Is God someone you know and believe in? Or is he a living and real God in our lives. Do we pray and hope God will answer prayer , or does he really answer. Can we live our lives any way we want with a attachment of good works, or do we believe we should followw him wholly and obey him.

Is the bible a good book and hard to understand or do we have the Holy Spirit teach us and reveal it to us.

if you don't know him as more than just a belief you are missing out on everything. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be like a well of water in Jn. 4: the woman knew Jesus face to face, but we can know him daily if we have his Spirit in us. I feel his presence and hear his speaking to me almost every day. His bible also is the means he does this but also he speaks in my inner person. I am not the only one this is happening to, but it is normal for a true believer. may God's love show you this.

Indeed a genuine belief in God requires a change in one's life as s/he is developed to be more like Christ - 2 Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

If a person only has head knowledge but does not follow Christ that it's no better than James 2: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

God certainly answers prayers though not always in the way we would expect. We are finite in our understanding of God's plan. It is important that we do not pray amiss. James 5: 16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The Holy Spirit will teach us in accordance with the God's word John 14:26 and never contrary to it. For God is not the author of confusion 1 Corinthians 14:33

I thank you for your post coathanger. The idea behind the post here was to challenge brethren to search heart to see if they have that wonderful relationship with Jesus and not the educated view. I stand amazed at the priviledge we can have by having the Holy Spirit in us teaching us about our God. So many have not had the wonderful experience of having him talk to them. It is as normal as having a person standing in front of you. Just reading today about Jacob and how he stands in front of the man who says ---he saw God face to face. As we read that we see him talking and receiving talk with him.

If anything could be more impressive , we see him change the man Jacob's name. That would get anybodies thinking moving. A man's name means alot. Jacob even is so moved he gives a name to the place of Peniel. Which means face of God. He didn't know at that time how great the name of God would be that had that wonderful face.

Here is a perseption that came tied in from something yesterday. We saw a face---Peniel.--- then what if we add eyes? Jacob is looking at the face in a forward manner. Then we have a wrestle. that means Jacob was very close to that face. close enough probably to see into the eyes. We can see more than he( may have saw. ) In the center of that eye is the apple. Deut. 32:9-10

v.9 is talking about God's people and here instead of saying Israel it is Jacob. v.10 God was so much with him that he kept him as the apple of his eye. Even protected him from his brother Esau. If we are grafted in to the tree , and we are we are also under that face of God's presence which beholds us as the apple of God's all seeing eye..

Truly God is the one who gave this to share. I was just doing the listening.

Dear brodayv9, tt is important that we realise that God does not appear to us in bodily form at this time as he did for Jacob under a different dispensation and for a different purpose. Instead, He has given us the holy spirit who talks to us through God's word the bible. Christians have a relationship with God even though they cannot see His face literally at this time. Secondly, I have heard of brethren who are convinced the holy spirit talked to them and gave advice that was contradictory to God's word the bible. God will not contradict himself.

As with the church at Corinth: 2 Corinthians 13: 5 - 6 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you —unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.

You are a blessed soul...

God is spirit...God is the power...He is the Almighty...Gods love for you and every soul is eternal and very powerful...In these dark times it is hard for many people to find, to search or see the light...But God knows...

Jesus the Christ of this Earth was God's powerful love wrapped in human flesh...He was the only person to have the complete Christ on this earth...There were many great prophets and great people on earth that taught many things and made many religions...But god said he will send one that is the true Christ...God on earth...He was our proof that humans can reach the Christ and the light...The Christ is in every human soul...You can basically say its the battery that drives our soul...But the light of it cant shine through or it is so dimmed that people dont know that its there...But from the sin, and the things we hold to our heart...The Christ can never shine in and make his self at home...But i tell you be strong...Stay positive and faithful...And when one searches for the light...It may seem sometimes that the path gets more thorny and there for can weaken you...I tell you be strong...And stay faithful even through your toughess times...Search for the light and stay on the path...

[edit: removed links by Chad...no links allowed]

I just wish people would back up their statements with scripture.

John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

As we can see, mankind did not reach for Christ. Quite the contrary. It was Christ who reached for us. Christ also is NOT in every human soul. The Holy spirit only comes to live in us when we believe in Christ.

If you are not a believer then Matthew 7: 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

We really have it better. the Christ in you the hope of glory is a true thing not just a scriptural statement. Jesus lives inside of us and doesn't need to come in bodily form. He has come to people before bodily. If you search you can find that by the Betty Baxter story. millions of people in her age and time came to see her healing. She was healed by Jesus personal visit on a specific date.

It is strange if Jesus can literally live inside of us---he is the personality of a triune God---God is not divided. So when Holy Spirit is in us for real and Jesus also, then we can hear him speak. millions of Christians through the ages have heard him speak. Most important though is to know the devil and his spirits speak to.

think about it----Holy Spirit or demon spirit. nobody will ever say they don't hear demon spirits. Of coarse many don't believe in demon spirits. I am talking to those who do. We have much scriptural proof demons speak through people. So it seems strange to say God's Spirit can't speak.

I have never seen Jesus personally but hear Holy Spirit talk to me very often. One basis is that he requires me to obey his word. His word is only knowledge to me. It takes wisdom to apply knowledge. That wisdom comes from God. Jam. 1:5 wisdom has to be told to us, we didn't acquire it. The wisdom of the world is foolishness.

I hope you understand I am sharing with you and not arguing. I learned all I possess by prayer or good teaching. Before I was born again I was a bonfied fool. I had to learn all by the bible. Wisdom to do the bible took God's help by the Spirit. It says in Jn. 16:13 Holy Spirit will guide to -----all truth----. he will speak. see also Jn.10:27 my sheep hear my voice.