Hi everyone,
First I want to thank this ministry for this platform. A little background on me, i'm 23 and an African diaspora, grew up in the protestant church in Ethiopia but have been living the in the US for the past five years. I'm starting this thread because i'm in the midst of spiritual battle that made me question whether or not the bible was there to truly serve me and if it was why wouldn't there be a more general pronoun instead of him/he which is what i'm noticing. It's a big world and i'm starting to feel like my creator (i'm no longer sure it's a he like the bible refers) connects to all of us in different ways and i don't have to adjust my identity as a black women to my spirituality but my spirituality has to serve me. I'm tired of this narrative of needing to be "saved" especially as a young child growing up with this narrative made me develop some codependent tendencies as an adult. I'm just no longer connecting to the creator that the bible paints. I would love to discuss this with anyone who has had these struggles in their spiritual journey. I take my spirituality very seriously and spent a lot of quiet time with my creator to realize a lot of my pain came from not being able to identify with the bible narrative.
Hey there @ruthfitsum !! Just wanted to encourage you this morning that having questions is normal and you should always feel free to ask any believer . That's dope that your 23, I'm 24 myself. In my own spiritual journey, I've been able to see and hear different perspectives while attending bible college but what it comes down to is this... Within the Christianity, it wouldn't be Christianity if you didn't acknowledge Christ. The bible is made up of eye-witness accounts detailing evidence dating back to pre-historic times. Documentation of manuscripts provide evidence of both old and new testament and archeological findings provide evidence that the people and places mentioned in the bible existed. How does this serve you? When you acknowledge Christ it makes it that much easier to acknowledge the bible as TRUTH. You mentioned not like the "needing to be saved" aspect. Lets dissect this... We are by flesh (humankind) sinful . Sin equals death and because God can't be around sin. God couldn't be around us therefore by default we deserve HELL. We don't want that, its HOT in HELL . I live in Texas I know heat . So... At this point we're still in debt and we need a Savior. We NEEDED SOMEONE TO SAVE MANKIND. God didn't want us to burn in hell so He had to send someone perfect, blameless, and knew no sin.Therefore , He sent His son JESUS who had NO SIN to die FOR US. He died, and ressurrected 3 days later promising us his Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf.When Christ died on the cross HE PAYED OUR DEBT OF SIN. HE MADE A WAY FOR US TO ENTER INTO GOD'S PRESENCE AND BE IN HEAVEN WITH HIM.
God gives us FREE WILL. He allows for us to choose to believe in Him or not. "For if we profess with our mouths and believe with our hearts that Christ died and was raised from the dead you will be saved." That's all it takes . Christ made it simple for us But at the end of our life we will answer alone. No one will go with us .That's the beauty in all of this is that He won't force you. The connection will come when you talk to Him.
I don't know your story and I can't imagine what you've been through. But I know God wants to be apart of it. The beauty is that God will meet you right where you are . I know personally, I battled with depression and loneliness. I felt like I was just alone. I would be in a room full of people in the middle of a crowd and still I just felt alone. Like I couldn't talk to anyone and I had a phone full of contacts but no one to talk to about how I was truly doing . At one point , I felt like giving up and throwing in the towel , but in the midst of my brokenness God chased me down. He would send random people along the way, not by coincidence, even through social media, and he kept sending people to remind me of His goodness and His Grace.
lol This is also the reason why I'm writing you this essay. A voice told me to respond so yah girl is being obedient in this season.
You are loved friend.I just want to remind you that God is still there, and He has never left you.
p.s. the devil thought He was slick and half my essay deleted and so I re-wrote all of this to you because God will get the Glory today . Claiming it