Spiritual Advice Please (I would prefer Christians but any religion is acceptable)

As the days go by, I'm becoming more insecure about my position in God's eyes. I'm pretty sure it's the devil whispering sweet nothings into my ear, alright here's the story (I'll try to make it short and to the point):

So last year my friend found these group of people who did bible study. I was all excited and I wanted to join in too. So I did, at first the girls seemed so nice and we were having a good time until they started to ask me if I'm giving 100% to God. I feel like I do this but I have to tend to myself also. It felt like they thought I didn't but they didn't know what I did when I wasn't around them. They don't know my relationship with God. I feel that is between me and Him. I did want to fellowship with them but as the studies went I felt like I was being attacked and they were slowly pushing away. I felt like I have to live up to their standards and not God's. They are a good group who studies and follows the bible, but I've also study the bible also. One time when I told them that I was having a bible study with a group of people at my school they didn't seem happy at all, yes I was expecting that they would be happy that I'm fellow shipping with others. I feel like they believe that their ways are right and anyone who isn't in their church is wrong. They may deny this but this is how they come off.

Now recently, my friend started going back to their bible studies and she wanted me to go and I said no thank you. She kept pushing the issue asking me why why why every time I said no. (We've been friends all our lives) Then she had the audacity to ask me am I giving my all to God. Just because I'm not in their group doesn't mean I'm not giving my all to God. I feel like I live Him, I breath Him, I cannot do anything without Him, He's my source but He wants me to live, right? I don't want to sound haughty but truthful, I know more about the bible than my friend. She ask me questions and I answer them for her.

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(continued)

I tried to explain why I didn't want to be in their group, but she didn't get it, because a few days later she gave me a scripture verse trying to back up that they were good people I guess, I know they are good people, but they aren't for me. Am I wrong for this. I mean there are other fellowships out there. She said they are disciples and I said I am one too. I believe I am just not the way they want me to be. I follow the bible, I read and pray, but when someone reads they can get a totally different meaning from what they've read. The book may be there clear as a babies bottom but we've grown up in so many different venues, so many different lifestyles, we aren't going to get the same meaning out of it and when you reread a verse there will be something new about it. This is what I tried to explain to her since she believe that I was trying to say that they were wrong. I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that they interpret the meaning of the scriptures differently than I do. I mean we do agree on some things but when I was in the studies and I talked they seemed like they didn't care about my words about what I saw in the bible, ya know.

I would enjoy fellow shipping with others. I would enjoy singing and dancing and talking about God, praising him with a group of friends. But I felt they never gave me that love. After the bible studies I felt terrible, as if I was a bad christian.

As the days go I feel more guilty trying to justify what I said, but I didn't say anything mean cruel, I was just speaking from my heart and the knowledge that God has given me. I don't know what to do I think I should just pray, shouldn't I.

Thank you for reading this sorry it's so long I just had to pour my heart out. (respond if you want to and if you need more information please ask)

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@lilkolo91 Honey, you did nothing wrong. Everything you just wrote is the story of my life. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a Bible study, only to leave questioning everything I said and feeling bad about myself and wondering if I was as 'holy' as them. Everyone has different ideas on what we should believe, and there are times when groups think you have to be like them or you are a sinner. That's just a bunch of hog wash, so ignore that. Satan really is whispering in your ear, trying to put doubts in your mind. Push him away with the truth: You are loved, you are presented as a holy, spotless bride to the Lord. Nothing can pluck you out of His hands.

Some groups you just don't fit into. Sometimes a group is comfortable as it is, and someone (you, me.) coming in just mixes it up, making people uncomfortable. Other times it's just women being women. (if the group is completely women.) They see your hair, your face, your body, and feel uncomfortable and threatened. That's women, Christian or not. Then it's obviously not you and they have issues they need to work through themselves.

Not wanting to go to a Bible study does not make you a bad person. I know people who just don't mesh with me, and i remain kind, but distant. You put your foot down and don't go. You don't have to be around self righteous people who put you down. find real, good people who aren't putting up a fake face. You deserve that.

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@EssieDeWayne Thank you so much for your response. I feel better after talking my sister and mother and you writing back to me. I do have people who surround me with God's love. I completely forgot and it made me feel so lonely. Thank you so much again. You are truly a blessing. thank you so much. much love and God bless. I feel stronger now, I just gotta tell Satan get away for me. I have the power of Jesus Christ in me to cast him away. Much love to you. <3

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@lilkolo91 You are welcome, and thank you as well.;)

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@lilkolo91 it's not about looking for the perfect people to grow spiritually to God, let it be that you and them be flexible enough that you will be stretched to become according to Christ likeness. . .remember fellowship is still a plus in the relationship with God. . .there are no perfect group if you keep on searching for the most 'holy' people around you won't find one however, you could start all the way from yourself.

you are not a bad Christian, you are just looking for the most accurate people to hang out with where the Word of God and the people carrying the Word are one that you might not find any flaws in them, yet people will still say, they still commit mistakes but let it be that through fellowship you will all stretch yourselves to be one that we all desire to be. . .

sharing with your family is most of help since they have never left you from the very start.

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@joyablessed I agree with you, there are no perfect group,people make mistakes, we''ve all fallen short of sin, and no sin is greater than another in God's eyes.

I wasn't looking for the perfect people, I was looking for people who wouldn't make me feel like I'm not worth it. At my school me and some other people started a bible group which is growing slowly each day. I feel that the other group was not accepting of flaws as if they were flawless and they believed they had the right to look down on me. Even though they might have not intentionally know this they believed that they were right and better than other churches. I now think my friend looks down upon my church because it's not like hers. But I did set myself straight with one of the girls from the group. I am okay with my friend being at that church and I just have to be more confident in the lord. I share with my family as well.

Thank you I agree fellowshipping is a plus. Thank you for your kind words of wisdom as well.

I am better now though, Godbless and happy Passover! :D

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@lilkolo91 Count it all joy when we fall into diverse temptations (meaning test,trial & affliction) They are from Satan. Jesus wants us to be joyful. In the beginning of my walk with Jesus I struggled but the Lord kept me going even though I behaved like the Israelites (wandering around in the wilderness) complaining about all the things going wrong in my life and wondering why isn’t God doing anything about it. The Lord continued to gently guide me, He never pushed me & complained that I wasn’t growing fast enough. It took me years to understand what it means to count it all joy when we struggle. Now I understand it more clearly. Satan wants victory in our defeat. We mistakenly transfer power over to him when we loose faith in God and begin to complain. Not only does it make evil fester within us but we effect others too by complaining. So, we count it all joy when we fall into temptations. We say with our mouth “Thank you Lord for your word. Thank you Lord for delivering me out of this situation. Thank you Lord for teaching me what love is and giving me power to love those who hurt me. I forgive them. Thank you Lord for loving me first.” How many times do we forgive those who have hurt us? 70 times 7. Why so many? Well from my own experience, I forgave people yet I recognized that there was still pain & the devil was happy to remind me over & over again. So, as I kept on forgiving my enemies…the pain went away & the devil gave up reminding me. Remember the walls of Jericho? The people shouted over their victory when the walls were still up. We shout our victory even though it may look like the walls are still up. These people are our brothers & sisters in Christ. The Holy Spirit will guide them too (trust in the Lord.) We all are developing at different speeds. You are doing great, continue to fellowship with others who walk in LOVE (we will never be able to impress God with works.) He loves us all the same, He is no respecter of persons.

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@Hardy_Boyz Ah yes, Thank you for the encouragement. I really appreciate your words and yesI remember when they shouted at the walls of Jericho, thank you for reminding me of this. I'm not going to lie, it's very hard to forgive when being wronged so many times. The devil truly tries to pull us away from God, too bad he won't succeed. I will keep pushing forward, For God did say resist the devil and draw near to Him and He will draw near to us, and yes, we do learn more in the valley than the mountaintop but everything comes out for the Greater good for those who love God. I feel that the test that we go through builds our faith stronger in God, and I might be wrong about this but God sometimes lets the devil cause us affliction and trials but it's for our good to build us stronger (Job). Yes, they are our brothers and sisters and the Holy spirit guides them as well. and yes we do develop at different speeds and I'm glad God understands this, remembers that we are made of dust and loves us anyways. (Romans 14) I agree with everything that you say thank you so much. Godbless <3

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They are some out there that have a "Holier than Thou" attitude. If you dont belong to their church or behave a certain way, then you are not a true christian. Reminds me of the Pharisees in Jesus' time.

We may not all agree with the interpretations of the scriptures, which is why there are so many denominations within the Christian religion. It does not mean that Catholics are better than Pentecostals, or Lutherans are closer to Jesus than Baptists; we just all have a different interpretations of the word.

We only need to question a religion when it strays from the basic principles of the Christian religion. As long as you or they are believe in the basic principles, then neither church is better than the other.

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Hey, I'm glad you stood up for yourself! You shouldn't hang out with a group like that. It's God's way of saying to clear out, girl. You did, but just--don't go back, kay? Stick with your new group. God bless.

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Just do what you believe is right.

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If you don't feel comfortable studing with them, then just tell your friend that. They have ABSOLUTELY no right to judge your relationship with God, whatsoever. That is sacred between you and your savior. Do not feel obligated to study with them at all. Even if you are not giving God 100% (i'm not doubting you, just a hypothetical situation :D) it is not their place to question that.

I will pray for you and the group that you fellowship with. I pray that God will give you strenght and reveal what you should do <3 @lilkolo91

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Our Master Jesus Christ is fully here with us in Spirit. (John 16:7-16) He is calling all Christians of now almost 40,000 different and sometimes contending denominations and sects and even more independent Christians into spiritual UNITY, but not mere intellectual UNIFORMITY. Our Father God has made each human being everywhere to have an unique personality in both time and in eternity. Each human person also has different and unique personal experiences. So no two human souls will feel alike and no two human minds will think alike in this brief first life in the Family of God.

Pray about your situation and consider finding a Bible study or religious group that is more accepting of different Theological, spiritual, moral, etc. interpretations of Bible verses and life experiences.

We should thank Jesus for the true spiritual liberty to seek and find our loving Father God in unending and unique personal God-conscious experiences as a divinely beloved son or daughter of our Spirit Father !

Some spiritual values to look for in life and Bible studies are: Is it loving, merciful, serving all in Godly ministry, true, beautiful and/or good ? Would Jesus approve or do that?

God never changes, but the various Bible writers evolve in time in their conceptions about God. My favorite book in the Bible is John, which has the best eternal-now view of God in and as Jesus Christ. Pay close attention to John 1:1-18, 12:31-32, all of chapters 16 and 17, 20:30-31, 21:25

I am a trans-denominational and trans-ecclesiastical Christian Theologian and Evangelist for over 35 years to date. Email me if you want to discuss this further.

Love, peace and progress in God's Spirit above all and within all Truth-lovers !

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So I just found out that this group is a cult and they specialize in making Christians feel insecure about their belief in God in order for them to join their group. I honestly need prayers to help my friend get out of this group. I am glad God has reveal this to me and I have wonderful people to help me through this.

It's funny how everything I said was backed up with the information I found from anticult sites and it's funny how much on point I was with all of this. I must say NEVER EVER IGNORE YOUR FEELINGS.

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yeah, i know how you feel. All you have to know is that Jesus loves you and that those girls are just trying to make you feel bad to live up to their [low] standards, and that those standards are just a trap of the devil. I felt like that in school last year, like a bunch of girls doubted my ability to feel compassion, and the only way i made it through that year was knowing that God loves me and those girls were just trying to make me feel bad. YOU GO, GIRL!

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It is never wise to rely upon your ever-changing emotional feelings with possible sub-conscious delusions. Your highest guiding Source of Truth is the pure spirit Essence of God and the Spirit of Truth of/as Jesus and the Holy Spirit who are all within your faithful, God-trusting soul; and all three Spirits of God within you are as One. Then your Spirit-illuminated super-conscious soul can also guide your higher mind in coming to wise, logical decisions on what is God's will and what you are called to do. Acting on your emotions or feelings alone can cause much trouble.

Love, peace and progress in Spirit and in Father-Son Eternal Living Truth !

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@lilkolo91 hi there! as the bible says no one can save you even your father, mother, brothers or sisters so my advice for you is this. just submit to God all your plans in life, let Him be Your guide through your everyday's journey.. in addition, 2 or 3 who are learning God's word He will be in your midst.. don't worry if you have no groups to attend to because all that matters is your faith in Him.. And learn from your own coz with that no one can deceive you.. i hope I helped you.. Feel free to message me if you want any clarifications or help..

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Tell your friend it's not about giving God 100%, it's about having a relationship with God (who loves us despite our imperfections and sent us our savior and redemmer, Jesus Christ, because of them). It's about receiving the in-filling of the Spirit of God, the Comforter who guides us and protects us. You can give God everything, and it means nothing without that relationship. Your friend needs to complete her quest for that 100% by receiving the Holy Spirit. With God inside you, there is no room for anything else. Only God is capable of giving 100%, we are called Humans for a reason. I'm so glad you listened to the Spirit of God!

Bible also says "your faith should not rest in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God" I Corinthians 2:5, and "cease from man" it's Isaiah 2:22, can't find my Bible to give you the rest, but you can't depend on Man, who lies, you must depend on God, who doesn't. (Which is why you need the Holy Ghost!)

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Here's some non Christian spiritual advice.

All religions are cults. God is not a HIM. Jesus, the devil, the flood, the resurrection etc etc are not real out there things but within you. There is no devil whispering in your ear only the devil inside, not Christ up in the clouds but the Christ that is within you. Its your conscious letting you know right from wrong.

Religion is the great deceiver, the great separator and the true destroyer of ones love.

The kingdom of god is within.

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@newrageguru A cult is just a small religious group of only a few hundred or less humans; so that should be a neutral term. Cults run from very good to very bad. God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three super-real Deity Persons, each with omnpresent spiritual presence powers. They also live and function on super-real spheres which makes our space-time planets as foggy shadows by comparison. Paradise, the highest Heaven and eternal Home of the Father, Son and Spirit is infinite in size, unbounded, having no outside and no beyond. Yet there is a nuclear Center which is also infinite and Absolute. God is not only inside of you and me and all humans; God is also a totally Transcendent Reality. I have been downgrasped in Spirit and instantly taken up into God the Universal Father on Paradise in and by our Sovereign Creator Son Jesus Christ. I know Whomof and whereof I speak since May 24, A.D. 1977 -on and eternally. Cosmic Reality consciousness must allow for God to be Transcendent and Transcendental and Immanent. The Transcendental is an ultimate level bridge and buffer between the Transcendental and the Immanent and also space and time transcending in some phases.

True religion -- personal God-consciousness in knowing our eternal, personal Father God in Jesus and in Spirit -- gives peace and joy beyond all human words. HE IS I AM; you and I are each an unique, distinct "I am a son of I AM". To internalize total Reality is cosmic insanity and could lead to the terrible condition of solipcism.

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What religion were these people? @lilkolo91

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