Doubting my faith

[b22]

Only at the beginning of this year, a friend asked me to visit his teen fellowship at church (I'm only 17). I was intrigued on my first visit and came back to learn more about God's word and salvation. Soon, I became a regular at the fellowship and accepted Jesus as my saviour. But since I've finished my high school education and will be moving onto university, I don't know why but I'm just not feeling the presence of God in my life as I did before. I pray and it seems there is no answer - just silence. This has led to me to start drinking alcohol with friends and cursing. Everytime I drink with friends, I feel so guilty, and when I get home I'm always depressed and guilty. At bible study I drift off thinking about other things. At church I don't feel the lyrics in the songs we sing anymore. I feel empty. Its beginning to feel like trying to catch a taxi to an airport but the taxi is slowly accelarating away. My faith is driving away in the taxi and I'm out of breath. Sorry bout the long message, just venting my frustration.

 

[BlessedVegan]

Perhaps you need a new Church? If your not interested at your current Church you need to find a place that interests you. Why do you continue to drink if it makes you feel guilty and depressed? Maybe you should think back to the reasons that made you want to accept Jesus into your life in the first place, and do some more studying into those reasons. But I don't think you can stay absolutly as excited about something forever as you were the first few weeks you were into it. FAmiliarity makes it less exciting. Not overall, of course, but everyday will not be a new revelation. I will pray for you! Good luck.

 

[Johnnz]

You are growing up. You made an initial discovery of Jesus, but now you need further information and conceptual development in your thinking.

Some churches are pretty repetative in their teaching, and after a while you have heard it all before. Christianity can continue to excite and challenge over a lifetime, but that needs more than a very basic faith. Good teaching and discussions that expand your Christian worldview will be essential. I found good Christian reading (i.e informative books by Christian scholars) to be the major source of my spiritual development over the years.

John
NZ

 

[marc37]

some things need time and understanding you are young and you have both,dont do nothing that you hate,so dont be tempted to do bad things which keep you away from your true path and rob you your health and waste your precious time,be strong,and even when you think you fail,you actually dont because you are still struggeling to keep yourself from sinning .
keep srtong faith

 

[de Unamuno]

Well, first of all, I may very well be a terrible Christian, but I like to drink and cuss with my Christian friends! Hey, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkein did it (see, The Inklings).

As for my faith, I'm also relatively "young" in my walk, yet I've certainly felt the ebb and flow of faith. The things that help me are reading the great thinkers/theologians and also shelter in a community of believers, my beloved friends.

I entered into Christianity expecting to have the valleys as well as the peaks. Plus, it's important to realize that the "high" you initially got is all well and good, but it's mostly just a feeling. You may find that a faith based on these extreme feelings requires a constant "fix" in order to feel close to God. It's easy to burn out on that kind of faith.

When I started living a life of more radical denial of my own self (and by cultivating a selfless love for others), fully submitting to God's will, I received a much deeper, more sustaining "living" faith. Not sure if this makes sense to anyone else

 

[Stinker]

Only at the beginning of this year, a friend asked me to visit his teen fellowship at church (I'm only 17). I was intrigued on my first visit and came back to learn more about God's word and salvation. Soon, I became a regular at the fellowship and accepted Jesus as my saviour. But since I've finished my high school education and will be moving onto university, I don't know why but I'm just not feeling the presence of God in my life as I did before. I pray and it seems there is no answer - just silence. This has led to me to start drinking alcohol with friends and cursing. Everytime I drink with friends, I feel so guilty, and when I get home I'm always depressed and guilty. At bible study I drift off thinking about other things. At church I don't feel the lyrics in the songs we sing anymore. I feel empty. Its beginning to feel like trying to catch a taxi to an airport but the taxi is slowly accelarating away. My faith is driving away in the taxi and I'm out of breath. Sorry bout the long message, just venting my frustration.

b22: What all do you know of Jesus Christ at this point in your faith?

Please give us a run down on this!

 

[LegomasterJC]

Changing churches is not always the best solution.
Seek God, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Pray for a heart for worship and for the word. Then read your Bible. Read it a lot. Ask God to reveal to you His will.
Continue to press toward Him adamently until you find Him. David had to do this many times as you can see in Psalms and so did many other people. They would mess up, cry out to the Lord, sometimes for whole days or weeks... Until He delivered them.

 

[Observer]

Are you sure it's completely silent? Maybe your guilt after you do the wrong thing is God still speaking to you?

 

[1580]

Only at the beginning of this year, a friend asked me to visit his teen fellowship at church (I'm only 17). I was intrigued on my first visit and came back to learn more about God's word and salvation. Soon, I became a regular at the fellowship and accepted Jesus as my saviour. But since I've finished my high school education and will be moving onto university, I don't know why but I'm just not feeling the presence of God in my life as I did before. I pray and it seems there is no answer - just silence. This has led to me to start drinking alcohol with friends and cursing. Everytime I drink with friends, I feel so guilty, and when I get home I'm always depressed and guilty. At bible study I drift off thinking about other things. At church I don't feel the lyrics in the songs we sing anymore. I feel empty. Its beginning to feel like trying to catch a taxi to an airport but the taxi is slowly accelarating away. My faith is driving away in the taxi and I'm out of breath. Sorry bout the long message, just venting my frustration.

Remember its not about you. God saves you, you dont save yourself. The warm fuzzy feeling you were feeling in the modern evangelical church is not sustaining. THe word of God is though. If you are struggling with your faith, then you need to hear the gospel, not the law. We are all sinful and will be until we die. When Christ died on the cross, you were justified. Just because you are a christian, doesn't mean that you are sinless. All it means is that your justified. Christ stands in our place on judgemnet day. Some days we sin less but never are we without sin. We all turn away from god. We all hate him.

 

[searle29678]

I agree with the previous post. When I was first saved at the beginning of the year, every day was absolutely euphoric. Everything I did, heard, felt, believed was intensified by a million fold. I was so excited and moving right along. However, as soon as my environment changed or something difficult came into my life....I crashed. I was explaining what I was feeling to my grandmother and she basically told me the same thing. That "feeling" is great, it is good that you were/are excited about being a part of Christ's family, but that feeling is just that a feeling. You can't rely always on how you feel inside. As soon as you come into God's family the devil will tempt you with all kinds of lies and numerous temptations. He hates the fact that you have accepted the Lord into your life and wants to do anything to change your feelings and thoughts. This is the time in your faith when you are a baby. Becoming a Christian is exactly like the word that is used, Born Again. You are born again. You are a baby in your walk. You will fall down many times before you stand strong against Satan's lies. This is the time when your faith will grow the most. Keep your eyes on God at all times and rely on Him to guide you. He is with you even when you don't realize it. Reference the famous Footsteps in the Sand poem. I'm sure everyone here will pray for you.

 

[TheMainException]

It is in no way long...don't worry about the length....faith is a troubling thing isn't it? So very confusing...it runs around...and we can't seem to catch up...it is always ahead of us...and hard to understand....but all in all....it will return...but not without some struggle. You can sit and wait for a long long time, or you can keep praying and reading the word....keep trying....things are strange in a strange world...but all in all....it is what it is...keep hold of the faith you have in you.

 

[BlackRain]

i agree that changing churches might help you out some. i'm about to do that, as soon as my parents move away. remember that God didn't move from you, you moved from him. he could very well be talking but your sin is what is in the way...he can't get thru to you. i encourage you to get back into reading God's word and trying to listen to the sermons...although they may be repetitive. it just might take you losing friends you drink with. it'll take alot of courage and strength. but you can do it! don't think for a minute that you can't get out of where you are. you can!! if you ask the Lord for help he will give it. he's just waiting to help you out. ask him to pull up a chair and tell him whats on your mind. just vent to him. let him know whats going on and tell him your fears and struggles. thats what he's here for. he WANTS to help you overcome this. he WANTS to help you move on in life. he is a loving Father who really loves his children...YOU. so don't get down about it...look up, tomorrows a new day...a day for change. a new beginning for you. think positively about all of this. take it as a learning experience and persevere in it. you're going to make it...you're going to overcome this drought that you're in right now. take the Lord's hand and RUN!!! you're in my prayers.