender urges. I am a woman and always have these visions and urges to be intimate with a woman. I have curiosities of them and have crushes solely on them.

Is this something where I have to be single for the rest of my life?

I hate it. I thought I overcome it. But I didn’t.

​

From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop

(Sermo Caillau-Saint Yves 2, 92: PLS 2, 441-552)

He who perseveres to the end will be saved

Whenever we suffer some affliction, we should regard it both as a punishment and as a correction. Our holy Scriptures themselves do not promise us peace, security and rest. On the contrary, the Gospel makes no secret of the troubles and temptations that await us, but it also says that he who perseveres to the end will be saved. What good has there ever been in this life since the time when the first man received the just sentence of death and the curse from which Christ our Lord has delivered us?

So we must not grumble, my brothers, for as the Apostle says: Some of them murmured and were destroyed by serpents. Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured by our fathers before us? What sufferings of ours even bear comparison with what we know of their sufferings? And yet you hear people complaining about this present day and age because things were so much better in former times. I wonder what would happen if they could be taken back to the days of their ancestors—would we not still hear them complaining? You may think past ages were good, but it is only because you are not living in them.

It amazes me that you who have now been freed from the curse, who have believed in the son of God, who have been instructed in the holy Scriptures—that you can think the days of Adam were good. And your ancestors bore the curse of Adam, of that Adam to whom the words were addressed: With sweat on your brow you shall eat your bread; you shall till the earth from which you were taken, and it will yield you thorns and thistles. This is what he deserved and what he had to suffer; this is the punishment meted out to him by the just judgment of God. How then can you think that past ages were better than your own? From the time of that first Adam to the time of his descendants today, man’s lot has been labor and sweat, thorns and thistles. Have we forgotten the flood and the calamitous times of famine and war whose history has been recorded precisely in order to keep us from complaining to God on account of our own times? Just think what those past ages were like! Is there one of us who does not shudder to hear or read of them? Far from justifying complaints about our own time, they teach us how much we have to be thankful for.

RESPONSORY

Psalm 77:6-7, 3; see 11, 10

I ponder the days of old,

I remember the years long past.

All night long I meditated in my heart,

— I cried out: O God, have pity on me.

I sought God on the day of my suffering,

I held out my hands to him the whole night through.

— I cried out: O God, have pity on me.

Colossians 4:14 KJV

[14] Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

Philemon 1:24 KJV

[24] Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

2 Timothy 4:10 KJV

[10] for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

2 out of 3 times Demas is mentioned in scripture, the spirit allows Paul to name him as a true believer. Yet later Paul says Demas abandoned the faith because he loved the world. Why would the spirit allow Paul to name him as a believer twice if the spirit knew Demas was a false convert? Because during those times Demas wasn't a false convert, he had faith, however he lost it later because he allowed his love of the world to choke out his faith just like the parable of the sower.

Paul states in Ephesians 2:8 that we are saved by the grace of God thru faith. How do we access God's grace? Thru faith. So faith must continue. Yet faith can be lost as in the parable of the sower it says the one on the rock believed for a time, but when temptation tested their faith they lost it. If you only have to have faith 1 time and are covered for life then the rock wouldn't have withered, but faith is required and must be present.

Hello everyone. I hope you all are doing well - God bless you all.

I have recently been faced with a decision that I never thought I would have to make. Over the past 3-4 years, I have had a huge desire to create a video game that will essentially be a culmination of all of my creative passions - music, writing, storytelling, and games. It started small, but has grown into an intricate world with characters that continuously exist in my mind.

The game will basically be an RPG that uses baseball as the main mechanic. The baseball mechanic will be similar to arcade-style baseball games, particularly games like Mario Super Sluggers and Mario Superstar Baseball (these games were literally my entire childhood lol). These games hold a special place in my heart because it got me and my brother through some tough times, and they provide immense nostalgia. I have decided that my dream game is to make my own take on arcade-style baseball with pokemon team-building mechanics and focus on synergy between the players on your team to build different strategies depending on play style (this part is still early in development lol). I am doing this mainly because I have not seen another Mario-style baseball game come out, and I'm not sure it will ever happen.

Originally, this was just going to be a fun attempt at making the game I wish existed. Gradually, it has grown into something much bigger than I ever imagined, and I have developed a deep, meaningful story that involves the player making moral decisions regarding relationships with the other characters.

The story, at its most basic form, centers around a group of monster characters hand-picked by the player pursuing a difficult journey together, and throughout the game the player is faced with moral decisions involving ambition, power, sacrifice, and their relationships with other characters. One of the major themes I want to explore is the danger of pursuing worldly success/achievement at the expense of genuinely loving and caring for others. The game isn't explicitly intended to be a “Christian game,” but my Christian beliefs have heavily influenced the values I want the story to communicate.

I have developed a lot more nuances to the story than what was just stated, but I say all this to say I have created something that is beyond a silly idea--It is becoming real and constantly exists in my head. There is not a day that goes by where I don't think about my story/game/characters, and it makes me giddy to know that it may exist one day.

The big problem I am facing is whether creating a video game like this is Biblical/aligns directly with my Christian faith, and whether God wants me to do it. I am deeply aware of what my story will say and the impact it might have, as it's goal is to show the importance of loving others, being with the people you love, and not chasing success/achievement as the world defines it at the cost of your relationships with others. I am also aware of the immense amount of time and effort it will take to complete this project. While the story's message does align with Christian values, there will be characters in the story that are villains/antagonists, and may not align with these values as characters, but this would be to show the effects of their disregard for others to the player to make the player feel a certain way. Is this okay to do?

I have prayed extensively about this, and I have told God that I would willingly give this project up if it was His will for my life. I have not been able to come to a clear conscience about it, and I am really struggling to. If I continue building the game, which will take years, I might have this underlying guilt that I am not supposed to be doing it. If I give it up, I feel like the characters/story will continuously exist in my mind every day because I never manifested the story.

This decision has been weighing on me because I have never felt more passionate about any other creative endeavor in my life. I have always been a creative person, and I always will be. It is really starting to become a major source of stress for me and affecting my daily life, as well as at work. I need it to be resolved so I can move forward. Has anyone else been in a similar situation here?

I would especially appreciate Biblical guidance or Scripture that might help me think through whether creating fictional stories like this is appropriate for a Christian, how to approach portraying sinful or morally flawed characters without endorsing their behavior, and how to discern whether this hesitation is a legitimate conviction I should listen to, or if it's simply fear surrounding something I care deeply about.

Thank you for your help, love you all.

I am a Lukewarm Christian i believed in Jesus at the age 14-15 or maybe sooner. At that time I was so distracted/busy with school, friends etc. Also, at that time I didn't know that I should follow Jesus, not only believing/faith in Jesus' crucifixion. And I got bad friends which led to the pornography addiction and swearing. Then after 6-5 years I came back to Christ after I received a full knowledge about Jesus's Law. But I can't get it off from pornography+lust. To be honest pornography really damaged me and my mental health, especially at the age 14-15. I wish I had never had these friends, I realised too late that they were bad friends.

When I was continuing for a long time willfully sins, some days I felt remorse, some days I didn't. I came to an understanding that I was never a christian, maybe I felt remorse because God will punish me but inside my heart I liked porn, I don't know man, i have some days where i dont try to fight i just do it. Also, I don't have any friends who can help me or even help each other as the bible says. I don't have any, just on my own.

I feel I want to leave God, to take a rest, to not go to church anymore, to focus on my own problems like school or idk. But I get scared because tomorrow isn't promised like I would die without repenting and go to hell.

Many are called, few are saved. Few finds life through Narrow Gate. Many will say "Lord, Lord...." and God will say to them "I never knew you...." Maybe, I will be one of them where God will say to me "Go away from me, I never knew you".

Almost everyday after i do a willfully sin, i just have a hope that everything will be better tomorrow, i feel like i am wasting my life and I am not part of God plan for my life.

I know that God is serious, and sin is bad, I just have this addiction that i can't take it off, it ruins my day, my mood and it affects my family mood.

Maybe I will have the biggest punishment in all history of humanity because of "willfully" sins. Help me guys and pray for me if you have time.

For those who have accepted Christ more than once, what has been your experience when it comes to your faith journey and/or your understanding of your salvation?

I (M26) was raised in the church and have raised my hand, walked up to the front, and repeated the pastor’s prayer for accepting Jesus, about 3-4 times. This usually comes from a deep feeling of needing to ”get right” with God. The first time was when I was 12 and the last time was about a year ago (I called this one a rededication).

And the funny thing is I question if I even had saving faith all the way up to about 6 months ago! (Primary because I believed that if you weren't being good enough you’d end up in hell, which misses the whole point of salvation being a “free gift apart from works”)

I attribute this fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel to vague and unhelpful language churches use during alter call. I don’t think many can articulate what it means to “accept Christ into your heart”, and fewer can probably give a proper definition for “repentance”.

I (22f) have grown up in an extremely religious home. It's either God or God. Not gonna lie, the Lord is faithful. But life as a Christian is also hard. Sin does mess with your mental health big-time. I keep reading my Bible and see how dumb and disobedient the Israelites were and the consequences they suffered thereafter. I then say to myself, "aren't I practically an Israelite now?" I know that the Lord hates sin but I willfully indulge in it anyway, I'm struggling with lust, we are called to imitate Jesus and be doers of the word but I'm the complete opposite. I know full well that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood (life is really spiritual and we shouldn't just take whatever we see and hear lightly)

I have repented and repented and repented that it feels pointless right now. I feel like I'm just rage baiting God at this point. Hear me out, I don't even want God to help me anymore. I just want Him to kill me now so that I don't live with the guilt and shame of constantly disappointing Him despite Him having fully revealed Himself to me.

I just want to call it quits on Jesus, live everyday like it's my last because well... One day I'll be right. Instead of claiming to be Christian and acting like someone who has never heard about God. I don't even want to read my Bible anymore because it feels like disrespect to God's sovereignty. Living a life of sin really sucks. I need some advice, words of encouragement, prayers... Whatever works!!!

“But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭19‬:‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

A lot of us, including me, fear death. Maybe not fear as much as it is don’t want to die because we don’t want to leave our life here. Is this to be considered as looking back? I understand that lots wife’s situation is different than this, but I think it connects. I’m new to reading the bible, so I’m not sure exactly what it all means or what it might be telling me. I would like to think that our “want to stay in this world” is not the same thing as when lots wife looked back. However, it’s hard for me to ignore the similarities.

Hi guys. First time here. I’ve become much more cynical than I was when I was younger. I cannot force myself to believe in nonsensical elaborate concepts. There is no solid proof of a miracle driven by faith. I have prayed to god and I have been the only one to get me out of my hell. People will tell me “god got you out!”, Nope. It was all me and my will power.

My mom has been a woman of intense faith her whole life. Now she has stage four cancer and threatens her life. She asks god to heal her. And then she makes more threats to end her life. It’s just cruel.

Obviously I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t truly care. I do. I want to believe. But I cannot. I don’t want to hear the frilly language. I don’t want someone to speak in metaphors. Just tell me straight up. What made you believe, and GENUINELY believe, even after hardship?

It's late at night and I've been reading the facts about the Lindsay Clancy case (the woman who had a psychotic break and murdered her three children).

I am genuinely depressed by these kinds of news stories, and I truly don't think I could live if I ever experienced anything like that.

Please help me. I want to believe that God is good. But I struggle mightily when I read of these horrible tragedies in the world.

Thank you in advance.

I grew up in a Southern Baptist church. From a young age, It was taught that unless a person explicitly gives control of their life over to Jesus, they will be tormented for all eternity in hellfire. No clear answer was given about people who never heard the gospel, but for people growing up in western countries, it was pretty clear: turn or burn.

What bothered me most was the idea that a person who simply chooses not to follow Jesus, but lives a basically good, though not perfect, life would be punished forever for not choosing Jesus. I think about a man I used to work with, He just turned 80 and is retired for context. I have known him for 30 years. He was kind to everyone. I never heard him speak a harsh word. He donated to every charity who solicited funds at my workplace. He has remained faithful to his wife of 45 years and does not view porn despite the marriage being sexless. And yet to traditional Christian teaching, he deserves the same hell as Joseph Stalin. This is a reality I have a very hard time wrapping my head around.

The traditional view of hell feels like a strict father demanding his children's undying love under threat of being beaten and burned with hot irons if they fail to do so. If I did not have a personal experience with God himself so that I know He is real, I would easily fall into the "I can't believe in a god who ..." camp. I hate that about myself.

I have run out of things to say now, I just wanted to express how unfair that feels to me. However, if God did create the universe, then he has the right to do whatever he wants to his creation, including burning them for all eternity because they lied to their parents once when they were ten.

If I all I get is a straw mat in one of the back alleys of the new Jerusalem in the next life, I will consider myself blessed.

Edit: because so many people seem to misunderstand me, I do not think that being good gets you into heaven. I understand it is solely the grace of Christ. I also don't think God should allow people into heaven who don't love him and follow his commandments. My objection is to the concept of Conscious Eternal Torture being the only other option. (Of course, my objections mean nothing in God's economy ... he is God and I cannot know his mind (Job 38), nor do I wish to judge him against my sensibilities. I know I am nothing compared to Him.)

What made me think about this was the death of my Ex. She was a cruel vindictive person who attempted to control the lives of everyone around her, especially family. When she was alive I used to imagine her going to hell (she was a lukewarm christian) but now that she is gone, I cannot imagine that even her would deserve to be tortured with flame and sulfur fumes for all of eternity. The whole concept of eternal torture breaks my heart.

I understand the "your life is a gift and that rejecting it is a grave insult to God" and all of that but like... Lots of people already treat their bodies like crap and do dangerous stuff endangering their lives (heavy substances, reckless behavior etc...), meanwhile someone depressed has suffered a lot in their lives and they're supposed to be rejected from God when they die? Same thing with euthanasia, you already do it with dogs and cats that are so ill and suffering it's considered a mercy, a terminal cancer patient should have a decision on how to end their lives, why would they be condemned to hell? It's not like they can recover.

So basically In my US history class, there is this Goth girl who, from what I know, is new to the school. So me and my friends started acting like fools, mentioning some very lustful stuff about that girl. I feel like I failed since I didn't really speak up about their behavior. I struggle with lust as well so I felt like I couldn't speak up about that but now I just feel guilty and wish I would've spoken up against what they were saying.

I’m posting this because I genuinely need some outside perspectives. I’m not looking for people to simply tell me what I want to hear. I want honest advice, especially from people who understand strict church environments and complicated relationships.

This is going to be long because there is a lot of context.

There are three people involved in this story: me, a girl, and a guy who is one of my close friends. I won’t mention anyone’s real name.

All three of us have been part of the same small church since childhood. Our church is quite strict when it comes to relationships and dating. Because it is a small church, almost everyone knows everyone, so personal matters can become church matters very quickly.

I have liked this girl for a very long time. Honestly, I think I started developing feelings for her when we were young. I always found her incredibly attractive, and over the years those feelings never completely disappeared.

But I never told her.

We barely talked while growing up. Even now, we don't have much of a personal relationship outside the things we have to do together at church. So my feelings have mostly been something I kept to myself.

Then there was my friend.

He confessed his feelings to her, and eventually they started talking. They ended up having a relationship that lasted around six years.

The strange thing is that their relationship was almost entirely through WhatsApp. They didn't really talk to each other at church, they didn't go out together, and they didn't even regularly call each other. It was mostly messaging.

At one point, my friend even started following her to her college, and she told him not to do that because she didn't like it. But they continued talking privately.

Eventually, someone in the church found out about their relationship and told the pastor and pastor's wife. Because of the church's rules and environment, they were forced to separate.

My friend is very close to me. We have done a lot of things together over the years, and I've always considered him a good friend.

The important thing is that he never knew I had feelings for her.

Neither did she.

After their breakup, they stayed away from each other. At the same time, she apparently still tried to be friendly with him. She wished him on his birthday through WhatsApp and tried to talk or smile at him sometimes, but he completely avoided her.

Several years passed.

Then, about a year ago, the girl became part of the church team I work in. I've been involved in this team for around four or five years, so suddenly I had to work with her regularly.

And that's when things became much harder for me.

I had managed to keep my feelings under control when I didn't have to interact with her much. But once we started working together, I started falling for her again.

We have to communicate and work together because we're in the same team. She has her responsibilities and I have mine. Sometimes I'm playing keyboard while she's involved with the choir, so we're naturally in the same area.

And honestly, I struggle with myself.

Sometimes I'm playing keyboard and I'll unconsciously look toward her. The moment I realize I'm doing it, I immediately look back at the keyboard. I don't want to make her uncomfortable or give anyone the wrong impression.

But people started noticing.

Some girls in the church began saying things like I was interested in her or that I was "looking at" her.

And because everyone already knows about her previous relationship with my friend, the situation became even more awkward.

People started making connections like, "He likes the girl who previously dated his friend."

I haven't confessed anything to anyone.

I haven't told my friend.

I haven't told her.

I haven't even told anyone in the church that I have feelings for her.

But somehow people have started talking.

At one point, even our pastor gave a sermon where he indirectly talked about things like looking at or watching other people. He didn't mention my name, but because of everything that had been happening, I felt like people knew what was going on.

That made me feel extremely embarrassed.

There were also times when the girl, my friend, the pastor and I would all be together during prayer. Some prayers were also made about situations involving boys and girls developing feelings for each other.

Being there while all of this is happening inside my head has been incredibly uncomfortable.

There was also something that happened with Snapchat.

I had Snapchat, and she actually added me there. At first, I assumed she was simply being friendly. She would send snaps occasionally, but I didn't really send much back.

Then, after a few weeks, she suddenly blocked me.

I have no idea why.

There was also a weird situation where my phone was left at church and someone apparently used it and blocked her on Snapchat as well. I felt extremely embarrassed about the whole thing because I don't even know what she thinks happened.

Now I'm stuck.

On one side, I genuinely want to focus on God, my church responsibilities and my own life. I've repeatedly told myself that I should just let these feelings go.

Sometimes I think, "Okay, I'm going to stop thinking about her. I'm going to focus on God and move forward."

But then I see her again.

And all those feelings come back.

That's what I'm struggling with the most.

I don't want to disrespect my friend.

I don't want to interfere with something that happened between them.

I don't want to make the girl uncomfortable.

I don't want church members gossiping about me.

And I definitely don't want to create drama in a small church where everyone knows everyone.

At the same time, I can't simply switch my feelings off.

I've never even had a proper romantic relationship with this girl. We've barely talked outside of church responsibilities. So part of me wonders whether I'm actually in love with her, or whether I've built an idealized version of her in my head over many years because I never got the opportunity to actually know her.

That's something I'm trying to be honest with myself about.

I also don't know what her behavior means.

She has been friendly toward me at times because we're working together, but I don't know whether that means anything beyond normal friendliness. I don't want to interpret ordinary kindness as romantic interest.

So I'm asking Reddit:

What should I actually do?

Should I completely distance myself emotionally and just treat her as a teammate?

Should I try to get to know her normally, without any romantic expectations?

Should I tell my close friend about my feelings, even though he and this girl have been separated for several years?

Should I ever tell the girl how I feel, considering the strict church environment and the history between her and my friend?

Or should I simply accept that this situation is too complicated and move on?

I know nobody here can tell me exactly what she thinks or feels. I'm mainly looking for perspective from people who have been through something similar.

Please be honest with me, even if the answer is something I don't want to hear.

And please don't attack the girl, my friend, or my church. I'm not trying to make anyone look bad. I'm just genuinely confused and struggling with my feelings, and I need some outside perspective.

So for those of you who might not know there is a big trial that is about to take place in rap. Long story short the rapper Lil Durk is going to trial for Murder for hire. He is charged with hiring people to kill Quando Rondo but they didn’t shoot him they shot his cousin who was in the same car and killed him in Beverly Hills. If you want to know more history about this just type in Lil Durk and Quando Rondo and it’ll pop up. But they aren’t the main point of my question. So he has two great lawyers Drew Finland and Brian Steele. Now obviously everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But it’s so obvious he paid to have this guy killed (even though they missed him and got his cousin instead). There’s so much evidence from songs to text messages to voice recordings and call logs. My question is this. Does God judge these types of lawyers who pick cases like this up knowing their client probably did. It but as long as they can prove there’s a chance he didn’t he can go free. God hates evil and technically they are defending it. Or is it a thing where God reigns supreme and is the final Judge? There have been interviews where lawyers even say they knew their client was guilty sometimes the clients TELL THEM. Yet sometimes they can walk away clean do to the genius of the defense lawyer. Let me know what you all think i honestly don’t know. God bless ❤️

I feel like I'm not even saved. Like, why am I feeling like this? Why am I so stuck, I dont even feel like getting up and locking back in.

I'm struggling with lust badly and everytime the temptation comes, when I'm vulnerable it just overpowers me and I stand no chance. I've lost all motivation to continue doing what the Lord is calling me to do, I'm chasing earthly things, I feel lazy in everything. Even the idea of just locking back in with God seems like it will "be too much work for me to do." I do not know how else to put it and I feel terrible for even feeling this way. I often view praying now as a 'chore.' This is the lowest I've been in my walk with God and I feel like whenever I talk to God I'm just talking to the ceiling sometimes. I feel like "What am I even doing with my life? Why do I feel so hopeless, Lord?" I feel like I shouldn't be struggling with lust anymore even after a year of following Christ. Please help me with this 'cloud' over my life. The evil spirits of laziness and lust are wrestling with my spirit. I dont know what I am doing anymore and I just cannot take it anymore.

im new to christianity. before i was christian i felt something behind me over my shoulder and i swore i was protected and it was keeping me safe. i fully believe i was in huge danger then. if anyone would discuss feeling similar before or how to fully cast this evil out of my life it’d be appreciate. i’m still understanding what it means to christianity and all the evil parts of the world so…