You can backslide away from God we leave him he never leaves us if we stop confessing our sins to him then is when we backslide

Maitri, awsome post... Along time ago... when I became an intellectual, we all do this at least at some point in our lives, it comes with the territory,( I was in my early 20's (I am in my late 50's now) I begin to fear God again, and he said to me one day, "If you love me because you fear me, this is not love but is vainess in you denial of me as I AM." He went on to say what do you think I meant when I asked Moses to teach, "Thou shall not say the Lord thy God name in vain..." I thought a moment and said, not to say GD and the like? He laughed, as your earthly father taught you... 'sticks and stones may break my bones, but words cannot hurt me.' Believe it when I say. "Ask and believe with all your heart and mind at it shall be given to you...if it is for your highest good. For I would not give you something that would create a burden upon you or ask you to do something that is too much for you to handle at any given time. so in this sense no miracle is to big, nor any burden but an opportuity for growth. surprised be not, for the teaching of all false hoods come from the mind that is lead by ego (the denial of our Oneness) and of those that chose not to embrace the inmeasurebable love I AM. God also said, Love me as I love you, for this is only natural... have you not be taught you are created in my image and my likeness and all that I AM, you Are? I make no request for your love, there are not conditions cept one, Love me and love one another as I love you and watch the folly of the carnal mind flee from true mind that has become split upon your head... for what need I, who am all things, anyhing that you have made cept your Love and acceptance... for this is the key to my eternal kingdom, and the abundance of life that is in every soul.... share it freely, and extend my kingdom throughout the land to all peoples... and behold even if the cries in the streets be all is lost...shall all be saved and old things shall pass away (pain and suffering) and life anew shall manifest in a twinkling of an eye..."

This is the truth, and I gladly speak it because it brings my heart joy greater than words.

with peace j.

The original post asks this, and I think it's WAY worth bringing back up for discussion: Can a person lose his or her Christianity? Is that the same thing as losing one's faith? What are we putting our faith in if we can believe in God one day, and not the next? If we do this, did we ever truly believe at all???


Personally, I don't believe God throws us away, so if one claims to be Christian one day, and something else the next, then I submit that it's not God's idea at all, but a man-made decision--I believe too, that the grace of God is big enough to save a person with even the hardest heart, so it must be sufficient to keep a struggling Christian!


Thoughts please...


Dixie

Hi DixieNurse:

Good post.

You asked: Yes. I know because I lost mine.

You asked: I don't believe so depending upon what one thinks faith is. I have come to understand that the faith that we receive from YHWH is the same faith that was in YaHshua. It's not ours to lose. Its the faith of YHWH in us that was given to us. It is ours if we accept it by putting it to the test to see if it is the truth of YHWH.

Otherwise, we reject the faith of YHWH that he gave us when we don't accept it and it is lost to us unless YHWH gives it to us again later.

Also consider that the faith we are given may not be the same faith that is given to another nor is it necessarily given to individuals in similar portions. Some people, such as Abraham, are given great faith and accept it. Others are given smaller portions. Lucifer was given a HUGE portion of the faith of YHWH and rejected it totally and is causing many of mankind to reject it in the same way through his current name of satan by deception.

So faith is not so much something we lose as much as something we can reject, if we don't accept it.

You asked: Our own faith is something that we got from another source other than YHWH, ie satan, etc. It tends to cause us to become confused of what faith is from the truth and what faith is from evil. We all run through this type of confusion at times depending upon whether or not we ask YHWH for wisdom so that we can choose wisely and seek out only His faith in us.

You asked: This I find very interesting because in understanding this as I do now it cleared up allot of confusion about faith and belief that I've had for, well, decades.

Simply put belief comes from our putting to work the faith we are given by YHWH. When we put that faith to work we learn more about it and YHWH gives us more faith as we understand one of His precepts and then another. He has us build His precepts one upon another in their proper order so that we can clearly see what His plan and the purpose of His plan is. It takes time and diligent searching to do this mostly because of the deceptions that satan has laid out for us and that we must overcome.

When we go through this process the knowledge of the faith we are given turns into understanding and then as we act according to that understanding our wisdom in YHWH grows. When that knowledge, understanding and wisdom reaches a certain level as determined by YHWH, then He knows, and we will know by the Spirit that He puts in us that we have proven His faith as being true. That is the point that establishes our belief in YHWH. Belief in YHWH is the proven-to-us faith of YHWH in us that we accomplish through our willing works of righteousness according to that faith.

Just as Abraham was justified by taking that faith of YHWH in him and wroughting it with works, he believed YHWH and YHWH considered him to be justified or righteous according to that beginning point of faith.

Faith and belief are just about the same thing except that belief is a special kind of faith; it is proven-to-us faith. If we don't do anything with the faith we are given then it becomes dead faith and is useless to us AND we can never believe YHWH as a result. ALSO, we can never believe YHWH if He doesn't give us His faith in the first place.

You wrote: The image of the Elohim ('God') in us, our mind, which is the combination of the 'spirit in man' and our brain interacting, is a so very precious thing of creation and YHWH is not about to waste even one of them. He will not give anyone any of His faith in this age unless He is satisfied that they will be permanently accepting it.

That is a piece of cake for Him to know of course as all of time stands before Him as if it is a single instant. YHWH indeed knows all of time. However it is very apparent that multitudes of people have been given His faith and have rejected it but that in itself does not lead to eternal death.

Eternal death would only result in someone acepting the faith of YHWH in him to the point of receiving the Holy Spirit of YHWH and THEN rejecting His Spirit by blasphemously throwing it back into YHWH's face. Again, I don't think YHWH would knowingly give someone in this age the Holy Spirit that will give it back to Him. Faith is rejectable to a point but the Holy Spirit isn't.

You wrote: I was once a struggling Christian but overcame it to become instead a believer in YHWH and accepting the Blood of YaHshua so that the hope of righteousness in its fullness as it is in YHWH and YaHshua might become mine as well.

Grace is only possible through the righteousness of YHWH so YHWH will be doing only the right things to ensure that each and every one of us will be guided to decide to choose good and Life no matter what the amount of unbelief, and its resulting evil, has to be overcome.

Hello DcInC


Please take this in the spirit of fellowship in which I am offering my opinion here, if you please. I don't GET the whole YHWH fixation, and I don't like it! I have already read what posts I could get through, and I believe I have a working knowledge of what y'all are referring to, but there doesn't seem to be any common ground here between you and me, but I'm trying....





Do what now? We're supposed to put our faith to a test? I think not.





No way do I buy that faith comes from satan...





There's no way that you and I are on the same page...none at all. Your words make no sense to me, as a Christian, and I fear that perhaps you have been caught up in some false teaching?? I hope not.


Best,
Dixie

Hi DixieNurse:

You wrote: I most certainly will. I sense many here are trying their best to grapple with the faith they have been given in their search for the truth of the Creator. We all have been given different aspects of the same faith of YaHshua the Messiah in varying amounts some of which we accept or reject based upon what we have been taught and/or given to believe. It is a long hard road if we are sincere and diligent in our search. Let's hope that we can help one another come to that truth and faith that the Creator has willed that we ALL should gain and believe.

You wrote: Well "fixation" is an intersting word to use to view it. But I understand how you might be frustrated with my presentation as I was in the same boat not all that long ago. Not many people like it because it runs contrary to what they have been taught. Plus the 'new' 'terminology' just doesn't make all that much sense until one starts to try to use it to gain understanding of what it's about.

You wrote: Well from the scriptures I understand ...

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Or do you not yourselves perceive that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are disapproved?

1Th 5:21 Test all things, hold fast the good.

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of YHWH: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

You wrote: From the scriptures I quoted above I get the sense that faith comes from many sources and as we are to test all things that includes our faith to see if it is of the faith of YaHshua the Messiah. We are to test ourselves (our faith) to see if we are in the faith (the faith of YHWH that is in YaHshua). If our faith, after we've tested it, compares with that which is in YaHshua then we are to hold fast to it because it is indeed good. If not we are to let it go.

Hope that makes at least a bit of sense to you. It is not entirely something I was taught by a religious organization except in bits and pieces over the many years by several religious organizations both Christian and non-Christian. It is more a result of my study of the scriptures over the last decade pretty much on my own keeping that which appears to me to be the faith of YaHshua from YHWH and purging quite a bit of many things that I was taught that do not seem to me to agree with the scriptures.

Certainly the faith that is given to us from YHWH does NOT come from satan except that it is skewed in some way to deceive us. satan even tried to deceive the Messiah of YHWH Himself BY USING THE SCRIPTURES. Eve and Adam were tricked by the serpent by just slightly twisting the words of YHWH Elohim. Incredible! He certainly couldn't pull the wool over the eyes of YaHshua but satan has had a much easier time of it with those of religious organizations as evidenced from the thousands of divisions of those who profess belief in the scriptures. Amazing!

You wrote: Just to clarify, although I have written that I was a struggling Christian and I overcame it, I meant by that, that I am no longer a Christian. So in that sense, no, I'm not like you in that regard.

But we are both searching for the truth of the Creator and the hope that the faith we have is in sync with the faith that is in YaHshua the Messiah so that we can become righteous in the same way that the Father and the Son are righteous so we will be saved to eternal life, never to sin again. I have to think we have that common hope even though the aspects of the faith of YHWH given to you and that you have accepted so far are different from the aspects of His faith that I have been given and accepted so far.

That is one of the lessons in the parable of the talents and the parable of the wages. Also the members of the Body of the Messiah have different gifts and functions and yet we are to come together in unity as one in the faith of YHWH. When we do that we show that we believe YHWH and that is the basis of Him justifying us unto salvation in the same way Abraham believed and was justified and will be resurrected into the kingdom of YHWH.

We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Master YaHshua the Messiah so that means that not only might our beliefs differ from one another but our own beliefs today could and maybe even should be different from last year if we are truly growing as we should be.

I hope not, too, with regard to false teachings. The whole world has been deceived by the devil, the prince of this age who acts as an angel of light to perhaps deceive even the elect from time to time. Even the Apostles Peter and Paul had to sort out their differences because one of them had been momentarily deceived. satan goes around like a roaring lion eager to pounce upon any and all of the Church of YHWH in an attempt to trash the plan of YHWH to restore His righteousness to His creation.

I just have to step in and put my idea here.

Once upon a time there was tongue

1 Cor 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
That is not the verse I was looking for, its there some place.

Any way. There was a end to this.
That is why we have different languages. Here in our English language
if you really pay attention to some of the other verses also.
We are to speak in what we understand. I only speak this, so I will
use what I know, and not confuse others.

Do you get my point ? I do hope so.

I do not mean to hurt any one, but my understanding is I should speak
in my language since that is what I understand.
And not try to babble !

Hi Grams:

I understand what you are saying about this. But I think the scriptures are telling us not to use a totally foreign language when talking to others because it is of no use to others if they don't speak it, of course. That is most logical.

I'm not doing that sort of thing though. I am using a half dozen or so Hebrew transliterations in my posts because they seem to me to be more accurate that the English translated words. I have found that at least for myself I have been able to learn more about them by doing so. I've tried to present them in an understandable way for anyone who is truly interested in also understanding them and even for any who don't want to.

They really are quite simple to sort out but ironically I'm now finding that when others use the term 'God' I'm left wondering exactly what they might mean by it. It's like it has become a foreign word to me.

Perhaps the scripture you were thinking of was ...

1Co 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
1Co 14:27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
1Co 14:28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

....all sin was not wiped out at the cross...all sin was covered by the blood of christ. What are you refering to?