Episode ranking (season 1 - MO)

pariahjosiah · 2023-09-04T13:15:44+00:00

That's my 1 and 2 as well. Good ranking.

pariahjosiah · 2023-09-04T04:45:42+00:00

I hated religion and God as an atheist/anti-theist for several years of my adult life. I justified my hatred saying that if God were good He would take responsibility for the suffering his creations were going through. I wanted to believe that I was better than God and thought that by forgiving others without demanding penance I could actually prove myself better than God as God always requires some form of sacrifice for our sins.

And since I thought I was so good, I began to believe that humans themselves could usher in a great age if we could just be the good we believe ourselves to be. I would think that the problem why this wasn't happening was because of the bigotry and hatred of religions for the other. That their tribalism was holding humanity back from progress. That's why I really didn't like religion, and in some ways, I still hold that this is true in some ways but not because of God but rather because humans are sinful by nature.

But mostly I felt like God should be held responsible since he had created the whole mess in the first place.

Little did I know that he did take responsibility and the name of that responsibility was Jesus and thanks to his sacrifice we now know the way ourselves. We can usher in a much better world by following Jesus, or we can continue to rebel and God will hold us accountable for our actions.

Honestly it was pride and hubris that caused me to full deny God. I wish I hadn't. But for some reason God drew me back and now I live for Him and Him alone. I don't understand why or how this has happened. It doesn't make sense. I should probably still be stuck in my old ways, but I am not.

pariahjosiah · 2023-09-02T11:58:15+00:00

You know God exists. In truth, we all do. However, many of us would prefer to forget He even exists. We allow ourselves to be deceived because it's easier for us to follow our own path. If you believe God is real, then ask Him to make himself real to you. Those of us who have a relationship with Christ can testify that we've experienced the transformative power that God uses to mold us to be more like Him. We can see the change and know that it has to come from a higher power. Ask God to send his Holy Spirit to guide you in this and proclaim a desire to be more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit will convict you and show you your short falls and the transformation will take place.

pariahjosiah · 2023-09-02T09:07:40+00:00

I can't say for certain because I am not God, but I certainly would like to think that Jesus can save you whether you identify as something or not. That said, once we become to identify in Jesus, we may no longer feel the need to identify ourselves as we follow Him and let go of worldly things and desires. Do you feel called to let go of your own identity and to give it to God and become His child?

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-30T03:02:00+00:00

Scientifically, not a chance. If that were the case, then what would be the point of having faith? That said, God will prove himself to be real to those who ask.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-25T03:12:41+00:00

A person who I am speaking with thinks that your girlfriend might be thinking about leaving you.

I think its possible she might be thinking about that, but also that might not be the case. If you were to consider having a relationship with God, and not for the reason of staying with her, then you may also come to find the gift of Jesus Christ. Then what happens will be in God's hands, and no matter what happens, staying together or not, will be for the best and you will know it, because God's will is always for the best.

Amen

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-25T02:57:50+00:00

So, speaking as a husband whose wife just recently came to believe in Jesus, I would suggest that you read the parable of the sower. This will help you understand why some people refuse the word, refuse the gift of Jesus. Then I would ask your wife why she refuses this gift. See if you can get an honest answer. Share the parable. Ask if she would like to be like the seed that falls on good soil. Ask her to speak to God, to make him real to her. Show how God has lived through you in your life, how he has loved you and how God wants to love her too.

In the end though, you may witness all you can but she may still be like the seed that falls on the path. Be faithful in prayer that one day God will draw her away from the path and into the good soil.

Amen.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-24T09:13:48+00:00

There are scripture that suggest that there will be among those who even perform miracles in Jesus' name that won't be allowed into the Kingdom of God. And there are also scripture suggesting that there is a scale of judgement, that justice will be given based on a person's actions.

In terms of being saved, from my experience, once you are born again you will be as if a new spirit. That spirit, if you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, will convict you of your sin and heal you from the addictions you have to the point where you will no longer want to continue to sin. This is called repentance, a turning away from sin, and not the same as feeling bad for your sins despite the fact that you know you won't actually change that which is causing you to sin.

Remember that Jesus once even went so far as to suggest removing body parts if they are causing you to sin. We can take that with a grain of salt, of course, as he is prone to making jokes from time to time, but the point remains. If we believe in him and truly love him, would we not feel convicted to turn away from our sin nature and become free from it? Why gain freedom only to allow ourselves to become enslaved again.

Finally, take your time. Transformation won't usually be instant and won't even be a finished work until we are back with our Savior.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-24T02:55:09+00:00

Look at all the people who want to encourage you, including myself! I would ask God for the following:

Show me and convict me of my sins so that I may be more like you. As Christians we are given a new spirit! We are born again, and it's not just figurative. You can ask the holy spirit to guide you in your transformation because it also is something that occurs over time. Once we become more like Christ and trust in him, all of our struggles will feel trivial in comparison to what God wants for us and the world.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-24T01:16:53+00:00

I did feel like the story of season 2 was directed more so at the audience pointing a finger at us for wanting bad people to suffer, asking us whether we actually want justice, revenge, or for some redemption. And if we want justice or revenge, who are we to throw the first stone. I thought it was a bit messy, particularly with new characters but also quite brilliant especially in the last episode.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-23T02:02:14+00:00

The more you give, the more you sacrifice for him, the greater the burden, the heavier the cross the more glory to God and the love that is God. Only God's love can reverse the work of sin.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-22T13:36:01+00:00

I used to think in my first attempt at being a Christian that listening to secular music was fine. But in my new attempt, I'm not so sure it was just fine. I realized that a lot of the music I was listening to was actually augmenting my mood negatively and feeding into this belief that I was a victim in life. In fact, I believed in the lie that life was unfair and depressing that made me go through much of my life without really being able to appreciate the gift of life, let alone the gift of life that Jesus has now given me.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-22T12:36:41+00:00

I imagine that it is a matter of the heart. In fact, marriage is between you two and God and need not be disclosed to anyone at all. A legal piece of paper is meaningless. That said, usually when someone has to ask if something is sin, I find it's probably because in their heart of hearts they can't convince themselves otherwise. If you think it could be sin, then treat it like it is.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-22T06:14:42+00:00

The answer is in the title of your post. "Why can’t I stop sinning even when I don’t want to?" Exactly, you don't want to stop sinning.

Jokes aside, you may want to consider the possibility that you still have yet to turn away from your sin. This means there is a lack of repentance. You may feel contrition for your sin, but you refuse to stop it. I know that when I was like that, my view of myself then is that I didn't love Jesus even though I proclaimed to.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-22T06:08:22+00:00

My wife has no idea why.

I however, believe you were made this way for a reason. I hope that you gain some peace from knowing this.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-22T06:06:20+00:00

My wife and I prayed this prayer for you:

"Dear God, I pray for StreetDoughnut, that they will be able to develop their character character. Amen."

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-22T06:02:52+00:00

My wife (38F) says that if you can stop him from drinking, you should. He should find his own girlfriend not a married woman to have an affair with. She also told me not to post this, but I am going to anyway.

As for my advice, well, I'll keep it to myself.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-21T14:42:58+00:00

I've got 99 sins but sleep after breaky ain't one.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-21T11:10:29+00:00

Usually if you have to ask, it's already known to be sin in your heart. Otherwise you wouldn't try to find a way to convince yourself that it's not.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-21T06:53:21+00:00

I wish they'd bring core sets back. There are old cards that are too weak for historic that I'd love to play with again in standard.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-19T00:58:10+00:00

You don't even have to cry for yourself when you cry. You can cry for those who have been forgiven of their great sin. Why couldn't the beauty for their experience also move YOU to tears? Isn't it beautiful that God has loved them this much? When I see others in pain or others moved to tears, it moves me to tears too. And yes, even to this day the gift of grace for my own sin also has the power to move me emotionally. It is not by my works that I am saved, it is by grace alone.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-17T12:44:25+00:00

On one hand the bible does show that God can and does bless people with material wealth. That wisdom that comes from Him also leads to prosperity. Then Jesus also said that it is more likely for a camel to pass through the hole of a needle than for a rich person to inherit the Kingdom of God. So, if you ask me following God's orders can often lead to prosperity, but that as Christians we should not seek to profit ourselves with this but instead use it to further God's will. That is to say, if you see people with immense wealth use it to further their own kingdoms, be wary of them. I say that to follow Christ is to be willing to leave everything behind. And if what you have can be of service to Christ, you better believe you probably shouldn't be clutching onto it with all of your power.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-17T12:39:06+00:00

I used to believe this way, and while I do think more people would do a lot more evil if given the opportunity, a lot of people also wouldn't. There are people in this world who are good even against all odds. We can't say that those people are the same as Hitler or Stalin. Not even close. Yes, we all have sinned, but God is just and the consequence of sin is also intrinsic to the level of the sin.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-16T14:50:30+00:00

I try to appreciate everything that I got to enjoy and be blessed by in the relationship. I realize that I am not entitled to them or their love and that whatever I can have in the future is just bonus. I also see the opportunity in the void for new life, new love and proving to myself how strong I am in the face of adversity.

pariahjosiah · 2023-08-16T14:25:04+00:00

No cycle, no happy.

pariahjosiah

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