Looking for brothers and sisters in Jesus

Ethan Hill said:If you want to steer clear of the negativity in life—you know, those perpetual victims who always need endless hand-holding and the overly emotional energy vampires—well, most of us aren't walking psychiatrists. I honestly think people need help most when they're sick, helpless, or just little kids.
I learned the hard way back when I needed support the most that I couldn't just lean on everyone. And hey, I don't hold it against them; I'm sure everyone has enough of their own stuff to deal with.
People help the best way they know how, and I've always been grateful for whatever comes my way.
Just trust yourself and your own grit.
At the end of the day, you're your own best advocate. And when things get really heavy and there’s nobody around to pull you up, that's when you pray for the strength to just endure. I don't expect anyone to dive into the deep end to save me; I'd much rather stay away from the deep end and pray for calm waters.

🙂

Ethan Hill, I truly appreciate your positivity, those heart emojis you use, and your overall bright outlook on things.
I find myself unable to agree, even in the slightest, with the points you've laid out. 🙂

I have had an identical experience myself—navigating my darkest moments entirely on my own. It seems that whenever things truly fall apart, everyone you thought you could count on suddenly vanishes. It’s like a sudden, jarring recession in the tide right after a massive earthquake hits the ocean; everything just pulls away, leaving you stranded.
I find myself in agreement with the sentiment that one must master the art of solitude. There is a certain necessity in learning how to be truly alone and, more importantly, how to be self-sufficient. Ultimately, you have to be the one to carry yourself through this life.
I’ll stick to my own wits and my own reliable horses, thank you very much.
I find that life feels significantly more meaningful when I am surrounded by those I hold dear. There is a certain comfort in knowing I am not navigating this world alone—having hands to hold that can warm the soul and steady the heart. It makes the difficult moments feel far more manageable and considerably less painful. I thank God for these people; they truly are my smile and my strength when things get tough. 🙂🙂

I am not suggesting that one ought to burden everyone around them with every personal struggle, but I have reached a point where I no longer feel the need to maintain an image of stoic strength at all costs. There is no longer a desire to shoulder everything alone. I have come to realize that seeking assistance—and being willing to offer it in return—is not a weakness. In fact, it is a wonderful thing; a genuine blessing to both receive help and to be able to provide it. 👍

Of course, everyone carries their own set of burdens, but to intentionally alienate oneself or retreat into isolation just to avoid being a weight on someone else—or to avoid being weighed down by them—is simply not an option. What exactly is the payoff? You gain nothing: no joy, no strength, and certainly no willpower. I have tried that path, and frankly, the taste is bitter. I make no effort to impose myself on anyone, but as long as I have people in my life whom I love and who love me in return, I see absolutely no reason to go through life trying to be some sort of solitary hero.
I am not posting this to be stubborn or to prove a point. I spent many years honing my resilience and building up my own strength; I’ve always been someone who could stand firm for myself and for others. However, life has taught me that I don't have to navigate every hardship entirely on my own. These days, I've learned to accept help with open arms and a genuine smile, and frankly, I am profoundly grateful that things have changed.

coastalwalker9 said:Ethan Hill, I truly appreciate your positivity, those heart emojis you use, and your overall bright outlook on things.
I find myself unable to agree, even in the slightest, with the points you've laid out. 🙂

I have had an identical experience myself—navigating my darkest moments entirely on my own. It seems that whenever things truly fall apart, everyone you thought you could count on suddenly vanishes. It’s like a sudden, jarring recession in the tide right after a massive earthquake hits the ocean; everything just pulls away, leaving you stranded.
I find myself in agreement with the sentiment that one must master the art of solitude. There is a certain necessity in learning how to be truly alone and, more importantly, how to be self-sufficient. Ultimately, you have to be the one to carry yourself through this life.
I’ll stick to my own wits and my own reliable horses, thank you very much.
I find that life feels significantly more meaningful when I am surrounded by those I hold dear. There is a certain comfort in knowing I am not navigating this world alone—having hands to hold that can warm the soul and steady the heart. It makes the difficult moments feel far more manageable and considerably less painful. I thank God for these people; they truly are my smile and my strength when things get tough. 🙂🙂

I am not suggesting that one ought to burden everyone around them with every personal struggle, but I have reached a point where I no longer feel the need to maintain an image of stoic strength at all costs. There is no longer a desire to shoulder everything alone. I have come to realize that seeking assistance—and being willing to offer it in return—is not a weakness. In fact, it is a wonderful thing; a genuine blessing to both receive help and to be able to provide it. 👍

Of course, everyone carries their own set of burdens, but to intentionally alienate oneself or retreat into isolation just to avoid being a weight on someone else—or to avoid being weighed down by them—is simply not an option. What exactly is the payoff? You gain nothing: no joy, no strength, and certainly no willpower. I have tried that path, and frankly, the taste is bitter. I make no effort to impose myself on anyone, but as long as I have people in my life whom I love and who love me in return, I see absolutely no reason to go through life trying to be some sort of solitary hero.
I am not posting this to be stubborn or to prove a point. I spent many years honing my resilience and building up my own strength; I’ve always been someone who could stand firm for myself and for others. However, life has taught me that I don't have to navigate every hardship entirely on my own. These days, I've learned to accept help with open arms and a genuine smile, and frankly, I am profoundly grateful that things have changed.

So yeah, whether you like it or not, you just have to dig deep and rely on your own grit.
I guess you hadn't met those people yet who actually help warm your soul and lift your spirits.

.. Of course, everybody is dealing with something, but pulling away or isolating yourself just so you aren't a burden—or because you don't want anyone to be one to you—is just no way to live. What do you even gain from that? You lose your joy, your strength, and your drive.

Honestly, I find peace.
I suppose we all eventually head toward whatever it is we're searching for.

The real question is, can you handle the fact that we're all going to have different opinions, wants, and needs on certain things?

Ethan Hill said:So yeah, whether you like it or not, you just have to dig deep and rely on your own grit.
I guess you hadn't met those people yet who actually help warm your soul and lift your spirits.

.. Of course, everybody is dealing with something, but pulling away or isolating yourself just so you aren't a burden—or because you don't want anyone to be one to you—is just no way to live. What do you even gain from that? You lose your joy, your strength, and your drive.

Honestly, I find peace.
I suppose we all eventually head toward whatever it is we're searching for.

The real question is, can you handle the fact that we're all going to have different opinions, wants, and needs on certain things?

That's true; I hadn't met them back then because I wasn't letting anyone into my life, and some were still far too young to be offering me any kind of support.

Of course, I agree. 👍🙂
And it isn't just about that; our experiences are also different, and those experiences tend to shape us quite significantly as we go through life.
The important thing is being satisfied with our actions and how we live, while remaining accountable to ourselves and others. Or perhaps, simply being full of love for ourselves and others. I'm not sure if those two ideas are identical, but I sense a connection there.

I'm just absolutely overflowing with spiritual love. 😍

Ethan Hill said:I'm just absolutely overflowing with spiritual love. 😍

And nature, naturally. 😁😍

I try my best to be friendly toward people—that’s basically the core of my spiritual practice. Unfortunately, I fail at it more often than not (I guess I'm just a bit of a grouch; if you asked any of those "spiritual gurus" out there, they'd probably accuse me of sending out bad vibes just based on my facial expression). To be honest, I don't really get what spirituality even is. A lot of what you guys have written here feels a bit too airy-fairy and vague for me...

Oh yeah, nature—water, greenery, and all the little critters. That’s everything. 🙂
Honestly, being out in the wild is where I really connect with my spiritual side. For me, spirituality is just this deep sense of peace and pure bliss.
🙂

Ethan Hill said:I'm just absolutely overflowing with spiritual love. 😍

You’re lucky. Do you actually pray? If so, is it your own words or just reciting set prayers? How much time do you spend praying each day?

My thoughts regarding prayer and its duration:

A Quote from a Coptic priest:
"Everything you worry about here on Earth is temporary, except for prayer.
Every single minute spent in prayer originates from eternity and returns back to it."
🙂

Dennis Young57 said:My thoughts regarding prayer and its duration:

A Quote from a Coptic priest:
"Everything you worry about here on Earth is temporary, except for prayer.
Every single minute spent in prayer originates from eternity and returns back to it."
🙂

But what if you spend months praying with everything you've got, only to have life hit you so hard you're standing on the edge of suicide?

Keith Allen3 said:But what if you spend months praying with everything you've got, only to have life hit you so hard you're standing on the edge of suicide?

This phenomenon appears frequently at both extremes. Therefore, that cannot be the answer either.

George Wood2 said:This phenomenon appears frequently at both extremes. Therefore, that cannot be the answer either.

"It isn't that" means what, exactly?

Keith Allen3 said:But what if you spend months praying with everything you've got, only to have life hit you so hard you're standing on the edge of suicide?

I used to pray out of necessity or desire, but that isn't how it works. I expect some sort of profound answer, yet there is nothing. How is that possible?
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I can say that ever since I followed one specific piece of advice—that "everything I need, I already have"—the response has been unexpectedly immediate. It arrives within minutes of the prayer.

Prayer exists within eternity. That is why I quoted the priest. Time and location are irrelevant. Duration does not matter. What matters is the state of the spirit. My consciousness is the key.
Consciousness is my foundation. It is who I am.
The Lord's Prayer facilitates this. In prayer, I align my internal state with faith.
The response is always present.
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If my faith is tied to time and space—which are merely fleeting things—then the answer to my prayer will be just as transient. Everything follows the logic of faith.

However, there is one thing that does not follow a simple action-reaction pattern.
That is this: God's absolute love believes unconditionally in every single one of us, in our shared connection.🎉

Since we live in a relative and shifting world, there is no reason to curse anything. Any kind of thought can cross my mind. Anything can happen. But the essential thing is knowing who I am.
What is my foundation?
Through prayer, everything can be transformed into joy and wonder.
Prayer, or rather the relationship itself, is the means by which we glorify ourselves.🙂

Dennis Young57 said:I used to pray out of necessity or desire, but that isn't how it works. I expect some sort of profound answer, yet there is nothing. How is that possible?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I can say that ever since I followed one specific piece of advice—that "everything I need, I already have"—the response has been unexpectedly immediate. It arrives within minutes of the prayer.

Prayer exists within eternity. That is why I quoted the priest. Time and location are irrelevant. Duration does not matter. What matters is the state of the spirit. My consciousness is the key.
Consciousness is my foundation. It is who I am.
The Lord's Prayer facilitates this. In prayer, I align my internal state with faith.
The response is always present.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
If my faith is tied to time and space—which are merely fleeting things—then the answer to my prayer will be just as transient. Everything follows the logic of faith.

However, there is one thing that does not follow a simple action-reaction pattern.
That is this: God's absolute love believes unconditionally in every single one of us, in our shared connection.🎉

Since we live in a relative and shifting world, there is no reason to curse anything. Any kind of thought can cross my mind. Anything can happen. But the essential thing is knowing who I am.
What is my foundation?
Through prayer, everything can be transformed into joy and wonder.
Prayer, or rather the relationship itself, is the means by which we glorify ourselves.🙂

It's not just that I'm bored with praying; honestly, I'm starting to get really scared of it.
Before I started praying, things were manageable. Once I began praying deeply every single day, everything collapsed into unbearable pain and hopelessness. Now, good luck trying to pray again after all that.

Keith Allen3 said:It's not just that I'm bored with praying; honestly, I'm starting to get really scared of it.
Before I started praying, things were manageable. Once I began praying deeply every single day, everything collapsed into unbearable pain and hopelessness. Now, good luck trying to pray again after all that.

It is perfectly fine to feel what you are feeling; please, don't beat yourself up over it. It is quite possible that you were forcing something that didn't feel natural to you, turning prayer into a heavy obligation rather than an act of joy. Right now, prayer doesn't feel like something flowing from a place of love; instead, it has transformed into a burden—something almost repulsive. Rather than reciting those familiar or memorized prayers, perhaps try simply pausing throughout your day to offer thanks for the small, beautiful things in life. Doing so might help shift your focus toward the positive, and eventually, you may find yourself realizing that there are still bright spots and moments of genuine joy to be found.

Alexander Kern58 said:Jesus isn't some victim; He’s a winner who checked off hundreds of prophecies from the Old Testament.

The Roman Empire didn't actually build anything from Him. Constantine just had some random dream about winning under the sign of the cross—who knows if that vision was even divine or just straight-up demonic...

Jesus is the Word made flesh, and He’s the only way to actually know God.
If you realize, like Peter did, that you've got nowhere else to turn because He’s the only one with the words of eternal life. That whole message wraps up with the apostles, mentioning how in the end times people will try to ban marriage and how you have to get out of the sinner's territory involving the 7 hills (Rome, Vatican City).

Jesus completes the Old Testament. If you read both enough times, you’ll see how He’s sometimes strict and sometimes eases things up by revealing Himself as the Path to heaven.

He says you have to believe there is no other, otherwise you're on a dead-end street—a wide road leading straight to Sheol—and anyone who believes and is baptized receives the Holy Spirit.
You’re born again through water and the Spirit.

Then you get the gift of the Spirit, and that Spirit starts pushing back against sin. You don't have to keep walking down the wrong path, tripping up, and barely crawling out alive using that "trial and error" method.

If you haven't truly believed and thought baptism would get you something other than drowning in Jesus' death to bring glory to God, then you're basically wasting your time.

You can't grow the fruits of the Spirit or live a consecrated life without eternal life (and Jesus' Spirit helps you with that; you can't pull it off alone).

Hebrews 6:1-8

The first Christians were essentially a Jewish sect, much like how the modern church views Jehovah's Witnesses as a sect today. And honestly, parts of Christian indoctrination (brainwashing via specific dogma) likely stem from ancient Egypt, just like the Jewish religion itself. Regarding sin, you don't need to be religious or "taught" to recognize which actions result in the imprisonment of the mind and the spirit. Stories about possessions have logical explanations. I once knew a kid—couldn't have weighed 110 pounds and had zero physical strength—who told me he was so psychologically shattered and aggressive over some injustice that, fueled by adrenaline, he lashed out so hard that eight SWAT officers couldn't restrain him to get him to the station. It was purely psychological, emotional, and physiological. Someone deeply religiously indoctrinated would have assumed he was possessed by an entity.

Looking at it from a broader perspective, the Angel is an archetypal part of our being, our superego (the Higher Self), while the Demon is the lower, more animalistic archetype (the Lower Self). We are both at once. To maintain balance, both the Angel and the Demon must be satisfied within us to a reasonable degree. One of the best movies from the North America that captures this truth in a somewhat bizarre yet funny way is *We Are Not Angels*.

Kevin Ruiz36 said:The first Christians were essentially a Jewish sect, much like how the modern church views Jehovah's Witnesses as a sect today. And honestly, parts of Christian indoctrination (brainwashing via specific dogma) likely stem from ancient Egypt, just like the Jewish religion itself. Regarding sin, you don't need to be religious or "taught" to recognize which actions result in the imprisonment of the mind and the spirit. Stories about possessions have logical explanations. I once knew a kid—couldn't have weighed 110 pounds and had zero physical strength—who told me he was so psychologically shattered and aggressive over some injustice that, fueled by adrenaline, he lashed out so hard that eight SWAT officers couldn't restrain him to get him to the station. It was purely psychological, emotional, and physiological. Someone deeply religiously indoctrinated would have assumed he was possessed by an entity.

Looking at it from a broader perspective, the Angel is an archetypal part of our being, our superego (the Higher Self), while the Demon is the lower, more animalistic archetype (the Lower Self). We are both at once. To maintain balance, both the Angel and the Demon must be satisfied within us to a reasonable degree. One of the best movies from the North America that captures this truth in a somewhat bizarre yet funny way is *We Are Not Angels*.

Nah. A "Jewish sect" would be Jews, not Christians. Christianity actually branched off later in Antioch, and they weren't even Jewish by faith—they were actually pretty hostile toward the Jews as a nation.

And if parts of Christian indoctrination (brainwashing via specific dogma) also stem from ancient Egypt, just like Judaism itself.

Christianity grew out of Judaism; they basically swiped the Old Testament and all its concepts to compile their own version, the New Testament, where God handed over all the perks to Christians while stripping them away from the Jews. Then Muslims took both texts and put together their third testament (the Quran), where God-Allah essentially rewrote everything for Muslims. You know the drill. 😁

Looking at it from multiple perspectives.

Because you can.

An angel is an archetypal part of our being, our superego (Higher Self), while a demon is the lower, more animalistic archetype (Lower Self). We are both at once. To maintain balance, both the angel and the demon have to be satisfied within us to a certain reasonable degree.

There’s no balance in imbalance.

One of the best films from the North America on this topic, which portrays the truth in a somewhat bizarre yet hilarious way, is We Are Not Angels.

God, what a load of nonsense. That’s even worse than those low-budget movies back home... 🤦

Anthony Perez9 said:Nah. A "Jewish sect" would be Jews, not Christians. Christianity actually branched off later in Antioch, and they weren't even Jewish by faith—they were actually pretty hostile toward the Jews as a nation.

And if parts of Christian indoctrination (brainwashing via specific dogma) also stem from ancient Egypt, just like Judaism itself.

Christianity grew out of Judaism; they basically swiped the Old Testament and all its concepts to compile their own version, the New Testament, where God handed over all the perks to Christians while stripping them away from the Jews. Then Muslims took both texts and put together their third testament (the Quran), where God-Allah essentially rewrote everything for Muslims. You know the drill. 😁

Looking at it from multiple perspectives.

Because you can.

An angel is an archetypal part of our being, our superego (Higher Self), while a demon is the lower, more animalistic archetype (Lower Self). We are both at once. To maintain balance, both the angel and the demon have to be satisfied within us to a certain reasonable degree.

There’s no balance in imbalance.

One of the best films from the North America on this topic, which portrays the truth in a somewhat bizarre yet hilarious way, is We Are Not Angels.

God, what a load of nonsense. That’s even worse than those low-budget movies back home... 🤦

It's just like those Mexican films. I remember when a version of Robinson Crusoe aired in the States—it played like a horror movie. Now, the version being broadcast on TV in Germany tries to pass it off as a comedy where the main guy ends up being gay at the end. That's the state of Europe for you; homosexuality gets more propaganda than what was actually given by God.

The Catholic Church's commitment to celibacy has led to far too many gay priests and cases of pedophilia. When you try to suppress sexual energy—which is one of the most potent things God gave us—you inevitably end up with behavioral and personality deviations.

Kevin Ruiz36 said:It's just like those Mexican films. I remember when a version of Robinson Crusoe aired in the States—it played like a horror movie. Now, the version being broadcast on TV in Germany tries to pass it off as a comedy where the main guy ends up being gay at the end. That's the state of Europe for you; homosexuality gets more propaganda than what was actually given by God.

The Catholic Church's commitment to celibacy has led to far too many gay priests and cases of pedophilia. When you try to suppress sexual energy—which is one of the most potent things God gave us—you inevitably end up with behavioral and personality deviations.

And homosexuality is "God-given" (innate).

The Catholic Church has tons of gay priests because of celibacy.

Why does male homosexuality bother you so much? I'm guessing you don't have an issue with women being gay?

Homosexuality has nothing to do with celibacy; it's just how people are born.

and pedophilia.

It's got nothing to do with pedophilia either. It’s cheap to lump them together like that.

By trying to suppress sexual energy—which is one of the most potent gifts God gave us—you end up causing deviations in behavior and personality.

Sure, it probably causes plenty of psychological issues, just not the ones you're aggressively mislabeling. 👎

I honestly don't get why everyone is so obsessed with homosexuality and this whole LGBT narrative. Look, it’s a sin, just like any other. There are plenty of spots in the Bible stating that if someone feels those kinds of urges, they need to practice self-control. It’s the exact same deal as anyone else dealing with impulses that God views as sinful—you just have to hold back.
It isn't any different from, say, the urge to drink like a pig, gamble away your entire paycheck (and your spouse's too), or just go out and beat someone senseless with a shovel. It's just sin, plain and simple.
All this noise we're seeing lately—the way politicians and the media are handling it—it’s just one more trick in the devil's playbook to lead people struggling with those urges down the wrong path. They tell people it's perfectly fine to feel that way, claiming it's their "identity," even though identity has nothing to do with fleeting impulses, and they try to sell that lie in every possible way. If someone is being plagued by a spirit of lust that triggers same-sex attractions, that isn't who they are; it's just a demon at work. The saints understood this, and they wrote about it extensively in their books.