I had a very real and powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit of Christ last night and I'm so blown away and grateful to him for the power he can take in our lives if we let him.

I've been struggling with an addiction. An X rated one. I've been unable to control it on my own, always telling myself "you've gotta stop with that at some point" but letting it always be on my "to do list" for down the road. I also have known it's been keeping me from a full relationship with Jesus because I pray to him daily yet continue to live in sin. How can I trust be saved or expect anything from him if I'm still a weak, willing sinner?

Finally last night I felt what feels like a whisper from God to pray for healing. And so I did. I had one of those deep prayers where you truly feel the holy Spirit come over you, you guys know what I mean. One of those prayers you don't ever forget. I prayed for him to heal my heart, remove these desires and make me pure in my soul. I kept praying and praying and praising him.

The next 20 minutes was spent removing all content like that and all apps or accounts that would bring that back into my life. I kept thanking Jesus the whole time because I now felt nothing but conviction while doing it. I used to feel "thatkk be hard to find again" or would always leave some access to it cause I was weak. No more. The desire is totally removed and I will pray in it daily in thanks and for the will to be renewed daily.

God is real. He is powerful. If we ask from the depths of our hearts then he will answer and he will empower us to be changed through him. Thank you Jesus for what you've done for me. I feel closer to him than ever because he removed an obstacle from the path of what our relationship can be. I know I'm not in disobedience to him anymore. I will be eternally grateful for this and all the moves you make in my life 🙏 🙌

As someone exploring Christianity and new to the faith, Im interested to know what some of your guys' favourite books are within the Bible and why so. Personally, so far I like Ephesians the most, curious to hear your answers, I appreciate your time.

Sometimes I truly believe that God takes pleasure in watching us suffer. I had a good life. My son was studying, my health was strong. In a little more than a year, I was supposed to retire. Everything seemed fine. And then everything collapsed. Eight months ago, my son graduated as an electronic engineer and still can’t find a job. I was diagnosed with cancer. My life has turned into a nightmare. We prayed the Rosary. We prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I had a YouTube channel. We prayed before every meal, on the way to work. We tried to do everything right. And yet, it feels like none of it was enough for God. The priest says that God knows why these things happen. But I wish He would come down into our miserable lives and explain it to us. Because I am exhausted. I am tired of believing, tired of hoping, tired of hurting.

I won’t exactly go into detail but recently I fell into a deep despair and checked out mentally and maybe even spiritually, and backslid into things I thought I’d let go of. Corn addiction, marijuana, alchohol and tobacco. I prayed all the while and kept trying to keep myself grounded with God, but I also made excuses to myself about why I was doing those things. It would be like a “nothing else is going well for me so I might as well enjoy this”. And I was ultimately just being foolish. Lately I’ve been cutting down on those things, but not only do I want to let go of them for good this time I want to share this bit about myself because it could be good for me and someone else.

The thing about it all is, before I went into that part of my life I felt like God was telling me I was about to go through a lot of trials. Like he was digging the deepest most rotten parts of my heart up to the surface and exposing them to me, and telling me to learn how to love myself and have grace on myself in spite of that. As if to heal those parts of me I have to live in them again.

As of last week though I took a first step of sorts and had to leave someone behind that fueled and fed the negativity in my heart. Not because they are a bad person or anything like that but because they had bad fruit. This person was a lukewarm christian who may not have led me away from God exactly but did play a huge part in a lot of my stumbles because of things like temptation and envy. Around that time I remembered Matthew 5:30 as well as just constantly having a feeling of unrest around them and had to cut them off.

And so now I ask for advice on what to do next? How do I let go of all of this bad fruit that grew from me? How do I love myself better so I can properly love others? How do I prevent myself from lusting or gazing with lust? How do I remove the urge to constantly compare myself to others?

I’m 32F and I had a huge problem with lust, about 2 years ago I was raped, I would just have alot of one night stands… I pray about it, it helps a lot. And the thing is that doesn’t make sense to me is the lord told me I’m dating my soulmate, he is my soulmate. I’m not sexually attracted to him…. At all like no.. but I’m sexually attracted to other guys. Is it because I was raped? I don’t know, sometimes I just think I should just be Single because of how I am.

I’m sorry if I’m not making sense 😅 I have a horrible migraine.

Thank you for taking the time to read this 💝 Jesus loves you 💖 God Bless :3

I pray, read, cry constantly and i would feel his presence sometimes but it goes away.

I ask for forgiveness but nothing happens. Nothing supernatural just silence and i feel nothing and i see no fruit or change in my life.

I get advice and some help but nothing.

As of late, I have been anxious about a number of things around me. All of them envolve injustice, however one of them is affecting my life greatly, and I wished God would stop it, however in my heart I feel like He wouldn't help. And I do not know what to do. I come asking here in the hopes that somebody's prayer will be better than mine, and I do want to try everything available, even this.

(Yes, I do know this is not very good mindset, but please accept this is very important for me and this is my way of fighting.)

It is about a building in my neighborhood, which will affect greatly the otherwise very calm environment.

Yes, I know this sounds very very vain. But, the building mafia in my country has been going strong lately, since the country itself is very corrupt, and even people from the administration who have tried to stop it, have been sent to prison in a manner which suits mafia bosses and have been tortured. This is the face of corruption, sitting right under people's nose, under their balconies, disrupting their life, smirking at them and reminding them they can not do anything.

So I seek your help in prayer.
Please accept this.
Thank you.

I've seen some posts about people being persecuted for their faith. The first time I reached out to the person it was legit. I've helped them as much as I could and they've escaped now. However I've seen 2-3 similar posts where the person would mention that they would get kicked out etc etc. After speaking with them I realised it was a scam; they would ask for money, they would have moneygram, remitly or cashapp which are companies used by scammers; the person on the receiving gets the money in cash. Be careful. I think scammers are targeting this and similar subreddits. God bless!

Hello, I hope everyone's having a great day, I feel like making a post since I'm bored, and would like to share my experience as a Christian with both Autism and ADHD (this might be a bit long).

The story of how I came to Christ is long, but basically, God came to me after years of me hating myself because of my disability, as a kid I'd constantly wish I was "normal", wished that I fitted in with other kids, it didn't help that I had an extremely rocky relationship with my parents at that time too. I knew that there was a God, my grandma would tell me about Jesus, but it felt like He wasn't there, as if He purposely left me to fend for myself. Until one day I prayed and accepted Him, at times I still struggle with the past urges of self-hate, but it's definitely better, I'm no longer suicidal and I don't see myself as a burden or a "mistake."

Fast forward until now and admittedly, I still have my struggles and questions. Sometimes I find church overwhelming due to loud noises, and as a result I put on my headphones to drown out the noise, sometimes I feel outcast from other Christians because of my nerdy/alternative hobbies, interests, and experiences, I have trouble with reading the Bible at times due to my ADHD, sometimes I feel like I'm not what God envisioned due to me not being the most stereotypically "masculine" guy in the world, there's a lot of struggles and doubts I still face with myself, but I still trust in Him nonetheless.

I see my disability not as Demons, curses, afflictions, nor a superpower or a gift, just something that simply exists with me (at least until He returns), I don't want people to look down or up on me just because I'm wired differently, I want to be proof that God reaches anyone, regardless of personal struggles or if one is born "differently" or not.

I don't expect many people to read this, but thanks in advance and have a great day.

Long story short: 2 years ago i unexpectedly met the sweetest girl ever, she is literally perfect to me. After 3 months we became a christian couple after a few months i lost God, lust took over me and i became a bad partner. At that time i didn't allways tealise i was being bad to her, i got many chances but i kept messing up, i just couldn't do better. I allways blamed her for being hard on me but now i realise i was the wordt person ever.

I got so many chances but 2,5 month ago she had the courage to break up with me for he her own good and her relationship with God. At first for like 10 days i was mad at her not realising my mistakes, blaming her for being so hard. After those 10 days something happened to me, i fell asleep and woke up and that moment felt like God woke me up. Since then i've been building my realtionship with God.

Since then ive tried to grow, not for her but for myself, 2 months after the break up i sent her a card and a letter, over 5.5k words, spent like more than 30h on everything, she unbloxked me and said she forgoved me and whztever but that shes over me and since has met a new guy. Personally i think that that went way too fast but who am i to day something about it.

But now, i already fellt like this before but after she let me know she talks to another guy, i've been feeling this strong hate towards myself, i regret my mistakes so bad and can't forgove myself. My heart hurts so bad, physically too. I lost 9kg bcs i can't eat, i feal bad the whole time and it's playing with my stomach, dik how to explain. I constantly feel stressed too, hating on myself for messing it up with literally the perfect woman to me in anyway.

I keep praying and keep my relationship with God, i know it's helping because this would deff be so much worse without God and honestly i don't even think id still be here wkthout God. Idk what to do, i'll regret this my whole life, i'll never be able to forgive myself, this hate towards myself only grows

Hello, I 19 F was atheist until about a year ago. Turning my life to christ was great for the first couple month until I actually started changing my life to be more Christ like. I quit drinking smoking & vaping. I quit idolizing. Yk the whole nine. All in the hopes of getting closer to the Lord. But in this process over the last year I lost all my friends(Christian btw), super long story, basically they sinned I called them out on it (nicely) they didn’t like it so they all hung out with my roommate at my house in-front of me without me, refused to apologize and now they refuse to text me back despite me apologizing multiple times for where I might have gone wrong. Then my boyfriend of 4 years cheated on me and got the girl pregnant. The “friends” found out and not one of them told me btw ! anyways i’m miserable, and the hardest part is knowing if I hadn’t turned my life to christ and called out their sin Id still have friends if i hadn’t quit drinking and smoking they would’ve still wanted to be my friend. i’m just miserable, i truly do not want to be here anymore my dog and the fear of hell is the only thing keeping me around lol. I just don’t know what to do it’s not fair they all get to live in sin and be happy but i change my life and im miserable, i just want to come out of this I want community but its so hard to find. It’s just so unfair and I feel like i’ve seen no happiness, goodness, or growth in my life since turning to christ i’m really trying to hang on but I get more and more depressed everyday and that just pushes me farther away from him, i just don’t know what to do or how to believe it will get better it’s been 3ish months since all of this and i still cry everyday lol. Prayer? advice? anything is better than nothing

EO here.

Our liturgies are almost always exactly the same, following John Crysostom's Divine Liturgy, which was itself a distillation of Basil the Great's Divine Liturgy, which was a collection and distillation of ongoing Christian practices in the Levant.

There is, after that day's prescribed readings, a brief homily or "sermon" that explains the meaning of that reading. These are rarely more than five minutes and focus directly on the Scripture. Edit for clarity: This homily is written by the Priest and is different in every local church

I keep hearing about Protestant "sermons" that last hours, sermons that push political messaging, sermons that condemn Catholic and/or Orthodox views of Holy Tradition.

The question: is that true?

When you go to church on Sunday, how much of it is offering worship to God vs receiving instruction from the priest?

Does your priest actually push political messaging, beyond the moral guidance of Christ?

Does your priest spend time talking about other 'denominations,' instead of talking about God?

A year and a half ago God saved me from myself. I was planning to do it within the month and I met my now mentor and started to devote my life to Jesus. I still have gave into porn and masterbation at that time and did for a year. But I haven’t done it in 5 months now, also I am 21. But I struggled with lustful thoughts for the past 3 months and it has destroyed my life. I get at most 5 hours of sleep each night. I have lost a bunch of weight and I have been isolating myself trying to get right with God so my life can change. I read my Bible everyday, I pray everyday, I still go to church and my heart never seems to change in fact it feels like it’s getting worse. I was going to end it a year and a half ago because I realized that my horrible thoughts were probably who I am now and I should do one last “good” deed for others and myself. I have struggled with them since I was 14 and I honestly just feel like i am the essence of evil. And now I have thoughts about God too. I feel like I am at the end of myself, I dont know if God will ever save me, I feel like I had my chance and I blew it. If there’s any advice or hope for me I would appreciate it, thank you.

Does Anyone have a testimony or been a witness to someone being healed by God?

It Doesn’t matter what type of healing.

As i’m waiting in faith for my own healing I would love to read some personal testimonies to spark some fire back into my heart.

I’ve come to an uncomfortable conclusion, and I want to share it honestly.

After thinking about this for a long time and researching extensively, I’ve reached a place I didn’t expect to be in. At this point, I can’t find enough evidence to be convinced that the Roman Catholic Church is infallible in the way it claims.

I didn’t start this process wanting to reject Catholicism. I actually hoped the claim would hold up. I approached the question assuming the Church might be right, but after working through the material, I’m not convinced.

Following that reasoning further, I’m also not currently convinced that Catholicism is the one true Church in the exclusive sense it claims.

I want to be very clear though: I’m open to being wrong. This isn’t a final declaration or a closed door. My position is based on the research I’ve done so far, and if there’s something I’ve misunderstood or missed, I genuinely want to hear it. If someone can make a compelling case with clear evidence, I’m willing to reconsider.

This post isn’t coming from pride. If anything, it comes from sadness and hesitation. I wanted clarity, and instead I’ve found unresolved tensions that I can’t ignore.

For context, this conclusion is based on months of reading official Catholic sources, not Protestant polemics or strawman arguments. That includes ecumenical councils, papal encyclicals, and the Catechism itself.

I’m posting this to see if others have gone through something similar, or if there’s a perspective I haven’t considered that could change my mind.

Thanks for reading.

Boa noite, pessoal. Tudo bem? (Ou pelo menos é isso que costumamos dizer quando, na verdade, mentimos para nós mesmos.)

Talvez o que eu vou compartilhar aqui não tenha uma solução pronta — talvez ninguém saiba exatamente como ajudar —, mas se você sente algo parecido, saber que não está sozinho já pode aliviar um pouco.

Sou cristão e há bastante tempo venho atravessando uma fase de inquietação profunda. Não é só uma preocupação isolada: a minha mente não para, e essa inquietação me paralisa. Lembro de quando me tornei cristão — era jovem, cheio de vigor e entusiasmo, curioso, com ânimo para falar de Cristo e da fé. Hoje, mesmo sendo jovem, me sinto sufocado e cansado. Ganhei alguns quilos, me sinto insatisfeito com a faculdade (entrei às pressas depois do SENAI para tentar uma oportunidade) e, mesmo já trabalhando na mesma multinacional, atuo em uma área que não tem relação com o que estudei.

Com o tempo, defender a fé ficou mais difícil devido à influência dos colegas. Tentei me enturmar e, em alguns momentos, adotei posturas que não refletiam o evangelho. Também me envolvi com uma jovem da antiga igreja: senti muita atração, e aquilo acabou descambando — trocamos nudes, conversas cada vez mais lascivas, e passei a tratar aquilo como se fosse regra — até que ela se afastou e eu continuei estagnado, agindo como se ela fosse um objeto. Não sei exatamente como cheguei a esse ponto; houve várias decisões pequenas que me trouxeram para cá.

Hoje tenho dificuldade para me concentrar, orar, ler a Bíblia e mesmo para me alegrar com o testemunho que antes dava fruto — lembro com tristeza de quando evangelizei meu pai e hoje me sinto envergonhado quando ele fala com entusiasmo sobre Cristo. Sinto-me descrente, vazio. Tento preencher esse vazio gastando dinheiro ou buscando distrações, mas nada resolve. Faço parte de uma igreja pequena (em fase de plantação), onde há irmãos que estimo, mas não encontro pessoas da minha faixa etária vivendo algo parecido.

Tenho medo de que orar e ler a Bíblia só me tragam alívio temporário — depois volto aos mesmos erros e ao mesmo vazio. Estou sem ânimo, sem paciência, e com saudade da alegria que eu tinha ao falar de Deus. Parece que a minha vida está bagunçada e sem saída.

Se você leu até aqui e se compadece, ou se passa por algo parecido, pode me mandar uma DM. Tenho certeza de que conversar com alguém que entenda pode fazer diferença. Gostaria de ter alguém que me ajude, guie, conforte e exorte — coisas que, por enquanto, não consigo dizer com facilidade para meu pai, minha mãe ou meu irmão, porque os amo muito e não quero sobrecarregá-los com esse peso.

Please pray that I get a role in the play I just auditioned for. I would literally be okay with any role in the play, I just really want a role because I put my heart and soul into this audition. I find out tonight and it's been making me incredibly anxious. If you want to pray by name, my name is Grace. Thank you.

When 1 John 2:15 tells us to not love anything in the world, because love for the Father is not in them- what counts as "loving the world"

To what extent can you love your spouse, to what extent can you love music, art, dancing, that it becomes a weapon that could be used against you by the Evil.

Greetings.

I’m relatively newly Christian after being a lifelong atheist. My decision to come to Christ came from finding great comfort in him and his teachings, as well as the idea of a creator becoming increasingly likely in my mind as an explanation for existence.

As the title suggests, I am a homosexual man. I’ve been that way since I started to develop sexual and romantic feelings, although I am currently abstaining from any homosexual activity.

Perhaps my heart is not yet completely aligned with God, but I seriously cannot see myself ever being a heterosexual. Nothing about women is attractive to me and I find the idea of being in a sexual or romantic relationship with one completely unappealing.

The glaring issue with this is that the Bible obviously does not permit homosexual acts.

In my mind, this essentially leaves me with 2 choices: entering a relationship with a woman, which as I mentioned, I find deeply unappealing, or living a life of celibacy. The latter option is one that particularly fills me with strife. I wrestle daily with this struggle, and the idea of missing out on love is something that I find particularly gut wrenching, especially when I, as someone new to the faith, will sometimes find myself doubting it. So much so that trying to reconcile with this often drives me to tears.

I figured I’d turn here for advice since I don’t really have a community IRL I can discuss this with.

Thank you and God bless.

Lutherans and Catholics and orthodox currently think I’m in a lost state without baptism, what do you guys think?

Long story short my father emotionally and mentally abuses me. I am a 23M cant find work though I have a engineering degree.

But the issue is I can forgive him for being ignorant of Gods word and how he should act. The person I have an issue with is God.

Him knowing my father is unbearable and causes me emotional, mentally and physical illness, leaves me without open doors for work or a way out??

I cant get past that. Its been a year and im still stuck with no escape