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Post by coveredinharmony on Jul 8, 2008 14:14:56 GMT -5
Hello, brethren I've lately been working with a good friend who is quite the skeptic. We've been talking through Christianity and the Bible, and he's been showering me with questions (praise God most of which I answered quickly). Two questions he posed to me I have yet to give him an answer that satisfies him (which has made me dearly desire the answer myself). The first is: What is proof that the Holy Spirit exists? How do we know that what we Christians call the Holy Spirit isn't just our minds? The second is: Why doesn't prayer always work? The Bible says that if we pray, we will receive what we want, yet people don't always get what they want. I've given him as much answer as I can, and yet he's still unconvinced. I've tried explaining to him that the Holy Spirit is in a sense another manifestation of God, just like Jesus was. When Jesus was on the Earth, I told him, He spoke to people directly, and they then had the choice to ignore Him or to obey. The Spirit is the same. I've also explained that God isn't obligated to answer every time we pray--we must pray in His will and knock until there is an answer. I know that I am yet a baby Christian ( Well, a young child now), but I wanted to turn to my elder brothers and sisters in Christ for a bit of meat Thank you all! Love in Christ, Little Sister Sarah
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Post by mitchell on Jul 8, 2008 21:08:05 GMT -5
Dear Little Sister Sarah,
If we ask anything, according to His will, He will give it to us. A lot of things we ask for are not His will and not good for us. I told the Lord a long time ago that if I ever made supplication to Him for anything that was not best for me, that I further was asking Him, in advance, to just not allow it.
People experience the Holy Spirit in different, although sometimes similar ways. He is real, and a person cannot mistake an interaction with Him when it happens. One very vivid experience to me was when I was praying and others were praying for me, a long verse of scripture was just dropped into my consciousness that I had not memorized and had maybe only read possibly once. It was an example to my way of thinking of the Lord bringing to mind "whatsoever He had spoken to me" at such a time as I needed it. - The Holy Spirit is real and true because Christ said He is real and true, and some things we just have to take on faith, while welcoming and recognizing His help whenever and wherever He sends it. (Christ in you, the hope of glory.)
Sister Wanda
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Post by SisterNancy on Jul 9, 2008 7:50:39 GMT -5
Sister Sarah,
the Bible says that God's Spirit will attest to your Spirit. Tell him to ask God to reveal to him if the Holy Spirit is real or not. He has to be willing to receive the blessing.
John 16:13, romans 8:16
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Post by molly on Jul 11, 2008 19:12:52 GMT -5
I agree with Sister Nancy. About his question Why doesn't prayer always work? The Bible tells us that God always answers prayer.. It's just that sometimes the answer is "no" because it isn't good for us.
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