I can recount the feeling I had after accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior as well as being Baptized. There are even seasons in my life where I feel closer to the Lord than I do at present. I am a fairly new believer, I know peers who read the Bible daily, who pray consistently, and generally are just shining beacons to those around them. I want to be like that but I just do not know how. Do I start somewhere in the Bible and just begin reading? When I pray, should I be asking something specifically here? I apologize for such questions but I appreciate your time in answering them!

Have you ever done an article on what it means to pick up and carry your cross daily as the Lord commands us to do? I have not really understood what this means.

I was wondering if you believe that God enters into our suffering as well as having already suffered for our sins? If so, do you know how He does this? Does He feel our current pain and/or anguish right along with us, or is it a type of suffering that I might have with a friend, more like compassion?

If we are to share the Gospel with others, then what did the Lord mean when he said, “Give not what is Holy to dogs, nor cast not your pearls before swine.”? Are we supposed to discern who to share with? I always thought we were to be witnesses to all we meet in life. What did the Lord mean by this?

I was recently accused of character flaws at work. One was talking harshly to people and another was demonstrating a poor work ethic. I have felt conflicted about how to respond in my heart to such criticism. How can I discern whether this is Satan accusing me and causing me to feel guilty or whether it is God convicting me of sin? I have asked God to forgive me if I was wrong in any way. Still, I can’t seem to answer the question: Is this Satan attacking me or God trying to teach me? How can we as Christians tell the difference?

By your understanding of God’s Word, is just getting by the way God wants you to live? By that standard then, God’s blessing of Job with more material things after his ordeal was not a blessing but a curse. Same with Abraham and Jacob and Boaz and David et., etc. And Gods word to Aaron that he was free to loot his victims of their gold and silver in a number of cases, why would He encourage taking these items? And is it not wise to have savings for an emergency? If so, how much or how little is the correct amount?

Like you, I believe in my heart that the rapture is very near. While I know that the best of this life cannot begin to compare with what the Lord has prepared for us, and am excited about His soon return, I find myself at the same time depressed over the wasted time, misplaced priorities, squandered opportunities, and endless sins of my life. Since there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, are my feelings evidence that I am not even saved?

I was having a discussion with someone who believes that when you are born again, God only forgives you for your past sins before you were born again and not your future sins. Is there a scripture that says or implies specifically that Jesus died for our future sins after being born again?

I notice that when you mention 1 Cor. 2:9 you never put it in the context of the following verse. I think it changes the meaning when you do. I’m probably wrong but just wondered. What do you think?

What happens to people who are caught up in a particular sin, that maybe down inside they don’t want to do, but it seems they can’t stop. They still believe with all their heart that Jesus paid the price for their sins. Are they still saved?