How to know UR is true

[GodIsLove]

In my life, I've wrestled over many questions. Some spiritual, some earthly, such as parenting decisions, etc.

Each time, I initially TRIED TO FIND THE ANSWER MYSELF, via asking lots of people their opinion, reading tons of articles online, etc. and each time it made me crazy. Answers are not to be found on the internet or in talking to everyone about their thoughts and experiences. Both of those things are beneficial endeavors, but not when you are seeking a definitive answer. There will always be doubt, opinions, confirmation bias, confusion, etc.

Each time I finally received an answer, it was given to me by God in various forms, after I gave up the search and finally admitted I couldn't come up with an answer on my own.

With UR, it was after weeks or months of frantic searching and despair that I finally prayed to God, just show me the answer, is there a hell? I then opened my bible app, ready to just read the Bible (not expecting my answer to be given right away) and the verse of the day on the front page of the app was "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is lord." I FELT strong confirmation and a fully body tingling sensation and just a final deep knowing that this is the truth.

Other times, I decided to stop the search for other answers to questions I had, and instead entered into a phase of just asking for the answer, and often the answer would come within that period of days or weeks, in different forms, making my decision clear. Sometimes that meant I was wondering which of two choices I should make, and then suddenly one choice became impossible, thereby making the other choice the default, and then time revealed that the choice was a positive one.

So, God will answer you if you ask and are patient. Valuable information and connection  can come from friends or the internet, but the initial answer must come from God, somehow, (in my opinion and experience) in order for it to be integrated as truth, without huge doubts making the belief impossible.

[Ross]

Amen!
Yet not I but Christ in me.
Abraham tried- Ismael: God provided- Isaac.
Many other examples of man first, then God 's mercy and the right way.
All things are possible through Christ alone. Hence we don't call anyone teacher, father, or master.
We encourage each other,  but God alone makes us grow.

[Andrew]

Hi God is love

I understand the point you have made and I agree that for some people that it may be adequate to ask for the answer whether UR is true and that would be enough once they received an answer. I'm not sure I asked but I did wonder and received the same answer as you. But my situation is complex and I'm not 100% sure that UR is true even though it is appears that UR has been shown to me by God. To understand my situation one just has to look at near death experiences. Many of them contradict each other and yet most of the recipients are filled with the most amazing wonderful love. So you can conclude from that, that some of them are wrong and yet have come to know a wonderful love. Now I have had experiences that suggest there is a possibility that I am on the wrong track - that I'm not in the absolute Truth. And the wonderful love I have felt along with the UR validation isn't absolute proof, as there are some NDE'S that appear to be wrong in basic Christianity ideas and yet there wonderful experiences would suggest otherwise - that God revealed it to them. So this is why I ask the questions to the members on this site. And your posts have intrigued me as of late so I'm wondering if you would  be open to explain what your born again experience was like so I could match it with your UR experience and therefore increase my hope.     

Thanks

Andrew

[CHB]

Hi Andrew,

From reading your post it seems to me you are trying to prove that UR isn't true? I may be wrong on that but eventually you will prove that UR is true if you trust that God will show you the truth no matter what that truth may be. If you believe that God is in control and he is never wrong, just ask him what the truth is and he will show you. Jesus said if you ask for bread, will the Father give you a stone? or if you ask for a fish will he give you a serpent. (Matt. 7:7-11)  "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For EVERY ONE that asketh receiveth: and he that seeketh findeth: and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."  Do you believe these words? if you do, you will come to know the truth if God chooses for you to know it.

CHB

[GodIsLove]

Andrew,
I hesitate to label my experience so I've always called it a spiritual experience.

I grew up believing in God and Jesus, from as far back as I can remember, I felt a connection to God. When I was really young my mom said that I told her "we don't go to heaven, our love goes to heaven" which meant we as earthly humans don't go to heaven, but the part of us that is love goes.

As a teen and young adult I became a bit of a seeker, because I wasn't satisfied with the traditional teachings, so I entered a period of agnosticism, while I never lost my faith in God, I looked into Buddhism, new age beliefs, various branches of Christianity, etc.

Then I met a woman who was a strong Christian and she'd talk to me about her faith often. I was curious so I let her talk.  One evening she talked about the whole sinners prayer and asking Jesus to be in our heart and guide us etc.

I left and was driving home in the dark and I just started sobbing, and Jesus came to me in a vision and I felt immense love and forgiveness.

From that point on I felt different, and it was sort of unnerving. I couldn't watch anything on TV, especially violence, I just felt a strong revulsion toward anything that wasn't love/God. I bought a bible and started reading it. I didn't attend church at the time but around the same time, I met some other young adults who were Christian and we shared that in common. I read the Bible solo for about 5 years, and then around that time another friend began to try to get me to go to her church and be her version of a Christian. I went with her, but the teachings were very hellfire etc, and she often talked about hell, sinners, evil, the rapture, spiritual warfare, demons, apostasy, how the whole world, including most Christians were going to hell, etc. Up until that point, all of my faith in Christianity was centered on love and I was sort of drawn into this dark world that she was in, and honestly looking back, that to me isn't true Christianity. It's full of fear and darkness and division. But at the time, I got sucked in a little and my fear of hell increased significantly. I feared for all of my loved ones, and since this little church said most Christians were also destined for hell, I basically feared for everyone. My friend said that God would wipe our memories so we wouldn't be sad about our loved ones in hell. I began to read articles, and came across Tentmaker. But I wasn't convinced. I had terrible anxiety and insomnia about it all, until like I said, I prayed to God for the answer.

So if we know what is of God by the fruits, the fruits of the teachings of hell caused fear and anxiety and all sorts of negative consequences, and the teaching of UR caused peace and love.

From that point I would love to say it's been all lovely, but we live on Earth, and Earth is full of hardship, challenges, etc, which can temporarily cause us to despair. My faith in God is constant but sometimes I am human and fall back into forgetting to trust in God's plan or forgetting to take my concerns and struggles directly to God. But HE is faithful and that is what matters. I pray often for God to give me His words to speak to others, and sometimes He does that. I have a friend who is Christian (she doesn't believe in UR yet and I haven't brought it up) and we uplift each other. I have many other friends from different faiths or no faith, my kids go to a very diverse school. I csn honestly say God works though and with, and loves fully, so many people that we as Christians would like to say aren't close to Him. God is bigger than we can imagine, and even our small understanding of God here on earth is nothing compared to the actual truth. I heard a quote recently that said something like "if finite man can understand an infinite God, then that isn't actually God" meaning how can we as humans on earth comprehend the greatness of God? Even when we say the word "love," love here on earth is probably such a small fraction of God/love.

Now it's your turn to share: what experiences have you had that lead you to think you aren't in the absolute truth?

Actually, I would say none of us are in the absolute truth, because again, here on Earth so much is veiled, but I think we can have parts of the truth. I don't think just because someone has a born again experience and then has a UR revelation, they will automatically become a perfect vessel of God's grace, because again, we are humans on Earth.

[Andrew]

Absolutely wonderful reply God is Love. Let me think about your invitation to share as i'm not sure how I should approach that question as like I said its very complex. but thank you for sharing.

- Andrew

"we don't go to heaven, our love goes to heaven" -That could have a deep truth to it far greater than its surface level understanding.   

"if finite man can understand an infinite God, then that isn't actually God" - that's kind of what I'm starting to see as well but I'm still trying to understand as much as I can.

[eaglesway]

The objection in my conscience to the idea of eternal torment as a satisfactory resolution for a God who defined himself as merciful led me to a deeper study of the scriptures. It is by the scripture that the Holy Spirit revealed to me this beautiful and glorious gospel. "If I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all men unto me."  "Behold I am making all things new"

[GodIsLove]

Yes, true! It is there in scripture, but like you said the Holy Spirit was the guide. So many read scripture and don't see the ultimate truth of reconciliation through Jesus Christ.

[Dandelion]

I think for me, the simple 3 word quote, in the middle of 1 Corinthians:15 always sums up my feelings about Universal Salvation.......

"Love never fails".  God's love can never fail.....there are not 2 distinct groups of God's children....He loves us all the same.  He made all of us in His image and likeness.

Romans 8:
More Than Conquerors
(Psalm 44:1-26)
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:

"For Your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

D.

[marie glen]

Amen! Amen! GiL :thumbsup: :HeartThrob: ..and all!

Andrew, keep reading the scriptures.

I love my own reading schedule, which I call an 'entering the story' schedule.. I blended the gospels into two 6 month readings, and read the letters in the order believed written.. Acts & Revelation are as weekly readings.. Sometimes reading through the prophets.. Psalms! Etc.. but my focus is mostly on the New Testament, our daily 'loaf'! I'll post the link.. But of course the most important thing isn't what schedule (but I like reading the entire NT yearly.)

I always remember what the Lord said on the very eve of His crucifixion/execution, about the bread and the wine.. going deeper than communion, as helpful as the literal is, I think it has a deeper meaning.. and think of it as a very POWERFUL formula for our success. Our daily bread, liberally sopped in the New Wine of His Spirit. I think it is God's Word in this way that causes us to grow and mature in Jesus. So "abiding in His Word" and "abiding in Him" is of course our life long focus and passion that will lead us into all Truth.
https://inner-monastery.blogspot.com/p/daily.html
:Peace2: :girlheart:

[Andrew]

POSTED BY God is Love

"Then I met a woman who was a strong Christian and she'd talk to me about her faith often. I was curious so I let her talk.  One evening she talked about the whole sinners prayer and asking Jesus to be in our heart and guide us etc.

I left and was driving home in the dark and I just started sobbing, and Jesus came to me in a vision and I felt immense love and forgiveness."

Hi, I was just curious if you actually said the sinners prayer that night or was it just the "thoughts" regarding the prayer that allowed for that experience?

Thanks

Andrew