Author Topic: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life  (Read 5663 times)

WhyBaltimore

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Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« on: April 13, 2023, 04:25:37 PM »
What did the very beginning (roughly 1-2 years) of the members born again journey look like?  What were some of the biggest struggles you experienced when trying to evangilize to people with christian backgrounds vs people with no knowledge of the bible? What effects did your faith have on your personal and professional life? No one has to answer all of these but I ask out of curiosity because my personal and professional life have been shifted extensively since I was born again. This is especially true in the last 4 months.

creationliberty

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Re: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2023, 06:50:26 PM »
I'm not sure I should say. I said and did a lot of stupid things I wish I hadn't done. However, that being said, from those who claimed to be Christians in the church buildings I attended, I didn't get much patience or care from hardly any of them, and I saw lots of focus on tradition and entertainment rather than truth.
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
-Psa 34:18

WhyBaltimore

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Re: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2023, 07:19:02 PM »
Thanks for reply. I also wanted to add the most important question, what parts of scripture were the most influential to you guys early on, or really what parts of scripture hit home the hardest? For me Job 41 and 42 stand out. I found these two chapters really helped to outline the absolute power of God. They are very poetic yet very commanding and I find myself in absolute awe every time I read them and they really help to humble me.

creationliberty

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Re: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2023, 07:54:12 PM »
The entire book of Matthew. I read it repeatedly when I first got saved.
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
-Psa 34:18

WhyBaltimore

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Re: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2023, 08:17:35 PM »
I would agree with the saying and doing stupid things. This year has been the most beautiful yet embarrassing year of my entire life but mistakes have to be made. I am really glad I was able to find this website. I was trying to make it work for 3 months in a methodist mega church bible study and I thought I was going to lose my mind. The amount of times we opened up group with 6 minute long prayers, listened to praise music with that same tom pattern drum backing, read these extremely hokey books from other mega church preachers. It was called grow group and they would get mad at me for pointing out that Billy Graham and Mark Batterson are not teaching biblical concepts and that maybe we should study the bible in BIBLE study. But they wouldn't get like a normal mad it was like a really weird fake mad where they were simultaneously really nice to me so I could never really claim that they were mad. It really was messing with my head because I felt the spirit was telling me these things were not biblical and then the group would constantly call me prideful for not reading the books and being part of the praise music sing time. I knew in my heart that what they were doing was not what God had intended for us to do but it was really difficult to stand in confidence of my beliefs when I only had 1 year of experience with the bible and I was with a group of people who could quote scripture backwards and forwards. The most frustrating part was knowing I read a verse which supported my stances but not being familiar enough to quote it off the top of my head or say where it was. Even in instances where I would remember, they would pull out the NIV or NLT (I had KJV) and theirs would say something wildly different, at which point I would raise concern over that and they would assure me that it doesn't really matter because it is all the word of God. I would disagree and the whole slippery slope would start again.

Your audio and articles, along with seeing the posts made by other members really helped me. I prayed for fellowship, but I really prayed a lot that God would show me if my heart was truly in the right place, because from my angle it just looked like I was making other Christians angry and I hated the thought of going against other Christians. A lot of the suspicions I had were resonated in what you all talk about and it was reassuring to know I wasn't the only person out here who felt the same way.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2023, 08:22:29 PM by WhyBaltimore »

creationliberty

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Re: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2023, 09:12:24 PM »
Quote
But they wouldn't get like a normal mad it was like a really weird fake mad where they were simultaneously really nice to me so I could never really claim that they were mad.

It's called "passive aggressive." It's also a form of murmuring, which God has said He hates. I haven't written a teaching on murmuring yet, but it's on my to-do list.
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
-Psa 34:18

someguy85

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Re: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2023, 03:18:35 AM »
Hard part? Probably cleaning house, physically and spiritually. This involves getting rid of anything that you think might be inconsequential or mundane, but could be something that is either giving you problems with temptation or is acting as an "open doorway" for demonic influence. I remember when I got saved I had, for example, some left over bits and pieces from martial arts classes I used to attend, while most of the world was basically saying "it's safe and effective", it took the testimony of someone who had been in it and seen the darker parts of what's involved in almost all fighting "arts" for me to look directly at these things and say "no, they have to go right now". I was even trying do some video production work on platforms like youtube for various forms of media but I looked at them and I thought "even if I clean this up, it's not giving God any glory, and if I get fans they're going to be giving me admiration and thanks, and I might even become an object of worship in their minds"...sounds silly to some, but how many people idolise celebrities? It's more than are willing to admit.

On a different note, probably my (for want of a better term) favourite scriptures, would be mostly the writings of John in the New Testament. The gospel according to John, his three general epistles (contains some good tips about spotting the frauds and decievers) and I know none of us are going to understand it fully until God gives us the understanding, but The Book of Revelation is, I think more essential than people realise. It's the world's biggest "spoiler" as to how it ends, but think about it, how much more comforting is it to know how things will go, and how this world is going to end? Islam doesn't have that, Buddhism doesn't have that, Hinduism doesn't have that (reincarnation is actually quite a demoralising concept when you really think about it) and the pagans CERTAINLY don't have that. We are told how it's going to play out, and God keeps his word. :)
Romans: {11:3} Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. {11:4} But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to [the image of] Baal.

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Re: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2023, 09:26:16 AM »
Quote
I really prayed a lot that God would show me if my heart was truly in the right place, because from my angle it just looked like I was making other Christians angry and I hated the thought of going against other Christians. A lot of the suspicions I had were resonated in what you all talk about and it was reassuring to know I wasn't the only person out here who felt the same way.

I have, and still do, run into a lot of false converts.  They do get really angry and I have to walk away.

I would say my biggest struggle, and I am still working on it, are all the useless, vain, and foolish things I say. Praise God, I am learning.

In Job 2: 10, Job rebukes the foolish things his wife said. "...thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh..." I have been thinking on that. God did not let her go unpunished. There are so many things I would take back if I could, but I can repent, and move forward speaking the truth.
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matthew 9:13

Pilgrim Mike

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Re: Effects of your faith on personal and professional life
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2023, 11:43:16 AM »
I believe that's a lot of people. Remember you're a work in progress that will one day be completed.