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Anonymous asked: I’ve been very strong in my faith, and I never thought it would ever waver, but my thoughts were wrong. I stopped reading my Bible and I stopped praying every day. I don’t know why, it just happened. I love God, and He changed so much in me. My life is still the same but He has given me so much hope, and He has been my strength. But lately, I’ve been having doubts. I don’t know why because there’s so much evidence of Him in my life. Please pray for me? It would mean so much to me.

Most Christian teens face something in their lives that causes them to doubt their faith. Whether it is listening to people of other faiths describe their beliefs or facing a tragedy, there are times when doubts arise. Questioning your faith is something everyone experiences, and if you can overcome that doubt your faith can come out stronger than before you even asked the questions. Yet, how do you overcome that doubt?

Understand the Doubt

First of all, remember that doubt is normal. Everyone has it from time to time. Yet, make sure you ask yourself where the doubt is coming from. Some people say that doubt comes from Satan. Maybe it does, but that simplifies the doubt to a point where it is easy to just let it fester. Get into the nitty gritty of why you are questioning your faith. Is it because something bad happened? Is it because someone else of a different faith believes so strongly, and you don’t think you are as passionate? Is it because God just seems so far away? Truly examine why you are doubting so you can face those circumstances head on.

Pray About It

So, once you understand why you doubt your faith, you can begin to do something about it. The easiest way to deal with it is to pray about it. Spend some time alone with God talking it out. Let Him know what you are facing and ask him to strengthen your faith. Even if it is hard to believe He is listening, because sometimes He feels so far away when we have doubts, He is there.

Ask for a Sign, but Don’t Expect One

Sometimes, and not always, it can help to ask God to give you a sign he exists. Yet, be prepared that He may not do it. Gideon asked for a sign in Judges 6, and he got it. However, signs are sometimes more subtle and we miss them. Also, sometimes God just wants our unconditional faith. It may just be helpful to look at the everyday signs that God is with us. They can be called “everyday miracles,” like a helping hand or the sun shining in the sky. Sometimes we don’t have to ask for signs, because they surround us everywhere.

Talk to Someone About It

This action can be very difficult for many Christian teens, because they fear the judgement of those around them. We may not want to talk to other believers, because we fear they will think less of us for our doubts. On the other hand, we don’t want to talk to non-believers, because we fear we will only cause them to doubt more. However, most youth leaders and parents have had their own doubts from time to time and may be more understanding than you think. They can talk to you about your doubts, point you in directions that may help ease them, and even help you continue to grow in your faith as you overcome those doubts.

Do Your Research

If talking is not your thing, then you may look into doing some research in order to quell the questions running through your mind. The Bible is a great place to start. Look up scripture about things you question. If you still have doubts, look at books, podcasts, articles, and lectures that address what you need to know. While none of those things may answer your questions definitively, they can help guide you toward your own answers. In the end, faith is still a matter of believing in something you cannot see. So, sometimes it is just a matter of overcoming the doubt by realizing you may not see what you think you want to see, but that you just have to have faith that one day God will show you.

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THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS
For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever
You’re doing and take this opportunity! Let’s see if Satan
Can stop this.

… … … … THE
(SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS

At the age of 33,
Jesus was condemned to death .

At the time
Crucifixion was the “worst” death. Only the worst
Criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was
Even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike
Other criminals condemned to death by
Crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the
Cross by His hands and feet.

Each nail
Was 6 to 8 inches long.

The nails
Were driven into His wrist. Not
Into His palms as is commonly
Portrayed. There’s a tendon in the wrist that
Extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew
That when the nails were being hammered into the
Wrist that tendon would tear and
Break, forcing Jesus to use His back
Muscles to support himself so that He could
Breath.

Both of His feet
Were nailed together. Thus He was forced to
Support Himself on the single nail that
Impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could
Not support himself with His legs because of the pain
So He was forced to alternate between arching His
Back then using his legs just to continue to
Breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the
Suffering, the courage.

Jesus endured this
Reality for over 3 hours.

Yes,
Over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of
Suffering? A few minutes before He died,
Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water
From his wounds.

From common images
We see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound
To His side… But do we realize His wounds
Were actually made in his body. A hammer
Driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped
And an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a
Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But
Before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and
Beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the
Flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His
Face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The
Crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men
Would not have survived this torture.

”

He had no more blood
To bleed out, only water poured from His
Wounds.
The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters
(just less than a gallon) of blood.

Jesus poured all 3.5
Liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His
Members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond
That, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His
Chest..

All these without
Mentioning the humiliation He suffered after carrying His own
Cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his
Face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight,
Only for its higher part, where His hands were
Nailed).

Jesus had
To endure this experience, to open the
Gates of Heaven,
So that you can have free
Access to God.

So that your sins
Could be “washed” away. All of them, with no exception!
Don’t ignore this situation.

JESUS
CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!

He died for you! It
Is easy to pass jokes or foolish photos by e-mail, but
When it comes to God, sometimes you feel ashamed to forward
To others because you are worried of what they may think
About you.

God
Has plans for you, show all your friends what He experienced
To save you. Now think about this! May God bless your
Life!

60
Seconds with God…

For the next 60
Seconds, set aside what you’re doing and take
This opportunity! Let’s see if Satan can stop
This.

All you have to do
Is:

1. Simply
Pray for the person who sent this message to
You:

2.Then, send this
Message to people.. The more the better.

3. People will
Pray for you and you will make that many people pray to God
For other people.

4. Take a
Moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, for
Doing what pleases Him.

If you are not
Ashamed to do this, please, follow Jesus’ instructions.
He said (Matthew 10:32 & 33): “Everyone therefore
Who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge
before My Father in heaven; but whosoever denies Me
before others, I will deny before my Father in heaven.