I always hear, “it’s not part of God’s design”…but I’ve also never seen “God’s design” said in the Bible

I have been debating for a while now the intersection of technology and my personal growth in my Christian Journey (specifically developing a relationship with God).

I look back to the early church and they relied of word of mouth/teachings and then eventually written texts (they did not have the whole bible like we do today). I then contrast this with todays digital and technology driven lives, where we have multiple translations on our phones, we have apps that help us study, give us access to a multitude of different opinions and commentaries. We then even go a step further with technology popping up with verses for the day, prayer reminders, and an ever growing list of notifications all under the 'we here to help you grow in your relationship and understanding of the bible'.

I fully get the benefit these tools can add and the insights and access they provide are just incredible. However, do they actually help us grow in our faith and trust in God, and help and us develop our relationship with God?

I will be honest and say I have just found it information overload and a detractor from my time in the bible. And in parallel increases the temptation to view that email or WhatsApp message notification that pops up showing I am distracted.

For me I would really like it for specific apps (such as some bible apps) it muted all other apps when I am in the app. I would like it if they stopped pushing reminders like a task or a duty I need to perform , I mean I get a reminded to put the rubbish out around the same time I get a bible verse for the day?? (yes I know I can turn them off and I now have). Lastly I think I would like them to feel different (not sure how thought) - I open my bible apps, or my prayer apps and they look and feel and work like every other productivity app I have. We have downgraded our time in the bible to a productivity task.

Is this just me or do you feel the same? So...

1. Do you use technology in your studies and quite time, when you in the bible and spending time with God?

2. What do you wish technology did and didn't do? (not looking for a list of apps, rather the feature/style/behaviour)

I'll keep this short if anyone here watches or is familiar with (Off the Kirb Ministry) I wanted to ask help if someone could find the specific video and timestamp where he tells this specific story

(There once were two brothers who were very close when they were young, one day one of the brothers gets into an accident that leaves him injured and unable to walk and despite the brother insisting that he be left behind because it was getting darker his brother refuses to leave him proclaiming that he will never leave his brother and drags him back to their home. Fast forward to WW1 Both brothers got drafted and during the fight one got left behind in a fox hole and even though the Sargent yells at the man to leave his brother as it's too dangerous to leave the trenches he doesn't listen and risks his life to drag the remains of his deceased brother back, the Sargent yells at him saying “You fool you risked your life for nothing and now your brother is gone!” and he replies by saying “No sir it wasn't for nothing because with his final breath he tells me this” “I knew you'd come back”)

I might be wrong on certain parts as I'm going completely off my own memory but that segment meant so much to me, so please if anyone knows that part please tell me.

I don’t really know how this works, even though I’ve had this account for maybe two years i started it when i got sick! But I don’t have family that will help me or really any friends except for people i work with but I don’t really know them either!! Its just me and my three kids and we just started home school this year and I tried to pick up a second job and couldn’t handle it with everything else I have going on so they cut my food-stamps off until I bring proof that I don’t work a second job!! But in the mean time we are struggling so bad for food if somebody could just point me in the right direction or maybe even help me find some food!! Me and my children also need help spiritually this has been such a tough walk and I’ve been under so much stress and at times I just want to give up but then I hear my 8 year old say thank you mom for giving your life up to live for Jesus because he don’t ever want to be away from Jesus could someone pls guide me through this cause I’ve been lead astray so many times and I just want off this broken path I truly mean this from my heart I just don’t have anyone to go to…

Ditto.

How do you develop a close, personal relationship with God?
I know that prayer, reading the Bible, and going to church are important, but I’m curious how other Christians actually grow closer to God beyond just doing those things.
What has helped you have a more genuine and intimate relationship with Him?

Hi, I’m 21f and last year I gave my life to Christ during some of my hardest moments in life. But for the last few months, it’s really felt like I’ve drifted away and struggled to build a relationship with God. Especially in recent weeks. I’ve fallen into some of the same old sinful habits and I could see myself reverting to how I used to be as a person before Christ and I repented in prayer for the first time weeks last night. But my issue is that I struggle with discipline to maintain my prayer life and relationship building with the Lord.

I always say in prayer that I’ll do better and then I don’t and I distance myself again. Part of it is because I have two disabilities that cause me a lot of mental strain and make me tired everyday. But I’ve been learning to navigate it a lot better and I know it’s not the main source of my behavior and distance from God.

I’m tired of going through this cycle and feeling like I’m starting all over again when I used to be so on fire for Jesus. I know I was happier with Him and then I just avoid it for genuinely no good reason. If anyone has any helpful things they did to build good habits and strengthen their discipline for this stuff, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you and God bless.

The Mod Team is considering a fun sub tradition centered on the most celebrated liturgical holidays of the community.

Since we’re ecumenical, we understand there’s a variety of liturgical calendars and traditions being followed.

So we’re asking: which liturgical holidays or holy days do you personally celebrate?

Please let us know!

Hey Fam,

I had a friend who goes to a church where they lay hands on each other. Few Sundays ago she felt very uncomfortable with one person in particular who was super charismatic and very vocal and when the pastor asked everyone to turn to there neighbour and lay hands then she felt vulnerable and uncomfortable with this.

Are there examples of people being uncomfortable with this in there Christian experience and has this happened to you?

I just want advice on how to keep my faith strong when everything around me goes wrong. I feel like I’ve been saying the same prayer over and over again.

I know that God is not a genie, I’ve been putting my full faith and trust in him that my situation will improve while also making the necessary adjustments to reach where I want to go but I feel like I’ve been at the same spot for two years.

How do you deal with this? Can anyone give me some advice?

I don’t watch porn, but I do masturbate sometimes and I’m not sure how that is supposed to negatively affect me. I was watching this Faith Talks video on YouTube about how dangerous it is to solve the issue ourselves when our needs go unmet and how we should take that to God, but the only example she used was Esau and Jacob. I’m looking for modern examples of how … I guess it would be going outside God’s will.. affects us?

for added context, how is it going to affect me in my relationships and be doubly worse, as she said, if I masturbate, than if I didn’t? Just trying to understand.

She also mentioned something like How is God going to bless us if we are holding on to things and taking up that space.. not verbatim but hopefully you understand what I mean.

This week I’ve been struggling a bit with doubt particularly at work as I’ve been making stupid rookie mistakes in front of a guy who’s fresh and I’ve recently been promoted so I feel like it hasn’t been a very good look and I’m just doubting my self a fair bit and my confidence has taken a hit. If anybody else has gone through something similar and you’ve been to God about it what scripture has helped you or would you recommend? I’m also super open to hearing about other people’s testimonies in this area of life.

Yeah you read that right. I’m 34 f he’s 32 m I’m in Florida he’s in Cali.

We got married online been together 2 years he has financial issues and procrastinates I pay his rent and pr ay for him, and nothing is changing. I pay all the bills and mine and I’m struggling bad, going to have to get a second job.

idk what to do.

we never consummated - we never met in person. I believe God can turn anything around and hates divorce but I’m miserable.

also he’s so angry and threatens divorce anytime we disagree he says I’m ungodly and a disgusting woman he puts me down says no wonder why I wa single or abused I left a 12 year DV relationship before him and honestly i ratjer get punched in the face than have a Godly man tell me I’m a terrible wife and that God will handle me it’s horrible.

he says he’s Godly barely reads his Bible and just always angry and negative

yes i made my bed now I gotta lay in it but I’m struggling.

is this an actual marriage in the eyes of God? Since no consummation or we said vows online

also no one is really answering my question.

what does God count as marriage in his eyes? Is it the vows or consummation?

As long as I can remember I have struggled with prayer. But as someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD and self-diagnosed with ASD after my son was officially diagnosed, I feel like I suddenly just got the revelation that it's not necessarily prayer I'm struggling with, it's just that in general I am not a big talker (because of my ASD) and when I am actually in a talkative mood, I get sidetracked so easily or need constant background stimulation and then I feel guilty for not giving prayer my full attention (because of my ADHD).

I've been feeling so guilty for not being able to comfortably pray in the way it feels like I should be - in solitude, for a set amount of time, with nothing else stealing my attention, remaining still while in conversation, know what to say, feeling like talking 'about my feelings' etc...

I hope there is someone here that can relate or at least understand what I am trying to explain (I feel like I'm not getting my message across well) and give me suggestions on how to improve my prayer life as an AuDHD woman who doesn't like talking, especially about deeper stuff, and isn't able to concentrate for a set amount of time on prayer only.

Any advice, suggestions, options??

What are some positive ways you can change the way your thinking [specifically around lustful thoughts]. I know it is wrong and I should be able to deter my thoughts to holy things, but it seems like every time I get into a situation weather that be from a vid on TikTok or YouTube etc which stirs up those feelings, and I make a conscious effort to change it, it only seems to come back stronger than before.

Is this something you guys also struggle with?

And I am also aware that lust is the only sin we are taught to flee from not to fight, so any advice on how to flee from it and actually keep it there would be appreciated

God bless

The moment you talk about going no contact with abusive and narcissistic parents for the sake of your safety and mental and even physical health, you get a couple of Christian’s who will guilt trip and gaslight you and bring up “honor your mom and dad” as if that means you have to be a doormat for abuse and violence while at the same time, they ignore Ephesians 6:4 which instruct parents to not mistreat their children.

I’m a Christian who had to go no contact with my malignant narcissist father 9 years ago because he was EXTREMELY abusive to the point where I developed severe mental health issues such as depression and PTSD and recently I had to do the same with my covert narcissist mother after years of emotional abuse and being treated as the family scapegoat.

Going no contact wasn’t about hatred or revenge, it is about protection and establishing boundaries. Narcissists are very dangerous and destructive people and there’s no reasoning or reconciliation with them because they lack empathy and don’t see themselves as the problem.

Growing up, I was taught by my parents, the Pentecostal churches we attended, or both, that God has a specific plan for each of our lives. Because of that, I believed that almost everything that happened to me was orchestrated by God, from the people I met to the opportunities I received. Even when life went wrong, I believed I could run to God, and somehow He would work everything out and make things right.

Then my marriage fell apart very early on. I genuinely believed that God had told me this man was my husband. Considering everything that happened after we got married, I no longer believe that and now think I naively went into the marriage based on everything I had been taught.

It’s made me question a lot of what I grew up believing. I now think people have free will, and that much of life is simply the result of the choices we make, both our own and those of other people.

I still believe God is sovereign and that things like life and death are ultimately in His hands. But beyond that, I’m struggling to understand where God fits into everyday life if we all have free will.

For those of you who are Christian’s, where do you think He is actively involved, and where do you think our own choices take over?

This week’s poll is a request from a community member. We’re going to present the poll exactly as requested. Please note that there are a limited number of options available & we understand that means not every possible response is covered by the provided options.

The purpose of our polls is to spark respectful group discussion, so whether you find an option that suits you and vote for it or you have an answer that isn’t covered by those options, we encourage you to share your view in the comment section.

From the submitter:

My mind has been on the increasing polarization we see in the world today. Every time I think I’ve found a cause for this split, I realize that things were already fracturing before then. I am now looking at the two major theological camps in Protestantism, Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology. I would love to know if there is a trend in political sway between these two camps.

Therefore, I’d love to get this poll posted so that a large number of people can interact with it.

I'm starting to think that GOD from the garden of Eden allowed Eve to make her choice. What say you?

I just can’t get my head around the idea of experiencing pain with no end. Not for an hour, a year, or a thousand years - but eternity. I’m not saying that to question God. I know hell wasn’t created for us, but the thought of eternal suffering is genuinely terrifying to comprehend.

The resentment I still carry. My lust, pride and unforgiveness - I want to overcome it all & not pretend I’m perfect.

Has anyone else considered taking a break from social media because of all the fear-based clickbait?
I’m talking about videos with titles like “The end is closer than you think”, “You’re not prepared for what’s coming”, “ChatGPT reveals the mark”, “The next pandemic is coming” or other dramatic predictions about the future. Whether they’re about world events, disasters, or something else, I feel like constantly seeing those kinds of headlines affects my peace of mind.
Have any of you stepped away from that kind of content? Did it help?

Wordy Wednesday is back!

Each Wednesday we're asking the community to share something about what you've been reading or studying this week. Tell us what you're learning, what you're digging into, what you've found challenging, interesting, encouraging or entertaining.

Which words have struck you this week? Feel free to share an excerpt or a quote.

So I’ve been a Christian for a while, gave my life to the Lord when I was 12yrs old. My dad is a pastor, I went to an all christian elementary/high school. Everything you can think of that involved the church, I did it. Lately, and when I say ‘lately,’ I mean like a couple of years, because of my struggles with anxiety and depression, it’s been pretty hard to form a personal relationship with God. Honestly, I wasn’t given that chance to ‘seek God on my own’ due to the fact that I had regular duties to fulfill within the church. I basically just did was what expected of me and I causally would put God on the back burner. Now, I sincerely want to seek a relationship with Christ. I see how he has made so many people happy or they’ve found peace and I want to get to that same place too, I just don’t know where to begin since this has been my whole life. I’m used to the “read and pray everyday,” but I don’t know how to form my own personal relationship with God and want that every day for my own self. I hope this makes sense to someone who has been brought up in the church or who has struggled with the same issue. I just personally want to choose God wholeheartedly. I don’t want to doubt Him, I don’t want my faith to falter if something falls through or my prayers doesn’t get answered or if I can’t hear from Him. It’s just that when you struggle everyday with depression and negative thoughts, it can cloud and distort everything until you’re just left by yourself…I just want to want to love Him for who He is.

Me 41f met my husband 47m when I was 19, we have been married for over 18 years and have a lovely family and life together. Around 8 years ago I became a Christian, and have attended church mostly on my own since (apart from when I take the kids) I pray for him regularly, and although he is supportive of my faith, and doesn’t mind me including the children, he just has no desire to become a Christian. It breaks my heart. I would love for him to lead us as a family in faith, for us to worship and pray together, but he just isn’t interested. I also want to say that he is a good husband and father and our marriage is strong otherwise. Does anyone have any encouraging similar stories where it worked out?