faith

[RandomDoom]

Hi all,

I recently joined the ct region, being banned from 000000000ChristianCountries following the invasion, and coming from CC following that. Just wanted to thank TD of Aornia for initially welcoming me to the region.
So, I am not a christian, I was born and raised in the catholic faith. However, within the past few years, I've come into contact with many christians involved in a fellowship called InterVarsity. From them, I have found christians to be very strong in their faith and love for God. I admire the dedication and love in the way the Word is spread.
However, my own faith has been shaken for awhile. Actually, it's been more than shaken, but yeah. I just find it really difficult to believe when all around me and throughout the world, I see and hear so many bad things happening. Good people seem to suffer everywhere while the bad ones who cause it just continue on with their lives without a care. Sometimes I think it's just easier not to care and not to try. I've searching for hope for the world for awhile, and it just seems so negative. Granted, there are some really great, good people in the world, but evil always seems to perverse itself into everything. I see so much negativity in the world that it gets hard to really see the good. *Society seems so caught up in capitalism and the search for money and material goods. This is what our world strives for, but we all know the saying that money cant buy happiness. Everyone is always so busy searching for these wrong ideals, when the things that really matter are those that surround you. Your friends, your family, your fellow neighbors, just people and relationships.* that was a little bit off my original topic, but yeah.. it just seems like good people are always suffering and its hard to see an end to it. I wonder why He lets these things happen sometimes. I know we're supposed to be punished or rewarded in another life, but some things, some times, it just seems like He could not, should not possibly let them happen.. i dunno.. what do you think?

-RD

[Triphus (Titanian)]

Welocme to Christian Teens RandomDoom, interesting name but other than that we welcome you and hope you have a good stay.

I feel, as a believer, that the reason Christians are persecuted is because the devil does not want us having eternal life with our Lord and Savior. I'd like to point out that in your consciousness you know the different from right and wrong. You even stated that as Christians doing good deeds we are persecuted. I also feel that God does not bring this onto us nor does he want it to happen. (matter of fact we were discussing this at the lunch table today at school) I truly believe that God, being the great God he is, gave us all a choice. A choice of living a Godly life and living for eternity with him, or living a worldly life and living for eternity seperated from him and living with the devil. Depending on the choice we make depends on the life we recieve.

At gym today during devotions a very good analogy was brought up. Bears like to catch fish downstream because that is where most of the fish are. Knowing this the fish choose to either go downstream and not have to fight the stream, or they can swim upstream against the current to live. The weak usually swim downstream, they are followers amongst the crowd. The strong and bold swim upstream, they are leaders and will go through mockery or anything else to get to the better pool.

Do you understand know? I think the question is not why God doesn't stop it, it is why do others choose the wrong path.

[RandomDoom]

yeah, i understand. sometimes, just some things seem to be too crazy and sooo wrong that it gets difficult to understand how it could happen, u know?

[Triphus (Titanian)]

Yeah I hear ya, We just found out that my aunt has Cancer. It was hard, but we keep believing and asking God to save her. So far anytime we get a bad report it almost immediately gets better so we know God is working in her life.

You just have to keep believing throught all of the trials. He'll come through

[RandomDoom]

It's hard to understand God's plan sometimes. I'm sorry to hear about your aunt's cancer. I'll keep her and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

[Nolofinwe]

From what I can gather in my humble knowledge of scripture, bad things occur for two main reasons:

A. For non-believers, as a wake-up call to your insecurity and need for God.
B. For believers as a strengthening of faith (the athlete analogy Paul uses so often, you strenghten your muscles when you make them hurt, same thing spiritually with our faith).

Now, I also don't think God causes most of these to occur, especially with believers. He allows them for these reasons, the enemy causes them out of a desire to either shake us from our faith or convince us there is no God or that God does not love us.

[GDL]

God doesn't make anything happen to us other than his blessing or a lesson as the case may be to make us better.The destroyer comes to steal kill and to destroy I come that you may have life and have it to the full.- John 10:10.

[Geberia]

RandomDoom, have you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart? Becuase when we have him in our hearts, and we know we're going to heaven, we can always have hope. Even in tough situations.

[RandomDoom]

I dont think God causes bad things to happen, and i guess it's not right to say that he lets them happen either, but the whole good vs evil thing itself is hard to see.. in this world it tends to seem more like an evil vs a lesser evil. i dunno.. i think i just need to work on changing the way i see things, and as Gaberia questioned, I need to learn to accept God and Jesus in my heart and life. Thanks for your input everyone. I like that quote you found GDL.