So i made a deal with God...

[deblldo]

Hi All,

For those who want to searc my few posts on here you will see that i have been baptist for 16 years of my life, the past 2 years i have been searching, questioning doctrines i have been taught etc etc. I have visited a few different churches, including pentecostal, catholic, methodist. I have studied with Jehovahs wittness'. I also studied with lds missionaries for about 6 months. I loved the study and most of it made sense to me, there were a few issue's i struggled with, but i decided to visit the church. This was when i decided becoming a lds was not for me, i just didnt feel comfortable in the service, wasnt what i was used to . I also so suffered big opposition from my family and friends and didnt know enough to defend my new church, so i decided it would be easier to stay in the "family" church. This all happened last year.

So i didnt study it or read my Bom any more and concentrated on my bible. But i cant seem to leave the Lds faith alone, i secretly read my Bom at night, i am always on these types of forums reading and learning. Im so confused. There are things i dont agree or understand in your faith yet i seem to be hooked, yet to join your church doesnt exactly thrill me either (sorry i dont mean to be disrespectful, the people were lovley i just felt so alone).

So back on topic i prayed to God and because i have just moved house, i said "If Lds missionaries visit my neigbourhood this week , then i will take this as a sign from you that tis is the church you want me to be in". Do you think thats fair? Or am i losing my mind, any way its friday tomorrow so not long left.

any advice you can give will be appreciated.

deb

[Honor]

I'd be careful in situations when you're asking God for a sign. I think most times our Heavenly Father would like to communicate with us through prayer, study, and personal revelation. His spirit speaks to our hearts in a way that is more clear and personal than a sign. If missionaries don't show up, will you take it as a sign that it is not the true gospel? So often in life I think of my Heavenly Father watching me and, like a loving parent, shaking his head and smiling as I try to pretend like I know better than He, in the decisions I make. Often times those experiences come with disappointment, but now in hindsight, I can see that He knew it's what I needed to overcome my pride and to turn in humility back to Him instead of leaning on my own understanding or my own personal wants.

HOWEVER, this is a personal matter, between you and God. You set the terms of the deal. I guess what I think you need confirmation of, is if God agreed to the deal as well. When God makes a promise, he fulfills it, although most of the time it is usually action on our part that - a demonstration of our decision and faith, that brings about the confirmation from Him.

I sincerely hope that you find what you're looking for. I know that God has power to do all things. His power has worked miracles MUCH greater than missionaries being in the right place at the right time. He CAN do this. Just don't miss all the other ways that He might be trying to communicate with you because you're looking for two white shirts to come walking up to your door. He sure seems to like to answer my prayers in the way that I least expect it.

[beefche]

Ditto to what Honor said.

But just in case someone wants to give God a nudge....what's your new address?

[EruditioSalvatus]

When it comes to signs and divine powers things can be tricky, or even amusing. I mean, look at moses' situation -god came to him as a burning bush. Pretty sure that of things that god would show up as a burning bush wasn't on moses' mental list.
On another amusing note, I recently passed by a church (of where there are scores and scores of) that was being renovated. It had one of those shiny new signs that you could put messages in and, what do you know, it had a message on it:

"If you're looking for a sign from god, this may be it."

[pam]

It's funny. I was reading D&C this morning and the very scriptures that I read about were concerning signs.

D&C 63:7-12
7 And he that seeketh signs shall see signs, but not unto salvation.
8 Verily, I say unto you, there are those among you who seek signs, and there have been such even from the beginning;

9 But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.

10 Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God.

11 Yea, signs come by faith, unto mighty works, for without faith no man pleaseth God; and with whom God is angry he is not well pleased; wherefore, unto such he showeth no signs, only in wrath unto their condemnation.

12 Wherefore, I, the Lord, am not pleased with those among you who have sought after signs and wonders for faith, and not for the good of men unto my glory.

[mlbrowninwa]

I agree with what Honor has posted above. For several years I was like you. I constantly felt a pull to the LDS church. Heavenly Father tells us in the scriptures that we must ask him in prayer. We must come to him in complete faith and if we do this, the answer will be revealed. I can testify that he will answer. I felt kind of alone when i went to the services the first couple times. I think this is the case with any new church. However once i became serious in my search and honestly started listening to the whispers of the spirit, things took a big turn. When I returned to church meetings and started taking the discussions again, the warmth i felt gave me the rest of the answer I was looking for.

It has been amazing since my baptism(which was about a month ago)and I have been welcomed into the church. Not everyone in my life agreed with my decision or were totally supportive. But I decided to put my life in the hands of Heavenly Father and to follow Jesus Christ. Best decision I've ever made. Continue to read the scriptures and pray. Heavenly Father will answer. Good luck on your journey.

[its_Chet]

It's been my experience that making deals with God doesn't provide the results you expect, but still strengthens your faith, enough to make it worth your while. It is, after all, basically a covenant without the sealing power of the Priesthood.

When my mother and I were stranded in a foreign country, out of money with four days left for our return flight home, and the airline wanted us to pay a fee to go home early, I made a deal with God. I offered to read a chapter out of the Bible each Sunday for every day early He got us home. My mother appealed to all the airlines for help. We didn't get out that day, but we got out the next (Thank you Continental!). Rather than reading three chapters, as the deal would have required, I read four (Thank you God!).

When I had fallen in love for the second time with a girl who only thought of me as a friend, I made a deal with God that I would burn all the "adult" magazines and videos I had in exchange for Him making her mine. I did my part in advance. He did not make her mine, but I'm hard pressed to call that not honoring His end of the deal, though technically that's an accurate statement. She was poison. She would have made my life a hell that would have ended in my suicide, and I have no doubt of that. I have never regretted the decision I made, even though I didn't get what I wanted.

My point is that I have never made a deal with God that I regretted, regardless of how He held up His end of it. And the way He holds up His end is never the way I expect, going into it, though I always end up better in the end, and it's mostly because when we make a covenant with God, the real reward comes from what we do. When we shed a sin, when we sacrifice a vice, when we commit to honor God, we make ourselves eligible for blessings we had not previously been worthy or strong enough to receive.

That said, if I were you, I'd keep reading the Book of Mormon (not because it is "better" than the Bible, but because you're already familiar with the Bible), keep pondering it (without the encumberance of holding societal conventions above the wisdom of God, as we are all tempted to do from time to time), and keep praying. Eventually, the missionaries will come to you. They are servants and messengers of God, rather than God Himself, so the level of their ability to discern His will is an added factor to the equation. If they don't come right away, it could mean that they were preoccupied with something else and did not hear His call, or perhaps God wants you to continue studying, to prepare your heart to receive the message they will bring. Heavenly Father always does what He thinks is best, even if it's not what we think is best. And He's smarter than we are.

As a convert to the Church, I can assure you that it is the true Church of Jesus Christ. I suspected it when I got baptized, but after continuing to study the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I eventually came to know it is true, for certain. When baptized by someone with the proper authority, we are next given the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is an ordinance in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and all ordinances are necessary for our salvation, like baptism, for example. The gift of the Holy Spirit allows us an increased level of guidance from the Holy Spirit. We become eligible for personal revelation, and this is the only way we can truly know that Jesus is the Christ, that our Heavenly Father lives and loves us, as well as all other truth. A man can lie, regardless of whether or not he actually is lying. A book can contain lies and misinterpretations, regardless of whether not it actually does. The fact that these oracles have room for error by their nature necessitates our reliance upon the Holy Spirit to confirm truth to us. This is how Heavenly Father intended it to be. Not all men and books lie. The Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Apostles are here to teach us the truth, but we can only know they are true by the confirming "voice" of the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit reveals truth to us, it is more reliable than anything we could read or hear, because we know the source is incapable of lying. Scientists often have untrue theories. Our senses can deceive us. Empirical evidence is less reliable than the guidance of the Holy Spirit. A book or the teachings of a Prophet may be true, but we can't know that until the Holy Spirit verifies it to us.

That said, you will find, the more that you study the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that it is logical, when properly understood. While logic alone should not be used to determine which Church is true, you will find logic in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, once the seemingly confusing things in it are properly understood. There is much in the Bible and the Book of Mormon that I did not understand until after sufficient study, pondering, and prayer, and this with in conjuction with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Church has some truly remarkable scholars whose assistance has been helpful as well. But like all truth, you can only know it's true when the Holy Spirit confirms. Until then, it's taken on faith, which isn't a bad thing, don't get me wrong on that. When the answers have not yet come, and it seems they never will, it is faith that helps us endure to the end. I believe God prefers that we act on faith rather than knowledge sometimes, even though He freely gives me knowledge as a reward for my faith. Faith is more important that knowledge, because faith can carry us forward when knowledge stops.

Long story short, be prepared for the missionaries to come talk to you, but don't give up on them if they don't show on time. You still have access to limited guidance from the Holy Spirit, you have the Bible and the Book of Mormon, both of which are profoundly important books full of truth and wisdom. And you still have prayer.

Don't be afraid to do what you think is right, even if it defies the conventional thinking of the society in which you live. They laughed at Noah until it started to rain. The Hebrews believed Moses had led them to their death until the Red Sea parted. The Sanhedrin assumed that because Jesus chose not to come down from the cross and avenge Himself that it meant He couldn't do it. The Church is true. When you independently find this to be the case, don't be afraid to be baptized. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

[Dr T]

Hello Deb,

If you do see the missionaries down your street this week then is it from God or from Satan? could be the question to ask.

[its_Chet]

Originally Posted by Dr T

Hello Deb,

If you do see the missionaries down your street this week then is it from God or from Satan? could be the question to ask.

No offense, but are you implying something?

[deblldo]

Hi,

Thankyou for all your replies, they mean so much, sometimes i just feel alone. I have no lds friends and people think im silly for wanting to know more about you guys. I have tried to tell myself that it doesnt matter what church your in God knows your heart but i just feel a pull toward your teachings.

Maybe your right and things might not work out the way i want them to as God knows better than me, im just tired of going round in circles and want to know what i should be doing, i fell like im wandering around with no (church) home.

thankyou again i really appreciate, you replies, back to the bedtime reading!

deb