dincher, good question.. should probably have started your own thread for it but ah well. But anyway...

Maggie 3, bless her heart... while her response would have likely elicited many o' "Amen"' at the local church, I'm afraid it is probably useless when directed toward someone in dincher's situation. This is surely the biggest blunder in Christian evangelism... and yet, all too common. It's kind of like trying to give someone directions to a party from where YOU ARE rather than from where the person you're directing is.

Anyway (again) dincher, I think the answer here is kind of two-fold. On one hand, I think it has a lot to do with where you put your faith. Maybe when you were younger, you put a lot more of your faith in God. You trusted that everything would be okay if you did so. Then you learned that putting your faith in God doesn't automatically give you the life that you deemed "perfect". So, consciously or subconsciously, you put your faith back into the world. Somewhere along the way you found than your "religion wasn't the real deal". That's good to hear. In my opinion, no "religion" is ever the "real deal". I hold the time in my life where I finally made that distinction very close.

But what happened next? Are you still stuck in a religion because you once subscribed to it but no longer believe in it? Or have you moved on and grown from the experiences you had to find the Truth? Or have you even tried? Did you give up the search? What DO you believe in, if anything?

Oh, and let me just throw this out there... just because someone goes to church on Sunday and throws out the halleluyahs' and all don't mean they got the spirituality in them. Know what I mean?

So the OTHER side to this answer is that you are comparing yourself to these friends of yours... the ones that used to lead the "bad life: sex, drugs, rock n roll". There's another name for those kind of people. We are called "addicts". We have a very distinctive trait in our personality. When we do drugs, we do them all the way... when we do sex, we do it all the way...

Why would you think that, when we do spirituality, it would be any different?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dincher

More importantly, what causes these people who weren't spiritual to "wake up" and become spiritual? It's not like they were praying to God when they were doing drugs, as an example, or when they were getting arrested by the cops. So why do they suddenly feel the spirituality?

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Would you mind making this question as a new thread, it seems to be piggybacking a question.
Thanks

08:45 2009.10.30


Few random thoughts:



- Christian: this word is used only couple of time in the Bible. The disciples of Jesus (important expression; you can find very valuable references to it in the Bible.) were called Christians first at Antioch.

Acts 11:26
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+11:26&version=NIV
26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Number of hits for disciple in NIV: 292
Number of hits for christian in NIV: 5

So from now on I would like to refer to the followers of God, Jesus as disciples.





- there is no such thing as following Jesus on our own. It was not designed like that. Everyone has her or his own struggle and fight, and everyone stands in front of God at the end on their own, but Jesus commands just cannot be followed only on our own. None of us can make it on our own. (It is in our nature. I think the fact, that you asked for help is just a pretty good example of this :) )


John 13:14 (New International Version)
14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2013:14&version=NIV


John 13:34-35 (New International Version)
34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2013:34-35&version=NIV


John 15:12 (New International Version)
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:12&version=NIV


John 15:17 (New International Version)
17This is my command: Love each other.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:17&version=NIV



Romans 12:4-5 (New International Version)
4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:4-5&version=NIV

Romans 12:10 (New International Version)
10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.


Romans 12:16 (New International Version)
16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.


Romans 13:8 (New International Version)
8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.



Romans 14:13 (New International Version)
13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.




Romans 14:19 (New International Version)
19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.



Romans 15:7 (New International Version)
7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.




Romans 15:14 (New International Version)
14I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.




- I grew up as a religious kid. I was not the best boy, but I was enthusiastic. In few words: I had my struggles. None of my prayers or acts was answered or none of them satisfied my needs deep inside. After a while of useless struggles I 'realized' there is no God and I gave up my religious lifestyle. I did many things which I enjoyed from one side and yet I was not feeling very comfortable with also, but I did not care anymore, as there was no God. Then God called me through His disciples. I studied the Bible, and had many of my questions answered. The greatest needs of my life were satisfied. I became one of the disciples. I was happier than ever, and even more enthusiastic. But I still kept my deepest struggles and needs for myself by mistake. I tried to fight my own battles without opening up to those around me who could really see me and help me. So I fell away. I really could not do what I thought was the best. That struggle was even harder than the firs one. I fell, and I left God. (This story is getting long and maybe confusing :)).
God called me again, and I studied the Bible again. I had my questions answered again, and I am happier than ever (again :o) )

SUM:
- Please take my message as a message from God. He is calling you to follow Him.
As first steps my personal recommendations for you:
- Study the Bible
- Get help: find disciples near to you and talk to them. http://www.dtodayinfo.net/DTodayInfo.html#


Good luck! You will enjoy it :)




Ivan

All you need to do is remember that god loves you. He loves you absolutely there isn't anything you or anyone else can do to change that. You really just need to realize that he is like the father in the parable of the prodigious son you may have left him for a little while but he goes out into the road every day hoping that you come back to him. And when you do come back to him you may feel the need to bargain with him for your salvation but you don't need to he is as willing if not more to accept you back he even prepares a "feast" in your honor

Interesting that this thread is now a number of months old and that the original poster has never returned to address any of the responses.

Thanks!

I do know how you feel. Like you have made way too many mistakes and that well it was just too much for God and that this time the line was crossed too many times. You have reached your limit on the Grace of God. But can I tell you that God SAID, my grace is renewed every morning. You feel like you have someohow lost God? Where did you leave Him? Where was the last place that He was your hearts focus? I'd say backtrack, God is still waiting where you left Him. And this is the biggest clue of all that God is there for you, when you were first saved did you believe God really loved you? That He had moved into your heart? Well guess what? God isn't clueless! He knows everything! He even said so in Psalms! He knew U B4 the foundation of the earth! So you were no surprise to God! He knows you weakness and shortcomings! He new what He was getting when He got you! But He still loves U anyway!

Ohmygoodness! I knew there was a reason I got redirected to this page instead of Facebook, lol. I'm going through the SAME thing, and yes it's the worst pain in the world. I've been praying CONSTANTLY always in my Bible and yet it doesn't feel like he's there, I just feel like a hypocrite...