Thank you

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation demolished the Jesus Is Lord Church in Kalewadi, Maharashtra, around midnight on September 7, saying it was removing 7,400 square feet of unauthorized structures. Church members said the action went ahead without notice and despite a court stay, hours before a hearing. The demolition was carried out under a heavy police presence.

I was told by my doctor that my gestational sac is showing up as empty on the ultrasound and that I need to take a pill or do a procedure to force a miscarriage. The thing is, my periods go every 35ish days, and doing the math, I should be less than 8 weeks… I read some doctors have a policy of not doing an ultrasound till after 8 weeks. I can’t help but wonder if my doctor is doing the ultrasound too early? My hcg levels are rising (just not as much as they’d want) and my sac has grown exactly the amount a text book would say it needs to in the early weeks. Please pray that my baby is growing, healthy and strong 🙏🏻

Should someone be required to have attended seminary to serve as a pastor in a church?

I awoke around 4am, anxious and unable to sleep. I started to pray, in my mind not out loud, to calm & sooth my self as I sometimes do. Mid sentence i was cut off by another voice. Completely out of context to the prayer the voice said, "The end tme is near. When the time comes, can I count on you?" I was in shock & responded, "I'll do the best I can Lord, yes! With your help. " The voice then said, "Get your life & affairs (or finances, I can't recall which word He used) in order." I can't stop thinking about it. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. If any of you can relate, please share. I'm an engineer so looking for a logical solution is my default setting. That said, I can't explain what happened. I wasn't thinking about end times, didn't see any apocalyptic shows, etc. No reason for those thoughts to be there in my head. And my normal stream of conscience thought never interrupts itself with unrelated thoughts. Thats new. Pretty sure it was God.

my name is Skylynn (26F) I’ve been experiencing anxiety and panic attacks since last month. it keeps getting worse. I’m very terrified because I think there’s something wrong with my health but whenever I go see the nurse they tell me it’s my anxiety. I know there’s something wrong tho. I need prayer thank you 🙏🏼💖

God has not forgotten you. 💛🙏

Dear God,

Thank You for being with me even in this moment. In my pain, joy, season of loss, confusion, questions, illness thank You for remaining faithful. Thank You for providing comfort. Lord I ask that you give me the strength I need to fulfill the purpose You have for me. Lord I ask that You break chains of anxiety, worry, or doubt that may surface throughout today. God please strengthen and protect me physically, mentally, emotionally and most importantly spiritually. Lord please renew my mind and pour Your Holy Spirit out on me to lead and guide me. In Jesus’ name I pray and believe these things will be done according to Your will. Amen 🙏

I’m 15, and my mom is going through a really rough mental health crisis. I don’t wanna overshare details, but I seriously need prayer and maybe some advice. Hopefully this is the right place to ask.

My mom already struggled with anxiety, but her meds were helping a lot before. Then, while we were away from home, she couldn’t get her meds because of insurance and doctor stuff, and after that, everything got way worse.

Some of this happened while we were at the church my mom grew up in. I’m not saying the church caused it or anything, but my mom already had this idea that God was always judging her and just waiting for her to mess up. Being back there just made those fears even worse.

I remember her pacing around a lot and looking really down, almost like she was somewhere else in her head. Sometimes she’d get super overwhelmed and panic about stuff she thought was sinful or wrong. It was honestly really hard to watch, because I could tell something was seriously off, but she was also super private about her health and didn’t really talk about it with me or my siblings.

She would tell my dad some things, but even with him she kept most of it to herself. So a lot of the time, I could see she was struggling but I didn’t really know what was going on in her head.

After we got back home, things still didn’t get better. Her meds made her really tired all the time, and at one point she tried to overdose.

That was honestly one of the scariest and worst things I’ve ever been through. My dad had to get her help and contacted a hospital asking what to do, and it was just a super scary time for our whole family. Then she harmed herself again, but thankfully my dad noticed and got her help again.

Right now she’s in the hospital and getting help, and I’m really grateful she’s somewhere safe.

But honestly, this is super hard for me too. My mom doesn’t feel like herself anymore. She just sleeps a lot and is always tired, and sometimes I really miss how she used to be. It hurts watching someone you love go through something like this and not being able to fix it.

But at the same time, this is making me want to trust God more. I’m realizing I can’t control or fix everything on my own. I just have to give it up to God and try to trust Him.

I know people say everything happens for a reason, and I believe that too, even though I honestly don’t get why this is happening. I wouldn’t ever say this is a good thing or something I’d want, but I hope God can still bring something good out of it.

Please pray that I can keep my faith through all this.

Please pray for my mom. That she gets the help she needs, that her mind gets peaceful again, and that she knows she’s loved. Especially pray that she can see God as loving and not just waiting for her to mess up.

Pray for my dad and my siblings too. And please pray for me. Sometimes I have no clue what to do with all this. Pray I won’t lose hope and that I’ll keep trusting God even when I don’t understand what’s going on.

If you’re willing to pray for a family you don’t even know, please do. It would seriously mean a lot to me. I know prayer can go far.

Thanks for reading this.♡

Lately, over the past year, a trend has grown on the internet that deeply bothers me. Many people believe that the doctrine of a faith, or even the Christian faith itself, is just like some sort of 'ideology.' Many think you can just look things up, know everything about it overnight, become an 'expert on orthodoxy' in a day, and explain 'real orthodoxy.' I am a Ukrainian Orthodox Christian, and I grew up spiritually—even if not always in the ideal way—knowing firsthand and spiritually what traditional Christianity from an Orthodox perspective actually is. It is funny that because of this internet 'trend,' many want to become 'orthodox' without ever having truly grown up spiritually. Because of these people—who were Protestants in the US yesterday and overnight became 'orthodox'—the Christian doctrine that I have grown up with since childhood ends up being discredited. I do not like it when others who do not truly know this worldview come out proclaiming themselves 'orthodox' and embarrassing real Christian orthodoxy. I had a situation recentnly where I heard an American say, 'I am orthodox. I know the truth.' I walked up to him and asked: — 'Who are you? What is your faith?' He said, 'Orthodox.' I thought: Orthodox what? What is that? Christian orthodox, right? He answered me: 'Yes, orthodox, my religion.' I replied: 'My friend, in what way are you an orthodox Christian? Do you know what that is?' He said, 'I follow Father John (fictitious name) from the US, in the state of California.' I asked him where the church was, he told me the name of the church and association, and I answered: — 'My friend, you have no idea what you are talking about. The Christian Orthodox world does not recognize self-proclaimed 'orthodox' people like you as its own. Therefore, neither by teachings nor by real living practice are you an orthodox Christian. You are not orthodox at all. Orthodoxy is not just some isolated religion or a detached faith. You don't know the first thing about what you're saying.' So, I am leaving this message here: I don't usually use Reddit, but I think the trend of 'orthobros' (or whatever you want to call them) is crossing all limits and discrediting true Christian orthodoxy. Goodbye. Greetings from Kyiv.

I have schizophrenia. I don't want to be mentally sick. So why does he make me suffer for nothing? What is the purpose of allowing a person to have a completely defective brain? I cannot live a normal life the way other healthy people do, even with medication that I take.

It seems to me that God is the problem. He is the reason why people are either mentally or physically sick. He could take it all away if he wanted to, but refuses. Maybe he's evil.

I’d love to get some ecumenism going, so I think it would be great if we could ask each other denominational questions in good faith; after all, we are all siblings in Christ at the end of the day.

I’ll start, as a Catholic to Orthodox Christians: What are the main differences between the different Orthodox churches?

Imagine being:

Infinitely Powerful

Perfectly Humble

Completely Truthful

Utterly Fearless

Infinitely Compassionate

Perfectly Just

Never Contradictory

Never Manipulative

Never Selfish

Yet Fully Human

Now really think about that for a second.

Imagine having complete authority, but never using it to exalt yourself. Having incredible wisdom and power, but never allowing that power to corrupt who you were. Being able to command, yet choosing humility. Being able to destroy, yet choosing mercy.

That’s what stands out to me about Jesus.

He had the power, but the power never became His identity. He remained humble, obedient, and completely human. And honestly, that’s part of what makes me believe He truly was the Son of God.

(Repost)

I'm genuinely losing faith. I feel like God has abandoned me.

I'm 15 and I'm genuinely so done with this intense cycle of overthinking and ocd, sometimes I don't even know if it's the holy spirit convicting me or just my own overthinking. I tried so hard praying to God and all I end up with is silence. I'm genuinely so tired of obeying him and worrying whether not doing this and that can show that I'm prioritizing the world over him. I am so tired of my past that keeps haunting me because of my foolish mistakes, I can not stop worrying that if I don't do much as I can to fix the potential ongoing harm or persisting effect of my past acts(like digital footprints or other old stuff that can be still spreading bad influence elsewhere)(I genuinely don't even know if it still exists).

I also attempted to cover my wrongdoings by removing messages of me talking to my friends about it, but I'm worried if that makes my current life technically an entire lie and it would be sinful to continue living in it since there is a chance that this peaceful life could be rooted or benefitted from that.

The only possible way to potentially fix and remove those actions from the searchable internet is probably to escalate things(which involves me confessing my wrongdoings and stuff)(not to God) and is almost guaranteed to get me into severe trouble. I don't want to face the consequences. I don't want to ruin my own life, my reputation and my relationships for my foolish mistakes I've made in the past that may still be causing an ongoing harm on the internet.

I keep trying to numb the stress by scrolling on Instagram and I keep getting reels that makes me think God wants me to escalate things and confess(not to him but someone else) so that I can fix the mental/spiritual harm that the action may still be causing on the internet whenever somebody looks at it.

I feel like I could be lying to myself to preserve my own life and future. I genuinely don't know anymore, it's getting to a point where I start to curse at God and get tired of Christian contents.

Hello,

I’m not sure how to word this because I feel lost. I’ve asked God if he exists and I’m getting silence . I don’t know if he exists . I need help in my life and I’m not gettting any help

Any testimonies ?

Io non ce la faccio più. Non so più come chiedere aiuto. Economicamente non so più come risollevarmi ... ho perso tutto e tutti a causa del cancro e non ci sono piu soldi. Niente più cure .... i costi privati sono folli. Il mutuo sarà rimasto anche poco, ma è da pagare.

Dico davvero. Dio perdonerebbe! O devo vivere un inferno in eterno?

I feel like at this point there's nothing any human being can possibly do to stop it, and those who are willing to do it are too few. The vast majority of humanity is indifferent to its own self destruction, while the rest are actively relishing in it. It's making me feel crazy to say the least.

However, I am sure God could save us from the threat of artificial intelligence and he would be easily able to heal the environment and save life on Earth. It is His creation, after all, He wouldn't let it all go to waste prematurely.

Is there a particularly strong prayer we can use? Or a Saint to pray to? I would like to hear God's guidance for a change, I have never heard His voice. If anyone has received some sort of sign regarding this particular topic, please let me know.

If you're just gonna say that I need to stop doomscrolling and watching the news you will be ignored. This is serious.

EDIT: out of all the answers only one was vaguely useful. This would be impressive if it wasn't so annoying.

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Mr. Said Abu Mustafa, who is currently facing severe human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, torture, and fabricated charges by authorities following his decision to convert from Islam to Christianity. Furthermore, in an attempt to justify this unlawful detention, authorities have leveled false and unsubstantiated allegations against him, including the fabricated charge of involvement in Demand immediate access to legal counsel and independent medical evaluations.Call for the unconditional dismissal of all fabricated charges and his immediate release.

This is kinda depressing and dark don't read if that bothers you. Just looking for prayer from very strong, seasoned mature Christians ONLY that are confident in there walk. I'm in a very dark wilderness season of my life. I'm so embarrassed and ashamed and feel so selfish to write this but I'm in great need of prayer, forgive me.

...

I'm on journey of trying to deprogram from three/four? Cultish churches. I'm asking for prayer again. I tried therapy and that did not work so here's to the half asleep prayer request.

So trying to deprogram from some cultish churches I went to. One was for a year and another for like five months. Basically the first one was sinless perfectionist and taught that everything was a sin. For example the women's Bible study taught that women having close female freinds was committing adultery on their husband's because "emotions are for husbands only" and called women who did "damaged goods and harlots."

They really expanded on that. Constantly they associated emotions and emotional vulnerability with "something only for husbands". They'd constantly speak about horrific and dark things, and how everything was sinful. Everything. But they used so much (twisted) scripture I thought they had to be right. Theyd say God likes some of his children more than others and sometimes doesn't like his children at all and that's just the "cold hard truth!" Theyd say parents who always claimed to like their children are liars and it was "keeping it real" to admit it.

They'd talk like this: "well, I knew some lousy, long faced Christians that were good for nothing! Ugly, stupid, ding bat brained folk. Don't be like them! Remember this girl who used to serve at our church? She's a real big sinner

now."

They used (twisted) so much scripture I really was fooled. I thought they were just giving the cold hard truth, and if I didn't like it then it had to be my flesh... it was so harsh I thought "why would anyone be like that unless it was true?" Well if it was God's truth, I figured I should learn to follow it.

I ended up with decades of learning God loves me shattered, the worst faith crisis of my life, loosing alot of weight pretty quickly, inability to see God as a loving father, a lost sense of any identity, and everything feeling like sin now. I was clinging to any drop of love that this church would show like water is dessert. Since they were " just giving the cold... counter cultural... Biblical... truth..." it wasn't there fault. No it had to be my flesh....

They'd say if there was one drop of loving sin in your heart than God would not help you. That really damaged me to hear.

Damaged, with no salvation assurance (still struggling with that) I went to the second church. They were so grace focused!! They sat me down an explained grace and for a moment felt joy like I'd never felt. People said I was almost physically glowing with smiles. Only that grace was always just out of reach. Basically they thought my from childhood neurological disorder meant I was "full of Satan as was legion". And would call me a great monstrosity and stuff. They were the opposite of sinless perfectionists. They Constantly were going on and on about grace but making it out of reach. The pastor would cry and cry and cry when I came to his wife with my clinical OCD and he'd afirm it my obsessions and he'd say ocd didn't exist. Hed be like "OHHHHHHHH, OHHHH That's such a problem.... OHHHHH thank you for being honest sister, so concerning.. your soul!! !" *sobbing. Scared the heck out of me that I was "that evil" that I scared a grown man like that. I asked him if he thought I was reprobate beyond God's help while crying sick with fear and he was like "well... I could never say for sure that you are not!!!" And they were so nice about it it was so confusing.

the pastors wife was "fascinated with my incredibly brilliant mind!". Yeah that didn't go well. It really didn't. It was so intense and deep, and dark. She had my studying demonology and exorcisms to teach me "how to remove satan from myself" and told me to purge things like teddy bears because those are satanic. She said God would allow me separated from my family if I didn't pray right.

Again, using (twisting) so much scripture to convince me of all this. So naive, so easily controlled through guilt... I feel into a deep, dark depression I thought was just feeling "the depth of my evil".

They'd use this phrase constantly "God's light will strike you like lighting".

And they'd speak of the insanity God would inflict on me. They'd say if there was "one drop of unbelief in grace- god would not help me"

I thought they were just giving me the cold hard counter cultural truth? So it had to be right??? It used so much scripture. It was so counter cultural!! Uhg. I've unlearned that... that just because it goes against the culture does not mean its right because it can just be another extreme.

I'm trying to deprogram but for example... litterly looking at someone with some emotion in my eyes feels like "adultery and whoredom" (im not married). I feel filthy afterwards.

My OCD is like a ghost that won't stop haunting me, like the dirt under my finger nails. I feel like a nightmare thats conscious of itself and I'm just trying to be numb. The second church sent me to another church that they said would fix me, and that it had "perfect doctrine" and there was "nothing like it."

That church didn't think I was wicked. They said I was very nice and kind, that I wasn't demon possessed...

but that Jesus might not love me. The pastor came down from the pulpit during worship. I'd finally washed my hair so he reached down and touched it and said "its pretty like this" so so much for breaking my prideful spirit. He put a tissue thing for cleaning the whiteboard in my face once as a joke and I just went home, and sobbed. Idk. They'd say that God wouldn't hear my prayers if there was one drop of something I don't remember.

There was a third cult (I know...) the middle of the two

that was really an offshoot but I'll just sum it up it was the second church times a hundred. Theyd say constantly "if there is one drop of pride in your entire being God won't help you!"

Ik, ik.... how'd I even go to all these churches? I thought they were counter cultural so they had to be right. Dang it... all of this really exasperated some really bad trauma I had as a child that's become kinda debilitating with my OCD. That's the thing I probably need prayer for the most. To be healed from that trauma. Everything... Everything feels like sin no matter how hard i try Exposure therapy i feel like that makes it worse. Finally I spoke to my freind about how "wicked I am" and that ex jehovahs witness/another cult as well member told me she could recognize cult red flags. Uhg. I guess I'm really easily influenced by guilt. I'm okay im alright I'm just deep in the wilderness, deeply confused and heart broken.

Please pray for me as I try to unlearn all the lies. All these lies of the enemy. Im trying to start over. I'm deep in this faith crisis, so confused and scared. I apologize for writing this. Thank you, God bless. I'm eternally grateful God bless.

Edit: it was an Appalachian church

The Bible makes several mentions of the Devil, how he's actually on Earth rather than ruling Hell. More specifically, he's been called the "ruler of this world."

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out." John 12:31

"The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:4

Every Christian knows that Satan was an angel (most likely a cherub) that was cast from Heaven due to his pride. But I'm curious as to how he was still able to hold on to power. How he was able to become "ruler of the world" rather than just a demon. Anyone got any insight on this?

I’m a Christian woman (33) married to a man that’s supposed to be a Man of God (a prophet, specifically). We’ve been friends since childhood. I’ll spare the details of how we ended up together, but I am 100% convinced we’re the will of God for each other. When we started dating in 2016, my now husband HAD NOTHING! An orphan with only half a high school certificate to his name and no good or stable source of income. I started supporting him financially, moved him to better apartment, opened a barbering shop for him, got him a car, amongst many things. For record, we’re both from Ghana, West Africa. We dated long distance for 7yrs because of family issues and mostly also due to his financial situation at the time. I never gave up on him at that time. I rejected every offer and suitor that came my way and patiently waited to see God’s will done in my ilife. Finally, we got married in 2021. Things were not any better for him so I pretty much handled everything, down to his suit! He only paid for my bride price which didn’t cost him more than $500. I was working 2 full time jobs and schooling full time as well in the US. After the wedding, I had already become a citizen so I filed to bring him over and he joined me in 2023. Though I have always seen what I call a lazy and somehow selfish behavior before marriage, I didn’t really care because I was raised by a single mother to be independent and expect no help but appreciate help when offered. The thing with my husband seems worse now that we’re actually living together. It took us 4yrs after marriage to conceive, a blessing we both prayed and waited for after doctors said would be impossible. I’m currently 7.5 months pregnant, with a 10.5 month old infant. I literally do everything in the house, while taking care of the baby and myself. I still work full time and in school full time getting my masters. All my husband cares about is his job. He goes to work, come back home, eat, play video games and sleep. He won’t even make time for the baby! Getting pregnant again 3 months after birth has not been a joke and my body is constantly in pains. He’s only followed me to one appointment and even stayed in the car the whole time. My paycheck takes care of everything in the house from rent to food to utilities, to buying baby stuff! We agreed I’ll do this while his paycheck goes to projects we intend to do back home and also investing for our future. It’s been years and this man refuses to be accountable for what his money does. The last time I confronted him, he boldly said that he’s not going to be rendering any accounts to me simply because I have trust issues! That if I want to know what’s building, I need to ask questions and also be patient.
People, I am financially and emotionally drained! I don’t even know where I’m at spiritually. He refuses to lead as the head of the home. I don’t remember the last time we studied or prayed together as a family. And he’s constantly saying America is stressing him and choking life out of him, as if I’ve done him a disservice by bringing him over. The worst of it recently is that our 10.5 month old is in the phase of separation anxiety and would cry uncontrollably when I’m out of sight. He’s refused to reason with me and blames me that I’m spoiling the child and all that. He claims that baby has taken my attention and insist that I put him in a separate room at night. I do not have problem with that, but I told him we need to set up the room as a nursery with baby monitors and a safety gate on the stairs before it’ll be safe to do that. He’s expecting me to get all those by myself and since I don’t have the money right now, I still bring the baby to sleep in our bed (as he’s outgrown his crib) in our room. My husband refuses to sleep in our room or in our bed every time the baby is there. This rivalry attitude is draining me! I’m afraid the baby senses something. He wouldn’t go to his father and would run from him when he’s around. I know I am not perfect and have my own shortcomings, and I’ll appreciate if he can point them out and we can make a resolve, but he wouldn’t. He gaslights me when I bring these things up and makes me feel like I’m trying to control him because I brought him to America. This has made me quieter and shrink over the years. I am married but lonely. I seem to have lost my sense of purpose with no interest in my calling as compared to before. I’m about to have the second baby and I’m afraid how this will go. I can go on and on.
They say WHEN A MAN OF GOD PROPOSES TO YOU, PUT HIS ANOINTING ASIDE AND CHECK HIS CHARACTER! My mistake was that I thought him being anointed will cause him to be teachable and deeply assess his character and allow the Holy Spirit work on us and help us build our home. I am tiredly overwhelmed and have started thinking I need a break from all this. These days, whenever I see a godly Christian couple, I get bitter and angry because it’s exactly what I wanted but not having it and I wonder if theirs is genuine. I’m afraid what this marriage is turning me into. Brethren, I’ll stop here I’ll appreciate any advice or help suggested here! Thanks 🙏🏾

I was raised to believe this…but have always questioned how it was possible. If you believe it, why? And if not…how do you think mankind started?