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Well, GOOD FOR YOU! No, seriously.
Now, the problem is you have started off with a question that Christians understand BECAUSE of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Those who do not have His indwelling presence, those not saved, sanctified, and heirs to the Promise, cannot possibly understand the concept/reality of Holy Spirit Inspired.
It is a heart thing, it must be experienced to fully understand and appreciate. Just saying.
Maybe you should start with questions about how one comes to invite Jesus into their lives? Maybe you should read the Bible and pray some? Do you go to church? Maybe you should. Do you have Christian friends? If not, maybe you should find some, and speak with them about your doubts.
It is good that you are seeking (if you are sincerely seeking, please understand, there are instances where unbelieving people come here posting questions such as yours who really aren't sincere. That makes it difficult to sincerely respond to them, simply because after awhile one tires of the slings and arrows some unbelievers throw at believers)
If you are sincere, I'm sure there will be believers here who will converse with you, and answer your questions as best they can, but it is imperative that you seek God within your heart, and lean on Him to impart understanding.
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Flyboy
Guest
I attend Catholic mass rarely. All of my friends and family are either atheist or non-practicing Christian.
Matthew 12:30 (KJV) | In Context | Whole Chapter
[SUP]30 [/SUP]He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Psalm 2:12
King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]12 [/SUP]Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. King James Bible
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God
[SUP]30 [/SUP]He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Psalm 2:12
King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]12 [/SUP]Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. King James Bible
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God
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Flyboy
Guest
I wonder, do any of y'all ever struggle with wanting to live your own lives instead of doing what God wants?
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Flyboy
Guest
I suppose all believers (at one time or another) want what they want, and can forget to "seek what God wants" for their lives. That's not unusual, it's part of being human.
There are a plethora of examples in the Bible of people who did just this. But we must remember what Jesus prayed: "Nevertheless, not my will, but Thy will be done."
It sounds easy, but it can be truly a test of faith............we walk by faith...........
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Flyboy
Guest
yes, daily.
i find in hindsight my will usually leads to my ruin. you'd think that might make it easier, but no, i'm as much a fool as anyone, even knowing that. =\
this is off-topic and out of context, but i like the way you phrased that, and i'm going to set about doubting my unbelief now.
=]
why is a teenage son's will different than his fathers?
and why later, when he becomes an adult, does it start to agree with it?
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Flyboy
Guest
1. Because the teenage son has developed a will of his own. 2. Because he has matured. Why does God give a man his own will, and then demand that he not exert it?
God gave us a will so that we would know him well, and indeed taste and see that the Lord is good. I think that's a fundemental truth of the Bible, that we are as we are because God created us to know him and understand why God is good in a way the rest of the the creation cannot, but that we overreached and decided it would be fun to actually BE God, deciding what is right and wrong. Except that doesn't work...
But to drive at your main question, to say that we have an ability to ignore God, or his will, and therefore we should ignore it, is a little like saying we can use cars to run people over, therefore we should use cars to run over people. Can =/= should.
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Flyboy
Guest
Thats not quite what I meant. I am not talking about hurting others, but of simply making decisions in my own life.
Like any analogy, it's not designed to run on all fours
Ignore the violence, then. Let's pick something else - I CAN (both in terms of physical capability and my own will) choose to drive my car always in reverse, but that doesn't mean that I should. I CAN (both in terms of physical capability and my own will) choose to pursue things that God doesn't want me to pursue, but that doesn't mean that I should.
The reality is that God is good, he made all things good, he even gave us the ability to reason, to understand, to converse with him. He gave us an ability to choose, to be morally responsible creatures, unlike say, an ant, that has no say in what it does, no responsibility. You see, it's possible to reason to the goodness of God, to really see that he is God, not because he makes us think that, but because it's possible for us to actually understand that. We can make a decision on that.
Let me throw out another question: would you say that some decisions are objectively better than other decisions, or it never matters what you decide in any circumstances, ever?
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Flyboy
Guest
Some decisions are objectively better than others because they further my life as a human. It is a better idea for me to drink water than it is for me to put heroin in my veins. Water is good for my body, heroin is not. But, if God does ot prevent me from making bad choices, why should men?
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Flyboy
Guest
I'm assuming no one's actually physically restraining you from taking certain substances? Or maybe they are - I don't know.
So we are clear, there is a difference between strongly saying that someone should not do a thing, and actively preventing someone from doing a thing. Quite a significant difference, in terms of moral agency.
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