I Want to Find Inner Peace

Missing Notes-

I understand.

I ask that you permit this, love, but the road you took to find God was not the right one. As a pathway with a misleading signpost, so also was the one you took; it seemed and was made seeming to be the right one, but it wasn't. You seek peace and tranquillity; you seek God. Take heed to my advice then, love, for I have no cause to lead you astray. Believe me. Let God be the one to lead you to Him, do not rely on people - even christians - turn to God to guide you. Read the Bible and be in prayer, continually, and if it is true that you seek God, you will find Him; He will reveal Himself to you. Do not go seeking for guidance from this christian or that christian now; from this church or that church, this Christian organisation or that Christian organisation; let God be your guide. Read the Bible and turn to Him in prayer, He will guide you to Him (leading you to the right christians and church. Let Him be your lead)

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The Hindus believe in multiple gods and goddesses; the New Ager believes he is (a) god; the Christian believes in one creator being - God; the Buddhist believes in no god; so how then would you say we all worship and seek the same god? The answer then is, no, God is not worshipped in/by religious sects. And if that be your point, then consider this, love. If because I say my dad is my dad because he is 'dad', then your dad also is my dad (& irrelatively the same person) because he is called 'dad'/because others refer to•know him as 'dad' - according to your idealogy. Do you see my point now, love?

But then again, that begs the question; "Lincoln! Even if your point might be right, it still cannot stand in saying that Christianity is the direction to God. How are you sure Christianity is the one above all 4000+ religions?!"

1. Religion informs you that just as long as you try to do good, then you are 'righteous', but if we are to be honest with ourselves, we know that more evil than good is committed by us, ranging from the littlest, tiniest stare of contempt or spite - filled thought against another, to the massacring of whole towns and exploiting of the vulnerable; but God says otherwise. He says that we are slaves to sin - no debating that fact - it is a curse on us, and just as only light can vanquish darkness/only good training can override bad characters/only wisdom can trump foolishness, so also, only perfection (Christ) can cancel imperfection (sin), thereby bringing us to God & declaring us as righteous (by Christ's blood).

2. Religion also bases salvation on good works - which is false, as our bad works outweigh all our good ones, from birth to death - Whereas, sin is a spiritual stain, just as it is a physical one; neither it nor something lesser than it (though opposite to it) can cancel it, but only than which is greater than it AND its polar opposite, and the only Jehovah offers this, via Christ, who was born sinless and lived a sinless life on earth, His delight being in the Fear of God; He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins; was crucified, died, then rose on the 3rd day. He died that a way out of sin into righteousness can made for all mankind; therefore, as He has said, all who repent of their sins and accept Him as Lord & Saviour, will be saved.

There is no god but God, and only in Him can you - and whomever -find true peace.

God bless you, my friend.

STERBEN RYNE-

You are mistaken in all you've said. Do well to not oppose a person (or/and what he/she stands for) if your knowledge on their account in the matter is vague. That is unfair/bias....injustice.

Christianity is not religion - as you and most have come to think - but a relationship with God, as Father and child.

Your first question, I have answered in my reply to kingkyrie, do please scroll down to it.
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Going to church does not make one a christian just as standing in the garage does not make any person a car; it is a person with a repentant heart which homes Christ that is christian. The purpose of going to church is so as to come before God, all together as one. Brothers and sisters in Christ before the Father in Heaven, and by this gathering, His spirit in us is made to manifest greater. In this too, brethrens come to share their burdens with one another, lifting each other up with prayers and advice, that they might strengthened. In the presence of God - for those who have His Spirit dwelling fully in them - there is fulness of joy.  This is no different from family - siblings, their wives/husbands, & kids - going to spend holiday time with the grandparents; the great juy in that gathering.
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Hell is a place prepared by God for the Devil and his cohorts and every sin - so no, the devil does not do the torturing; he us tortured and tormented alongside in the everlasting fire.
It is not God who condemns people to hell but rather people (who reject Christ to continue in sin).  That is why people are asked to believe in Him; to give their life to Christ.
You see, sin is as a deadly contagious virus. If you leave it to spread, it would eventually destroy and kill every living being, but if you take action into destroying it, lives will be sustained.  God will obliterate sin; that perfection might be, He will destroy it. It is evil and bears evil, causing all under it to do evil; and for this reason does God send out people to share the warning and the good news - the Gospel of Christ - that all should repent of their sins and accept the gift of salvation; but the majority choose to refuses this grace.
God is all - loving indeed, but He is altogether a being of justice as well. He will not for the sake of love, turn a blind eye for chaos/lawlesness to reign. Would you because you love the wolf too then leave it with your sheep? The one who does that is a fool. The sheep whom he likewise loves will be destroyed by the wolf. God will not because of His love for unrepentant sinners allow the repented to suffer; He will leave the rebellious lots to their doom which they chose - hell - though they were warned loudly. God takes no pleasure in the destruction if the wicked. That is why He explicitly cries out that they repent.
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I will question you now that you may answer.

I am one who is least of the least among men, owning a comely land; you are a man of great riches, honour, and power amongst men. Your sons and daughters sought to hold a feast. They saw my land and how pleasant to the eye it was and desired to hold the feast on it. Should you pay for the lease of my land, and why?
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Romans 1:18-23
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.


As we see from the above text, all people 'know God' even if they have never heard the Bible. What can be known about God is plain to them. The way they know God is by the way God has made the world and their own consciences.
Even though they know God, no one who knows God anywhere in the world honors God as god or gives him thanks; instead, they suppress the truth. That is, they resist the truth deep in their hearts and 'exchange it' for other things that they would rather have - lust, murder, adultery, etc - Therefore, they are without excuse; they are guilty. Albeit, although one needs to hear the gospel to be saved (Romans 10:13-17), Christ will only judge people based on their knowledge.

No thanks. Already hit that road and couldn't find peace

Are you trying to convert the diaper-wetters? Nothing short of exorcism could help them.

KINGKYRIE-

Your ignorance is bliss, sir.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." - John 1:1‭-‬5

When Adam and Eve decided to disobey God, they in turn brought sin and death into this world, thereby causing an originally perfect world to be imperfect.
Sin is the direct opposite of God, whom is perfect in holiness/righteousness; it keeps us apart from God just as the East is to the West. It is just as a glorious gulf - figuratively speaking - between us and God; there is no way possible that we might by ourselves come to God. It is a curse upon man, brought by man, passed along by blood. Therefore, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins, for for one to be made righteous, such a one's unrighteousness must be vanquished; and it is impossible that we make ourselves righteous, because we are born in sin and live by it - we are slaves to it- and for that reason did Christ come.
He came to pay a debt He did not owe because we who owed could not pay it (for the wages of sin is death). He came because He loves us; and unconditionally, He does. He freely offered His life for us because He greatly loves us and has no delight in the damnation we have bought ourselves. He died and rose on the third day; by His death, He conquered death and hell.
Christ lived a perfect life in obedience to God's law, and by that, was the perfect sacrifice in other that we might be redeemed. Therefore those who forsake their sins, giving their life to Him, are bought out of slavery in sin to eternal life; they are covered by His sinless blood and are made righteous before God by it.

 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Kingkyrie-

Again, sir, your ignorance is as evident as the skies are.

Answer me this, dear sir.
A kingdom is at war; to faster solve the dispute, it was decided that both sides should choose a warrior who would fight to the death. A soldier of the kingdom cried out to his king that he be allowed to stand for them, crying out loudly and boldy, and his king permitted him.
Though it was the king who is penned as he who sent him, because he permitted him, who actually was it who requested that he represented?

The bible makes it known to us that Christ came to die for us; and this, He did, because He loves us (unconditionally).
1 John 3:16
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

John 10:17-18
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
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God did not punish mankind with suffering, it was mankind who AUTOMATICALLY brought it upon himself when he disobeyed God. God discretely warned that they not eat of the fruit of that tree or they would die, but they chose instead to do otherwise, and they by that, brought death and sin into the world; and we, the offsprings, suffer of this also because our parents chose disobedience instead. To cancel their error - our statement - and bring us back into righteousness, Christ laid His life down that we might live.
When the breadwinner is brought to nothing, financially, will not all those who solely depend on Him - nuclear and extended family, and even friends - suffer from it too?
Let us apply reasoning, sir.
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God does not force man to worship Him. What joy is there in receiving something not from the heart? Those who are His - christians - do not worship Him out of a command too; we worship Him because we WANT TO. In the presence of God, there is fulness of joy. You see as people go to music concerts and are all elated there? Well, a fellowship with God, either by one's lone self or with fellow persons, is full of joy and peace and wisdom. Our delight is in our Father and we love Him whole-heartedly. Those who are His, are is.

MISSINGNOTES-

How might you say you search out peace from EVERY corner when you come even to a conclusion upon the supposition that Christianity could not grant you the answer you seek? Do you not see bias in that?
By your textual construct, I have come to deduce that your search for peace is not even with insight that it would be from God but rather, from whatever or whomever. And yet you wonder why you yet find God, when you do not search Him out even. God has said it Himself, that those who WHOLE-HEARTEDLY search Him out will find Him; whoever seeks and thirsts after righteousness will be filled.

They say experience is the best teacher. Only He who has reached a destination and returned is capable of briefing one who yet begins his journey, and not one who, just as he, sets to newly take off.
Therfore believe me, love, because I have sought God with all my heart and He has revealed Himself unto me, and asides His peace there is none of the like, for He is peace in Himself.

Abrahamic religions all believe in the same God.

MissingNotes-

On that road which you treaded, what was it you walked by: God's word or just the words of people?

If your heart yearned for God, dear, I assure you you would have found Him (and still will find Him, if you have faith in Him).

I do believe in a god, a creator, a great being that has powers over nature, but I wouldn't say that the Christian faith could answer all my questions or satisfiy my deep need for inner peace. Until then, I'll keep looking.

It's not supposition, it's reality: what I think, feel and experience. I don't have to be biased against anyone or anything, because after all, it's *me* who is affected. I sure am in no need for deceiving myself. You do realize that God is worshiped in other religions too, with different subsidiary beliefs and various systems. The search for peace is a continuous journey. If I can't find it here, I'll look there. I appreciate that you care about other people's wellbeing with such an aching heart. Thanks for being nice too. It's great that you've found peace. I wish you more peace and happiness.

How many converts so far on SW??

Malia, do not forgive that I did not reply you; I probably missed the question.

The Roman Catholic Church do not walk according to God's word - the Bible - the book they follow - the Catholic bible - is the bible added to (and maybe even removed from); stamped further by practices which are alternate to God's law (such as prayer to the dead saints & idolatry, to name a few.)

Missing Notes-

No, they do not.

I stumbled upon a site yesternight, I encourage you to read it's content: http://www.everystudent.com/features/connecting.html

Much love,
Lincoln.

you have a fair point notes, i myself in a joking matter would like to believe that the astroid that hit earth (if it actually did) was a UFO of some sort and humans are the aliens xD

Don't get me wrong, i have no problem with the majority of religions, and some i find to be complete BS... but i have a few questions for you.. and other Christians, i don't understand why jesus or whatever is name is would literally and willingly sacrifice himself for mankind with little to no regrets, the human race isn't all that great most of the time, we're greedy, selfish, focused on war, and turn out to be complete assholes most of the time, surely he'd know that just because he sacrifices himself doesn't mean he can or will change the world, and why is it, a lot of Christian's if not all say, that if you don't go to church or believe in him, that you go straight to hell..? like what the actual shit... if he loved all of mankind, then why send people to hell just because they refuse to go to a random building to worship someone who they can't even prove ever existed... and send them to hell simply because they don'y believe him... also it seems like Christian's or anyone who goes into a church or chapel for whatever god or deity the believe in, are paying rent for said building... if a church is supposed to be the house of god and all that, then why doesn't god or whoever the people are worshipping just keep all the lights and other utilities on and working as well as keep the building in the best condition as possible? because to me... he sounds like a complete douche canoe if he sends you to hell just because you don't go to church or believe in him, i mean what about the people who have never heard of him? where do they go? hell... at least satan supposedly welcomes everyone and everything to hell with open arms... and sure hell may not be the greatest place.. but at least everyone there is supposedly treated easily... and i'd rather just satan who'd torture you for eternity, than someone who can make perform miracles.... because in my opinion.. miracles don't happen... usually if something seems to be too good to be true, it is.. don't get me wrong people have every right to believe in what ever they want, i don't care, that isn't for me to decide, but religion just isn't my thing..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_9xywaDKA0 .... there ya go lincon.... there ya go..

Again, your are mistaken; your ignorance is bliss.

Because you lack understanding regarding the things you've heard (or read), you speak rashly.
You've come to believe that as long as one just says "God forgive me", he/she would be forgiven. You are wrong in that.
A man's heart is what God looks upon and not merely the words of his mouth or the works of his hands. If one who comes before God, asking for forgiveness, has no willingness to repent, such a one would not be forgiven. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. As a man sows, so will he reap.
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I will check later the link the you have suggested me.

Time for the block button...

and just so you know, you're basically saying that if i just go up and kill someone for no reason, and say "oh god, i'm so sorry, please forgive me!" while on my knees looking at the sky whilst saying this... i'll automatically go to heaven... yeah, right. so great

i do agree with you notes, sorry if i came on a bit strong lincon, i can get a bit worked up on certain topics, i know this isn't an excuse for me being an butthead, but religion is a tricky topic the vast majority of the time xD

you never answered me about Catholicism being of the devil. I thought the predominant religion in Ireland was Catholicism

you're a fool, i do not speak rashly, i speak of experience, before you try and judge others, you need to know them better than they know themselves.

What a sick and sadistic God it has to be to come with such a horror scenario to crucify his own son to...yes to what? He could solve that "problem" in a far less violent and cruel way.

You can come up with as many bible texts as you want, it's still a cruel idea to send your son (ore a part of you,at least) and let him being killed to please you as the "father". And than that idiotic Adam and Eve story; whole mankind has to suffer eternally because Eve had eaten a fucking forbidden apple ? What would been the punishment for us if she had done something really bad ore something the big boss really didn't like at all?
Naah your bible is full of fear and threats, and a God who's a ll narcissistic ego tripper, why would a God ask and demand for such a low and human desire as "being worshiped" for example?