looking for advice/testimonies

General Faith
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Hello everyone,

I was not raised Christian. My grandparents sometimes took me to Catholic church, but my parents were not religious, so God and Christianity were never really part of my life. If anything, I believed more in spirits, ghosts, demons, and things like that. My dad was raised Mormon and strongly believed in the devil. I remember going to a community church with him once and participating in communion for the first time. Since I wasn’t a confirmed Catholic, I hadn’t done that before. I’ve never forgotten that day. I felt so connected to my dad, and it was a really special moment for me.

Growing up, I believed a lot of different things. In middle school, I genuinely thought Greek mythology might be real. I prayed to the Greek gods before an orchestra playing test in sixth grade and absolutely nailed it. Looking back, that may have been a little bit of bipolar mania talking. :sweat_smile:

The first time I seriously considered that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit might be real was during my freshman year of college in 2022. I was struggling to find myself, my mental health was declining, and I felt completely out of place at my school. One of my friends was Christian, and I even drafted a message asking if I could go to church with her. I never sent it. I also drafted a message to a Christian influencer because I felt drawn toward Christianity for the first time in my life.

At the time, I was thinking about going to church, reading the Bible, and learning more about faith. One night I prayed, and something happened that I still can’t fully explain. I felt an overwhelming wave of peace, joy, love, and relief. I cried. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Since then, I’ve struggled with addiction and have experienced plenty of altered states, but nothing has ever come close to what I felt that night. I was completely sober.

Not long afterward, I entered a relationship with another woman. Around that time, my interest in Christianity faded. My ex had a difficult relationship with religion because her family was very religious and unaccepting of LGBTQ+ people. I don’t blame her at all, but I think that environment contributed to me distancing myself from faith. We eventually broke up after more than a year together.

That period of my life was incredibly difficult. My anxiety, OCD, and depression became overwhelming. I struggled with suicidal thoughts and felt hopeless. After the breakup, I cried constantly and leaned heavily on my friends for support. Looking back, that experience ultimately strengthened many of my relationships and showed me who truly cared about me.

In spring 2024, after the breakup, I studied abroad in Italy. During that trip, I realized I wanted a boyfriend, which was surprising because I had thought I was a lesbian. Soon after returning, I met a guy from my school. We connected instantly. We shared the same interests, values, and goals, and I felt a level of compatibility I had never experienced before.

We’ve been together for almost two years now, and he is the kindest, most caring person I’ve ever known. Before meeting him, I never really wanted marriage or children. With him, I wanted both. He has brought so much joy, stability, and love into my life, and honestly, he helped save me during one of the darkest periods I’ve ever experienced. He’s starting medical school this July to become a DO, and I’m incredibly proud of him.

One thing I’ve worried about is religion. His previous relationship was negatively affected when his ex became very religious, so I’ve wondered how he would feel if I explored faith. However, we’ve talked about spiritual topics before, and even when we disagree, we respect each other’s perspectives. He was raised attending church and youth group, but today he leans more toward science. I do too, but I also believe there are some things science can’t fully explain.

Lately, I’ve found myself thinking about God and Jesus again. Since graduating college, life has been much better, and I’ve started praying occasionally. I feel drawn back toward faith in a way I haven’t felt in years.

So I guess that’s why I’m here. I’m looking for guidance from people who have been through something similar. Where should I start if I want to explore Christianity more seriously? What made you believe? Since I wasn’t raised religious, navigating all of this feels a little overwhelming.

Thank you in advance. Feel free to comment or message me. I truly appreciate any advice or personal experiences you’re willing to share.

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Hello @sylvia. Welcome.

First, let me say this. Let’s talk basics. Religion is not going to save you. Being a good little “Insert religion here” is not going to save you. Sorry. It is just the simple truth. Religion is a man-made concept and most of the time has nothing to do with the true God and or His plan of salvation.

Simply put, Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6 Jesus is the key to Salvation. It is simply accepted by you or not, a fact that without Him, you can not enter into Heaven. It is simply a fact, again, accepted by you or not, that “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

God made His plan of salvation simple and easy for all to obtain.

" For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." John 3:16-18

First, notice this. Jesus does not say “If you eat meat on Friday, or don’t eat meat at all, or walk a half a mile on the Sabbath day, or if you say ten “Hail Marry’s”” No He says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Whoever. This means? Whoever. Anyone. Everyone. All you have to do is accept Jesus and believe He rose from the dead, and you shall be saved. Romans 10:9.

It also says this. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Does it say, “If you murder someone, or if you do not follow this or that tenets of said religion, or if you do all sorts of evil?” No. It says, “but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Whoever? Whoever. Anyone. Everyone. That simple? “has not believed” is? “Condemned already.” There is nothing you need to do except not believe in Jesus, and you are condemned already because He is the only true way to Heaven. He is the Door, the Gate, the Shepard. He and the Father are one. John 10, Romans 10:13 says, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Any religion that does not have this simple truth, Jesus IS Lord, and He is God, is a false religion and pointless anyway.

Continued…

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Now we need to be 100 percent open and honest. Sex is great. We could explore many aspects of sex. God loves sex too. He created it. Read through Genesis 1-2, and you will clearly see this.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24

Sex is great, fun, and satisfying as long as you do it God’s way. One man, one woman, for life. That is it. It is that simple. Once you are married, and not before, by the way, you can enjoy all the sex you and your spouse want. As a matter of fact, God’s Word tells us we must do so.

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

Look here in 1 Corinthians 7

“The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” 1 Corinthians 7:3-5

Why?

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18

That there be much less temptation to be sexually immoral. What is sexual immorality? Anything outside marriage between one man and one woman. ANYTHING. Sex before marriage. Homosexuality, Transgenderism, Pedophilia, Bestiality, yes, all these are talked about in the Bible.

Homosexuality- Leviticus 18:1-5, 22-24, 29, Leviticus 20:13, Ezekiel 16:49-51, Romans 1:18-32, just to name a few.

Transgenderism- Deuteronomy 22:5, Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

Pedophilia - Mark 9:42, Luke 17:1-37, 2 Timothy 3:1-17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-6

Beastiality- Leviticus 18:19-30, Exodus 22:19

The Bible makes it extremely clear that marriage, between one man and one woman, needs to be honored.

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Hebrews 13:4

Does God hate Homosexual people? No. But God did not “create them this way” either. He does not make mistakes; this is the work of the evil one. Does God love them? Yes, of course. Does He want them to come to Him? Yes, of course. However, He is going to tell you the same thing Jesus did. Your sins are forgiven; go and sin no more. No, you cannot believe in Jesus and say you are a child of God, and continue to willfully sin daily. It simply does not work that way.

It is the heart that brings forth Sin. What starts as a desire in the heart leads to thoughts in the mind,

“Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” James 1:15

It is when we allow these things to take place that we fall into Judgement.

“I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:10

This is why we must be born again. Why we must receive the Spirit of Adoption. Become a new creature with a renewed Heart. The heart is what leads to sin, destruction, and death. It is also the heart that can renew the mind and lead us to love one another and to seek first the Kingdom of God.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:4-9

You must

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:2

It is a heart thing. What you allow your heart to love is what you will seek, and what you will do. Remember, Jesus told us to

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:20-21

We all Sin. We all fall way short of the worthiness of the Grace of God. Without the Sacrifice of Jesus, we have nothing. Without the Spirit of adoption, we are not children of God. Without renewing our hearts, we have nothing. But here’s the thing. If we DO have the right heart, though our flesh may sin, God will see our hearts, and will cover us with his Grace, Mercy, and Love.

Please stand firm, Sister. Seek the Lord in all things. Be blessed and be a blessing.
Peter

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Welcome to the forum.

                   If you are serious about finding out more about Christianity I would advise checking out the ChristianityExplored web site and this link will heklp you find courses in your area. https://www.christianityexplored.org/partner-with-us/#global-map
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Some people have bad church experiences and some are put off by stories they hear. However, the curious can find at the core both truth and value in Christianity. The trouble is that, like the Internet, one has to sift through a lot o garbage.

Here is a web site that can help

Here is a short video from that site

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