Answers

Q:

A friend and I got to talking about religion the other day, and I found out that he believes in all sorts of ideas I'd never heard of before (like contacting people for guidance who have been dead for hundreds of years). Do you think he's sincere, or is he just trying to be different?


A:

Only your friend knows whether or not he truly believes these ideas, but either way I hope you will urge him to rethink what he is doing and put his feet on a new path for his life – God’s path.

Why is your friend interested in these things? Yes, perhaps he wants to be different. But I believe there is a deeper reason: He has an emptiness in his soul, and down inside he actually is searching for God (even if he doesn’t realize it). You see, God has put within each of us an empty space that only He can fill. Why did God make us this way? The Bible says, “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).

Rather than argue with your friend, however, encourage him to discover Jesus Christ as He is found in the pages of the New Testament. Jesus was God in human flesh – and when we come to know Him, He takes away our emptiness and gives us peace. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27).

Let me encourage you to examine your own faith as well. Do you know Christ, and are you seeking to live for Him every day? Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ. Then pray for your friend, and ask God to help you be an example to him of Christ’s love and peace.