Am I going about things the right way?

[Muaythai]

Hi guys,

I havn't decided what I believe in yet... I have recently visited Thailand and seen the Thai's taking their religion seriously and decided I would upon my return to England start looking into where my believes lie.

I've always believed in creation and I believe in someone looking after me and guiding me. I'm not sure why, I don't feel a presence... not as such... More when I look back on my life everything I have ever wanted has happened.

I remember someone in church once (I was about 9) saying to me about the chances of Earth having been an accident is about 1,000,000 times more unlikely than putting all the pieces of a watch into a box... shaking it around and hoping when you open the box there it is ticking...

That stuck with me... As a result, sometimes also I look at something and realise just how perfect it is... Look at a flower... It is more perfect than a clock, which took thousands of years to design and yet I'm led to believe that this flower evolved from a speck of space dust.

I've been given so much in my life already and everything I experience I feel privilidge to have been given. However I am not sure who or what it is that has given me and sometimes I get sad... even frustrated at this

I've decided to read the bible although I havn't made my mind up about Jesus or God. I want to read all of the bible and I don't want to say 'Im a Christian' when I don't mean it because I think that is totally against the point of what I am trying to do. I'm not demanding God show himself to me or anything like that, but I'm trying to decide what I'm looking for... it's hard to describe and I'm not sure I'm doing things the right way.

Any advice / people who have had simular experiences?

[livingwaters]

Well, I always knew there was "God," the Creator of Heaven and Earth. I just knew!! But, what I didn't know, was the Word of God. It plainly says in John 14:6 that Jesus is the only way to the Father (God)...no one ever explained that I had to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior to be saved or born-again. I guess it was not taught to me because in the religion my grandmother, mother, aunts, uncles believed, they were not taught the truth and never read the Word of God, the Bible.

But, during such desperation in my life for help, I called on the name of Jesus....there HE was!!! If you had known me before I was saved, you understand now that Jesus was the ONLY one..the ONLY one who could have transformed me from "the INSIDE to the OUTSIDE!!!" Glory to God...once that happens...you just know in your "knower" that HE is the real deal!!!! Amen...

I pray that you keep seeking HIM, sincerely...cause, HE is the ONLY answer!!! This world, though it can offer you money, things, stuff, sex, and whatever else satan throws at you to make you think that you are happy...but, it CANNOT offer you the Peace and Joy of the Lord!!!!! That's a fact...ask any true believer of Christ.

God is always on the throne and loves us no matter what. I mean, Jesus died for my and your sin debt...don't, I pray, let that go unnoticed, like I did for soooooo long!!! We will never have all the "whens and whys" until we meet HIM face to face in the sweet By and By. Alleluia!!!!

God Bless

[apothanein kerdos]

Hi guys,

I havn't decided what I believe in yet... I have recently visited Thailand and seen the Thai's taking their religion seriously and decided I would upon my return to England start looking into where my believes lie.

I've always believed in creation and I believe in someone looking after me and guiding me. I'm not sure why, I don't feel a presence... not as such... More when I look back on my life everything I have ever wanted has happened.

I remember someone in church once (I was about 9) saying to me about the chances of Earth having been an accident is about 1,000,000 times more unlikely than putting all the pieces of a watch into a box... shaking it around and hoping when you open the box there it is ticking...

That stuck with me... As a result, sometimes also I look at something and realise just how perfect it is... Look at a flower... It is more perfect than a clock, which took thousands of years to design and yet I'm led to believe that this flower evolved from a speck of space dust.

I've been given so much in my life already and everything I experience I feel privilidge to have been given. However I am not sure who or what it is that has given me and sometimes I get sad... even frustrated at this

I've decided to read the bible although I havn't made my mind up about Jesus or God. I want to read all of the bible and I don't want to say 'Im a Christian' when I don't mean it because I think that is totally against the point of what I am trying to do. I'm not demanding God show himself to me or anything like that, but I'm trying to decide what I'm looking for... it's hard to describe and I'm not sure I'm doing things the right way.

Any advice / people who have had simular experiences?

It's exciting to watch the Holy Spirit work within you.

As weird as this might sound...

If you already believe in sin, I would say read Genesis 1-3 then jump to the Gospels. If you are "iffy" about sin or not entirely sure why the Gospels are in place...hunker down, start in Genesis and proceed forth. It can be monotonous at times, but that's why you have Christians here who can help you get through it.

I'm sure the moderators wouldn't even be opposed to you and three or four of us reading through it together and maybe discussing it in the "kicking back" section or in this section. You could bring your questions forth and we could answer them.

[tango]

Hi guys,

I havn't decided what I believe in yet... I have recently visited Thailand and seen the Thai's taking their religion seriously and decided I would upon my return to England start looking into where my believes lie.

I've always believed in creation and I believe in someone looking after me and guiding me. I'm not sure why, I don't feel a presence... not as such... More when I look back on my life everything I have ever wanted has happened.

I remember someone in church once (I was about 9) saying to me about the chances of Earth having been an accident is about 1,000,000 times more unlikely than putting all the pieces of a watch into a box... shaking it around and hoping when you open the box there it is ticking...

That stuck with me... As a result, sometimes also I look at something and realise just how perfect it is... Look at a flower... It is more perfect than a clock, which took thousands of years to design and yet I'm led to believe that this flower evolved from a speck of space dust.

I've been given so much in my life already and everything I experience I feel privilidge to have been given. However I am not sure who or what it is that has given me and sometimes I get sad... even frustrated at this

I've decided to read the bible although I havn't made my mind up about Jesus or God. I want to read all of the bible and I don't want to say 'Im a Christian' when I don't mean it because I think that is totally against the point of what I am trying to do. I'm not demanding God show himself to me or anything like that, but I'm trying to decide what I'm looking for... it's hard to describe and I'm not sure I'm doing things the right way.

Any advice / people who have had simular experiences?

I find it hard to see how people can believe that something as complex as the world around us could have just appeared by chance.

An analogy I often use is coming across animal tracks in the forest. If we see a track we can figure out something about the animal that made them and follow the track to find the animal. If we see cloven-hooved tracks we might not immediately know if it was a cow, an elk or a moose but we can rule out other animals like a squirrel, duck etc. In the same way we can see the "tracks" left by God and learn something about God's nature from them.

It's good to start reading the Bible but don't think you have to read all of it before you become a Christian. Truth be told you could become a Christian having not read any of it - the thief beside Jesus on the cross recognised who he was next to but quite possibly hadn't read any of the scriptures at that point. Before you sit down to read, ask God to speak to you through the words you are reading.

It's also good to see you wanting to do things properly. Lots of people use the tag "Christian" to describe themselves while living a life just like everybody else with the sole exception of attending a church on Sunday. If you're going to follow Jesus do it whole-heartedly.

[Followtheway]

As long as you are on a search for truth the Lord will deliver it to you, Plz Private message me if you need help along the way.

[Diddits]

Hi guys,

I havn't decided what I believe in yet... I have recently visited Thailand and seen the Thai's taking their religion seriously and decided I would upon my return to England start looking into where my believes lie.

I've always believed in creation and I believe in someone looking after me and guiding me. I'm not sure why, I don't feel a presence... not as such... More when I look back on my life everything I have ever wanted has happened.

I remember someone in church once (I was about 9) saying to me about the chances of Earth having been an accident is about 1,000,000 times more unlikely than putting all the pieces of a watch into a box... shaking it around and hoping when you open the box there it is ticking...

That stuck with me... As a result, sometimes also I look at something and realise just how perfect it is... Look at a flower... It is more perfect than a clock, which took thousands of years to design and yet I'm led to believe that this flower evolved from a speck of space dust.

I've been given so much in my life already and everything I experience I feel privilidge to have been given. However I am not sure who or what it is that has given me and sometimes I get sad... even frustrated at this

I've decided to read the bible although I havn't made my mind up about Jesus or God. I want to read all of the bible and I don't want to say 'Im a Christian' when I don't mean it because I think that is totally against the point of what I am trying to do. I'm not demanding God show himself to me or anything like that, but I'm trying to decide what I'm looking for... it's hard to describe and I'm not sure I'm doing things the right way.

Any advice / people who have had simular experiences?

I know where you're coming from...your story sounds very similar to mine.

I understand your frustration, your sadness and your fear about making "mistakes".

I too have always felt like there was something or someone "bigger" at work in my life, but fell short of inviting God in. I would pray whenever I was in trouble, but that seemed to be the only time. I was never really sure if he was listening, but at the same time cannot come up with a good explanation to this day of the inexplicable peace I would suddenly feel whenever I would ask for it.

I didn't realize that my rather few and far between prayer requests were, in fact, a dialogue with the Lord who was in fact, listening to me. I thought that a non-believer such as myself wasn't "good enough" for God to listen to. I felt inferior sometimes and like a hypocrite because I had so many questions. I just didn't BELIEVE like I thought I should. I thought God was for "good" people who went to church and possessed a pretty decent measure of self-esteem already. I looked outside of myself and others for "proof".

Last summer, I started sitting in on a Bible study that was held weekly in the home I was boarding in. My primary motivation was that I didn't want to appear rude by hiding out in my room while everyone was there. I took a deep breath and decided to give it a chance. It was VERY uncomfortable at first, but I had decided to STOP judging believers because I was feeling intimidated, uncomfortable and wanted concrete facts to back up their faith.

I never did engage anyone in a debate, although I had done so many times in the past.

I can't tell you how much the experience changed me. I didn't even realize that change was taking place within me. As my guard began to drop, God was finally able to soften my stubborn heart and wasted no time in wooing me! My Bible group never gave up on me either and prayed hard every day for my salvation which came days before I moved away.

I recall sitting at my last Bible study before my move and actually being aware of my facial expression. I was smiling and relaxed...my face open and my eyes making contact without being challenging. A far cry from my first session where I had greeted my new aquaintances with my brows knit together in a mix of irritation and concentration.

It turns out that God had always been by my side, never giving up on me, loving me through my confusion. He was there all along, waiting for me to talk to him and ready to have a relationship with me. I KNOW I am loved. I know he'll never leave me. Even though I thought I wasn't ready or worthy enough to hear his voice and let him into my life.

You don't have to be perfect, you don't need to know the Bible first. All you need to do is ask to know him. That little voice inside that I used to call "reason" or "instinct" is the Holy Spirit. Has always been there, I just had a comfortable label on it. Sounds like God is already working in you like he was in me...there are no accidental thoughts or circumstances.

I hope you find the peace, joy and love I'm discovering every day in my newfound relationship and walk with the Lord. Life will never be the same!