Why does God allow so many to be misled in His name?

[DigitalShadow]

I ask this question honestly, it was brought up in another thread of mine but I do think it deserves its own thread. It has been proposed that free agency is the cause, but I know for a fact that there are people who are not a part of the church but honestly seeking a relationship with God. If God communicates to us with thoughts and feelings, when someone is honestly an humbly seeking Him, why do they not always get a response? Worse yet, why do some get conflicting responses? How would it violate free agency to simply guide someone who is honestly seeking a relationship with God?

There are many truly faithful people that believe they have communicated with God and that their church is true. I would have no problem believing that they did in fact communicate with God if it weren't for the fact that there are so many different churches all with faithful people knowing their particular church is true. It is clear that these people honestly want a relationship with God, why didn't God send them to the "correct" church instead of allowing them to believe in a false church?

I ask this because I see many of my fellow man who are utterly convinced that God talks to them and nothing can convince them otherwise. Obviously not all of them can be right since they are from different churches with sometimes drastically different messages, so I am understandably cautious before diving head first into the deep end of "faith."

Before I am accused of "blaming" God for the situation, I would like to say that I am not "blaming" God for anything. I am only seeking to understand the process of communicating with God because I am obviously missing something since He doesn't talk to me at all.

[utcowboy]

I read a book recently and I posted it on this forum once before, it is "Hearing the Voice of the Lord" by Gerald Lund. I think this book explains alot.

You've got to remember that the devil and his cronies have the ability to talk to us or our spirits! They can claim the they are the voice of the Lord and lead men astray. You can also look at it, that its hard for us to always hear and understand the promptings that we receive.

In Moses ch. 7 vs:26-36 Enoch is talking with the Lord and is shown a vision, in the vision he sees Satan with a chain wrapped around the Earth and Enoch sees God and he is weeping.

There's a difference between God causing something to happen, or someone to fall away from him, and that person having their agency to decide for themselves. Agency is never free, you have to pay the consequences for your decisions!!!

[Elgama]

like with many of these questions I can only answer from my own experience - sometimes its simply not right to receive answers at that time - God can answer yes, no, maybe, not yet. I know with my own religious journey I am a better Latter Day Saint because I took a meandering path to get there. I would not have withstood the last 5 years without the resources other religions gave me, I have a much better knowledge of the bible and understanding of scripture as a result.

Some people it takes a lifetime of investigating to get it right - its more important to get baptised at the right time than to make a mockery of baptism and walk away or go inactive.

One experience I did have- my patriachal blessing has a long paragraph on the importance of my career, because of my illness any job seemed out the question let alone a career - after praying I got a strong impression I was to study medicine at Keele - that seemed impossible I had used funding with my archaeology, I was ill approaching the age where medical schools no longer would take me within a month and Keele didn't do medicine. the Open University were putting together plans for a course which I could fund myself, ages for medical school went up, I found tablets that made me feel better, and Manchester a feeder university for the Open University was doing the last 2 years (which I would do fulltime) did courses at Keele in the last 2 years.

I don;t now think I was meant to do that but the revelation I got of the most difficult things imaginable became possible within a few months. And that has allowed me to chill out.

-Charley

[Misshalfway]

Hello DS. Hope it is ok if I weigh in on this one. I think the primary reason man is here on earth is to enjoy an experience here. An experience with a body....and dealing with everything temporal. Next, we are here to practice choosing. And on a planet like this, there are infinite choices. I think throughout the history of man, (you can see this at least in the Old testament) God has tried to gather his people. "How oft I would have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chicks... and you would not" God has communicated his truth throughout the earth at different times. I don't think we have a full accounting of all of God's activities with our planet. But I do know that he gives truth to those who ask. And I know that he gives it in segments .... pieces according to his wisdom. Somewhere in between the giving of truth and the receiving and obeying of that truth are lots of gray. I think that God allows the gray. And I think he leads the humble to truth.... wherever it be that it can be found.... even in all of its degrees. And I think that he lets man worship according to ones decisions and conscience. I think people choose religion or don't choose religion for a lot of different reasons. I could go on and on with that list. It is not only an issue of truth. It is an issue of what man chooses to do with that truth. He may start a church with it...... or he may start a war. God lets that freedom happen and all the while beacons us back home to him. Also....some just plain don't listen. Anyone who has been a parent knows all about that one.

[Misshalfway]

My thought continued..... (had to pick up a little person at preschool)

I think that having experience and learning truth in and thru experience is part of God's many ways of teaching us. He may give us all manner of experience.....in many churches perhaps and many life circumstances to teach us. It is all wisdom in Him. Experience is irreplaceable learning!! Like my c-section. I know it hurt like **** because I lived it. Was God unloving because I experienced pain? What about the prompting in my life, I did NOT heed. Is God unloving because I didn't obey Him?

You, DS, may be experiencing what it is like NOT to know in any way about God. Maybe that is your gift of experience from him. It is an experience I will never know. It is knowledge that perhaps one day you will absolutely need........and maybe because of that knowledge you will then be made into a tool in God's hands.

(HEY WILLOW! I noticed that you thanked my last post.... and then silly me, I went and edited it. Oh well. I'm a dingle. But I did see that.... and thank you.)

[Dirk]

Very interesting question, I don’t understand much but I think it comes down to doing our Heavenly Fathers will.

Let me explain what I mean: When my son grows up and he should be asked if he wants a drink or a cigarette and he answers no and he should be asked why? His answer would determine whether he was influenced by maternal influence or spiritual guidance and teaching. If he would say that he does not drink or smoke because his father taught him not too or that it is against his religion then he would not have done the will of his heavenly Father but the will of his earthly father, but if he should answer and say he does not drink or smoke because he has a testimony, then he would have made the correct choice and the will of our Heavenly Father would be done. Many are called but few are chosen unfortunately many good men and woman will fall away because they just can’t let go of the earthly bonds that bind them and hold them down. We need to remember that people need to submit to the will of God, humbleness and sincerity, these good people are influenced by teachings that teach them that what we(LDS) believe in are false and it is sugar coated with lots and lots of false doctrine about the LDS religion.

But this is just what I believe, that these good people will get the chance to accept the truth when they have no bond to this carnal earth, when their minds are not clouded by the mist of deception, they will get a fair and loving chance as long as the light of truth burns within them I don’t believe that they will be lost. Shower these people with your love; let your actions speak volumes about your faith, faith without works are dead. We must try not to judge people and or the situation that we are trying to understand to harshly, rather try and find a common ground that we have in common with these lovely people and build up from there. Matthew 5:16 also take a look at Mark 9:38-40

[Hemidakota]

I ask this question honestly, it was brought up in another thread of mine but I do think it deserves its own thread. It has been proposed that free agency is the cause, but I know for a fact that there are people who are not a part of the church but honestly seeking a relationship with God. If God communicates to us with thoughts and feelings, when someone is honestly an humbly seeking Him, why do they not always get a response? Worse yet, why do some get conflicting responses? How would it violate free agency to simply guide someone who is honestly seeking a relationship with God?

There are many truly faithful people that believe they have communicated with God and that their church is true. I would have no problem believing that they did in fact communicate with God if it weren't for the fact that there are so many different churches all with faithful people knowing their particular church is true. It is clear that these people honestly want a relationship with God, why didn't God send them to the "correct" church instead of allowing them to believe in a false church?

I ask this because I see many of my fellow man who are utterly convinced that God talks to them and nothing can convince them otherwise. Obviously not all of them can be right since they are from different churches with sometimes drastically different messages, so I am understandably cautious before diving head first into the deep end of "faith."

Before I am accused of "blaming" God for the situation, I would like to say that I am not "blaming" God for anything. I am only seeking to understand the process of communicating with God because I am obviously missing something since He doesn't talk to me at all.

Our mortal attunement [reception-state of being] with the Godhead is how we receive our answers. Yes, there is only one gospel as there is but one Christ as we can seek to mediate with, in order to fully speak to GOD.

Now in seeking the divine answer, there are those, who will drink alcohol and claimed that GOD can still talk to them. Others may smoke cigarettes. Others may take illegal drugs and tell you that they can talk to GOD. Some seek partnership with the opposite sex and they can talk to GOD. Some seek the internet for pleasure. Some use vulgarity and negativism as a state of being. Some will insult there own family members. Some will even assault family members. Then we have those that will murder in the name of Deity and claim it was GOD that told them. We have our free agency to make choices or choose to acknowledge those small whisperings, whether they are evil or good. It goes back to our level of reception. Our corporeal bodies need a daily adjustment to what I term ‘attunement’ in seeking divine guidance. Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit on a daily basis under one of those habitual states? Not going to happen. The Spirit of GOD will not reside in that very temple [body] of that individual.

We need to surrender our life to GOD and be filled with humility of what we are given in this life. Being always an obedience son and daughter to our heavenly paternal FATHER. Thus, in fore filling the commandments, we receive that greater reward. It does come as Ram mentioned. I had to recount President McKay on his personal conviction that took many years.

I wish, the whole world would seek that very GOD and put away the bitterness between religious bodies or science narrow-mindedness.

[MaidservantX]

I will add one other angle or insight.

Not only are we on individual journeys to the presence of God, we are also on a collective journey to the presence of God. All of mankind has to learn lessons together as well as individually. One of the things we may be learning with the state of things being as they are is to love one another despite our differences (to state it at its simplest); and to trust that God knows each one of us and is leading us in the way that he considers best for us -- so that we can stop condemning one another no matter where we are coming from: what struggles and sins we may have, what light we may have. I personally think that God places his children in a variety of circumstances based on what mankind has chosen and created before this point and in order for his work to be accomplished, and as we all know, his work is accomplished in mysterious ways.

I will give a small story from my life. I was a young mother. I had a desire to share the Book of Mormon by giving one away to others. I was very scared to do this. At the time we lived in a bottom apartment and a single older gentleman lived in the top apartment. I decided that I needed to give him a Book of Mormon. He was a very nice man, and always said hello and even acknowledged my children with greetings. But I was very scared to just, say, start a conversation and give him a Book of Mormon. I put a Book of Mormon on the counter by my front door hoping that some day I would get the courage to take it up to the neighbor. All this time I felt very . . . urgent . . . like I was not being obedient. I think from this point of view of my life, I don't think my emotions of that sort were necessary, but, still, it is part of the story. I wanted to obey, and I felt like a failure that I hadn't. I will also say that at that point in my life I was a little more feeling sort of what we are discussing here -- I think I took for granted the attitude that you had to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to receive the right kind of inspiration. In fact, the reason I am sharing this experience is because it is one of the main ones that helped me to realize that God speaks to who he will. Anyway, many days went by and one night, my family and I were driving back from the city to our small town. My husband and I had been at the temple. It was a drive of about 3 hours. As I said, it was dark. I remember I was wearing my dress. We stopped at a gas station in a town half way to home. While my husband got the gas and paid for it, I got the little children out of the car and let them walk and I stayed with them. Well, I turned around and there was a young man standing there in front of me. He seemed very scared and nervous and he held out a flyer to me. On the flyer was some information about a church meeting (not LDS) or gathering to be able to attend. Again, with nervousness and Spirit dripping from his voice, he invited me to come to church and he bore his testimony to me right there in the gas station parking lot; his testimony about Jesus Christ and how Jesus Christ had redeemed him. It was a very personal and sincere testimony and I knew what he said was true. I thanked him and took the flyer, although I basically told him we were from out of town. (I think he might have chosen me because of my dress and children -- I may have been the most non-threatening person there.) In any case, conviction smote my heart from hearing his testimony. I connected the fact that he had chosen to bear his testimony to me directly to the Book of Mormon still sitting on my counter at my house. So the very next morning, even though I was still ununtterably scared but bolstered by the example of that young man, I took the Book of Mormon up to my neighbor, knocked on his door, and gave him the Book of Mormon and said something to the effect that it blessed my life and I wanted to share. He took the Book of Mormon. We did not linger in conversation, he didn't live in the apartment much longer, and I don't know if the Book of Mormon ever had a direct effect on his life. But I do know that Book of Mormon had a direct effect on my life -- that I chose to give it. But at the time I marvelled and marvelled that God chose someone not LDS (the man at the gas station) to inspire me and etc. Now, of course, I understand that all of us are in God's hands, and we are all learning, and we all have an opportunity to teach one another in a variety of ways, and one day, we will each and all will be presented by the Savior to his Father as the fruit of the sacrifice of the Lamb.

Also -- I would submit to you, Digital Shadow, that if God has not spoken to you after you have done what you know or believe or understand what to do to prepare to receive His voice to you, then you are not accountable for not hearing His voice. You must do all you know in order to prepare for it and ask for it, but then after that if it doesn't come, or doesn't come right away, then, well, God has his own time. It's not like a candy machine where you put in a coin and get out a prize. But you won't be condemned for the fact that God hasn't talked to you if you've done all you know how to do. Maybe you could ask Him to allow your eyes, ears and heart to be opened so that you can recognize what He has already said to you or maybe has been saying to you. Just a suggestion.

Another thing I like to suggest to people from time to time is that we should stop thinking with the word "church". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not just another church or religion. It is THE organization that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ organized through Joseph Smith, and that Jesus Christ is literally and actively heading today through the living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Is every individual/ child of God condemned for not participating actively in Jesus Christ's organization? No; some on the earth don't even know about it yet; the few of us who do know about it have our agency, period; we can only do according to what we believe is actually true. Nevertheless, does Jesus Christ's organization actually and literally exist so that all who would participate, may? and for any who desire, to receive the treasures of what has been prepared in Jesus Christ's organization? Yes! Yes! It is here right now! We don't have to wait any longer: the dawn has broken. :)

[Hemidakota]

Whoa..now that was impressive.

[DigitalShadow]

I read a book recently and I posted it on this forum once before, it is "Hearing the Voice of the Lord" by Gerald Lund. I think this book explains alot.

You've got to remember that the devil and his cronies have the ability to talk to us or our spirits! They can claim the they are the voice of the Lord and lead men astray. You can also look at it, that its hard for us to always hear and understand the promptings that we receive.

In Moses ch. 7 vs:26-36 Enoch is talking with the Lord and is shown a vision, in the vision he sees Satan with a chain wrapped around the Earth and Enoch sees God and he is weeping.

There's a difference between God causing something to happen, or someone to fall away from him, and that person having their agency to decide for themselves. Agency is never free, you have to pay the consequences for your decisions!!!

What I'm saying is that there are many people honestly trying to communicate with God and honestly thinking the response they received was from God. Given that scenario, why wouldn't God simply lead them to the "correct" church or at least point them in the right direction? I'm not sure I entirely understand your reply. Are you implying that "Satan" is who leads people to false churches, and if so, how do you know Satan didn't lead you to your church posing as God? You can say that you just "know" the church is true, but that is what everyone else says about their presumably "false" churches.

[Hemidakota]

Evil cannot bring to pass anything that is good. You do need the 'Spirit of Discernment'. This is a gift or talent given by GOD for all to receive.

[DigitalShadow]

Hello DS. Hope it is ok if I weigh in on this one. I think the primary reason man is here on earth is to enjoy an experience here. An experience with a body....and dealing with everything temporal. Next, we are here to practice choosing. And on a planet like this, there are infinite choices. I think throughout the history of man, (you can see this at least in the Old testament) God has tried to gather his people. "How oft I would have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chicks... and you would not" God has communicated his truth throughout the earth at different times. I don't think we have a full accounting of all of God's activities with our planet. But I do know that he gives truth to those who ask. And I know that he gives it in segments .... pieces according to his wisdom. Somewhere in between the giving of truth and the receiving and obeying of that truth are lots of gray. I think that God allows the gray. And I think he leads the humble to truth.... wherever it be that it can be found.... even in all of its degrees. And I think that he lets man worship according to ones decisions and conscience. I think people choose religion or don't choose religion for a lot of different reasons. I could go on and on with that list. It is not only an issue of truth. It is an issue of what man chooses to do with that truth. He may start a church with it...... or he may start a war. God lets that freedom happen and all the while beacons us back home to him. Also....some just plain don't listen. Anyone who has been a parent knows all about that one.

My thought continued..... (had to pick up a little person at preschool)

I think that having experience and learning truth in and thru experience is part of God's many ways of teaching us. He may give us all manner of experience.....in many churches perhaps and many life circumstances to teach us. It is all wisdom in Him. Experience is irreplaceable learning!! Like my c-section. I know it hurt like **** because I lived it. Was God unloving because I experienced pain? What about the prompting in my life, I did NOT heed. Is God unloving because I didn't obey Him?

You, DS, may be experiencing what it is like NOT to know in any way about God. Maybe that is your gift of experience from him. It is an experience I will never know. It is knowledge that perhaps one day you will absolutely need........and maybe because of that knowledge you will then be made into a tool in God's hands.

So you contend that God gives truth to people in segments and what they do with it is up to them? I don't know that I agree with that given what I've seen, but I do thank you because that is the only direct answer to the question I've seen in the responding posts so far.

So, going on the assumption that God communicates with us through thoughts and feelings in bits and pieces what makes people so sure that THEIR church is true? I'm sure it was more than just a hint that led you to have faith, isn't it reasonable to assume that other people who have such strong faith in a different religion got more than just a hint that it was the right path for them? I do accept your theory as a possibility, but from my point of view, it isn't supported by the high level of inconsistency between messages people claim are from the divine.

[DigitalShadow]

Our mortal attunement [reception-state of being] with the Godhead is how we receive our answers. Yes, there is only one gospel as there is but one Christ as we can seek to mediate with, in order to fully speak to GOD.

Now in seeking the divine answer, there are those, who will drink alcohol and claimed that GOD can still talk to them. Others may smoke cigarettes. Others may take illegal drugs and tell you that they can talk to GOD. Some seek partnership with the opposite sex and they can talk to GOD. Some seek the internet for pleasure. Some use vulgarity and negativism as a state of being. Some will insult there own family members. Some will even assault family members. Then we have those that will murder in the name of Deity and claim it was GOD that told them. We have our free agency to make choices or choose to acknowledge those small whisperings, whether they are evil or good. It goes back to our level of reception. Our corporeal bodies need a daily adjustment to what I term ‘attunement’ in seeking divine guidance. Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit on a daily basis under one of those habitual states? Not going to happen. The Spirit of GOD will not reside in that very temple [body] of that individual.

We need to surrender our life to GOD and be filled with humility of what we are given in this life. Being always an obedience son and daughter to our heavenly paternal FATHER. Thus, in fore filling the commandments, we receive that greater reward. It does come as Ram mentioned. I had to recount President McKay on his personal conviction that took many years.

I wish, the whole world would seek that very GOD and put away the bitterness between religious bodies or science narrow-mindedness.

So you are saying that God would not speak to someone who drinks alcohol or smokes (I don't do either of those), even if they have never been told those are wrong? I asked God just now if he found alcohol consumption to be offensive to Him. He didn't bother to reply so I guess He has no opinion on that.

[Misshalfway]

Well, I am not sure God isn't pointing people in the right direction. You married a darling LDS girl. Perhaps that was chance. But what if it wasn't? Were you being led and perhaps didn't know it?

And the rest of it, I am not sure any of us has the answers for these questions. Can Satan lead the children of men?.... yes. Does he lead them to anything false? Yes. He will do anything to destroy the agency of man and to corrupt any truth he can. He is called the father of all lies in the scriptures. He is fighting for souls and he is good at what he does. The world is filled with truth, but it is also filled with lies. We are at war so to speak. And Satan will use churches or people or governments or whatever means he can to win. Heavenly Father has assured us that at the end of the day, Satan will not win. But there must be an opposite to all things. And Satan is allowed to weild his sword in order to try the faith of man.

It all comes down to the Holy Ghost. It really does. So, no matter what God does do or does not do within our reference, we can know truth. No matter what Satan does, Heavenly Father has given us power to discern his activities. It also comes down to trust. I may not know everything but I do rely on what I do know and leave the rest to God.

You know murder is wrong. Somewhere in your spirit you know that. You don't have to question it. But Satan can get people to participate in it and actually think they were justified in their actions.

[Hemidakota]

So you are saying that God would not speak to someone who drinks alcohol or smokes (I don't do either of those), even if they have never been told those are wrong? I asked God just now if he found alcohol consumption to be offensive to Him. He didn't bother to reply so I guess He has no opinion on that.

Attunement DS....the more attuned we are, the better the reception. Again, it goes back to your true sincerity with seeking answers. Humility in receiving truths those are completely contrary to your own beliefs.

I do know the about twenty years ago, the age old universal question was a tough one to crack in receiving an answer. Did I ask five-minutes ago; "Hey GOD? What is up with removing Adam's rib?" Did HE answer me just now? No! DS, if you expecting this method of answering, it is not going to happen. How’s your spiritual maturity? This when you finally receive that desired answer.

By the way, HE does have opinion on that subject.

[Guest tomk]

When you pray, how do you pray, and how do you phrase your questions?

How long do you wait for a reply?

How often do you express gratitude?

How badly do you want an answer?

Do you secretly fear getting an answer, because it will obligate you to action?

How honest are you with the Lord? Have you tried telling him that it upsets you that He is not answering you?

Have you failed to act upon insights or guidance you have received already?

Why must everything God does require His justification or your complete understanding? His thoughts are not our thoughts.

From my experience, you've already received "enough" explanation already.

From your responses to the numerous posts that have already been supplied on this and similar topics...it would seem like, for some reason, God is not answering you.

No matter what we say, we never get anywhere.

Name 10 things that have been shared with you in an effort to help you.

Have you acted upon them?

Have you tried fasting for a few days?

A fast doesn't necessarily need to be FOOD. It can be 24 hours of prayer (whether you get a response or not, keep praying...perhaps every hour) or it can be a fast of scripture study (try studying about prayer).

[DigitalShadow]

By the way, HE does have opinion on that subject.

Yes, the words of men state that HE has an opinion on alcohol consumption, but He has yet to inform me of His true opinion on the subject yet since as we know the words of men don't always accurately represent God's intent.

[Hemidakota]

Hmm...I now begin to see why you are not receiving an answer. You need to read 'Word of Widsom' or D&C 89. Then it becomes personal overtime when HE corrects us with usage of the devices of men to get gain over others.

However, look at Tom's post.

[DigitalShadow]

When you pray, how do you pray, and how do you phrase your questions?

That is between me and God. :)

How long do you wait for a reply?

Until I am tired of waiting, I figure that He can contact me whenever so I don't really see the need to wait very long.

How often do you express gratitude?

I am extremely grateful that I exist, but beyond that I don't see what God had to do with it. I tell Him to feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

How badly do you want an answer?

I can tell you that I want it more than many people who have already "received" their answer.

Do you secretly fear getting an answer, because it will obligate you to action?

I can honestly say no to that. The only thing that would change in my life is that I would be baptized and accepted better by my community and in-laws. If anything life would be easier if I converted, I already live my life according to the moral teachings of the church and more recently the Word of Wisdom out of respect to my wife.

I could just as easily ask you if you are secretly only interested in my conversion so that it validates your own beliefs that God talks to everyone who honestly seeks His wisdom, but it wouldn't get us anywhere so lets leave that line of questioning out.

How honest are you with the Lord? Have you tried telling him that it upsets you that He is not answering you?

Yes, I tell Him that frequently.

Have you failed to act upon insights or guidance you have received already?

I haven't received any insight or guidance from Him yet.

Why must everything God does require His justification or your complete understanding? His thoughts are not our thoughts.

If He wants my unquestioning belief and faith, the He can adequately explain His actions to me.

From my experience, you've already received "enough" explanation already.

From my experience, I haven't.

From your responses to the numerous posts that have already been supplied on this and similar topics...it would seem like, for some reason, God is not answering you.

You are correct.

No matter what we say, we never get anywhere.

No, I think we are making progress, just very slowly.

Name 10 things that have been shared with you in an effort to help you.

Are you trying to imply with this little quiz that I'm not listening?

Have you acted upon them?

On the ones that are practical yes.

Have you tried fasting for a few days?

A fast doesn't necessarily need to be FOOD. It can be 24 hours of prayer (whether you get a response or not, keep praying...perhaps every hour) or it can be a fast of scripture study (try studying about prayer).

I've been trying to work in a fast into my schedule and I'm still discussing things with my wife. Possibly this upcoming weekend.

[DigitalShadow]

Hmm...I now begin to see why you are not receiving an answer. You need to read 'Word of Widsom' or D&C 89. Then it becomes personal overtime when HE corrects us with usage of the devices of men to get gain over others.

However, look at Tom's post.

I honestly don't care about drinking alcohol, I don't even drink. My point is simply that many different men claim to have rules from God, and obviously not all of them are right. I'm going to wait for God to tell me personally which set of rules (if any) are from Him.

[Andrew777]

I believe that if we ask God with faith in Jesus' name we won't be misled, this is stated many times in the bible. I can only explain from my experience. When I was a child God spoke to me, but he only spoke to what I could understand, I learned a lot of things about him. Two years ago when I prayed, I never would have accepted LDS doctrines if God revealed them, so instead I was urged to go to a church where I learned about priests and sacredness. Finally I was led to the LDS church. It was a progression. Those who do evil I believe aren't asking in faith in Jesus' name.

[skalenfehl]

I am only seeking to understand the process of communicating with God because I am obviously missing something since He doesn't talk to me at all.

I've thought about your question since you posted it in the other thread. I can only imagine how often you might have tried praying or talking to Him and waiting for some kind of response. "Why isn't He talking to me?"

I've been down this road and someone shared something very important with me a long time ago that may seem so simple that it's silly. God has been talking to us for a long time. How you say? Have you ever written a letter to a loved one? You know, the days before email and internet? I mean wrote a letter and mailed it to your dad after you moved out? Something like that. How often did you check the mailbox waiting for that letter to arrive? When it did, did you set it aside and waited to read it another day or take it for granted? Or did you read it anxiously?

Father in Heaven has written to us many letters and he awaits our replies. We have the scriptures before us with many wonderful letters to us from our Father telling us how to come home. When we begin to read in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, we begin to read of His love for us and how much He wants to see us. We can feel how much He misses us and awaits to greet us with open arms. He has provided a map to return to Him.

Once we begin to read those "letters" and understand His "road map" home, we can begin to feel His love for us and we can feel that He really is talking to us. I have felt this infinitely more by reading the Book of Mormon than the Bible. Reading the entire Book of Mormon in my experience is like reading about Christ in the New Testament when He is talking to the Jews because the prophets in the Book of Mormon are literally addressing me and us the way Christ was addressing the Jews.

The more I read in the Book of Mormon, the more I feel like God is talking to me. Then I realize it is time for me to answer Him. By having prayed and talked to Father in Heaven and telling Him that I have found the truth in His words, have I been able to hear and feel him literally reply to me. That is when I have found my direction and continue on that path.

If you want to really hear God talking to you, may I recommend, if you haven't yet, that you dedicate some time where you can sit down and read in the scriptures away from noisy distractions? But not only read, but listen to Father in Heaven as you listen to the prophets addressing you personally. By truly setting apart some time to read and feast upon the words to nourish your soul as a hungered person would feast on food will you truly begin to hear Father In Heaven speaking to you. Listen to what He has to say before you "write back". I hope this creates a new experience for you as it did me. Try 3 Nephi 11 or if you wish, open the Book of Mormon to a random page and just begin reading with a prayer in your heart.

Best wishes.

[Snow]

I ask this question honestly, it was brought up in another thread of mine but I do think it deserves its own thread. It has been proposed that free agency is the cause, but I know for a fact that there are people who are not a part of the church but honestly seeking a relationship with God. If God communicates to us with thoughts and feelings, when someone is honestly an humbly seeking Him, why do they not always get a response? Worse yet, why do some get conflicting responses? How would it violate free agency to simply guide someone who is honestly seeking a relationship with God?

There are many truly faithful people that believe they have communicated with God and that their church is true. I would have no problem believing that they did in fact communicate with God if it weren't for the fact that there are so many different churches all with faithful people knowing their particular church is true. It is clear that these people honestly want a relationship with God, why didn't God send them to the "correct" church instead of allowing them to believe in a false church?

I ask this because I see many of my fellow man who are utterly convinced that God talks to them and nothing can convince them otherwise. Obviously not all of them can be right since they are from different churches with sometimes drastically different messages, so I am understandably cautious before diving head first into the deep end of "faith."

Before I am accused of "blaming" God for the situation, I would like to say that I am not "blaming" God for anything. I am only seeking to understand the process of communicating with God because I am obviously missing something since He doesn't talk to me at all.

Same reason that he allows innocent people to suffer such horrendous and often vile pain, misery, harm and evil...

...We're pretty much on our own for much of our mortal probation.

[WANDERER]

Jesus talked to many people whose daily life practices were not quite right. If that weren't the case, you wouldn't have converts...God would never speak to them. The promptings of the Spirit do occur in the middle of doing the wrong thing...I'm sure many have felt them.

[Guest tomk]

Same reason that he allows innocent people to suffer such horrendous and often vile pain, misery, harm and evil...

...We're pretty much on our own for much of our mortal probation.

The opposite is true. He walks beside us every step of the way.