Hiya, I'm new here. I've not been a Christian for very long but I've been getting more and more interested. I've always tried to act like a Christian. I care about people and animals very much. Sometimes I've been accused of being over sensitive. But I can't help it, It makes me so sad all the awful things that happen to other people and animals in this world I can't stand it. I believe it would be selfish of me not feel it. I don't do anything pro-active to help anyone though, and that's getting to me. I want to help people and don't know how to?
I keep on having this feeling too that God probably hates me, its such an intense feeling I Keep on trying to shake the feeling of it but can't.
It's like I'm here to help people and fix awful things about the world and I'm not doing it so God is not happy about it at all, does that make sense to anyone else?
Being a Christian is not about being good. Many people say: I am a good Christian person (and they think Christian just means good).
We can't be good by ourselves. The Bible says that only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we overcome the desires and lusts and bondage of our flesh.
Being a Christian is about a God, a love, and a people.
God created people so that he could love them and they could love him back. The sin made that dream of God impossible. God is holy and we are filthy (even our righteous acts are filthy in comparison with God's holiness). There was the only way to bring us back to God, so that we could fellowship with God and can love him and He can love us and shower us with his favors. That way was: for God's Son, to die on the cross, and thus to cleanse us from our sins. Jesus redeemed humanity. Jesus is righteous and God takes the righteousness of Jesus and credits it to us. And therefore, God sees us as righteous.
BUT, asking Jesus to come into your heart is only a very first step on the road of being a Christian.
Once you make that step, then the road begins. The way is narrow. The gate is narrow. The road is dangerous and is full of pits where we could fall and sinking sand and mountains we need to climb.
Imagine that Jesus is James Bond. Imagine the life of James Bond, how it's filled with danger. If you are a girlfriend of James Bond, the only way you could survive is if you walk step in step with James Bond and hold him by the hand. If you go somewhere on your own, you're dead.
It's the same with Jesus and us. We have to walk really really close to Him, following in each footstep. Because the devil is like a lion walking around searching for souls that he could destroy. Most of the times the devil's tricks are not obvious and many Christians fall into his traps. The only way to realize his tricks is to keep your self studying God's Word and there God will introduce devils' tactics to you and you could see them for what they are.
So my advice (and the only way to heaven) is: study the Word of God, forget about spending much time on other things (they will not lead to life). Keep feeding your spiritual person with the Word of God. Talk to God (He is eagerly waiting for you to start talking to Him. The Holy Spirit who lives in you is a PERSON of God. He is waiting for you to talk to Him). He answers through different things: like the Word, sermons, songs, poems, people and sometimes even talks in your head. You need to HEAR with your heart.
Jesus promises to always be with us and near us and to hear us when we call. He will always come to the rescue, but we need to give Him our entire heart. Where your heart is, there your treasure is also. Where is your heart? Where do you want to be, what do you want to do? That's where your heart is. Want to be with Jesus. Want to do with God says in His word.
But remember one very extremely important thing: we cannot be good on our own. It's only after we start to walk in close relationship with God (we talk to Him, we love Him, we spend lots of time with Him, we study His word), then Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirits enables us to be a true Christian and to bring spiritual fruit of peace, love, joy, kindness, self control.... We cannot bring these things about in ourselves without walking closely with God.
God bless you. I hope something makes sense and touches your heart's ears.
