Do you actually follow your Faith according to the Bibles teaching?

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phil_at_dayboro

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Most of us go through our Daily lives , Work , Eat , Sleep & Hopefully Pray a little .
How do you feel about the strength of your faith ?
Do you feel it’s Enough to get you over the line ?
Do you Actually Follow your Faith According to the Bibles Teachings ?

Look not on your sins but on the faith of your Church,
are those words something you keep falling back on in your mind ?
Are you doing enough ? I for one believe I’m doing nowhere near enough,
I feel spiritually lazy because I’m always to busy with Work & Family Responsability ,
And being the only person in or associated with family &. Friends that has an inclination
Towards a Religious life
:confused:
 
first of all , we have to believe we are created by God, being alive and going to work in itself already prove that we are made in the image of God and that we have to carry out our responsibility. If you feel that you are working to just earn money than that isn’t enough, but if you are working because your doing it for God, the actual toil itself becomes enjoyable rather than feel as if your hourly wage is simply amounting to a new computer or something of the sort. In terms of our faith, if you dont believe that there is a heaven and that Jesus is there with Mary and the loved ones who made it there, than you simply have no faith. Because in order to reside in heaven, an actual place where God is, you have to believe that Jesus is literally King there, and here, although his home is there. Faith is sort of like a magical letter you get in an envelope that says, look, half way across the world there is a country that you are going to enter when you die, just believe in it…

You have to believe in the Holy Spirit, which guides your actions and decisions, and you have to believe that everything that happens happens for the greater glory of God. You have to believe that providence takes you places and that people and things you experience are povidential from God. Your lively hood which you say takes up so much times is from God. you may just need to turn that and be more grateful for your self and your kids.
 
Yes, I’ve felt that way and probably will again. But, I think of the advice of saints who have told us that faithfulness in the daily grind is an expression of love for God. I wonder if the lack of Christian companionship is a bit of a reason for your low spirits. Perhaps if you poke around a bit you could find some kindred spirits as friends. I think sticking to male friends would be prudent, though.
 
The point is not weather we have great faith or little faith. It is about faith in a great God who is able to bring us through the storm.

Your question of whether we actually believe the bible and live by it is challenging. I confess that mostly I fall short. I don’t know of many who actually believe and do what the bible says.
Example: Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and then all these things [that you need] will be added unto you.” Most folks, like me, seek the stuff first instead of doing what Jesus said.
I wonder if our liives would be better if we tried it God’s way?

Does anyone else think so?
 
phil_at_dayboro said:
Most of us go through our Daily lives , Work , Eat , Sleep & Hopefully Pray a little .
How do you feel about the strength of your faith ?
Do you feel it’s Enough to get you over the line ?
Do you Actually Follow your Faith According to the Bibles Teachings ?

Look not on your sins but on the faith of your Church,
are those words something you keep falling back on in your mind ?
Are you doing enough ? I for one believe I’m doing nowhere near enough,
I feel spiritually lazy because I’m always to busy with Work & Family Responsability ,
And being the only person in or associated with family &. Friends that has an inclination
Towards a Religious life
Code: 
:confused:
Click to expand...
I think about God often. I do not have the strongest faith. I should know and read more scripture. I am not sure if it we do work to earn God’s approval.
 
Having faith/ trying to increase our faith and actually LIVING that faith are two completely different things imo, I would say I have pretty much faith, as I believe 100% that Jesus was born as a man and died on the cross everyones sins, but I also live in the very secular world and if I want to remain a free person and have a roof over my head, I have to sort of ‘give in’ in a lot of different ways, even though I know I will probably have to answer for this one day.

I dont think the way our modern society is currently, is any coincidence, its all ‘set up’ a certain way in order to draw us away from God and our true purpose, most people grow to be adults, get into a career, get themselves into debt, just so have a home, a vehicle, a life, this is normal, and of course, these things are expensive, which leads to most people having to work MANY MANY hours each week. We are absolutely bombarded with images, ideas of what ‘the good life’ is, starting from a young age, and we go thru our lives trying to achieve this.
 
My faith will never “be enough to get me over the line” and it isn’t supposed to.

I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of the theological niceties of salvation isn’t perfect. In my reading of the Bible and catechism and in my formation as a nun, I find that we don’t EARN salvation, that it would be impossible to earn it, because we are sinners, and that is why Christ died as payment for our sins. St Paul describes salvation as a FREE GIFT. We are not saved by doing good works and the very idea is why many well-meaning, Bible reading Protestants are repulsed by the Catholic Church. Both the Bible and the Catechism state that we are saved BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH. This means that we’re saved by a loving, merciful God who wants to be Father and Mother to us (I’m not being New Age, Jesus used the mother hen image). So God reaches out to us to offer grace, which by its nature cannot be earned. We respond in faith, believing what He has revealed to us. THEN as a way of living out that faith we do good works: all the requirements of the church and the ways and means of being a good Christian in the world.

Yes, you’re not perfect. Being perfect, especially if you THINK you’re perfect will not “get you over the line.” Pride and self-righteousness are sorry traits in a believer. It’s about God’s work, not ours. Once you think your own works are sufficient to save you, you’re lost. St Paul said this many times, that in his weakness, the power of Christ was shown more clearly. We are all weak, but He is mighty.

You ask if we follow our faith according to the Bible’s teaching- insofar as I am a sinner who desperately needs salvation, yes. St John’s letters told us that we would still be prey to our fallen natures. That doesn’t mean we’re not believers. I fall again and again and my loving Father picks me up. I am no saint- that requires one to be dead. I am a prodigal returning home to my Father every day. I have a thorn in my own flesh. I have stepped forward in faith and sank beneath the waves of my own disbelief. God forgive me, I have turned away from Him, but in His great mercy He has called me back. Very Biblical.

You might want to check with your Spiritual Director about this. Scruples are a big problem, especially in people called to the Religious Life.

Pray, study Scripture, study the teachings of the Church, do good in the world, all the while singing the praises of a God who sent His only Son to die, just so He could drag our sorry behinds “over the line.”
 
phil_at_dayboro said:
Code: 
Most of us go through our Daily lives , Work , Eat , Sleep & Hopefully Pray a little .
How do you feel about the strength of your faith ?
Do you feel it’s Enough to get you over the line ?
Click to expand...
What line is that?
phil_at_dayboro said:
Do you Actually Follow your Faith According to the Bibles Teachings ?

Look not on your sins but on the faith of your Church,
are those words something you keep falling back on in your mind ?
Are you doing enough ?
Click to expand...
Enough for what?
phil_at_dayboro said:
I for one believe I’m doing nowhere near enough,
I feel spiritually lazy because I’m always to busy with Work & Family Responsability ,
And being the only person in or associated with family &. Friends that has an inclination
Towards a Religious life
Code: 
:confused:
Click to expand...
It is interesting that you speak of an “inclination toward a religious life” as if it were an 'inclination toward my hobby of collecting model aeroplanes". The life of a disciple is completely all consuming. It is not simply one area of interest of topic of focus once in a while, it is a way of life, a manner of being in the world that influences every moment of every day.
 
My faith is a lot stronger now than it was just one year ago. About a year ago I returned to the Church and I have to say that my life, attitude, happiness and peace is so much better now. I have gone through some highs and lows but I never forget to pray every day and thank God for everything he has done for me. Life is a roller coaster ride, full of highs and lows. Your spirituality is the same way. The key is to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith (paraphrasing 2 Timothy 4:7). It can be a grind sometimes, but I would not want it any other way.
 
brad90956 said:
The key is to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith (paraphrasing 2 Timothy 4:7). It can be a grind sometimes, but I would not want it any other way.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Today I am confident of my security in the death of Christ.
14 By his death he would depose the prince of death, that is, the devil; 15 he would deliver those multitudes who lived all the while as slaves, made over to the fear of death (Hebrews 2).
Tomorrow I can trust the Holy Spirit is the same as promised, the seal of eternal life (Ephesians 1:13- In him, you also, after you heard and believed the Word of truth, which is the Gospel of your salvation, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the Promise).Therefore, why worry as I grow older about losing my sense of faith, or being able to stay true to all the doctrines/works as I decline in physical health. For to be filled with the Spirit is our defense against presumption and concerns of apathy.
 
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