To all Christians on ATS. This one's for you.

I was browsing this section on ATS and decided to make a thread to all Christians.
First and foremost, this is not a hate thread. This is not a million questions on why God does what thread. This is not a "prove God" thread. This is a thread specifically to Christians, by a Christian, to let all Christians know that whatever anyone says on this site, whether they make you feel stupid or ignorant, put you down or mock you, or just plain lose your temper/faith, I just wanted to let you all know to rejoice. We all make mistakes. I myself had the urge to refute a few posts in a couple threads that stirred up my anger. But I took a deep breath and remembered this verse:

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." (2 Tim. 2:23-24)

Now, enough with that little tip. I just wanted all you Christians to know to stay strong. Keep the faith and walk with God.

Our hearts are the treasure of our lives. Protect it. Listen to it. It is the key for living the life God wants for you. I will even throw in that you all have good hearts. Celebrate!!! They are just covered in sin. Listen to God's voice in there for He is dwelling, calling for you. Take a minute to pray about this. Don't be ashamed about God showing you your true self. You are not the sin you do. That is not you. Never you. You are the "very good" creation God has made. God has loved. God always loved and will continue to love. This goes for all you other believers of different faiths and non-believers/atheists who are reading this right now. You are all loved.

The learning never ends my friends. God has so much to teach us. We all have good hearts, but not wise ones. We only get those through reading the gospels and living according to God's way. The only real way to do this is follow God's way of discipleship. Not the church's training program. Man cannot strengthen your bond with God. Man cannot teach certain principles for you to live by to get closer to God. They are only certain experiences you will gain but not the ones you need. Still go to church though. You need to walk with God. Take His hand by yourself. He alone will teach you what you need to know and what you were meant for. Not man. Take the religion out of the relationship. Walk the narrow path.

These are my sincere answers to how I think my heart is at the moment.

"How is my heart right now?"

Wise: No. I am very unwise in a lot of my decisions. (Especially of what I write on here.) I will need to live and over time only will I gain wisdom if I follow God's set path for my life.

Skilled: No. Only God makes my heart skilled and that would be learned only over time as well.

Trained: I can only do good things. Is my heart trained for what's ahead? No, not yet. But is it trained for the hardships of the present? Thanks to God, yes.

How is your heart?

Please know that I'm only trying to teach as a child. I am learning just as everyone else is. I am not higher, lower, or anywhere near pastor status nor will I ever be. My speech is awful. But just know Christians, that God has always been there for us. Lets glorify Him through our hearts. Besides, as a human, that's all I ever wanted to have in my life. To feel loved, glorify my Creator, and learn truth. Here is a few of my favorite verses to ponder:

"Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

- 1 Samuel 16:7

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

- Luke 12:34

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

- Proverbs 3:5

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."

- Matthew 15:8

I would greatly appreciate it if all posts were for uplifting Christian spirits and moderators please move it if it belongs in BTS. My sincere apologies if it is in the wrong section.

Christians. It is us. We are awesome. Don't ever let the guilt of past sin disrupt your walk with God. When you feel that God does not want to talk with you because you screwed up, talk to Him. That's what He wants. That's how we learn. That's how we experience. And that is how we become genuinely sorry for what we have done (even if we screw up again.) I pray that I will be able to shake hands with everyone who reads this in Heaven. I hope to see you all there. May God Bless all of you and your families. Remember, nothing can bring us down. God is our shield. God is our love. We are His bride.

Glory be to you Father. Smile on us. We as Christians write this in glory to you. We love you.

Please pray after reading this. Throw all your faith onto God. He will provide. I love you all.



[edit on 18-8-2009 by Water-tastes-good]

[edit on 18-8-2009 by Water-tastes-good]

[edit on 18-8-2009 by Water-tastes-good]

good post! thank you for the encouragement!
Love and Light! Ronco

Great post. You won't get many replies as you well know. We are in the minority, but who can stand against the One we serve?

nice post and thanks alot some days we need to be reminded of what is truly in our hearts.

reply to post by AKARonco


You're welcome!!!

[edit on 18-8-2009 by Water-tastes-good]

Originally posted by dakota1s2
Great post. You won't get many replies as you well know. We are in the minority, but who can stand against the One we serve?

You're right and thank you for your post. Many may hate what we stand for, but God is on our side. Only other thing we can do to help others is pray. God Bless.

reply to post by habfan1968


You're welcome and thank you for your post as well. It's amazing what is really at play in our hearts. A bit scary at times too. Here are two quotes that fit well.

"Who can map out the various forces at play in one's soul?"

"Man is a great depth, O Lord...but the hairs on his head are easier by far to count than...the movements of his heart."

- Augustine

So many evil voices in our heart that tell us to do whatever we please. Here is a quote by John Eldredge:

"What you've encountered is either the voice of your flesh, or an attempt of the Enemy to distress you by throwing all sorts of thoughts your way and blaming you for it."

Showing you the original sin in man's heart is not ours. Meaning, that is not us. We are good, but tempted with bad.

Great Post.

Like you I also hold a strong and deep faith in - and love for - that which I term 'God'.

It certainly wasn't always that way...my upbringing was such that, well, elements of it could pretty accurately be described 'God-less'.

Certainly grew up with much hate in heart...taught and shown hate, violence, crime, all that kinda stuff...more ready to show someone a clenched fist than an open hand.

However, God I believe had a deeper plan for me. It wasn't until I let go of attempting to control and direct my life that I found such an overwhelming sense of freedom. And forgiveness...not just of others, but perhaps more importantly of myself.

It was from that moment that my life changed - and so much for the better.

What I worked through, survived through in many ways wasn't for me as such. The pain I survived through wasn't about ME at all...it was about the lessons though trials and tribulations taught...skills and focus, resilience and reaffirmation...that I may be able to pass on and assist others going through similar experiences.

Hence why for the last 14 years I've worked within Mental Health, Social services, community organisations, Drug and Alcohol Rehabs, Youth Offending, Refuges and the like.


Oh absolutely people can say it wasn't God, there was no 'Gods Plan' for me, it was all just my effort mixed in with a good dose of luck that turned my life around.

However they are not me.
They have not lived my life.
So its with my own life experience and knowledge of self that I say with conviction "It was God...I merely walked the path, with His help, that He placed before me".



Like you I also feel the hackles rise when I see believers called fools, delusional, idiots, sheep, morons, brainless lemmings, unintelligent, gullible etc etc etc etc.
I do admit to taking that sometimes personally - taking those judgements and statements to heart...as I am a *believer*.

But then - thats not about me either. Its in many ways about them, their hearts, their mindset, their own processing.


One thing I would encourage other *believers* to be mindful of however is to not 'play the game'.
Try not to weld your belief like a sword...but rather (as hippy as its gonna sound) like song.
Walk what it is you talk.
Display your belief. IF your belief is love, if it is acceptance, if it is compassion, if it is assisting others...then display it in everything you do in every day to every one.

Actions speak far louder than words.


I also think that the true test of a persons adherence and actioning of their beliefs is not found in how they function around their friends - but rather how they function around their *foes*.
If you rage against those who may rage against you or what you hold dear - then its ultimately YOU who suffers the blows.
If you hold poison for those who hold poison for you - it is you who shall be poisoned.
If you forgive not those who breach - then you too shall be without forgiveness.



Don't get me wrong here...I fail in the above as well on occasion.
On occasion I certainly am less than as loving as I know I should be.
But then the battle isn't with anyone else - but myself.


One other thing I'd like to toss in there, particularly around the heated debates and shots I see traded between believers and non-believers on ATS and in life:
To me there is no greater sin than to drive someone from God. Be mindful how your words and deeds effect others. Do they gather closer - or push away?



Peace.

Great OP...

My anger gets the best of me alot.

reply to post by alien


Fantastic!!!!

I too have had a "God-less" upbringing.

You have taught me much in your post. You are right. Actions speak louder than words. Also, thanks for the wisdom. I'm giving you an invisible star. God Bless!!!!

reply to post by JesusisTruth


Hey, we are only human. We all lose our temper from time to time. But through experiences we learn. And when we follow truth, we become knowledgable. And when we become knowledgable, we gain wisdom. And through wisdom, we learn to forgive. All of us should give ourselves more credit than what we have been giving. We are good people. Ambassadors of God. Run around the house and blast some music. Dance because we glorify our Father. Our hearts are good. God Bless and thanks for your post friend.

" dance around the house "


LOL I do when I feal good, sometimes I feal like crap, but I am mostly always happy even when bored.

and you are right we are good because of God.

Thanks OP.

peace.

I don't wish to derail the positivity I see in this thread. To find true faith is something I don't believe many people can find in this life. "True Faith" being a term I do not take lightly.

Anyway, I do ask this. To what extent are you allowed to further learn outside of written scripture? What I mean is, where does the teaching of the self begin? I do not think it is the job of anyone who is not righteous in nature to be "teaching" anyone but themselves.

What I wonder often times in these threads is why does it need to be Christian? I mean, these are teachings that often times can lend themselves to many beliefs.

Anyway, good thread. I hope I am contributing something with this post.

reply to post by SantaClaus


"To what extent are you allowed to further learn outside of written scripture?"

Well, that would be your typical life lessons outside of scripture. I hope I speak for all Christians when I say this, we are not learning outside the scripture. We are following Jesus' teachings directly from the scripture.

Remember this verse I wrote in my first post?

Jesus said to the crowd of the clean and unclean:

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." -Emphasis on hearts.

Well, there is more to it.

"They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men."

Matthew 15:8-9 NIV

You see the teachings of Jesus? Like I said before, go to church. Just don't expect your fellow man to teach you the way Christ teaches you. In my opinion, man does do good through telling us about God and Jesus. Teaching their set ways is another story. You must talk with God yourself in prayer. Mean what you say for it should come directly from the heart. Hence the word hearts in the verse. That is what truly matters. Our hearts are the basis for who we are.





"What I mean is, where does the teaching of the self begin?"

If you're a Christian, then the Bible.





"I do not think it is the job of anyone who is not righteous in nature to be "teaching" anyone but themselves."

Agreed. That person would be known as a hypocrite. Take the plank out of your own eye. If you are talking about interpretations, only prayer will give you the answer. You read the Bible the way it was intended to be read, to help your heart, then you should find the answer to a specific question you asked God. But everything should be made clear just by reading the Bible spiritually.





"What I wonder often times in these threads is why does it need to be Christian?"

It's specifically for Christians because the foundation is the Bible. But whatever you believe, you are free to post uplifting comments to Christians if you so choose.

The main reason why I created this is because there are so many threads destroying Christian spirit. Hence the first paragraph of my first post. This is to uplift the spirits and keep them strong for God. A happy thread dedicated to our belief. If I allowed everyone of all sorts of beliefs to come in here, then more than likely it would clash to another question/argument and the thread would fail. This is mainly for all who believe in God. Only for us. But if you want to post something nice, go ahead. We will post something nice back. And if someone doesn't, I will get onto them about it. This is a thread about loving one another. All we get from people about other beliefs is that we are wrong, we are ignorant, arrogant, etc. I just figured a thread with none of that and only making us cheerful would be a good addition to those whose spirits feel low at the moment.




"I mean, these are teachings that often times can lend themselves to many beliefs."

That may be, but this is for all who are following the teachings of Jesus, hence Christianity. I just told everyone how to help get into the relationship process with God. Jesus' life is a guide that teaches us how to live life the way we were supposed to and how to follow the path set to glorify God. How to understand our hearts and live the way we were intended. Follow what the Bible says more than what man says. Listen to what Gods say rather than a man telling you about how God changed his life after stealing a pair of baskeball shorts when he was back in highschool. Which isn't bad but if that is how you resort to learning, from this guy's mistakes, how can one truly know God? If you have no relationship with Him, why bother? More God, less religion. That was my other main idea. But I was just trying to put it in an uplifting way is all. I hope that clarifies the thread and why it is for Christians.




"Anyway, good thread. I hope I am contributing something with this post."

Yes you are. Thank you for your questions. They were needed. Have a great day my friend.

[edit on 25-8-2009 by Water-tastes-good]