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Previous Q & A Spiritual life:
A. The work of God cannot be done only by the strength of the arms. It must be done by faith. The disciples once asked the Lord Jesus: “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:27-30 Q. I really want the Holy Spirit but I'm really confused. A. God is very simple. There is no complication whatsoever when it comes to God's plans for us. We are the ones who really mess everything up. Something that I always say to the youths here in the UK is that no matter how hard I try to explain what is to have the Holy Spirit, how wonderful it is to have His presence in us which will make them understand. There is no way! The only way is to give. Yes, give. In order to RECEIVE you must GIVE, that is what the Bible says. So, if I want to receive the Holy Spirit I need to give my wholeself to Him first, giving up on everything that does not relate to the will of God for me. Then He will pour His presence on me and I will be able to say that I know God personally. Don't get confused, get rid of all the doubts. Cast them out; purge them out of your mind. Faith is not about understanding but believing. Don't try to figure everything out. Just trust. Depend on Him wholeheartedly, those things that will never be revealed to men. Only God knows them. _______________________________________________________ Q: I've been praying for 5 years now and I haven’t received any answer from God, is he angry at me. A: There may be many reasons why you have not received what you asked., disobedience, rebellion, lack of perseverance, put what you've asked for into practice or even the fact that what you are asking is not according to God's will for your life. In terms of anger, though you might have done something wrong God is merciful and He forgives. It is not only about prayer. It is about acting upon God's word. There are many people in the church who for years have not given at least one testimony. Why? Simply because they are hearers and not doers of the Word (James 1.22). I believe what you need is to act more. Speak to your pastor. Don't hold it inside. _______________________________________________________ Q: If a person is not yet born of God, can he ever have the fear of God? A:Let's first understand the concept of the fear of God. Many people think they have the fear of God just because of the many messages they receive in the church. Every time they come to church they hear about the importance of giving their lives to God, they hear about hell and this results in a "fear" which is completely different from its real meaning. They end up getting afraid of losing their salvation or going to hell. They are no longer in the church because they desire a TRUE encounter with God but rather because they are AFRAID. When you are born of God things happen naturally. You don't need to force yourself to serve or obey the commandments of God. You don't carry these kinds of questions in your mind. When the person is not yet born of God, sooner or later they will backslide. Where is this fear then? Seek the new birth above ALL and everything shall happen naturally. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) _______________________________________________________ Q. I’ve decided that I want to really give my all to God during this time of the campaign. I’ve been through some before where I sent my request to Israel, but this time I want to really show God how much I love Him through a sacrifice. I already set aside what I’ll give on the 13th, but I know I need to give my life, not just an offering. I decided to sacrifice all my video games and my iPod and even to cut off being friends with the guys I’ve hung out with all my life. They’re not going to understand, but I know it’s the right thing to do and I feel great about it. A. There is no doubt that when we make the sacrifices that God calls us to do, they’ll always hurt, first of all, and they’ll always s make our faith stronger and bolder. _______________________________________________________ Q. I made a promise to God that I would read the Bible every day, but after a couple of weeks I stopped because I just couldn’t understand it very well. My mom told me to read Psalms but they are confusing to me. What should I do?
_______________________________________________________ Q: How can you find truly a personal experience with God? A: The first thing we have to make clear is that it is not about joining a church, or calling yourself a Christian, that will make you have a true experience with God. The environment can play a huge influence on a persons life, when it comes to having an experience with God, be it a negative or positive environment. But this is where , unfortunately, many are mislead. You see, some people are one thing in the church, yet outside or at home they are someone different. A true Christian is the one who has had a personal encounter with God. When you are born of God, you are firm. No one influences a person of God, except God Himself! There is only one way to find God, and I think that this verse sums it up wonderfully; "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour." (John 12;24-26) Its simple, if you want an experience with God, seek Him. Don't look for excuses or let the environment be the reason why you have not met Him, as you will find many. Humble yourself before God and let Him reveal Himself to you. He is waiting! _______________________________________________________ Q: I've been in the church for 2 years now but I'm always up and down in my faith, many times I feel like giving up, what should I do? A: When someone is up and down in their faith it reveals that they need to have an encounter with God. When you know God, though you may go through the hardest times, you never give up because you know God is by your side. Take a look at your life and see what you are allowing into your heart and mind. Is it doubts, fear, sins, gossip, grudges? Whatever it may be, surrender your whole life to God, make a decision in your faith and seek to know God personally. Then, and only then will you be able to experience the power of faith and above all have a personal experience with God. Q: I am finding it hard to cope with some people in the church. Their character makes me wonder whether these people are actually of God. A: Why are you looking at those who are not doing well? Why waste your time looking at their faults instead of learning from those who are of faith? You decide. Don't deceive yourself by thinking that everyone inside the church is perfect. Look up to Jesus and not to people. And when you notice that there are people who are not doing so well, help and don't criticise. _______________________________________________________ Q: When I seek the presence of God in my life my body starts to itch and sometimes I yawn uncontrollably. What is that? A: The devil will try to distract you from recieving the Holy Spirit in many different ways. When you are in a prayer of worship and seeking the Holy Spirit, ignore your flesh, i.e, you feelings, tiredness, etc. When we want to worship God we must do it in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Also, come to the deliverance services where you will learn how to fight and overcme all negativity, as we must be completly delivered for us to receive the Holy Spirit. Read more about the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galations 5:22-23. Also, speak to your Pastor so that he may answer any further questions you may have. Lastly, remember, God wants to give you His Spirit more than you want! _______________________________________________________ Q: I have an opportunity to attend a good university but at the same time I really want to engage myself more in the work of God. I'm afraid that the university will take too much of my time but I don't know what to choose or how to juggle both school and church responsibilities and do my best at both. I feel torn or as if I have to choose one or the other. I don't want to let God down and I don't want to disappoint my family either. A: This is a situation that many youth go through. I understand the desire you have to do more for God, and be successful at University at the same time. Can it be done you ask? For sure! Don't worry. You can glorify God in both. For example, you can attend this great university and meet many people that need Jesus. This is the work of God. You will have a great opportunity to save souls and lead young people who were desperate and broken to Jesus. Also, on the physical side, you can glorify God in your studies, showing God through your education to your family. Pray to God and ask Him for balance and wisdom and you will see, He will give you the ability to do both! _______________________________________________________ Q: My cousin used to be my best friend but now that I go to the VYG, he doesn’t like to hang around me any more. I always invite him but it’s like he thinks it’s something for me and not for him. He just got arrested last night for getting into a fight and I think drugs were involved. It’s really hard for me because I wish things were still the same as before. A: It’s hard to understand how people you thought were so close, drift away when you start to get close to God. If they were really your friend they’d care about all the new things you were learning. Sadly a lot of people are afraid to take the risk of knowing God, because it means they might end up changing the way they live. That’s when you can tell who really is your friend and who isn’t. But it doesn’t mean that your cousin is a lost cause and you’ll never be close friends again. It’s just that some people need more time to realize how much they need God. You, on the other hand, can’t slow down and keep looking back over your shoulder feeling guilty that your making your life better and he’s not following. Don’t wish that things could be the same – believe that things can be even better. The best way to help him is to be the strongest you possibly can be in your faith, and let him see for himself the peace, the strength, the blessings and the happiness that come with belonging to God. Your prayers and your example of faith will be the best gift of friendship you could ever offer him, and be sure you will see God reward you for it! _______________________________________________________
Q: I come to church every week with my family. Though I participate in the meetings and even enjoy them, I still feel a big void inside. Nobody knows about it, I'm popular and my friends think I'm pretty cool, but when I'm alone...only God knows how sad and aimless I feel. What's wrong with me? A: The problem is inside of you. You may try to fill the void you feel with music, friends, the internet, games and even church, but if you don't fill that void with what it's supposed to filled with, you'll always feel empty inside. God created us with this sspecial place inside that can only be filled with His Spirit. Nothing can make you complete until you have the Presence of God inside of you. By coming to church, you are making a small step towards it but it's no use to come and not seek God for yourself. God won't come in univited or if you're indifferent towards His Presence. So instead of coming to church to meet your friends or accompany your family, come to have a relationship with God. During the prayer, seek Him from the bottom of your heart. You'll feel a difference immediately, trust me. The best days to seek for God's Presence are Wednesdays and Sundays, but don't be limited to those days only. Seek God whenever you feel that void and He'll fill it up for you. |
