Advice please...

[xJay]

Heres my deal; I know Im not saved...but I want to be. I've prayed for God to come into my life several times, but I never feel any change. I've always had good morals and try to keep the sins to a minimum, but I always feel theres something missing...and there is. I had others pray for me, I've talked with other Christians, but what am I doing wrong?

Is it that Im not really ready to give my life to Jesus and Im just trying to make myself beleive that Im ready???

Some have suggested Bible versus for me, but to be honest I really am not the best reader and no matter if I read the same verse 3 times I still have trouble understanding the meaning of it.

Another ?; this has always confused me, but if God created everything, then how was God created? Almost everytime I hear that question answered-God always existed-how is that so if everything else had to be created?

Jay

 

[Bevlina]

God always was - and always will be. Yes, it's hard for us to understand thast one too Jay! It comes by faith. A deep knowing inside ourselves that there is a God who is in complete control of the universe.
If you believe in Jesus, then you are saved!
The Bible is always a little hard for new ones to understand, but there is always someone who will help you and guide you through. That's what we are here for too you know!
It's all very well for people to suggest Bible verses to newcomers. But, the best thing to do is to open the New Testament and start reading, vert slowly from the beginning of the book of Matthew. I found that very helpful when I started.
Ask God to guide you and learn of Jesus first before you go onto heavy stuff in the Old Testament.
You wouldn't know what the verses were all about if you just read one here and there!
Just take it easy and you'll get there Jay!

 

[davidshane]

This is always the question that I ask myself if I need to blow my mind. How was there ever anything? How was God or the universe created when there was nothing. It doesn't seem like there would even be darkness, because it would have no meaning, there would just be nothing. But God always existed. I guess if God created the universe, he set up it's physical laws. He created time, and he created the conception of cause and effect. But God must somehow be above this universe that he created. We, however, are stuck in it, and thus deeply embedded in us are these concepts of time and cause and effect, and so we assume God must also have had a cause. But why must this be so? It may just be so out of our realm of experience, (literally), that we can't understand it.

 

[Rosieace]

Hey, i really liked what Bevlina says, and also david shane. I feel like Bevlina that you are probably already saved and , not knowing the scriptures, you don't know it. What changed my life was getting baptized in the Holy Spirit. All you have to do is ask Jesus(Yeshua) to baptize you in the Holy Spirit.That is when you recieve the power of God on this earth to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. Some people recieve the gift of speaking in tongues, or other gifts. Read the book of Acts,chapter 2 to understand it a little. When you read the bible, ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of what you are reading.
There is a program on TBN (tbn.org) with Hugh Ross( a genius) and you could look for books he has written that might explain why God exists. He probably has one, he is so smart.You can also watch the channel on the internet if you have broadband.

God Bless Rosieace

 

[~SHINE~]

Another ?; this has always confused me, but if God created everything, then how was God created? Almost everytime I hear that question answered-God always existed-how is that so if everything else had to be created?

Jay

I'm going to re-emphasize what some other people have said (davidshane put it very well) about this question: God created everything, the universe, the earth, the physical laws. God created time. God is not part of time. He can limit Himself to work in the time frame He created for us, but time can't limit God. God can simply be forever. He doesn't need a cause or a starting point.

 

[Bevlina]

Hey, i really liked what Bevlina says, and also david shane. I feel like Bevlina that you are probably already saved and , not knowing the scriptures, you don't know it. What changed my life was getting baptized in the Holy Spirit. All you have to do is ask Jesus(Yeshua) to baptize you in the Holy Spirit.That is when you recieve the power of God on this earth to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. Some people recieve the gift of speaking in tongues, or other gifts. Read the book of Acts,chapter 2 to understand it a little. When you read the bible, ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of what you are reading.
There is a program on TBN (tbn.org) with Hugh Ross( a genius) and you could look for books he has written that might explain why God exists. He probably has one, he is so smart.You can also watch the channel on the internet if you have broadband.

God Bless Rosieace

Oh yes Rosie! The Baptism of The Holy Spirit is sooo special!
But, it's the FRUIT of ther Spirit which is far, by far more important in identifying a true christian than the gifts.
Satan can mimic the gifts. But he cannot mimic the FRUIT.
A list of the Fruit is in Galations 5:22 - 25.
Love, joy, peace, patience,gentleness, goodness, faith, humility, temperance.
If we have all this Fruit. We are Christ Like.

 

[Rosieace]

I think I'm ready for a salad. I agree wholeheartedly Bevlina, you have wisdom,and knowledge and compassion, and good advice.

Rosieace

 

[homewardbound]

Hi, xJay. Don't worry about "feeling" like you are saved. True faith in Jesus Christ brings profound changes to your life, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll see them overnight. If you are truly committed to Him, you will SEE changes. And from those changes you will gain a greater sense of joy, comfort, patience, love.

Regarding your second question, davidshane is right on the mark when he says "It may just be so out of our realm of experience, (literally), that we can't understand it." There are many mysteries (i.e. the Trinity) to be considered, so be careful about applying earthly constructs to a supernatural, omniscient, omnipotent Creator.

 

[Locket]

Heres my deal; I know Im not saved...but I want to be. I've prayed for God to come into my life several times, but I never feel any change. I've always had good morals and try to keep the sins to a minimum, but I always feel theres something missing...and there is. I had others pray for me, I've talked with other Christians, but what am I doing wrong?

Is it that Im not really ready to give my life to Jesus and Im just trying to make myself beleive that Im ready???

Some have suggested Bible versus for me, but to be honest I really am not the best reader and no matter if I read the same verse 3 times I still have trouble understanding the meaning of it.

Another ?; this has always confused me, but if God created everything, then how was God created? Almost everytime I hear that question answered-God always existed-how is that so if everything else had to be created?

Jay

Sorry if I repeat ppl here...

I've been saved for seven years and sometimes I don't feel anything either. Well, alot of times. But I know I am. Faith comes into play here. Believe you are even thouhg you don't know for sure. Read the bible and pray everyday.. yeah sounds like a pat answer but its the truth!

As for your other question, no one knows. It's a God/faith-thing. He's so incredible how can we expect understand it? If we understood everything then there'd be no reason for anything.

 

[issa]

that is where faith comes in. where will you base your faith?

fact? the word of God and His promises

or

feelings? which change so many times in a day

God is eternal and tho the world may change, His word stands forever.

trust Him okay?

 

[rosemaree]

If you believe in Jesus, then you are saved!

I have been told by many many Christians where I live in town and in Church and by pastors and on here that that is not true. I have been told, eveen Satan "believes" in Jesus, that is not enough. I wish it were though I really do.

 

[traingosorry]

Sometimes we need to let the things that make us grapple with God's existence and the sheer possibilities of how thing can happen, we need to just let them go. God asks that we not lean on our own understanding but have faith in Him that he has full control.

I heard once from Phill Cann when he spoke to our youth at church " that the day he fully understands the Bible and who God is....that will be the day God is as small as him", and nothing scares him more than God being a trivial being such as himself.

Find peace in God being SO big and complex that there is no chance for our heads to wrap themselves around it.

I hope the original poster comes back to visit

 

[Serapha]

Another ?; this has always confused me, but if God created everything, then how was God created? Almost everytime I hear that question answered-God always existed-how is that so if everything else had to be created?

Jay

Hi there!





How would one create spiritual essence? "Everything" is material, but God is Spirit.

The attribute of God that is eternal knows no beginning and no end. Time is past, present, or future, but eternal is infinite and without limitations as in "time".

You might study "first cause"

~serapha~

 

[Locket]

Hey Serepha, then how do you explain us? We're spirit, the body's jsut our wrapper until Heaven.

 

[jehovahway]

Oh yes Rosie! The Baptism of The Holy Spirit is sooo special!
But, it's the FRUIT of ther Spirit which is far, by far more important in identifying a true christian than the gifts.
Satan can mimic the gifts. But he cannot mimic the FRUIT.
A list of the Fruit is in Galations 5:22 - 25.
Love, joy, peace, patience,gentleness, goodness, faith, humility, temperance.
If we have all this Fruit. We are Christ Like.

I do not agree with your statement where you say that the Fruits of the Spirit are more important than the Gifts of the Spirit.
I will explain farther what i mean.

All the fruits of the spirit i have had all along even before i became a christian.

also satan can mimic any thing not just Gifts of the Spirit.

I have been a christian for 35 years i am not joined to any religious system.

I have in operation the Gifts of the Spirit number 7 of the nine gifts of the
Spirit is what the Holy Spirit allows me to operate in.

If you think the fruits of the Spirit are the only way to tell if a person is a
christian your going to have a problem when you come face to face with a
person that has satans angels on them because not only do you not know
that satans angels are on them you will not know how to set them free.

Only a person with the gifts of the spirit will be able to set them free.

It is by the same Spirit that Jesus Christ had that christian can and will break
people lose from satans angels.

but if you beleive that only the fruits are a sign of God on people you will have a big problem helping people.that are control by satans angels.
And also it is not Gods job to break people lose from evil it the churches job.

God has given us his Holy Spirit,his love,his Holy Angels to bring people to a
saving grace and truth of Gods ways in his chosen people.

most people dont wont anything to do with this program because they dont
wont to deal one on one with satans angels they will say God help and remove satan from people.

May i repeat myself is not Gods Job its the churches job and they fall short
badely in this area.

I can be in the presants of any new person and in a matter of hours i can
tell if their being control by satans angels because i can see satans angels
on people.

The fruits of the spirit will not get them removed from people,

I even heard one person say we dont need the gifts of the spirit because
there been done away with.
He says all we need is the N T thats how God talks to us today oh he agrees
that we can have the holy spirit but he says that god only speaks to
us through the N T now.
It is the work of satan to decieve people thats why i dont run with every thing my mind comes up with but only what my spirit is saying satan uses
our minds to confuse us and keep us from the truth.

May the Lord Bless you and keep you in all of your going and coming untill
we may all look into the face of the one that really loves us and gave his
life a ransom for us.so that we may go with him when he arrives.

 

[Izzy23]

Hey Jay~ Keep on searchin. You're gonna do just fine. Keep that heart open and before long you are going to experience the mighty power of a Great God.

Prayin for ya.
Watch out for the cults (JW's, Mormons, etc.)

 

[heartnsoul]

Hello Jay,

It's wonderful to hear you believe in God and Jesus. Don't be too hard on yourself. My advice to you would be to treat your relationship with God as a friendship. Like any relationship, it needs communication, nurturing, and time. You can't rush relationships. It takes time. Everyday, try talking or praying to God and telling him everything that is on your mind (good or bad). In time, as you grow in your relationship with God, you will personally experience his presence.

I've been a Christian for over 15 years, and sometimes I get caught up in my own life that I forget to talk to God and then choose to shut him out. Then when I shut him out, I end up doing my own will instead of His and that's when I end up learning some of life's lessons the hard way. So, I would say nurture that relationship and most importantly, TRUST IN HIM. It sounds so easy but I know it's difficult to do. But God will never let you down. If you just trust in Him, walk with Him, and talk with Him, you will realize in time that God will be your friend FOREVER. When friends and family let you down or turn their backs on you (hope that never happens), know that God will never leave you.

I can say this one thing for sure: Whenever I feel I need his love and reassurance, God always appears in some way..whether it be an angel sent to comfort me (meaning a stranger or friend that shows up suddenly) or some event in life that reassures me He is near.

I will keep you in my prayers. God bless you!

 

[StaySalty]

Heres my deal; I know Im not saved...but I want to be. I've prayed for God to come into my life several times, but I never feel any change. I've always had good morals and try to keep the sins to a minimum, but I always feel theres something missing...and there is. I had others pray for me, I've talked with other Christians, but what am I doing wrong?

Hi xJay,

Thanks for posting this, as I'm sure alot of people (including myself at one time) have felt the same way.

First thing is this, don't rely on a "feeling", rather listen to what God says to you in His word and BELIEVE Him. Trust me, He knows your heart, the fact that you'd post something like this shows your genuine desire for Him.

Please read through the following principles of salvation and, if you agree with them, pray the prayer at the end. Then you are certainly saved



1. God loves you, God is love
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
(1 John 4:7-8)

Q. Do you believe that God loves you?


2. God hates sin, and you have sinned
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong...
(Habakkuk 1:13)

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

Q: Do YOU believe that you have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God?

Have you ever lied, cheated, cussed, etc.? That's all sin. The Bible says YOU have sinned, and since you have sinned, even just once, that is enough for you to fall short of God's perfect glory.



3. Penalty for Sin is Death
For the wages of sin is death,...
(Romans 6:23)

Q: God tells us that there is a penalty to sin, and that penalty is death. Do you believe this?

You might have heard some people say "well, I haven't killed anyone so I'm sure I'm going to heaven." or "I've been pretty good in my life, I won't go to hell." But what does God say? The penalty for sin (not just murder but all sin!) is death.



** Why? **

Why? Because God is completely holy (1 Peter 1:16) and perfect and pure (Deuteronomy 32:4, 2 Samuel 22:31, etc.), He is immortal, He lives in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16), He hates sin and cannot look upon it (Habakkuk 1:13, Psalm 5:4-6, Psalm 45:7, and many other scriptures)


4. *** YOU CAN'T SAVE YOURSELF BY BEING GOOD!!! Our righteouness is NOT enough!! Nothing we can do can earn forgiveness of sins!!!! NOTHING!! ***

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins.
(Hebrews 10:11)

1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
2If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.
3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,
4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
(Hebrews 10:1-4)


Q: Do you BELIEVE this?

Do you believe that NO sacrifice YOU make, NO good work or resistance to sin can forgive your sins? Or do you think that since you don't sin much, God will let you in heaven? Do you believe that being the absolute BEST citizen, with the greatest "high moral" standards, as well as being a very religious person who goes to church 3 times a week and reads the Bible daily, and is loving and resists sin WILL NEVER EVER FORGIVE YOU YOUR SINS??!!! EVER!!?!?!?!! (read Pauls letter to the Galatians!) Make sure you don't fall into this trap, it's an easy thing to fall into.



5. Therefore, God GAVE us a GIFT!! For FREE!!! This gift was His Son Jesus Christ, who can take away our sins, and died so that we might have ETERNAL LIFE!!!!!

...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[1] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
(John 3:16-17)

9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
(Romans 10:9-10)

1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
(Romans 8:1-2)

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
(John 3:36)

11And this is the testimony: God has GIVEN us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
(1 John 5:11-12)


Q: Do you believe this WONDERFUL news?

Do you believe that Jesus Christ has died for your sins and was raised from the dead to GIVE you eternal life? Do you accept the fact that you do NOT deserve this, but it was GIVEN to you by God in love as a gift and an act of GRACE?


********* IF YOU BELIEVED THE SCRIPTURES ABOVE AND WANT TO KNOW JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, PRAY THIS PRAYER SINCERELY*******


Dear Heavenly Father,

I admit that I am a sinner. I want forgiveness for my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I want Jesus to come into my heart and into my life. Thank you for eternal life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen


If you prayed that prayer sincerely, then YES JUST GOD HEARD YOU! YES!!! YOU ARE SAVED!!!!!

13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, HE HEARS US. 15And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we KNOW that we have what we asked of him.1 John 5:13-15


CONGRATS!!! YOU ARE DEFINITELY SAVED!!!!!!

May God Bless You!!!

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12)

 

[StaySalty]

Another ?; this has always confused me, but if God created everything, then how was God created? Almost everytime I hear that question answered-God always existed-how is that so if everything else had to be created?
Jay

Honestly, no human can really know. Who can understand how anyone cannot be confined by time? I guess that goes to show how great God is.

 

[linden]

Heres my deal; I know Im not saved...but I want to be. I've prayed for God to come into my life several times, but I never feel any change. I've always had good morals and try to keep the sins to a minimum, but I always feel theres something missing...and there is. I had others pray for me, I've talked with other Christians, but what am I doing wrong?

In my opinion, you are trying to do it, you can't. Now you can believe in Jesus Christ as your personal savior, and that is all that is required to have eternal life. When you do the above God gives you, let me repeat this, God gives you over 60 things (that are not felt either). One of those 60 things is forgiveness. You are forgiven


Is it that Im not really ready to give my life to Jesus and Im just trying to make myself beleive that Im ready???

In my observation of Christians, this could take seconds after salvation, or this could take years. All Christians struggle through out their lives about things in ther lives. When I was an unbeliever, I did not have the struggles I have now. The struggle I had as an unbeliever is whether or not existed. I concluded that He did exist. Well, I then asked Him to reveal Himself to me. He never visibly appeared (this is a joke, God is revealed through Hi Word), but through events in my life and of course the Word of God itself.


Some have suggested Bible versus for me, but to be honest I really am not the best reader and no matter if I read the same verse 3 times I still have trouble understanding the meaning of it.

I suggest to keep reading. You can not understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit. He will illuminate you to the truth.


Another ?; this has always confused me, but if God created everything, then how was God created? Almost everytime I hear that question answered-God always existed-how is that so if everything else had to be created?

There are many things in life that bake the noodle, the above is probably the number 1 on my list. Like someone else stated, its by faith.


Jay

Acts 4:12; John 3:16.

And use 1 John 1:9

Linden