Monetary security yes...striving for wealth and making money your idle no.
Senior Member
Monetary security yes...striving for wealth and making money your idle no.
Senior Member
Steve,Originally Posted by SteveL
Look brother, women have to be pursued. There is almost no way around it. Very rarely have I had one openly pursue me and I would say especially Christian women. However, I think a distinction needs to be made; if you think "pursue" means to try and buy your way into their heart via gifts or force your way into their heart via your will you are wrong (not knocking you just getting the info out there). If a man is single and wants to get to know a woman all he need do is exactly that; get to know her. If after you gotten to know her and would like to pursue things further, ask her out. If she's not interested in that way she'll let you know. I have even gone so far when rejected to say "hey, give me a chance...I'm a good guy" but definitely after the second rejection move on and let it go. No gifts are needed (ok flowers maybe if she says yes to the date), no heavy pursuit is needed, just get to know her and see if you respect her and are interested and then simply see where you stand. I've been told no several times. I've been told yes several times. It's not a big deal, just don't make things difficult by getting too emotionally involved before you even ask her out.
Regular Contributor
***
My motivation is mostly looking for someone to share in my journey of faith. Of course, marriage is the long term goal. I guess the sin is, with my personality and inner workings, I can get myself emotionally involved with a sister really fast, moreso than the average male. Then I start to think about her 24/7 and neglect my time spent with God instead. It's been a repeating pattern for the last several Christian sisters that I've liked. In fact, I was rejected by 3 sisters (at 2 different churches) in 13 months. Sometimes I myself don't know if I'm using God as a crutch to getting a girlfriend... which He certainly isn't a means to doing so. So I guess that's where it's in the gray zone a bit.
Your last sentence says it all. I always get too emotionally involved before I even ask her out. Actually, the pattern is:
-develop a crush
-become friends with her
-she feels safe around me, shares with me her deepest issues
-we become really good friends
-start to hang out a bit 1-on-1 as friends
-i eventually confess, spill my guts and she gives me the "just a bro" talk or "not ready to date" speech
Self-control has always been my biggest weakness.
Member
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What do you consider the will of God? I believe the Word is His will.
John 1:1 tells us "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God." If God and the Word are the same,
then anytime I want to know His will for my life, I can go to scripture.
If I want a rhema word from God that is tailor-made just for me, then
I seek Him in prayer.
Jesus taught the will of the Father during His ministry on earth. One
of His lessons that gives me a lot of comfort and security is found in
the book of Matthew from the amplified version.
Matt 6:25 Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy
(anxious and worried) about your life....
Matt 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap
nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them.
Are you not worth much more than they? (I especially love this line)
Matt 6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field...
will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?
Matt 6:33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His
kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and
then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
My question: If it is God's will to take care of us based on what Jesus was
teaching in the scripture above, then how can it also be His will for us to
struggle?
guest
Re: LIVING PERFECTLY by jpoole21
Why should living a Godly life seem impossible to you?
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (ICor 10:13)
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished." (IIPeter 2:9)
"Submit yourselves therefore to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)
"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." (IPeter 3:12)
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for His seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (IJohn 3:9)
Here's the Good News, God sent Jesus so we could be reborn! If we are a branch off of His root, why are you still bringing forth evil fruit? His followers are holy, they don't sin.
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Gal 5:24-25) Don't you know about repentance? If you "turn from" sin, you don't sin anymore. It's always a choice. Make the right choices!
Member
*
Great post PJW. I love the scriptures you listed, particularly 1 John 3:9.
I just want to clarify that when we become born again, it is our spirit
that has become new. This new spirit is what cannot sin, but our mind/soul
will still continue to sin unfortunately. For example, lying is a sin whether
done intentionally or by making up excuses why you cannot do something;
taking a box of pens from work is stealing, etc. Because we were born into
iniquity, we cannot escape committing sins 100%.
As long as we focus on becoming more like Christ, abiding in Him and
allowing Him to abide in us, then we minimize sin as much as possible.
Once we receive our new heavenly bodies, we will be totally sinless
through our mind, body, and soul like Christ.
Senior Member
Yes, this is the problem. Not knocking you, but this is what boys do. A crush has an emotional aspect to it and we've all had them but this won't serve well as you move into manhood. Developing an interest is ok. When I was single if I were interested I would start talking to the young woman and get to know her a bit but when it came to asking her out if I thought she was a nice person and had a good head on her shoulders I would ask her out very soon. No need in getting all worked up with a crush etc just get some info and find out where you stand. If rejected maybe ask one more time and then move on and remain friends if she seems of the mind to. Remember; young women that have rejected you have other young women as friends...remain friends and you may be introduced to one or two.but yes, leave the crushes at home...you can crush on her after you get to know her and she is interested. Just my two cents.
Grand Master
What do you consider "struggling"? Does your definition of "struggle" line up with the Disciples' definition of "struggle"?What do you consider the will of God? I believe the Word is His will.
John 1:1 tells us "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God." If God and the Word are the same,
then anytime I want to know His will for my life, I can go to scripture.
If I want a rhema word from God that is tailor-made just for me, then
I seek Him in prayer.
Jesus taught the will of the Father during His ministry on earth. One
of His lessons that gives me a lot of comfort and security is found in
the book of Matthew from the amplified version.
Matt 6:25 Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy
(anxious and worried) about your life....
Matt 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap
nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them.
Are you not worth much more than they? (I especially love this line
Matt 6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field...
will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?
Matt 6:33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His
kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and
then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
My question: If it is God's will to take care of us based on what Jesus was
teaching in the scripture above, then how can it also be His will for us to
struggle?
The context of those passages above is that the disciples were literally worrying about where their next meal was coming from, if they had proper clothing, and where they would sleep at night. Jesus was promising them that God would provide for their basic needs, not that they would be materially prosperous.
In proving faithful to provide the disciples with what they needed according to His Will for their lives, His perfect plan was realized in them. He could have chosen to allow His Disciples to live lavishly and in great comfort. He didn't. When he said "Seek ye first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you", what sort of "things" do you suppose He was talking about in Matthew 6?
Those verses, in no way, promise that Followers of Christ will be granted Material wealth. They merely give us the assurance that God will take care of us when we need to be taken care of. In fact, the context of that chapter has Christ explaining to the Disciples, just before telling them not to worry about the essentials, that:
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
guest
When my goals are inline/agree with His words then I do not struggle, at all.
When my goals are inline/agree with my own appetite then I struggle, all the time.
That is what fallen creatures do: they struggle and are only rewarded by the sweat of their brow...
I still struggle in life because I am not educated in all of Father's words yet, or I do not apply all of what I am educated in of His words yet.
As heartless as this may be to say: It is ours and only our fault if we struggle folks.
It could be our fault also when our neighbors, family and friends struggle too, because we do not know or do not apply what we do know of Father's words to be a light for them (a little/mini living word, a little/mini christ).
A light on a hilltop for them to see their environments and the remedy to those environments...
The opportunity to not struggle in our life is here, ready and waiting for those who continually seek that opportunity. "seek first and foremost the Kingdom of God"
(Do not seek what men teach us is the kingdom of God)
But seek the Kingdom of God as described to us in all of Christ's words and His examples and His corrections.
Christ Jesus is describe by our Creator as "The Living Word" for a reason folks !
Father bless, and have mercy on us.
Grand Master
The real Gospel of Christ is the "good news" of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. (Romans 1:16) There are many "religious" people who think they are saved because they believe in the existence of Jesus, they attend church, they have been water baptized etc... but have never genuinely placed their faith in Him alone for salvation. Notice in Matthew 7:22, Jesus said, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have WE not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? This shows you exactly what these people have placed their faith in for salvation. They were trusting in their many wonderful works and not Christ alone to save them. The correct answer would have been, Lord, Lord, didn't YOU live a sinless perfect life, die for my sins and rise again the third day from the dead. I trust in YOU alone for salvation. Before I became a believer, that verse scared me as I thought, if they did all of that and still are not good enough to go to heaven, how am I going to become good enough by topping that! Of course, I later learned that going to heaven is not based on us being good enough. None of us are good enough to earn heaven and that is why we need a Savior. Praise God! Much of these prosperity teachers that you see on TV may very well be included in the many mentioned in Matthew 7:22.
Last edited by mailmandan; Aug 13th 2011 at 01:25 AM.
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