Okay!  This might sound odd, but I have what you would call a gift from God!  And a verrry strong one at that!  I know I could use it for evil or pagan works, but I don’t play with the dark side, nor do I want to, so how can I progress my gift without crossing the line?  And, yes, I know it might sound crazzzzzy to you, but it’s really cool, the thing I can do.

Sincerely,
Gifted

Dear Gifted,

Everyone has gifts and talents given to them from God (Ps 139:14, 1 Cor 12:13-19).  However, it sounds like you are talking about a miraculous gift.  If that is the case, your belief (no matter how sincere) is wrong.  The abilities to perform miracles, prophesy, etc. have long since ceased.  When the perfect Bible was completed, miraculous abilities ceased to be necessary (1 Cor 13:9-10).  We recommend you read “I Dreamed A Dream…”.

Whatever natural gifts and talents God gives us, we must use to glorify Him (1 Cor 10:31).  We do this through study (2 Tim 2:15), zealous enthusiasm (Jhn 4:24), obedience (Jhn 15:14), and growth of character (1 Pet 2:2).

I have been living with my boyfriend for three years and having sex.  I’m getting very into Jesus and God’s will for me!  I have cut him off, and he’s not taking it well.  How can I explain to him that part of changing my life is following God’s Word?

Sincerely,
Becoming Chaste

Dear Becoming Chaste,

If you are going to serve Christ, you have to commit yourself to living by His standards.  You can show your boyfriend verses like Jhn 15:14 and Eccl 12:13 to explain this concept to him.  However, regardless of your boyfriend’s reaction, you need to move out and set up proper Biblical barriers.  Your decision to serve God must always supersede all other relationships (Matt 10:37).  You are doing a great job of making the difficult decisions to start a new life.  We recommend you read, “What Must I Do To Be Saved” to further your journey of obedience to God’s Word.

I have been searching for God and trying to convince myself of Jesus being my savior, but I am still on my journey, I suppose.  I'm concerned that I'll die and be unforgiven before I can finally convince myself of God.  Perhaps this is something only God can help me with?  I'm a true skeptic, but I have been finding increasing evidence of there being a divine creator, God.  Should I pray to Him that He reveals Himself to me?  I guess my real question is... will He forgive me for not believing in Him when I am not convinced of Him?  I haven't read the Bible yet, and I've been increasingly convinced; should I read the Bible, all of it?  What if I don't read it before I die?  It does sort of feel like I am being pursued by God to believe in Him... I'm just not yet convinced...

(I used to be christian; then I rejected Christ because I realized I was 'believing' without actually believing.  I couldn't live as a hypocrite to myself, still can't today).

Like Plato talked about, I don't wish to be a blind man just happening to take the right path.  That is not knowledge.  If knowledge only truly comes from Him, when will He bless me with it, so I may know Him?  It's so backwards to me... doesn't the Bible say that He will only reveal Himself to me after I put faith in Him before I can convince myself of Him?  Sometimes I want to believe; it's just the doubt... like I said though, maybe it's just the journey I have to take without any help.  Would God put me on one of those journeys?  Will I be lost as long as I strive to be an intelligent and rational human being that bases belief on incidences in my life I'm convinced of?

There have been times where God has answered me... I'd say "God, if you do this for me, I will never doubt you again."  It would then happen, but I ended up brushing it off as coincidence afterward... this was when I was really young though.

Doubt has to be the hardest problem to deal with... maybe I just want reassurance that I'll find Him; it's only a matter of time, and if I don't find Him, He'll be understanding as long as I was given a reasonable amount of time in my life and enough evidence to convince me that He is there.  I don't like dogma...

I apologize for this being so long; I guess I just needed to get it out... I also want some guidance I guess.  Is there any Bible verses online that could help deal with this?  Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,
Unconvinced

Dear Unconvinced,

No, the Bible does not say that God will only reveal Himself to you once you have faith.  God reveals Himself to all of mankind through creation (Rom 1:20) and through His Word (Rom 10:17).  Many religious groups that profess to be christian teach the circular logic that you can’t know about God until you trust in Him – that is wrong.  We have an entire section of AskYourPreacher.org that is dedicated to EVIDENCES.  We here at AYP became christians because of the evidence.  These evidences are found in creation, the proven fulfilled prophecies of the Bible, the uniqueness of the Scriptures, and the proven accuracy of the Bible (we recommend you read “God Is Alive” and “Who Wrote The Bible”).

God will not forgive you for not believing in Him because He has made so much evidence available to prove His existence.  From mountains to molecules, this world screams of a Creator.  Seek the truth, and the truth will set you free (Jhn 8:32).  We too once doubted God’s existence, but after reading books like Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, A Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel, and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel (too name a few) – it became very clear that there is real proof that God truly is alive.  After you’ve taken some time to read some of these articles and material, write us back at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we would be happy to show you what it takes to become a christian and find a faithful church to be a part of.  The truth is out there for those (like yourself) seeking it (Matt 7:7).

How do you find God’s will for your life?  My husband lost his job, and we know God has a plan for everyone’s life, but how do you discover this?  We pray, but nothing happens.  In fact, things get even worse.  We are faithful and attend church every week.  We don't tithe any more because there is no money left after paying all our bills.  Help with understanding.

Sincerely,
Life Is Hard

Dear Life Is Hard,

God’s will for your life is for you to be transformed from the ways of this world (Rom 12:2).  Serving God isn’t always simple.  Christianity guarantees trials and tribulations (Acts 14:22).  Those trials can draw us closer to God, provide us with hope of eternity, and teach us important life lessons (Rom 5:3-5).  Trials have the ability to bring the best out of people – if we let them.  Like the sun softens butter and hardens clay, trials soften humble hearts and harden selfish souls.  Christianity is about relinquishing control of our lives and trusting in the Lord (Pr 3:5).  Our hearts go out to you as you suffer through various trials of no small degree – suffering is never pleasant.  Yet, you can know that the Lord will care for His people (Ps 37:25), and there is much to learn from the trials this life brings (Heb 12:11).

Is it wrong to be superstitious?  I would think that it would fall into the same category as putting your faith in the occult or any sort of "mysticism".  Is this true or harmless fun?

Sincerely,
Lucky 13

Dear Lucky 13,

Superstition is wrong.  The dictionary defines ‘superstition’ as ‘a widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice based on such a belief’.  Superstition means that you are placing trust in the supernatural power of a rabbit’s foot, not walking under ladders, four-leaf clovers, etc.  This is always wrong.  We are supposed to place our trust in God (Ps 56:11).  Superstition is a mild and socially acceptable form of witchcraft or divining.  There is no difference between trusting in a lucky coin and trusting in the astrological tables.  Astrology and horoscopes are wrong (Deu 4:19, 2 Kgs 23:5); witchcraft and magical arts are wrong (Acts 19:19).  Superstition falls into the same category as those practices.