yes, when we pray for something that is  God's will, we will get what we ask for 100% of the time. faith does not mean expecting God to give us everything we want, or in other words expecting God to yield to our will. faith means trusting that God knows better than we do, and that He makes no mistakes, or in other words yielding our will to His. as long as we are in right relationship with God, and we are walking with Him, He answers every single one of our prayers, sometimes with a yes answer, and sometimes with a no answer, depending on His will & wisdom

hey thanx wren! i was worried that you might think I was being insensitive, but I'm glad you understood what I was saying. yeah, that's one of the great things about knowing the Lord; no matter what's going on in our lives, we can always be thankful. the key is to first, keep an eternal perspective & remember that our hope is not in this life but in the life to come, and second, to remember that ultimately God is in control, and that He can & does work all things together for good to those who love Him.

God bless

ok, so I was having a conversation with my mom & one of her friends and I was asked a particular question that I was unable to answer, so I said I would have to look into it a little bit more. naturally, I knew exactly where to turn to; you guys. I am going to study the subject, and pray about it, of course, but I know you guys will be able to shed some light on it. wow! I'm rambling! sorry. allow me to get to the point...

the question was; when Jesus was on the cross, and He said, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' what exactly was meant. I know that He was quoting a prophecy, I think David in the Psalms, if my memory serves me. I was thinking that it was sort of symbolic of the fact that He bore our sins in His body, and God cannot allow sin in His presence. on the other hand, I know that even though He bore our sins, He Himself remained 100% sinless (obviously). so, I have an idea of what was meant, but I'm not totally sure. thanx in advance for your help.

-BDoggy(Bobby)

I really don't want to sound insensitive, but what you have just described sounds, perhaps unenjoyable, but not exactly tragic. think about people who have terminal illnesses, or who have lost loved ones, etc....
again, I don't want to sound insensitive or uncaring, and I hope that things start going better for you, but what I mean is, try focusing on things that you can be thankful for, and don't focus exclusively on slight misfortunes that you might have.  

Hi. I'm sorry, I'm not totally up to date on what's going on.

tigerlily-I don't think I've met you on the forum yet, but I will be more than happy to pray for you. if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your illness?

I have been wondering where bronzesnake has been lately. what is going on with his family?

Like I said, I am not really up to date on these things, but I would like to offer my prayers & whatever encouragement I can.

Allinall-now I think I understand what you are saying. you mean that while our consciences are not perfect, the Holy Spirit is, so we must test the light of our conscience to see if it is of the Spirit. at least I think that is what you are saying, right?

well, now you can see why I said I don't want to put words in anyone's mouth, cause I didn't know exactly what you were saying, but now I think I do. thanx for clearing it up.  

[your conscience - His Holy Spirit]

allinall, "It's your call, between your God and your conscience - His Holy Spirit"

what did you mean by this comment? It sounds like you are saying that our consciences and the Holy Spirit are the same. I do not, however want to put words in your mouth, so can you explain what you meant by this? our consciences are certainly not the same as the Holy Spirit. I mean, the Holy Spirit can and does use our conscience to convict us of sin, but the Holy Spirit is God, and I for one, would never make the claim that my conscience is God!

I don't know who this "pastor" doug dodd is, but it breaks my heart that someone would have such a passion and desire to divide believers.   There is nothing at all wrong with the NIV, and I absolutely gaurantee that you CANNOT prove that there is, because there just isn't. The thing you have to realize is that though the wording of translations differ, that does not in any way mean that the meaning differs at all. The NIV is not a word-for-word translation, what it is, is a thought-for-thought translation. what this basically means is that the original meaning of the text is kept in tact, yet it is communicated in a way that is more understandable in this day and age. The meaning of the text is preserved. Again, the NIV is not the superior translation, but it is a perfectly acceptable and accurate translation. whatever translation you prefer, is fine. yes there are some exceptions, in which the actual meaning has been changed to say what someone wants it to say, but these fabrications are pretty easily spotted. the NASB, NIV, KJV, etc, are all perfectly acceptable. Which Bible is the right Bible? The one you read!

truthlover-i find your post very interesting. i actually just began reading Acts yesterday. it is probably one of the books of the bible that i am most unfamiliar with, so i decided it was about time i really studied it. one of the first things that i noticed when i began to read it was how the believers of the early church gathered together and enjoyed each other's fellowship on a daily basis, not just once a week, as many believers do today. As Christians, we need to do more than just go to church once a week for an hour and then go home to watch tv, we need to establish godly friendships with one another and spend time in fellowship with one another every day if we want to grow in our relationships with God. this is something that i've realized i have to work on in my own life. thanx for your post, i agree with everything you've said.

there is absolutely nothing wrong with the new international version, it happens to be my personal favorite translation. there's nothing wrong with most other translations either, and i am certainly not suggesting that the NIV is the superior translation, but there is definitely nothing wrong with it; it is not in any way corrupt. what are you basing this claim on?

Pat Robertson is a goof-ball. personally, I wouldnt take anything he says too seriously. I would not say he is as bad as say, Benny Hinn or Paul Crouch, but I think he is definitely someone to avoid. As for president Bush being a thug......I'm not sure exactly what that comment is being based on, although I'd be curious to know.

[all the dark imagery]

saved_4ever said, "Tool, well considering they're pretty anit-christian with lyrics like Jesus blows his f****** whistle, something form the past is done.  Yeah that's good stuff to listen to.    We won't even go into their pictures."

"yeah, i would definitely recommend lateralus. it is dramatically different than their other albums. they almost sound like a completely different band all together. all the dark imagery, the excessive swearing(Aenima), the drugs(My Third Eye), the anti-Christian lyrics(Eulogy) is all gone. lateralus actually has alot of positive, uplifting songs, and personally, although i'm sure it was not Tool's intentions, when i listen to this album, i almost cant help but to reflect on my relationship with God. trust me, it's a great album.(track 8 kinda sux, but thats it)"

maybe you skipped over that post.

wow! thanx so much for all your insights.

whitehorse-yeah, i thought creed was a christian band for the longest time, until i saw (or maybe read) an interview where the lead singer was asked if they were a christian band, and he actually started laughing because of the comment. creed has some beautiful imagery in their songs though. i'd have to say my favorite of their songs is, 'my own prison'. and good point also about listening to music that isn't merely non-offensive, but beneficial as well.

symphony-you're right. the more we fill our minds with God's word, the better we'll know what not to put into our minds.

sapphire-yeah, i would definitely recommend lateralus. it is dramatically different than their other albums. they almost sound like a completely different band all together. all the dark imagery, the excessive swearing(Aenima), the drugs(My Third Eye), the anti-Christian lyrics(Eulogy) is all gone. lateralus actually has alot of positive, uplifting songs, and personally, although i'm sure it was not Tool's intentions, when i listen to this album, i almost cant help but to reflect on my relationship with God. trust me, it's a great album.(track 8 kinda sux, but thats it)

tibby-good point about the bands who call themselves, 'Christian'. not that i am in any way judging the people in the band(s), but it's true, we need to use discernment not just with secular music, but 'Christian' music as well.

well, again thanx to all you guys. i think this has helped me out.

sapphire-um, actually i have no intention of turning this into an argument in any way. why in the world would i get angry at someone simply because they share their opinion, that is the whole reason i asked the question; because i want to get other people's perspectives on the issue. if you don't like people yelling at people (and neither do i) then here is a simple solution; don't yell at them. besides, my question was not weather it is right or wrong to listen to secular music, as i myself said i dont think music is wrong simply because the artist is not labeled, 'Christian'. my question was more specific than that.

here, let me give you an example; i really didn't want to mention a specific band, but i think it will help to make my point; i have always been a big fan of 'Tool'. i dont know if any of you guys are familiar with their music, but i can almost gaurantee that you have all heard of them. Tool's most recent album, 'Lateralus' contains no obscene or offensive language at all. not one swear, and the songs on the album have, in my opinion, pretty positive messages. some of the issues that are addressed in the album are; forgiveness towards others, communicating with others & not keeping your feelings to yourself, keeping hope & not giving up in the midst of life's trials, and embracing life & being thankful for each moment that you have. i personally dont find any of these subjects to be the least bit offensive or immoral, but i also know that the members of Tool are professing atheists, and are very actively involved in drugs; this is just an example, but in this case, the lyrics are fine, but the lifestyles & beliefs of the band is not consistent with a Christian world view, so would it be wrong to listen to this music or not? i will greatly appreciate anyone who cares to share their opinions, and i can assure you that nobody's opinion will make me angry in any way.

I have never thought that music is automatically wrong just because the band is not labeled as a 'Christian' band. I think it is wrong, however, to listen to any music that has obscene lyrics or that deals with specifically unChristian themes (sexual immorality, drugs, violence, etc.). however, I have heard some bands who's music for the most part is not in any way obscene, and whose lyrics are not specifically 'Christian' nor are they in any way 'unChristian', yet there lifestyles and beliefs are definitely unChristian, and are no secret to the world, but are made clearly known to all their fans. My question is; is it wrong to listen to their music because of their lifestyle's even though there is nothing wrong with the lyrics themselves, or is it only wrong when the lyrics are obscene, perverse and unChristian?