Cigarshaped

As a human I am unavoidably guilty of sin. This makes me unworthy of entering our Creator's presence. Redemption makes me eligible to approach his glorious throne. I cannot imagine a life without redemption, as my parents were already Christian.

Many of us experience deja-vu previews of life events. Perhaps in our youth we are more open to these suggestions. I remember dreams of a place with flat roofed houses. In my twenties the RAF sent me to Malta and there I met and married a Maltese girl. My wide reading led me to a book Psychic Warrior. The author, David Morehouse, was recruited by the CIA/ military to their Stargate Remote viewing program. I realise that the Church discourages RV and any psychic dabbling. Indeed the experience was very mentally damaging for Morehouse. He did discover during his missions that it is possible to revisit the past and replay it repeatedly, without any change. However the future was different. It could be visited but there were multiple avenues down which it could go. This is down to human free will and the decisions that we make in our lives. God has laid out a rough plan and we are encouraged to follow it. I believe we are given many opportunities to correct our pathway.

Some brilliant posts. I Will just add that Christ must have briefly entered hell while on the cross. hell is separation from God. Only the purest souls enter God's presence.

Taking this verse in context "[20.].But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. [21] To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." So we must expect suffering, in the footsteps of Christ's supreme example. However we hope for a great reward in heaven, nor only for ourselves but also for those with whom we engage.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacksaw_Ridge A Brilliant example of someone living his faith in his job!

The challenge of marriage is to balance physical and spiritual co-existence. It is not a sin to love your wife, and you need to maintain a healthy partnership. You have to know where the 'abstinence' line falls! Agreed we will ultimately lose our gender and escape the cares of this life, submitting to our Almighty Father.

Q3. (2:9) What actions and attitudes should this idea of being part of God's own people inspire in us? We have been chosen/ selected to be part of a minority in society. If we choose to take our responsibility then the NT guides our path. Hopefully we will discover a local group to share this wonderful challenge.

Generally we are encouraged to be selfish and independent. Subjecting ourselves to authority has become alien to our thinking. Knowing God as our Master as well as a friend is the challenge Christians face. A spell in military (or public) service can prepare young people for recognizing authority. We need to learn humility if we want to go to heaven!

I suppose I regarded my father as near to holy. He retired from 30 yrs as an Anglican minister and maintained his daily prayer and meditation to the end. HIs spiritual 'idol' was St Francis, who emulated humility throughout his life. My family benefited from a real Christian upbringing, we still gather together twice a year. Dad maintained his spiritual life, I try to follow in a minor way with daily reading and silent prayer. I do find it hard to make room for meditation in my busy day, but at least try to appreciate my blessings. See www.frankwords.org.uk for my little site of his writings.

Complacency has crept into many English churches. We have lost the edge that fired Christianity 2000yrs ago. If we don't recognuse the wakeup call, then we will be ill prepared for the dark days to come. Revelation and Matt24 give us an idea of what to expect. It will not be easy. So that girds me to build faith for the future. Our young people in particular need guidance and power-building to face what comes. I feel events are building in the world. We need to be ready for false Christs and the World State....! I Hope to witness some of this and prepare those around me.

MY positivity every day is not just emotional, it stems from faith and others' examples. It also comes from seeing a beautiful world, however mauled by Man and trolled by evil. I Raised this issue at a church meeting, that our worship joy needs to be tempered with spiritual armour against the 'dark side'!

I Often feel at a disadvantage when compared to colleagues- on a social and intellectual level. However I do find confidence in God's promises and find acceptance in my family group. EVen on this forum is a daunting skill with spiritual words. Jesus was interested in all levels of the ladder, right to the bottom!

In my case God provided a Christian family during and since my childhood. This is not always a guaranteed start for a believer. I just accepted the faithful examples of parents and other Christians, with some intelligent enquiry. Fortunately my faith has not wavered. Other family members and my children have fared differently, my daughter struggled hard for answers. She stands a better chance helping those who have faith doubts. We are all protected by God but internally we react individually.

I get the impression that the new generation(s) suffer from two things.1) They don't see a need for forgiveness. 2) They have difficulty subjecting themselves to authority. This is a big generalisation, but I feel there is a growing pressure, (driven by Satan I assume), to dismiss these essential reasons for faith from modern society. We need to realise our imperfection in the sight of a perfect God. We obey our loving Father through respect, awe and love - not fear! Obedience is a state if mind, our free will rules. However a supply of grace is needed, as some of us are so weak spirituallly.