For many years I have been disabled with constant pain from osteo-arthritis.  I have asthma and struggle with major depression.  I have pain in my knees, feet, neck, head, spine, etc.  Each day I can barely function, walk, or stand up for very long.  I am 54-years-old and have a lot of fatigue.  I don’t have a job because of all the pain and trouble breathing in hot and humid weather.  I feel weak and frail.  I have to be careful how I move, or I might hurt myself.  I move slowly and do everything slowly.  I have prayed to be healed physically, emotionally, and mentally.  What does God think of people who are disabled with pain… people who are sick… who can barely function?  What does God expect me to do in this world… when I can barely get through each day?  Please answer me soon.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
No Stranger To Suffering

Dear No Stranger To Suffering,

Do what you can – and don’t worry about the rest.  God has a lot to say about those who are sick and ill in this life.  Sickness is a result of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden of Eden (Gen 2:17Gen 2:17
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17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Sickness and pain are not what God wants for us; they are the consequences of our choices.  God will eventually remove all sickness, pain, and death when we get to heaven (Rev 21:4Rev 21:4
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4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away.  

WP-Bible plugin).

When Jesus walked this Earth, He showed constant compassion for the sick (Matt 14:14Matt 14:14
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14 And he came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Heb 13:8Heb 13:8
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8 Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and to-day, [yea] and for ever.  

WP-Bible plugin).  You may never know this side of heaven why it is that you’ve had to suffer, but know that it wasn’t because God doesn’t have compassion.  There is some reason why He has told you “No” when you’ve prayed to get better.  Paul had a physical ailment that he prayed God would remove, and God didn’t give him what he asked for either (2 Cor 12:7-92 Cor 12:7-9
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7 And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. ⁸ Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. ⁹ And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Paul learned to trust in the Lord more because of his illnesses and how dependent it made him.  Your illness has the potential to draw you nearer to God as well.  God only holds us accountable for what we are capable of doing (2 Cor 8:122 Cor 8:12
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12 For if the readiness is there, [it is] acceptable according as [a man] hath, not according as [he] hath not.  

WP-Bible plugin).  If you are ready to work, but are unable to because of sickness, God understands.  Do what you can: write letters of encouragement to others (1 Thess 5:141 Thess 5:14
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14 And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.  

WP-Bible plugin), read your Bible for encouragement and comfort (Rom 15:4Rom 15:4
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4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.  

WP-Bible plugin), continue to go to services when you can because your example will do wonders for others (Heb 10:24-25Heb 10:24-25
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24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; ²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting [one another]; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.  

WP-Bible plugin), and stand fast in your convictions and morals (1 Cor 16:131 Cor 16:13
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13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.  

WP-Bible plugin).  We don’t know how or when, but the Lord will cause your circumstances to turn out for good (Rom 8:28Rom 8:28
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28 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, [even] to them that are called according to [his] purpose.  

WP-Bible plugin).

I have been a christian for twenty years.  After being saved for one year, I began to fall into pornography.  It was very bad after a few years, and then it began to get better and better over the years.  But still, every month or even two weeks, I commit a sin in this area.  Was I really saved?  And if so, how do I have true repentance?  Please help.

Sincerely,
Lost One

Dear Lost One,

If you properly followed God’s commands to receive salvation (Read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” for more details), then you were saved.  However, you are right that this sin is deeply entrenched in your life, and you need permanent repentance.  We are told that a powerful tool in defeating sin is confessing our sins to one another (Jas 5:16Jas 5:16
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16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Sin likes to be kept secret (Jhn 3:20Jhn 3:20
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20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.  

WP-Bible plugin), and bringing it to light by making it public goes a long way in defeating habitual sin.  A very popular way of getting this sort of accountability is by using accountability software that forwards your browsing history to a friend or trusted individual.  Companies like x3watch and CovenantEyes make accountability software, and many struggling pornography addicts have found it to make a huge difference.  If you want to defeat sin, you must expose it.  Confess your sin to others, and you will begin to see change.

Can one christian cause or contribute to another christian’s wrongdoing… or dishonor that person’s mother and father and convince that person that what they are doing is right… and if it was wrong, would God let that person know?

What does the Bible say about this matter?

Sincerely,
Who’s To Blame?

Dear Who’s To Blame,

The Bible says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12Php 2:12
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12 So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  

WP-Bible plugin).  You cannot control what your relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. tell you or choose to do themselves.  All you can do is control yourself.  Eventually, everyone will be held accountable for the decisions they make in their lives (Heb 9:27Heb 9:27
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27 And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this [cometh] judgment;  

WP-Bible plugin).  The key is to make sure that you live as the Bible teaches… you can’t control everyone else.

Do you believe once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, yet keep falling short, trying, not always succeeding…repenting, changing, then fall again… will He still take us into His loving arms if our lives ended today?

Sincerely,
Never Good Enough

Dear Never Good Enough,

Yes.  If you have taken the steps to become a christian (read “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”), then the rest of your life will be a collection of victories and failures in spiritual growth.  The key is to never give up; always get back up and try again (Pr 24:16Pr 24:16
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16 For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.  

WP-Bible plugin).  When we sin – and admit it – God is righteous and ready to forgive us (1 Jn 1:8-91 Jn 1:8-9
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8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Always be honest about your failures and sins (1 Jn 1:101 Jn 1:10
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10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  

WP-Bible plugin).  God is ready to forgive us an innumerable amount of times as long as we continue to repent (Matt 18:21-22Matt 18:21-22
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21 Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? ²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.  

WP-Bible plugin).

Hello, I’m sixteen and homeschooled and have been knowing God since I was a small child in Christian school, but I feel the pulse that I’m here to do something for God… not that I feel more important than anyone else.  I just feel I’m here to accomplish something for Him on earth, and I also have a strong pull towards Armageddon in Revelation; am I just weird, or is my strong pull towards doing something in God’s name real?

Sincerely,
Full Of Fire

Dear Full Of Fire,

You aren’t weird… the right word is ‘zealous’.  Being zealous for God is a good thing (1 Pet 3:131 Pet 3:13
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13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of that which is good?  

WP-Bible plugin, Tit 2:14Tit 2:14
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14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works.  

WP-Bible plugin).  The important thing is to take the zeal of youth and combine that with Biblical knowledge.  It is only when we combine a zealous spirit with truth that we can please God (Jhn 4:24Jhn 4:24
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24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Many people have a zeal for God but fail to gain knowledge to properly serve Him (Rom 10:1-2Rom 10:1-2
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10 ¹ Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Dedicate yourself to becoming a worker who has no need to be ashamed because you will have gained a proper and deep understanding of the Scriptures (2 Tim 2:152 Tim 2:15
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15 Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.  

WP-Bible plugin).  God wants to use everyone for His service – the question is whether or not we will be prepared (2 Tim 2:212 Tim 2:21
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21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the master's use, prepared unto every good work.  

WP-Bible plugin).

Case in point, it is clear from your question that you have some misunderstandings about the book of Revelation.  We recommend you start building a sturdy and scholarly Bible knowledge now.  We have an entire section of our website dedicated to classes on every book of the Bible.  We recommend you visit sermons.mvchurchofchrist.org, download, and listen to classes on various books of the Bible… including the book of Revelation.  The more you know, the more you will be prepared to do good in this world.

Hi, preacher.  I have a question: I’m thinking about joining the army to help people in Iraq, and I know that the Bible says to love thy neighbor and not kill, but if I’m doing it for the greater good, would it be a sin if I were to be killed?

Sincerely,
In The Crosshairs

Dear In The Crosshairs,

There is nothing wrong with being a soldier.  The Bible is full of soldiers that were also very faithful people.  King David battled Goliath (1 Sam 17:48-501 Sam 17:48-50
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48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.  

WP-Bible plugin).  The first Gentile convert to Christianity was a Roman soldier (Acts 10:22Acts 10:22
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22 And they said, Cornelius a centurion, a righteous man and one that feareth God, and well reported of by all the nation of the Jews, was warned [of God] by a holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words from thee.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Being a soldier and killing someone in battle is not the same as murdering someone in cold blood.  People don’t go to hell for being soldiers, but they do go to hell for being murderers (Rev 21:8Rev 21:8
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8 But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [shall be] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.  

WP-Bible plugin).  If you died on the battlefield (hopefully that won’t happen), that would not destine you to eternity away from God.

We do recommend that you gravely consider the state of your soul and relationship with God before enlisting.  Being a soldier is a hazardous job, and it accentuates the need to be prepared to meet your Maker.  Please read “What I Must Do To Be Saved?” for more information on what God says we must do to receive salvation.