Addictions

Lamb · Sep 21, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
No, what he is doing is going "experience = feelings and feelings are wrong and bad". I don't agree with that.

I think he's indicating that feelings/experiences can be misleading, but the word of God is truthful. When we look for God, we don't look inward, we look to what the Holy Bible says about Him.

Can't think of a name · Sep 21, 2025

Lamb said:
I think he's indicating that feelings/experiences can be misleading, but the word of God is truthful. When we look for God, we don't look inward, we look to what the Holy Bible says about Him.

It's not either/or. The Holy Spirit is inside you when you are saved.

Frankj · Sep 21, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
It's not either/or. The Holy Spirit is inside you when you are saved.

This is true, but leaves one wondering how it affects our lives, what it brings to us and what it does within us.

Lamb · Sep 21, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
It's not either/or. The Holy Spirit is inside you when you are saved.

But you don't have to look inside to know He's there. You know He's there because the bible says so.

Can't think of a name · Sep 22, 2025

Lamb said:
But you don't have to look inside to know He's there. You know He's there because the bible says so.

I don't think it's a question of not having to look inside. If what Paul wrote about the Holy Spirit being inside of born again Christans is true, that stands whether you read it in the Bible or not.

Lamb · Sep 22, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
I don't think it's a question of not having to look inside. If what Paul wrote about the Holy Spirit being inside of born again Christans is true, that stands whether you read it in the Bible or not.

I'm not arguing whether or not we have the Holy Spirit within us. What I'm saying is that you don't look for proof in you. You'll find that in the scriptures because that's where God tells us it's true.

Can't think of a name · Sep 22, 2025

Lamb said:
I'm not arguing whether or not we have the Holy Spirit within us. What I'm saying is that you don't look for proof in you. You'll find that in the scriptures because that's where God tells us it's true.

Why would you not look for proof in you? That whole mentality of saying that the scriptures are the be all and end all of everything strikes me as rather one sided and doesn't have much relation to every day experience and life. The scriptures serve good purposes but constraining ourselves to them only is not balanced. It's a bit like saying you don't need to go to Church because the scriptures are sufficient for everything.

If you pray to God, you are not utilising the scriptures in your quiet time unless you specifically recall them to mind when you do that. What is the purpose of prayer? It's to draw near to God. You are supposed to experience something. God will never be confined to a simple box.

Lamb · Sep 23, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
Why would you not look for proof in you? That whole mentality of saying that the scriptures are the be all and end all of everything strikes me as rather one sided and doesn't have much relation to every day experience and life. The scriptures serve good purposes but constraining ourselves to them only is not balanced. It's a bit like saying you don't need to go to Church because the scriptures are sufficient for everything.

If you pray to God, you are not utilising the scriptures in your quiet time unless you specifically recall them to mind when you do that. What is the purpose of prayer? It's to draw near to God. You are supposed to experience something. God will never be confined to a simple box.

I get the feeling you don't believe that the Holy Bible is inerrant and God-breathed? When people don't trust that God is the author of the bible, they tend to do more navel gazing, trying to find something holy instead of believing what God has written in the scriptures.

When I pray, it's in hopes that my prayer is in line with God's will. It's not to try to get an experience out of it.

Can't think of a name · Sep 23, 2025

Lamb said:
I get the feeling you don't believe that the Holy Bible is inerrant and God-breathed? When people don't trust that God is the author of the bible, they tend to do more navel gazing, trying to find something holy instead of believing what God has written in the scriptures.

When I pray, it's in hopes that my prayer is in line with God's will. It's not to try to get an experience out of it.

Then you got the wrong feeling.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" means what to you exactly? Some empty promise? Is that scripture telling you to pray for something you want and not to seek God's presence?

Lamb · Sep 23, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
Then you got the wrong feeling.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" means what to you exactly? Some empty promise? Is that scripture telling you to pray for something you want and not to seek God's presence?

Is that James 4:8?

We, as believers, have the truth that when we turn to God, He is there for us. It's not like God is playing Hide and Seek. God has promised, Lo, I am with you always and our turning toward Him doesn't imply that suddenly He's there when He wasn't until we turned.

Here's the entire context of James 4:

4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”[c]
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Can't think of a name · Sep 23, 2025

Lamb said:
Is that James 4:8?

We, as believers, have the truth that when we turn to God, He is there for us. It's not like God is playing Hide and Seek. God has promised, Lo, I am with you always and our turning toward Him doesn't imply that suddenly He's there when He wasn't until we turned.

Here's the entire context of James 4:

4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”[c]
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

I'm not talking about God being absent. I'm saying, rather, that you can definitely experience God's presence. Have you ever experienced God's presence?

Frankj · Sep 23, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
Then you got the wrong feeling.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" means what to you exactly? Some empty promise? Is that scripture telling you to pray for something you want and not to seek God's presence?

It's best to include an entire verse when quoting one, otherwise the full meaning of the verse is lost.

James 4:8 "Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." -NLT

It is wise to consider the meaning and purpose of the full scripture it is used in to understand it in full.

Lamb · Sep 23, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
I'm not talking about God being absent. I'm saying, rather, that you can definitely experience God's presence. Have you ever experienced God's presence?

Yes, but that doesn't make me extra special or prove that God is with me, loves me and died for me. My faith clings to the Savior and the fact that He died on the cross for me, not on experiences I have.

Can't think of a name · Sep 23, 2025

Lamb said:
Yes, but that doesn't make me extra special or prove that God is with me, loves me and died for me. My faith clings to the Savior and the fact that He died on the cross for me, not on experiences I have.

Why do you think you would be extra special if you have experienced God?

MrE · Sep 23, 2025

Frankj said:
It's best to include an entire verse when quoting one, otherwise the full meaning of the verse is lost.

James 4:8 "Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." -NLT

It is wise to consider the meaning and purpose of the full scripture it is used in to understand it in full.

That's what Google is for. If you seek, you will find.

BruceLeiter · Sep 24, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
No, what he is doing is going "experience = feelings and feelings are wrong and bad". I don't agree with that.

You are misinterpreting my statement by reading into it meaning that isn't there, @Can't think of a name. I'm saying that if you ONLY depend on feelings to experience God, you will miss his revealing himself through your thinking and will in ADDITION to your feelings.

God saved me primarily through my intellect when he convinced me that Jesus' resurrection was a historical event. Then, I ran away from his call to be a pastor by bad decision-making with my will, and he changed my decision-making by using ten events to send me into the ministry.

Finally, God dealt with my emotions by enabling me to grieve out losses in my life and gave me his peace of Philippians 4:6-7:

Php 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

If you depend on God's work in only one of those three ways, the others need spiritual progress too.

Can't think of a name · Sep 24, 2025

BruceLeiter said:
You are misinterpreting my statement by reading into it meaning that isn't there, @Can't think of a name. I'm saying that if you ONLY depend on feelings to experience God, you will miss his revealing himself through your thinking and will in ADDITION to your feelings.

God saved me primarily through my intellect when he convinced me that Jesus' resurrection was a historical event. Then, I ran away from his call to be a pastor by bad decision-making with my will, and he changed my decision-making by using ten events to send me into the ministry.

Finally, God dealt with my emotions by enabling me to grieve out losses in my life and gave me his peace of Philippians 4:6-7:

Php 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

If you depend on God's work in only one of those three ways, the others need spiritual progress too.

I'm sorry to say this and I apologise if it sounds rude to you. But, I was not comparing experience with feelings or emotions. I was saying the exact opposite to that. I was saying that having experiences of God is not feelings or emotions.

It seems you didn't understand what I said which would explain what you have written in response to me.

Nobody I know of claims that experiences of God are emotional feelings that are contrary to the intellect and mind and reason of people. If there are people that do claim that I would have to dismiss their attempt due to being very unintellectual and rather foolish and stupid.

jswauto · Sep 25, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
I'm sorry to say this and I apologise if it sounds rude to you. But, I was not comparing experience with feelings or emotions. I was saying the exact opposite to that. I was saying that having experiences of God is not feelings or emotions.

It seems you didn't understand what I said which would explain what you have written in response to me.

Nobody I know of claims that experiences of God are emotional feelings that are contrary to the intellect and mind and reason of people. If there are people that do claim that I would have to dismiss their attempt due to being very unintellectual and rather foolish and stupid.

Well there is the Love of Christ!

Can't think of a name · Sep 25, 2025

jswauto said:
Well there is the Love of Christ!

I had experience of God as peace and felt his holiness and majesty which had some fear mixed in with it. I can't say I ever experienced any feeling of love from God. In fact, I experienced sorrow or sadness, which was a reference to Jesus as the Man of Sorrows. But these were not my own feelings or emotions, they were bestowed upon me by God. So I can't relate to some feeling of love from Christ, sorry.

jswauto · Sep 30, 2025

Can't think of a name said:
I had experience of God as peace and felt his holiness and majesty which had some fear mixed in with it. I can't say I ever experienced any feeling of love from God. In fact, I experienced sorrow or sadness, which was a reference to Jesus as the Man of Sorrows. But these were not my own feelings or emotions, they were bestowed upon me by God. So I can't relate to some feeling of love from Christ, sorry.

Anything we can do for you to change that around just say so?

-Books
-Visions
-Prayers
-Scriptures
-Prophecies
-Words of Encouragement
-Music Videos

A testimonial:

My parents had been living in assisted care for quite a few years. My dad had become more and more affected with dementia over time. During the virus, just like everyone else, no one was allowed in to visit. My dad got alot worse and was put in hospice. The Nursing Home (Praise the Lord) allowed visitation, because of the hospice condition, even during the virus. So I was able to travel (1000 miles) there and visit him before his passing.

Well, when I went there and spent time with him, he regained his consciousness, gave his life to Jesus, and prayed a family prayer over me, along with conversing for a short time together before dementia returned. As it turned out he made a recovery from his death status for a good 6-8 months before passing. Unfortunately, that didn't include mentally, and because he was off hospice, visitation was shut back down.

I am still praising the Lord after that great outpouring of his Spirit in this situation, The Love of Christ that he would do that for this family. I'm not worthy, but yet he pours out his Love on me!!

Addictions

God's Lil Lamb

Well-known member

Well-known member

God's Lil Lamb

Well-known member

God's Lil Lamb

Well-known member

God's Lil Lamb

Well-known member

God's Lil Lamb

Well-known member

Well-known member

God's Lil Lamb

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member