Your Hardest Questions: ANSWERED (Glen Scrivener)

Is it because the world is in a fallen state after Adam and Eve's actions that bad things happen to both good and bad people? Well, at least that's my simple understanding of it. Sorry, I'm new to this.

Is it true that God is never the author of sickness? Is that in the Bible?

As a person who deals with substantial anxiety, etc., the root of it seems to be ruthless preoccupation with other’s opinions of me. If I can turn that into a preoccupation with other’s opinions of the Savior, I find that helpful. If they demean the Savior, certainly they will also demean me, yet my status doesn’t seem most important.

I have just watched the recording. I loved it all. I loved especially the question and answer on prayer. So clear and I hope to try and follow that plan. Thank you❤

Bless this ministry for all it provides and for the eyes and hears that are opened to Gods love. Amen!

Glen's exegesis or application of the Lazarus and Road to Emmaus stories are profitable to people. I know Glen can do this on his own, but is he using a commentary or other aids that my ministers and me are not using? I agree the words about prayer are helpful. Merry Christmas

Christ didn't weep for Lazarus because he was dead, to Christ death is meaningless, Christ was weeping at their disbelief even to the point of anger, and this was directed at the Pharisees more than anyone, the so-called men of God, then he shows his power of raising the Dead.

Yes Christ is familiar with suffering, Matthew Henry's commentary:
"He is not only a great, but a gracious high priest, merciful, compassionate, and sympathizing with his people: We have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, v. 15. Though he is so great, and so far above us, yet he is very kind, and tenderly concerned for us. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities in such a manner as none else can be; for he was himself tried with all the afflictions and troubles that are incident to our nature in its fallen state: and this not only that he might be able to satisfy for us, but to sympathize with us."

What a first question! Crazy to me that I’ve never truly considered the spiritual and practical implications of Jesus’s baptism.

Is it God’s will that Glen has a tax free haven through organised religion?

Do you think there’s a reason that religion is mainly taught and encouraged to be taught as early as possible? Perhaps before the brain is fully formed in its reasoning and understanding?

Could the 2 min intro be made available separately?

Modern anxiety is not regular worrying. It's probably a physical or neurological response to constant unhealthy stimuli from technology

Why bad stuff happens? My opinion:
We live in a fallen world that is open rebellion against its creator. Bad stuff happens when you live on a battlefield.

I thought this was excellent- thank you both, and those who asked questions.

On the anxiety point, it's something that I have struggled with for some years, but which is now beginning to change- thank God- so here are a couple of things I've found useful. Sorry, it's a bit long...

1. If a big part of this is about people, start to pray for them. You don't need to like them or excuse them or try to manufacture what you don't feel- just bring them before God and keep doing it. Forgive them if you can- Ask Him to forgive them- even if you don't feel like that. Ask Him to bless them as He would choose to. You might not want Him to do that, but put it all into His hands. Be aware that He is interested in changing you, too.

2. As part of that, cut out gossip about them, and stop grumbling- even if you have good reason to grumble. That does not mean no longer sharing things with someone to pray about them, but it does mean making sure that if you only suspect ill intentions or acts, not to represent these as fact.

It does mean being careful only to say what is fully true- of course, you can also say how you feel and what you think- just make sure you are clear about these things. That will start to help you see the situation more clearly, too. In time, it may mean that you start to focus less on the things that hurt you, and if those are things from the past, maybe even if they are current things, that starts to rob them of their power to control your life.

3, I came across the Celtic prayer known as St Patrick's Breastplate, in a book by David Adam, and although I have always loathed liturgy and almost never used pre-written prayers, I started praying a small portion of this- paraphrased- when I knew I was going into stressful situations.

This was something like: "Christ in the eyes of everyone who looks on me, Christ in the mind of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me"- and in time, that started to branch out into praying that Christ would be not just in how others relate to me, but in how I look at others, too.

The early Celtic Christians seemed to often include visual or physical components to their prayers, one of which was an expression of faith- not to be confused with magic- known as a caim. I have adopted a home-made version of this as a reminder that God is in control, a reminder of His love for me and His love for each person that I meet. If I encounter a person that has hurt and stressed me and they talk to me, I may not be able to concentrate and pray verbally, but I can use that tiny physical movement to remind myself of God's presence, power and love. Of course, all these things can become obsessive or ritualistic or formulaic- we just keep having to come back to Christ. But if we do that, and always make Him number 1, then they might be useful.

4. An old lady pointed out to me that you cannot truly focus on multiple things at once. That means that if you really do as Paul says in Philippians, and "think about these things", then they barge some of those fears aside, simply because we only have room in our minds for so much.

That's one reason that if I know someone stressed and burdened, I ask them to pray for someone else. My son was going through a tough time- so, as well as assuring him of my prayers, I asked him to pray for one of the hostages his age, in a tunnel somewhere. When my youngest used to be scared about going back to school after the holidays, I would get him to look out for and cheer up others who are more scared than him, to be a friend to the new kid, even to pray for the teachers who are stressed to be back. If I'm at the dentist having teeth dismantled, (apparently for fun) I pray for others. It helps. It dilutes the pain a bit, and I need every bit diluted...

You could even visualise that displacement of the dead with the alive by imagining a polluted river having clean water run into it- (think the River Isen and the Ents, you Tolkein fans), washing it fresh again. Picture that for your mind and your emotions, but let the word of God replace the negativity that might have been there.

You could do this with a jug and various non-deadly liquids- representing stuff that is burdening you- and start to pour water in to replace it. (do this somewhere that a mess won't be a problem) and as you do think of God in each situation- Ask Him to enter in- changing that relationship, coming in and walking with you in that situation, accompanying you in your fears and the things that weigh you down. Turn up that pressure and hose the other stuff out.

You could do this with items on a tray, or items held in your hand- each new one displacing another. You could do it on an old programme on the computer like "Paint" or a new one like Procreate, where you draw new thing after new thing, overwriting the old layer by layer. You could do this by writing down the cruel things said to you and writing over them things that God says- not to pretend that those hurts never happened or don't matter, but to replace them with something new and better.

I always love the way that Jesus chose to do one of his most famous miracles at the site of a tragedy- in his day, known for the disaster of the Tower of Siloam- a modern equivalent might be the site of a fire or a terrorist attack- and he changes the whole place- you might say that he redeems it- he replaces that story of darkness with one of something new and full of light- and it's now the healing of the pool that we think of, not what came before it.

He loves to do that in our lives, today. How many people do you know who have suffered and now minister to the suffering? I pray that for you in your life right now- that the Lord would change that story, if it's a dark one- that you would find, after those long chapters of running down endless dark corridors, that you are suddenly able to stop and be still, and that there is a door where there never was one before- one that opens when you knock- one that answers even when you do not have the strength to make the slightest noise- and one that opens up to a world of light in His company- to a place of completeness with Him- so that you will take His light and His companionship with you where-ever He leads you- maybe to light up those dark valleys and staircases- maybe to life up those old dry bones and hopeless places. God bless you.

Thank you Glen❤

For me, Jesus is the best news.
Just joined the discord server 👍 😊