Looking for Answers?

[2nd Timothy]

Are you looking for answers?   Maybe you have been lurking on the message board for a while now reading through some of the posts, or maybe this is your first visit to Christians Unite.   Well, I have some great news for you.   God has a special message just for you!  So grab a cup of coffee and pull up your chair.  I want to share with you what God wants to do in your life, and why your seemingly accidental visit to Christians Unite is not a mere accident, but rather a divine built in safety net designed to lead you to truth.   Sound crazy?   Read on, and you will see it’s not as crazy as you may think.


Your life may be a real mess, or maybe things are going great for you, but either way you feel a need to know what life is all about.   Why am I alive?   What am I here for?   What is my purpose in life?   Every individual who has ever walked the face of the earth has asked himself one of these questions at some point in their life.   Don’t believe it?  Ask one of your friends!   They feel it too.   Everyone is searching for that something that’s missing, that something that says ‘Yes, you are here for a reason, you are genuinely loved, there is a specific purpose for your life.’   You hear it in the songs you listen to.   You see it in the movies you watch.   In the books you read.    It’s on the walls of caves that archeologists discover.   All people of all history feel a sense or need to know who they are and what their purpose is, that their lives mean something to somebody.   That nagging question is not there by chance.   Its there because you were built that way.   These are questions that are programmed into your inner most being.  And they are there because God placed them there.    It’s a void that’s built into you that can only be filled by God.    Think about that for moment.   That inner void drives you to try things in life.   The unceasing prodding you feel from your heart is because it's never satisfied with the things you try to fill it with.   No matter what you try eventually, the ole nagging questions return.   Why is that?   It's a safety net that God built into man in order to draw us into a relationship with Him, the only thing that will ever fill that void.


I know that some might be thinking here, ‘well, I’ve tried religion before and that didn’t work.’   Or, ‘I go to church often, but I still feel this way.’   Well, that’s because religion and Church are not the answer either.   Neither one can fill the void.   These things attempt to address our actions.   They tell us we need to be good, treat others with respect, don’t steal, don’t lie, read your Bible.   All of these things are very good things to do, but they don’t address what is happening inside of you.   Why do you still feel that nagging?   The reason is, the void has not been filled.   You are the same old person trying to do good things in an effort to feel better or quench that feeling.   But you soon realized, that it didn’t help you at all.   You are still the same old person feeling the same old questions you had before.   That’s because there is a piece of the puzzle that is yet missing.

That piece is God.   He is the only thing that will fill that void, and here’s why.   When we are born into this world, we are born spiritually dead.   It's hard to imagine a cooing baby in your arms will soon be able to commit sin and wrong doings, but the truth is, they will some day.   Our flesh is capable of doing some pretty bad things.   We all at some point are tempted by our flesh to do something wrong.   And all of us at some point have caved into that pressure and done the wrong thing.   Maybe you have been a fairly good person, but at some point in your life, you have done something wrong or something you regret doing.   It's because of your sin nature.


When Adam and Eve were created, God breathed into their nostrils the breath of Life(s).   The Hebrew word used here means life’s, or lives (plural).  God gave man Physical and Spiritual life.   The Bible says that God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden and fellowshipped with them.   He had a loving relationship with man.   God had provided everything that man could ever need to sustain him.   But God took a calculated risk with man.   He gave man a free will.   A free will in which man could choose apart from the will of God, so that man would not be forced to serve God as a robot.   God wanted to experience mans genuine Love out of choice rather than force.   God told Adam, that He was free to eat of all the trees in the garden except one.   The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  God told Adam that the very day He ate of that tree, he would surely die.   Well, as you know Adam disobeyed and did eat from that tree.   But for him to do so, He had to believe that God had lied to him.   That God had kept something from Him.   Adam rather than trusting that God had given Him everything, believed that God had held something back from him.   Adam did not physically die that day.   He died spiritually.   His physical death did not take place till many many years after this.   Because of mans sin, a barrier was set up between man and God.   A barrier that man simply cannot overcome.   No matter how hard man tries, we simply do not have the power within us to be as pure and Holy as God is in our sinful state.   Not only did we inherit spiritual death from Adam, but something else was added to man that day.   A sin nature!   We all have it, and its toll on our lives will bring us all death one day.   The wages (or payment) of sin.   For centuries man has tried to fix the problem himself.   With religion, science, philosophy.   Man knows he has a problem, but He is unable to come to terms with the fact that He is totally lost.   We are spiritually dead on the inside because of our sin nature, and death is immanent because we can no more fix it than we can prevent ourselves from dying.  

What is man to do?   He is totally lost and can do nothing to cure his illness.   But God knowing all this before it ever happened had a full proof plan to save man from the very beginning.   God himself would take on human flesh and live a Holy and pure life breaking the sin barrier in flesh form and paying the price of His own Justice for mans sin.   Why would God do that for sinful man?   Because God Loves man, and wants us to experience His love for us, and for us to Love him in return because He first Loved us.

God himself stepped out of eternity and took on flesh for short period of time.   He walked the earth for 33 years, living and teaching man about Gods love for them.   Man, mocked Him, beat Him and Killed Him, even though He never did anything against us.   Have you ever known anyone that hated or disliked you for no good reason?   Well God knows just how you feel.   He only wanted to demonstrate His Love to us and be with us, and yet man murdered Him, but He did not resist.   He allowed our sin to demonstrate His own grace upon grace towards us by dieing a sinners death on the cross for you and for me.   Do you know what grace is?   Have you ever seen some needy person on the street, and have them ask you for some change?   Giving this person change is not grace, it's compassion.   However, if a well dressed fellow came up to you, knocked you to the ground and demanded some bills, and you give it to him?   That’s grace!    That’s exactly what Jesus did for us.   He died for us while we never deserved a thing from Him.   But He did it out the greatness of His Love for us while we were still sinners lost without a chance, and not deserving of anything.  Grace upon Grace!    The best news is, three days after his death, He rose again.   His tomb is empty today.   He not only paid the price for us, but He lifted our spiritual and physical lives from the grave with Him.   By faith in what God did for you, you too can have life everlasting in Jesus Christ.

continued

[2nd Timothy]

That void that’s missing in your life?   Can only be filled by the spirit of God.   It's your safety net that God built into you.   It drives you to seek answers.   And the only answer that will quench that pressing thirst in your heart is knowing the Lord.   He wants to know you, he wants fellowship with you!    You can ask Him into your heart and He promises to come into your life and rejoin you with God Almighty!   It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done.   He Loves you and died just for you!   You have been bought from the slave market of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ.   He purchased a pardon for you that is freely available to all who seek it.   But just like Adam, He will not force you to choose Him.   He wants your genuine trust that He alone provided for you.   That He alone is worthy of your devotion to Him.  


If you are someone that has been searching for the reasons of your life, friend the answer is right here right now.    You were made to be united with God.   You were made to Love and serve Him.   You were made for a relationship with Christ.   Invite Him into your heart and see how sweet His grace towards you truly is.   Some people tell of how miraculous things change when they accept Christ as their personal saviour.   You may not even feel any different at all from the start.   But if you truly believe that God died for your sins, and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, you shall be saved!   That’s a promise from God himself to you!   If you’ve tried so many other things to quench that need of yours deep down inside of you, why not give the Lord a chance?   You wouldn’t be fair to yourself not to take a chance that God truly Loves you and wants to know you personally.   What have you got to loose?


If you want to know the Lord, and enter a personal relationship with Him, then pray this prayer with me and ask God to change your life right now!

Dear Lord, I know I’m a sinner.   I know that I don’t deserve what you did for me on the cross.   I ask you to forgive for my sins.   I ask that you would come into my life right now dear Lord.   Change me Lord.   Make me what you want me to be.   Fill that void in my life that is missing, and make me whole.   I commit my life to you dear God.   I accept Jesus Christ into my life this very moment, and believe that He died for my sins.   Thank you dear Lord for hearing my prayer, and coming into my heart.   Amen!


If you prayed that prayer and mean it, you have just begun a new life with Christ in earnest.    God made a promise that He would come into the heart of those inviting Him in.   God keeps his promises and you are no exception to that.  You have been sealed by the spirit of God!   I encourage you to let someone know you have accepted Christ.    This is an important step as it affirms your faith in Him.   The bible tells us to confess with out mouths that Jesus is Lord!    If you want to, you can send me a private message and tell me that you have invited Christ into your heart, or even if you still have questions or doubts about God.   This is in no way an effort to enroll you into anything or sell you something.    I just simply want to hear what God is doing for you, and how He is touching your life.      

Whoever you are, Christ is reaching out to you this day friend.   Wont you give him a try?


May God richly bless you and keep you!

Grace and Peace!

[MysticaAngel]

  Greetings Tim,

Wow, I just came across your post at a time when I really needed such a message;  I am a church goer and consider myself a Christian but have lacked the peace of salvation, something has been missing for a long time, the joy of walking with the Lord.  When I go to church, no matter which one I attend, I just don't have joy or peace or assurance of salvation.  I am a baptized Christian and read the Bible every day but something still hasn't been right.  I've become ill from legalism and am now being treated for OCD (religious in nature) with pills since I can't find deliverance on my own from legalism/religious bondage in the search for peace.

Your message spoke to my heart and reminded me that I need to focus on Christ and the Word above all else and put the rest aside and the peace will follow if I put my faith alone in Jesus and surrender to him.  I am doing that now as I write this.

Thank you and peace and blessings to you!

Mystica Angel

[sincereheart]

Thank you, Tim!  

In my inbox today:
The gate to life is narrow, and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it. - Matthew 7:14
God Speaks Bible

Many years ago when Egyptian troops conquered Nubia, a regiment of soldiers was crossing the Nubian desert with an Arab guide.

Recognizing that they had limited water and were suffering from great thirst, the soldiers were deceived by the appearance of a beautiful lake on the horizon. They insisted that their guide take them to its banks. The guide, who knew the desert well, knew that what they saw was just a mirage. In vain, he told the men that the lake was not real. He refused to lose precious time by wandering from the designated course.

Angry words led to blows and in the end, the soldiers killed the guide. As they moved toward the lake, it receded into the distance. Finally, they recognized their error... the lake was only burning sand. Raging thirst and horrible despair engulfed the soldiers. Without their guide, the pathless desert was a mystery. They had been sure they knew what was best. Instead they had sealed their own fate.

You may be certain you know what's right for your life, what will bring you happiness and success. You may in fact be so sure that you feel you don't need God's help. Don't deceive yourself. Only God knows the beginning from the end and every step along the way.

[2nd Timothy]

Greetings Tim,

Wow, I just came across your post at a time when I really needed such a message;  I am a church goer and consider myself a Christian but have lacked the peace of salvation, something has been missing for a long time, the joy of walking with the Lord.  When I go to church, no matter which one I attend, I just don't have joy or peace or assurance of salvation.  I am a baptized Christian and read the Bible every day but something still hasn't been right.  I've become ill from legalism and am now being treated for OCD (religious in nature) with pills since I can't find deliverance on my own from legalism/religious bondage in the search for peace.

Your message spoke to my heart and reminded me that I need to focus on Christ and the Word above all else and put the rest aside and the peace will follow if I put my faith alone in Jesus and surrender to him.  I am doing that now as I write this.

Thank you and peace and blessings to you!

Mystica Angel

Praise God!   Your post just made my day Mystica Angel!   Sometimes when the devil cannot deter us from the Lord, He  attempts to overload us with religion, which puts a damper on the actual relationship with Christ.   I can relate to this in my walk also.   Focus on your relationship with the Lord.  The things you describe in your post remind me of the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2.   Their doctrinal works were great, but they had lost their affection for the Lord which they had when they first came to saving knowledge of Him.   They had left their FIRST love!   Jesus told them to remember from whence they had fallen, and repent, do the things they first did.  Which was relying on the Lord for their salvation and yielding their total trust to Him!  

Thank you for posting, I will keep you in my prayers.  

BTW, welcome to Christians Unite also!

Grace and Peace!

[2nd Timothy]

Amen SH!  The story you told is an excellent analogy of the kind of trouble man can get himself into when He relys on himself instead of God.

You may be certain you know what's right for your life, what will bring you happiness and success. You may in fact be so sure that you feel you don't need God's help. Don't deceive yourself. Only God knows the beginning from the end and every step along the way.

Pro 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

and

Pro 21:2  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

Grace and Peace!

[MysticaAngel]

Greetings Tim,

Wow, I just came across your post at a time when I really needed such a message;  I am a church goer and consider myself a Christian but have lacked the peace of salvation, something has been missing for a long time, the joy of walking with the Lord.  When I go to church, no matter which one I attend, I just don't have joy or peace or assurance of salvation.  I am a baptized Christian and read the Bible every day but something still hasn't been right.  I've become ill from legalism and am now being treated for OCD (religious in nature) with pills since I can't find deliverance on my own from legalism/religious bondage in the search for peace.

Your message spoke to my heart and reminded me that I need to focus on Christ and the Word above all else and put the rest aside and the peace will follow if I put my faith alone in Jesus and surrender to him.  I am doing that now as I write this.

Thank you and peace and blessings to you!

Mystica Angel

Praise God!   Your post just made my day Mystica Angel!   Sometimes when the devil cannot deter us from the Lord, He  attempts to overload us with religion, which puts a damper on the actual relationship with Christ.   I can relate to this in my walk also.   Focus on your relationship with the Lord.  The things you describe in your post remind me of the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2.   Their doctrinal works were great, but they had lost their affection for the Lord which they had when they first came to saving knowledge of Him.   They had left their FIRST love!   Jesus told them to remember from whence they had fallen, and repent, do the things they first did.  Which was relying on the Lord for their salvation and yielding their total trust to Him!  

Thank you for posting, I will keep you in my prayers.  

BTW, welcome to Christians Unite also!

Grace and Peace!

Thanks Tim!  I also appreciate the prayers!  I am going back to church on Sunday and they are welcoming back after I contacted them and told them I wanted to return, so I have much to rejoice about.  I am joining a good bible study also and look forward to participating in this forum!

P.S.  Hi to SH also!

God bless you!

MysticaAngel

[2nd Timothy]

Grace and Peace!

[nChrist]

AMEN 2nd Timothy!!

Your post was beautiful. I love to hear about our Lord and Saviour, and I pray that many searchers will read this thread.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[2nd Timothy]

Thanks Tom.   Actually, I was inspired by a PM I received from SH a while back.   She probably didn't even know that until now.     After reading it, I felt lead to share this message with others who might be lurking/reading on the board, but not really actively posting.   It is my prayer that God will use it for His glory and help someone to know Him!

Grace and Peace!

[nChrist]

2nd Timothy,

Brother, I've been looking at one of our threads about "Guest User Ratios". I am convinced that we have many people who read here without ever becoming members. That's fine - I just hope they find what they are searching for here.

If someone used a search engine for "Jesus", Christians Unite would be in the results. We will never know how many people accepted Jesus Christ by reading the posts here, but we know absolutely that proclaiming the GOOD NEWS is never wasted.

This made me think about the Gideons and their strong beliefs about placing Holy Bibles almost everywhere. I agree with them completely. God uses those Bibles, and God uses Christians Unite.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[felix102]

Amen!

Im praying for everyone that's lookings for answers, that they be guided here. May they come to Christ through this message.

Its almost like a revival for me. The message spoke to me in a profound way. I found that I've been missing an important truth for a long time.

Adam disobeyed and did eat from that tree.  But for him to do so, He had to believe that God had lied to him.  That God had kept something from Him.  Adam rather than trusting that God had given Him everything, believed that God had held something back from him.

This brought in so much truth to me.

When we look for other things to fill that void, we look to things of this world like money, relationships, knowledge and the list does not stop. We do this because we do not believe that God has something great for us, that he has already given us everything we can ever want. Jesus said He who believes in me will never be thirsty. We constantly thrist for something to fill that void, but Jesus said that he is the one who fills that!

As for those who do not yet know Jesus, do you not thrist for something to fill that void? It could be money, family, health or fame. Those things will never ever satisfy you. And if you think deep down inside you will know it. Jesus is the one who will fill that void and quench your thirst!

As christians, are there any among you that have forgotten that Jesus is the one who quenches our eternal thrist? Yet so often, we find ourselves forgetting about Jesus and returning to things such as money, family, jobs, or reputation to quench our thirst. We just need to refocus and remember that Jesus is the top priority. Paul said, "For to me, to live is Christ!"

God wants us to give us everything. At times, why do we refuse to believe that?

"My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life" John 6:40

[Homeskillet]

Praise the Lord.

[nChrist]

Amen Brother Felix,

One of the most beautiful things about our Lord and Saviour is that he walks with us and will continue to satisfy our thirst and hunger with the riches of HIS GRACE and LOVE. HIS spiritual food and drink are the real riches in this short life, and nothing else in this short life compares to HIS treasures.

I can't count the number of times that I was troubled and found exactly what I needed in HIS WORD. It is a great peace and comfort to know beyond any doubt that HE is always with us. HE will fill our emptiness if we simply yield. Being a Christian truly can be like the beautiful old hymn, "Sweeter as the years go by."

Love In Christ,
Tom

[2nd Timothy]

Wanted to bump this back towards the top, just in case!  


Grace and Peace!