By Nancy Virden (c)2022

When we turn aside from religion or turn our backs on God, it is usually due to the idea that we are somehow our own gods who can handle life without the extra baggage of practicing faith. We may believe we are stronger, more knowledgeable, or more “evolved” than those who believe in and worship the God of the Bible. Whether we claim science as the base for our beliefs, we appreciate the comfort of designing our authority.

All people, of faith or not, “jump” at least three times. This series of three posts is intended to challenge those familiar jumps and introduce new daring ones.

Jump 1: Jump to Conclusions (or hold to an opinion without all the facts).

New Jump: Study the Bible for yourself

Many who do not believe in God say they have read the Bible as if that somehow adds credence to their stand. We can read the dictionary too and not understand or relate to everything in it. Reading the Bible is different from studying it. It is a spiritual book and spiritually discerned by people who are taught by the Holy Spirit. Do you know who he is? 1 Corinthians 2:14 says:  The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Repeatedly I hear people so-called “quoting” the Bible or expressing its meaning when they have no clue. Scriptures are presented in the light of rumor rather than fact. God teaches us in his Word there are three parts to his process of faith: 1. Believe in God (Hebrews 11:6); 2. Repent of sins and accept Jesus as your Savior (Romans 6:23); 3. Live under the instruction of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). Without a genuine 1 and 2, no one will experience 3.

Compare the God of the Bible with other so-called gods. No other faith in the world worships the God who is Love, who has sacrificed repeatedly for people, who is not against us but is for us. Instead, people worldwide stand in fear of their gods or god, sacrificing to them for the blessings or safety they want. This includes those with a twisted view of Christianity who count their good works and sacrifices as if keeping a score for God to accept them. These practices, among others, have nothing to do with God’s Word.

Instead: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:9-10). His forgiveness is free if we sincerely ask for it and follow his process.

Consider 2 Timothy 3:16 which says all Scripture is God-breathed, and Hebrews 4:12 which tells us that the word of God is alive and active. A book is alive? Yes, only by the Spirit of God.

To begin studying the Bible for yourself, check out the following links which may help:

Reading Plans

How to Read the Bible for Beginners (Adults)

In the next post I will write about Jump #2: Jump when told to jump. -COMMENTS WELCOME

Today’s Helpful Word

1 Corinthians 1: 10-13

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we [those who trust in Jesus] have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

If you are feeling suicidal, or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or for a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.

If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room. In the EU call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here ). Hope and help are yours!

Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair. NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional, and speaks only from personal experience and observations. In no way is this website intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.

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