I am a mess

The truth is that God isn't calling everyone at this time. If God were calling you would know it. Many desire to be part of God's church in this age but unless called will not be.

You are in no danger of going to 'hell'. If you are not called into the church in this lifetime you will come up in the general resurrection "at the end of the thousand years" of Christ's millennial rule on earth.

You can however order your life according to God's revealed will for everyone. If you are sincere enough and persistent enough, as was the 'pestering widow' God may take you in.

Crystel said:

I have no idea how to pray. I feel like I'm talking to walls.

Click to expand...

This is the formula, and the link below mirrors it.

Pray LIKE this. Follow this outline:

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.
(Pray to the Father.)

Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven.
(Ask God to work his perfect will in your life.)

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us.
(Expect God to take care of you for today, and know He forgives you, what-ever happens)

And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
(Know He will not lead you astray from His plans)

For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
(Recognise that you are talking to the boss and not some flying spaghetti monster.)

"In Jesus name, Amen".....is good too.


Who Else Wants to finally SEE and hear Gods Answers to Prayers?

Crystel said:

Has anyone been there

Click to expand...

Yes, I've been in desperate situations and called out unknowingly to the Lord. The Rx for restoring faith is repentance and surrender, and trust. Trust doesn't have to be perfect, it is a reaching out toward the God you hope is there and listening. Jesus said you don't need great faith, you only need to use the mustard seed of faith you already have. Work on that whenever you are troubled, and faith will begin to grow.

At the same time, getting back into the Bible will feed your faith. Read Luke chapter 15 for 3 parables on God seeking and restoring what was lost.

As for the twig thing, you should get rid of it. Burning it is best, but get rid of it any way you can. Then renounce any association with any dark forces not aligned with God. When you are afraid remember that there is no name above the name of Jesus, and He has power over all dark forces.

Crystel said:

I don't know where to start. So I got saved when I was like 13. That was 22 years ago. I think I really felt it then. I think I really believed then but I have just slipped away with time. My faith and my soul have just spun out of control and I'm not feeling very good. I used to think that faith or not, I was a decent human being but even that now is questionable. I've piled up so many sins that I couldn't possibly remember all of them to confess in prayer. I have no idea how to pray. I feel like I'm talking to walls. I feel left behind and forgotten with myself to blame. Of coarse death is scary naturally for everyone but me, it's a growing fear that I'm afraid I'm going to become obsessed with. I feel so empty inside with what feels like darkness in my soul. I spent a lot of time today looking up how to restore faith. Almost all the answers respond with "trust". So confusing. If you want to believe but your struggling, and you want to have faith but you are lost, how do you trust? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And the bible.....I do not understand it. I was never raised to know god or religion. My best friend introduced it to me but we hardly ever talk, (busy moms). Ya and the church we use to go to, it was literally the only church I ever really liked and they got bought out by this franchise like church called Bethel and I just did not like it at all. I pray for wisdom, I pray for strength, I pray for faith and I'm gonna be honest, even I can't tell how genuine I am when I'm doing it, even though I genuinely want to have faith & peace.
I also did something really stupid. This is for real, no joke....but I don't know if the Gary Demon house is universally known about because the documentary movie made that was in theaters, or if it's just huge out here because I live in the next town over, but the house was torn down, and me and my boyfriend went there like 8 months ago and took a twig off of the tree in the yard where the house once stood. I still have it, though the actual priest that performed all the exorcisms there told me to get rid of it. I plan to but I still sorta feel like maybe I brought something into my home with that stick and maybe it even attached itself to me.
If I died today, I think I would go straight to hell, and that is terrifying. Whats also terrifying is if I die, and thats it. No heaven or hell, not even darkness just eliminated. I think that thought alone made me realize I'm in deep trouble spiritually. I've been trying so long to turn it around but I feel like there is no hope for me.... So hear I am, so desperate and under a fake name on the very first forum I have ever been on in my life, reaching out to a mass amount of strangers looking for guidance or hope or something.
Has anyone been there

Click to expand...

Been there. I was saved at 17 and after a few years growing in the faith, went out and did what I wanted. I probably committed every sin you have and more. Poor choices, bad decisions, hurt people...
Dabbled with the "fascination" of demonic possession. Get rid of the stick. Ask God to forgive you and reveal Himself to you. I waited until my early '40's to come back to Him. Don't wait because forgiveness and God's loving mercy are available for you now. Praying for you. Please stay in touch and THANK YOU for sharing this!!

Crystel said:

I don't know where to start. So I got saved when I was like 13. That was 22 years ago. I think I really felt it then. I think I really believed then but I have just slipped away with time. My faith and my soul have just spun out of control and I'm not feeling very good. I used to think that faith or not, I was a decent human being but even that now is questionable. I've piled up so many sins that I couldn't possibly remember all of them to confess in prayer. I have no idea how to pray. I feel like I'm talking to walls. I feel left behind and forgotten with myself to blame. Of coarse death is scary naturally for everyone but me, it's a growing fear that I'm afraid I'm going to become obsessed with. I feel so empty inside with what feels like darkness in my soul. I spent a lot of time today looking up how to restore faith. Almost all the answers respond with "trust". So confusing. If you want to believe but your struggling, and you want to have faith but you are lost, how do you trust? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And the bible.....I do not understand it. I was never raised to know god or religion. My best friend introduced it to me but we hardly ever talk, (busy moms). Ya and the church we use to go to, it was literally the only church I ever really liked and they got bought out by this franchise like church called Bethel and I just did not like it at all. I pray for wisdom, I pray for strength, I pray for faith and I'm gonna be honest, even I can't tell how genuine I am when I'm doing it, even though I genuinely want to have faith & peace.
I also did something really stupid. This is for real, no joke....but I don't know if the Gary Demon house is universally known about because the documentary movie made that was in theaters, or if it's just huge out here because I live in the next town over, but the house was torn down, and me and my boyfriend went there like 8 months ago and took a twig off of the tree in the yard where the house once stood. I still have it, though the actual priest that performed all the exorcisms there told me to get rid of it. I plan to but I still sorta feel like maybe I brought something into my home with that stick and maybe it even attached itself to me.
If I died today, I think I would go straight to hell, and that is terrifying. Whats also terrifying is if I die, and thats it. No heaven or hell, not even darkness just eliminated. I think that thought alone made me realize I'm in deep trouble spiritually. I've been trying so long to turn it around but I feel like there is no hope for me.... So hear I am, so desperate and under a fake name on the very first forum I have ever been on in my life, reaching out to a mass amount of strangers looking for guidance or hope or something.
Has anyone been there

Click to expand...

I been there

The good news is you are seeking! There are so many people in this world who don’t even know they are lost in sin.

When I wanted to die, and my kids were taken away from me, I felt like you do.

I basically cried out to God and said “give me this joy the Bible promised me, the kind of joy that I can always have even in sadness and bad circumstances.” And one night while listening to someone preach About Joy, it clicked. I begged God to give me that same feeling in the morning and woke up with it and havnt lost it. I encourage you to read through my list every day when you feel sad or depressed or lost. I made this list through tears, even if you don’t know how to pray or read the Bible just read the words, and I believe you can feel relief from reading these promises

It would be good to find some mature Christian folks who can help teach you about the gift of Grace and the joy from Jesus.


JOY verses


The holy grail of joy verses first!


Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7


salm 90:14 New International Version (NIV)

14

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.


Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18


20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Luke 10:20


9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

John 15:9- 11


You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:11


Psalm 94:19 "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."


May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13


I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Philippians 1:23-26

(Paul says that continuing to inspire progress and joy in the church was one of the only reasons he was still even alive on earth.)


Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Habakkuk 3:17-18


And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more GLADLY about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10


When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Acts 7:54-56


Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Daniel 3:19,21,24-25


Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither 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.

Romans 8:35-39


John 16:20

Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.


So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

John 16:22


John 16:24

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.


33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33


1 Peter 5:10

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12


Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4


Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

-1 Peter 4:12-13

At this time, Emperor Nero was burning the bodies of Christians to light his gardens in the evenings


In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

2 Timothy 3:12



And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

2 Corinthians 8:1-2


I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

Romans 8:18-19


“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.John 15:9-11


Romans 5:1-5 New International Version (NIV)

Peace and Hope

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.


But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1 Peter 2:20-21


Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Neh 8:10


Psalm 51:12

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.


Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)


Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."



Psalm 5:11 "But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee."

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:19


Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:11-12

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

1 Peter 4:19


Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Psalm 32:11


It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

3 John 1:3-4


Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.

Jeremiah 15:16

The best advice I can give you is to ask God for the Holy Spirit.
It'll give you security, lead you into the truth and give you great comfort as He is the Comforter.
You'll feel God's presence and won't be feeling like you're talking to the walls anymore.

Crystel said:

If you want to believe but your struggling, and you want to have faith but you are lost, how do you trust?

Click to expand...

These are the very conditions needed for trust to grow. If you weren't struggling with belief and you weren't lost, then you would already have perfect trust. We all strive for and hope for and await this perfect love, wherein there is no fear--

"17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely."
Revelation 22:17

"20He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"
Revelation 22:20

GaveMeJoy said:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Click to expand...

May Abba Yah Breathe deeply into every aspect of your being and raise this Body up with Yahshua ha Mashiach. Amen.

Crystel said:

I don't know where to start. So I got saved when I was like 13. That was 22 years ago. I think I really felt it then. I think I really believed then but I have just slipped away with time. My faith and my soul have just spun out of control and I'm not feeling very good. I used to think that faith or not, I was a decent human being but even that now is questionable. I've piled up so many sins that I couldn't possibly remember all of them to confess in prayer. I have no idea how to pray. I feel like I'm talking to walls. I feel left behind and forgotten with myself to blame. Of coarse death is scary naturally for everyone but me, it's a growing fear that I'm afraid I'm going to become obsessed with. I feel so empty inside with what feels like darkness in my soul. I spent a lot of time today looking up how to restore faith. Almost all the answers respond with "trust". So confusing. If you want to believe but your struggling, and you want to have faith but you are lost, how do you trust? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And the bible.....I do not understand it. I was never raised to know god or religion. My best friend introduced it to me but we hardly ever talk, (busy moms). Ya and the church we use to go to, it was literally the only church I ever really liked and they got bought out by this franchise like church called Bethel and I just did not like it at all. I pray for wisdom, I pray for strength, I pray for faith and I'm gonna be honest, even I can't tell how genuine I am when I'm doing it, even though I genuinely want to have faith & peace.
I also did something really stupid. This is for real, no joke....but I don't know if the Gary Demon house is universally known about because the documentary movie made that was in theaters, or if it's just huge out here because I live in the next town over, but the house was torn down, and me and my boyfriend went there like 8 months ago and took a twig off of the tree in the yard where the house once stood. I still have it, though the actual priest that performed all the exorcisms there told me to get rid of it. I plan to but I still sorta feel like maybe I brought something into my home with that stick and maybe it even attached itself to me.
If I died today, I think I would go straight to hell, and that is terrifying. Whats also terrifying is if I die, and thats it. No heaven or hell, not even darkness just eliminated. I think that thought alone made me realize I'm in deep trouble spiritually. I've been trying so long to turn it around but I feel like there is no hope for me.... So hear I am, so desperate and under a fake name on the very first forum I have ever been on in my life, reaching out to a mass amount of strangers looking for guidance or hope or something.
Has anyone been there

Click to expand...

My suggestion to anyone in your position is to start from the beginning. I and many others have had to review their lives for similar reasons. The question is not where you were, but where are you now? As far as the father was concerned, the prodigal son was dead. The prodigal returned and was welcomed back as alive from the dead. The father in the parable represents God. He welcomes those who are lost and anxious to come home.

Because we get so far away, we need faith to be restored. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. I suggest that you read the following link. It is for everyone, of course, but it is also for you in particular. God wants you to return. God loves you and has never given up on you. If He had, you would be indifferent to your situation. The fact that you care is the best sign that you could have.

The Way - Christian Life Frankston

Lord Jesus specialises in cleaning up messes. He has set people free that seemed beyond help. No one is in such a deep hole that He cannot lift them out.

Crystel said:

I don't know where to start. So I got saved when I was like 13. That was 22 years ago. I think I really felt it then. I think I really believed then but I have just slipped away with time. My faith and my soul have just spun out of control and I'm not feeling very good. I used to think that faith or not, I was a decent human being but even that now is questionable. I've piled up so many sins that I couldn't possibly remember all of them to confess in prayer. I have no idea how to pray. I feel like I'm talking to walls. I feel left behind and forgotten with myself to blame. Of coarse death is scary naturally for everyone but me, it's a growing fear that I'm afraid I'm going to become obsessed with. I feel so empty inside with what feels like darkness in my soul. I spent a lot of time today looking up how to restore faith. Almost all the answers respond with "trust". So confusing. If you want to believe but your struggling, and you want to have faith but you are lost, how do you trust? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And the bible.....I do not understand it. I was never raised to know god or religion. My best friend introduced it to me but we hardly ever talk, (busy moms). Ya and the church we use to go to, it was literally the only church I ever really liked and they got bought out by this franchise like church called Bethel and I just did not like it at all. I pray for wisdom, I pray for strength, I pray for faith and I'm gonna be honest, even I can't tell how genuine I am when I'm doing it, even though I genuinely want to have faith & peace.
I also did something really stupid. This is for real, no joke....but I don't know if the Gary Demon house is universally known about because the documentary movie made that was in theaters, or if it's just huge out here because I live in the next town over, but the house was torn down, and me and my boyfriend went there like 8 months ago and took a twig off of the tree in the yard where the house once stood. I still have it, though the actual priest that performed all the exorcisms there told me to get rid of it. I plan to but I still sorta feel like maybe I brought something into my home with that stick and maybe it even attached itself to me.
If I died today, I think I would go straight to hell, and that is terrifying. Whats also terrifying is if I die, and thats it. No heaven or hell, not even darkness just eliminated. I think that thought alone made me realize I'm in deep trouble spiritually. I've been trying so long to turn it around but I feel like there is no hope for me.... So hear I am, so desperate and under a fake name on the very first forum I have ever been on in my life, reaching out to a mass amount of strangers looking for guidance or hope or something.
Has anyone been there

Click to expand...

Yes, more than once even. The best thing to do is to commit your heart to Jesus again in its entirety. Get rid of your old life by leaving it behind and starting afresh with Christ as King of the heart.

Please know that doing it wrong gives the wicked power over us to torture us with our own wrong doings, that is how they are. This is why leaving your old life behind is so important for the new belongs to the Lord.

One thing about trust. i found that trust grows when what we trust in proves true. The promises of God are all true in my life, and they can be in yours as well, and then trusting in God's promises becomes easier. So fight to trust by trusting in God's truth and refusing the wicked their lies.

A typical way satan will try and stop you going to Jesus for salvation is by making you look at yourself and what you have done, this is why it is so important that you dump the past and leave it behind to perish, good riddence of bad life that would be.

So yes responding to God's love over you must come first for you to be delivered. Remember? God loved us while we were still sinners, you as well! He loves you to find Him - so never give up searching.

Please be of good courage Jesus overcame all the wicked and you can share in His Victory over darkness even today.

Please do give your heart to Jesus and let Him sort ot good from bad therein. My life changed so much for the better when i began to have faith in His love. He is the greatest Friend anyone could have fighting the darkness.

Darkness Reigning

When The hour of darkness reigns.
"Where is your God", they sneer.
Casting their nets of doubt and fear.
Isolation is their jail of presence within.
Happily trading your weakness and your sin.
Oh how they enjoy your every fall or slip.
As your fallen reality is their strongest grip.
Building in your heart their own life form.
So depravity of being is your daily norm.
Now see them fight to retain their place.
Trying to keep away God's loving grace.
By showing you their godless hold inside.
You in their slimly pits to smite.
Influenced by their dark and godless thrash.
Your light of day took quite a crash.
But remember wicked rule is a very short reign.
For you Christ's light will surely shine again.

Crystel said:

I don't know where to start. So I got saved when I was like 13. That was 22 years ago. I think I really felt it then. I think I really believed then but I have just slipped away with time. My faith and my soul have just spun out of control and I'm not feeling very good. I used to think that faith or not, I was a decent human being but even that now is questionable. I've piled up so many sins that I couldn't possibly remember all of them to confess in prayer. I have no idea how to pray. I feel like I'm talking to walls. I feel left behind and forgotten with myself to blame. Of coarse death is scary naturally for everyone but me, it's a growing fear that I'm afraid I'm going to become obsessed with. I feel so empty inside with what feels like darkness in my soul. I spent a lot of time today looking up how to restore faith. Almost all the answers respond with "trust". So confusing. If you want to believe but your struggling, and you want to have faith but you are lost, how do you trust? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And the bible.....I do not understand it. I was never raised to know god or religion. My best friend introduced it to me but we hardly ever talk, (busy moms). Ya and the church we use to go to, it was literally the only church I ever really liked and they got bought out by this franchise like church called Bethel and I just did not like it at all. I pray for wisdom, I pray for strength, I pray for faith and I'm gonna be honest, even I can't tell how genuine I am when I'm doing it, even though I genuinely want to have faith & peace.
I also did something really stupid. This is for real, no joke....but I don't know if the Gary Demon house is universally known about because the documentary movie made that was in theaters, or if it's just huge out here because I live in the next town over, but the house was torn down, and me and my boyfriend went there like 8 months ago and took a twig off of the tree in the yard where the house once stood. I still have it, though the actual priest that performed all the exorcisms there told me to get rid of it. I plan to but I still sorta feel like maybe I brought something into my home with that stick and maybe it even attached itself to me.
If I died today, I think I would go straight to hell, and that is terrifying. Whats also terrifying is if I die, and thats it. No heaven or hell, not even darkness just eliminated. I think that thought alone made me realize I'm in deep trouble spiritually. I've been trying so long to turn it around but I feel like there is no hope for me.... So hear I am, so desperate and under a fake name on the very first forum I have ever been on in my life, reaching out to a mass amount of strangers looking for guidance or hope or something.
Has anyone been there

Click to expand...

I know for a fact God isn't out to count your sins. It's your heart that he wants.......

Hi neighbor, I'm in Valpo.

We are all sinners, even Christians. Christians themselves are barely saved...I am barely saved. I have a war within me that rages. A fight between my spirit and my flesh. Yet, I have a deep peace...a peace that only Christ can bring. You see, we cannot trust in man, we cannot trust in ourselves. Our trust is in Christ alone, He has paid our price. HE gave himself so that we may live.

Our trust is in the Gospel, that Christ indeed died for our sins, He was buried and on the third day He rose from the dead. It was witnessed by many. This and this alone is our only hope.

I've tried many times not to sin, being honest with myself I fail and fall. The bible says a righteous man gets back up and move forward. Jesus says there is only one work of God, that we are to believe in Him.

Prayer is easy, open your heart to God...talk to him as you would talk to your father.

In Christ
Daniel

Crystel said:

My faith and my soul have just spun out of control and I'm not feeling very good. I used to think that faith or not, I was a decent human being but even that now is questionable. I've piled up so many sins that I couldn't possibly remember all of them to confess in prayer. I have no idea how to pray. I feel like I'm talking to walls.

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The Bible tells us that, apart from God, we are all very indecent human beings. (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; Titus 3:3-4, etc.). This is why we so desperately need God. If we are not to be destroyed by Sin, we must be saved by Him. (Romans 6:23)

Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). It deadens our prayers, too, and makes us doubt our salvation.

Crystel said:

I feel left behind and forgotten with myself to blame. Of coarse death is scary naturally for everyone but me, it's a growing fear that I'm afraid I'm going to become obsessed with. I feel so empty inside with what feels like darkness in my soul.

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This is what the Bible says is always the harvest that one reaps from sin. Many times, people have to feel the full force of the destructiveness of their sin before they can be convinced to turn from it. But, by this point, sin often leaves a "limp" that the sinner bears the rest of their life.

Crystel said:

I spent a lot of time today looking up how to restore faith. Almost all the answers respond with "trust". So confusing. If you want to believe but your struggling, and you want to have faith but you are lost, how do you trust? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And the bible.....I do not understand it. I was never raised to know god or religion.

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From all that you've written to this point, it seems very evident that you have not yet come into a real relationship with God. This is where freedom from sin and joy in fellowship with God begins, however. How do you come into a real relationship with God?


I. Salvation: Entering into relationship with God.

Why must one be saved?

1 John 1:5
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Psalms 5:4
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.

Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Isaiah 59:2
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

John 3:19
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Psalms 1:5-6
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Ezekiel 18:4
4 "Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death...


How is one saved?

Repentance: Changing one’s mind.

Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Mark 1:14-15
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

Luke 5:31-32
31 Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Acts 3:19
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out...

Acts 3:26
26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."


Repentance is, at its heart, a change of mind, an alteration or amendment of one’s thinking. Is repentance always and only from sin in the Bible? No. In the Old Testament, God repents more than anyone else; but He does not, of course, repent from sin. Repentance, then, is not a turning away from sin. Repentance is the change in one’s thinking that gives rise to a turning away from sin. It is only as one hears the truths of the Gospel, recognizes one’s sinfulness, rebellion toward God, and need of a Saviour, and reorients one’s thinking in conformity to what one has heard – repents – that salvation is possible. This is why we see in the verses above that repentance is distinguished from and precedes believing the Gospel, conversion, and remission of sins.

Belief and Acceptance:

Romans 10:9-13
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."


John 3:3-7
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

John 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36
36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Titus 3:5-6
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Is the belief spoken of in these verses merely intellectual assent? In order to be saved, is it enough simply to agree that the Gospel is true? Or is more required in exercising faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord? The apostle James wrote that demons believe that there is a God and tremble (Ja. 2:19), in doing so pointing out that not any old belief in God will do. No, James wrote, there is more to true, saving faith than mere acknowledgement of God’s existence. One must also anticipate, expect, desire a changed life, a life that is lived in conformity to the truth of God’s existence. One’s heart, the very core of one’s being, must be the place from which one engages with God and the Gospel. One’s mind, will, emotions and desires ought all to be aligned under, and united in faith in, God incarnate, the resurrected Saviour, Jesus Christ. There can be no salvation of a person who simply assents to God’s being but who has no desire to live in conformity to his will and truth as revealed in the Gospel.

Confession of sin: Agreeing with God that your sin is, in fact, sin.

1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

James 4:8-10
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Proverbs 28:13
13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Matthew 3:5-6
5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him
6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

From what is one saved?

Romans 6:22-23
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8-9
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Colossians 1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Galatians 1:3-5
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 8:2-4
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 6:6-11

6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galatians 3:13-14
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

To what is one saved?

John 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 5:24
24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Galatians 5:13
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Romans 5:1-2
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Colossians 1:21-22
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--

Dear friend, I don't want to sound like a judge, but I must speak as to holy Scripture: "He that hath the Son, hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not that life" (1 Jn. 5:10-12). Please make sure you are receiving God's "...beloved Son" ---the Lord Jesus, and not just trying to find God in your own way. There is no other way. Jesus saves souls and God-the Father will then seal that one by His Holy Spirit. That is the essence of the Gospel message (please read your Bible in John's gospel. Look up always!

I feel your pain Crystel. I thought i was saved when i was 16, thats when i got baptized. And after that, i tried to stay in the faith, but i dont think i did. I drifted off and committed every sin a person can i think. And now, within the last 6 yrs or so, i have desperately tried to get saved. Even now, i dont think i’m saved, and i dont know what i can do to get saved that i havent tried yet. I do feel like quite a few people on here dont understand that. I have tried praying, listening, begging God, reading the Bible. And i wonder if its for nothing. I may actually be worse off now than 6 yrs ago. I dont hear anything from the Holy Spirit, and right when i think i do, people on here shoot it down. And the fear part, oh i know all too well about that. I cant even tell you how much i fear God. My mother has a small statue of Jesus in her house, i fear Jesus so much that i cant even make eye contact with it. I am now in the same location you are. And i cant help but wonder if i’m just not part of the elect. I cant stop sinning, it just feels hopeless. And i’ve tried listening to what others say on here, and it never seems to work for me. I do hope that you can find God. I dont want anyone to goto hell. I cant even imagine the horror of that. Yet i think about that and dying more than anything else in religion i think.

You're a winner in my eyes @Lifelong_sinner, because even in the midst of this struggle, you took the time to reach out to another who is going through the same.

1 Thessalonians 5
"10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. 11Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing. "

Galatians 6:2
"2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

2 Corinthians 1
"3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Ain't no one any worse than you or any better either. I just remember that the only people that get better are those that know that if they don't get better , God is going to love them anyway.

Lifelong_sinner said:

I feel your pain Crystel. I thought i was saved when i was 16, thats when i got baptized. And after that, i tried to stay in the faith, but i dont think i did. I drifted off and committed every sin a person can i think.

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Yeah, this isn't what happens when you are born-again by the Holy Spirit.

Lifelong_sinner said:

Even now, i dont think i’m saved, and i dont know what i can do to get saved that i havent tried yet. I do feel like quite a few people on here dont understand that. I have tried praying, listening, begging God, reading the Bible. And i wonder if its for nothing.

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Have you surrendered yourself to God?

Romans 12:1
12 I you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

James 4:6-7
6 ... God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
7 Therefore submit to God...

Have you sincerely yielded yourself to God as His vessel to do with as He pleases?

Romans 6:13
13 Neither yield the members of your body as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:22
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.


Do you want God? Do you desire Him? Or do you just want a better life filled with the good things God can give you? God's First and Great Commandment is to love Him with all of your being (Matthew 22:36-38). All of the other things you might do as a Christian are supposed to flow out of obeying this First and Great Commandment (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). So, if you're reading your Bible, and praying, and begging God for whatever, but have no love for Him and have not surrendered yourself to Him, well, not a whole lot is going to happen between the two of you. God doesn't enter our lives as anything but what and who He is. He is God Almighty, the Center and Source of the Universe, and will be so in our lives as well. We cannot be in a relationship with such a Being except as "vessels sanctified and fit for the Master's use." (2 Timothy 2:21)

Lifelong_sinner said:

I dont hear anything from the Holy Spirit, and right when i think i do, people on here shoot it down.

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??? What do you mean by "hear from the Holy Spirit"? You have a Bible crammed full of divine wisdom, truth, commands, and spiritual principles. It is in these things that you "hear" from God. Are you listening? Are you living according to these things?

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Psalms 119:105
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.

Lifelong_sinner said:

And the fear part, oh i know all too well about that. I cant even tell you how much i fear God.

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And this is because you don't understand His great love for you.

1 John 4:16-19
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we might have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is so are we in the world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Lifelong_sinner said:

I cant stop sinning, it just feels hopeless.

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Sure you can. You just have to do things God's way, not your own; in His power, not your own.

Lifelong_sinner said:

And i’ve tried listening to what others say on here, and it never seems to work for me.

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And God? Do you know what He says to do? (See above.)