Christianity's too hard for me...

[Gu5t4christ]

Christianity is too hard for me, I have been a christian most of my life.. On and off, But when i recomit myself i just end up slipping up a few days later and going with the world. In so many different ways... Drugs, Alcohol, lust etc... because of school and the company i keep.. I belive in christianity but im not strong enough to keep the faith. No one knows im a christian... if i even am one. I have always found christians to be stuck up! well... not all of them, but alott christians get on as if they are higher up than you and are perfect, that really annoys me too because my dad was a pastor of this church and they treated him so badly that he came out with stress problems and had to have a heart operation related to stress!. Im just sick of going back to normal all the time.i go to a penticostal church on sundays with a few christians. about 4 of them and only one of them i find to be decent and normal, but also a strong christian, when i go to church its a great feeling, i feel spirit filled... until i walk out of the church and there is no music... but i know thats what happens in penticostal churches, its known for people getting really into worship until they get out and they are normal people getting on with life. With baptist etc, they stick to the bible but hardly any youth go there and its all traditional so it tends to put me to sleep... YOU JUST CANT WIN!!! I really cant go on much longer, going back to normal all the time, i keep asking god for help and reading the bible but it wont work. Maybe i should just try again when im older and see if i change

 

[imhurtingbutistilllovegod]

Never give up on God because he NEVER gives up on you. I hang around the wring people to when i go to school, but in the end i always find myself back at God. Life hasnt been going well for me, I've been thinking of suicide for the last month. But the only reason I'm still alive is because im with God. God loves you so so much. Don't turn your backo on him now. You need him more then you think. I think that maybe you should start talking to other christian people and get to know them. Keep praying and staying strong.

Kirsty

 

[TruthSetsYouFree]

My friend, I want you to know something very important... Christianity is not a religion... it's a relationship with your heavenly Father!

It's about learning of God's love for you, and as you become aware of the great love that He has for you, and cultivate your relationship with Him, your love for Him will grow, and before you know it, you'll *want* to do what's right, just out of your heart because of your love for Him!

If read the article (see link) below, it will help you see who you are in Christ, and how the power of sin can be broken in your life: http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/forgiven_sinner_saint.php

It's not about the baptists... it's not about the Pentecostals... it's all about Jesus!

I hope this helps!

Bobby

 

[UnitynLove]

Don't Stop Believing!

Have you been praying about a situation in your life and found yourself waiting for a breakthrough? Are you wondering why the answer hasn't come yet? Do you feel as though victory is passing you by?

Sometimes when we pray long and hard about a situation in our life without receiving any answers, we just learn to live with it. We go on about our business, wondering if or when God will send the answer. But God does hear those prayers, and He is working toward the answer even though we may not know all the details. And our situation can change suddenly—quickly ...without warning!

But one thing is certain; before God moves suddenly, we will wait. Waiting for answers is a fact of life. Nobody gets out of it. So the question is not if we'll wait, but rather how we'll wait. And I believe HOW will determine HOW LONG.

There are two ways to wait—one way is to wait passively and the other is to wait expectantly. A passive person hopes something good will happen, and he's willing to sit around waiting to see if it does. After a short time, he gives up. He says, "That's it! I've had it! I've waited and waited and nothing has happened." The passive person has a whole lot of wishbone but not much backbone!

The expectant person, on the other hand, is hopeful, aggressive, and purposeful. He believes that his answer is just around the corner—due to arrive any minute. His belief is not a passive thing. His heart is full of hope expecting his problem to be solved at any moment. He wakes up every morning expecting to find his answer. He may wait and wait, but suddenly, what he's been waiting for happens.

It's just like when a woman is pregnant—it is said that she is expecting a baby. She carries inside her the promise of a baby, and even though she can't see it, she knows it's there. The moment she learns of her pregnancy, she begins to plan for the baby's arrival. She starts to collect items she'll need, and she busily gets the nursery ready. She actively prepares for the arrival of the baby because she knows the promise will be fulfilled—it's just a matter of time. She is expectant, and she will wait as long as it takes.

We know the word "wait" means "to expect" or "to look for." But remember, it also means, "to serve"—just like a waiter "waits" on your table at a restaurant. Our act of waiting isn't supposed to be spent sitting around passively hoping something will happen sometime soon.

Once we've asked God to answer a question or solve a problem, we need to be eagerly awaiting His answer. We need to be actively serving, aggressive, and expectant. When our hearts are eager to hear from God, He loves to rush in suddenly with His solution. In many cases, this waiting period actually serves as a time of preparation for the answer. If God answered right away, many of us would be ill prepared to handle His solution.

Sometimes we find ourselves in such horrible messes that it's hard to imagine waiting one more second. But we need to keep waiting on God and trusting Him with a sweet and simple faith. Then, in a way we never could have figured out—God moves suddenly!

In the Bible, Paul and Silas knew about waiting, and they waited well. Acts 16 tells the story of how they were attacked by a crowd, beaten, and thrown in jail. Verse 24 says the jailer ...put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks. He was making sure they couldn't get out. But about midnight, God showed up. Now, it would have been nice if He had come a little earlier, but Paul and Silas didn't seem to mind—they just decided to start singing and began to worship the Lord. They began to "wait" on God.

Verses 25 & 26 say, But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's shackles were unfastened. God answered them suddenly!

When people patiently and expectantly wait on God in the midst of horrible circumstances, suddenly God breaks through. So don't give up! Don't stop believing! Stay full of hope and expectation. God's power is limitless, and He will break through for you.

please visit her site for other of lifes problems. Check out the 8 reasons why christians suffer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org/cgi-bin/hfth.plx?page=hfth&subpage=hfth&page_ref=Nav&section_id=NA

 

[Gentle]

"Know thyself" the answer is always within

God bless

 

[Annoula]

try looking into your psychological state. how do you feel about your life.
try talking about it with a person you respect.

reading the Bible can run miracles, but it may also not.
there are many variables that we have to think when we are talking about an individual.

 

[Gu5t4christ]

I cant go on as a christian anymore, Im getting really depressed, I need out, I feel really weird today and im calling it a day.although i will end up going to church on sunday night, feeling really good and recmitting myself.... telling myself 'this is it!', what am i all about?! what is the point in keeping at it if you just fall 100,000 times over and fell really bad sorry folks, i think im backslidin

 

[Purity_over_Passion]

don't quit. I promise this is worth it.. well all fall... even the leaders in the church sin. its apart of who we are. We are born to sin. Your concept of God is wrong too. Christianity is not about rules and regulations.. its about love, and passion. Look at it this way. When you are married you will not want to cheat on your wife because you love her and you don't want to hurt her.. you do it because of the passion you feel for her. You don't stay faithful because it is the rule. you will cheat on your wife if you think its because of a rule or guideline. Like someone already said Christianity is not a religion... its a relationship with your creator, your father, and your friend.

i guess you have no mentor in your life? Get someone older and male. talk to him, have him hold you accountable. set it up where everytime you are tempted to do something you really don't want to do.. call him. he will get you out it and pray with you.

 

[livinginthelight]

Christianity is too hard for me, I have been a christian most of my life.. On and off, But when i recomit myself i just end up slipping up a few days later and going with the world. In so many different ways... Drugs, Alcohol, lust etc... because of school and the company i keep.. I belive in christianity but im not strong enough to keep the faith. No one knows im a christian... if i even am one. I have always found christians to be stuck up! well... not all of them, but alott christians get on as if they are higher up than you and are perfect, that really annoys me too because my dad was a pastor of this church and they treated him so badly that he came out with stress problems and had to have a heart operation related to stress!. Im just sick of going back to normal all the time.i go to a penticostal church on sundays with a few christians. about 4 of them and only one of them i find to be decent and normal, but also a strong christian, when i go to church its a great feeling, i feel spirit filled... until i walk out of the church and there is no music... but i know thats what happens in penticostal churches, its known for people getting really into worship until they get out and they are normal people getting on with life. With baptist etc, they stick to the bible but hardly any youth go there and its all traditional so it tends to put me to sleep... YOU JUST CANT WIN!!! I really cant go on much longer, going back to normal all the time, i keep asking god for help and reading the bible but it wont work. Maybe i should just try again when im older and see if i change

Christianity is only difficult if you make it difficult. It is really very simple and straightforward. The problem isn't with the faith but trying to live by faith in a fallen world.

You mentioned that Christians are stuck up. People are imperfect. They will always let you down. We should not look to people but to our risen Savior, Jesus. He is our model.

Surveys show that the most common trait shared by most "Christians" is judgementalism. We act that way, but that isn't what Jesus taught us.

In John 8, we see an example of this. The teachers of the law and Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to Jesus. They were prepared to stone her as the law required. Jesus said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." One by one they all left until just Jesus and the woman remained.

Jesus who was perfect could have cast the stone, but instead he said,

"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Jesus forgave the woman and instead of condemning her he told her to stop sinning and get on with her life.

We still have Pharisees living with us today. They are legalists at heart. They are still keeping score by an old standard. To them it is as though Jesus never came.

But Jesus did come and he changed everything. He brought forgiveness, but he also brought something more. He gave us new lives with new hearts.

In Ezekiel 36: 26 it says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

For some people who call themselves Christian they still have the heart of stone. They still live according to the old ways. They betray themselves by their own actions.

James says that we must not only believe but we must live according to that belief to be able to call ourselves Christians. Anyone can call themselves whatever they want, but calling yourself a Christian does not make you one.

We should not judge them, but we should also not try to follow their example. They may be on the wrong path and live this way at their own peril.

God does not merely want us to believe in him. He wants us to believe him. He wants us to accept that he is who he says he is and to follow him. He wants us to rest our faith on his promises. Even the Devil believes in God. It takes more than this to make us a Christian.

There is a cost to becoming a Christian. It isn't much, but it is too much for many people. The cost is to stop living for ourselves. It is this that got us into trouble in the first place.

God needs to come first. As someone said previously, being a Christian means to be in a relationship with God. When we become a Christian we put God where he belongs. We need submit our will to his and to live by his leading.

We are saved by grace. Romans 5: 8 says that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Wow! We did not merit forgiveness, but God forgave us anyway. He expects the same thing in us. We need to extend grace to ourselves and to others. This means that we cannot expect them to be perfect. We need to give them some slack, just as God gave us some slack.

It sounds like you know the wrong people. As the song says, "They will know we are Christians by our love." Seek out a body of good believers. They are loving. They are accepting. They are forgiving. This is what Jesus taught us.

Surround yourself with good people. Allow them to love you and allow yourself to love them. See them as Jesus did. They aren't perfect, but we need to love them just the same. It will be a challenge when this is not returned. Do not allow yourself to get discouraged by this. By loving them you will find yourself being transformed. You will find happiness in Jesus even in the face of adversity and hostility, if you allow his love to flow through you.

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. Ask him to take control of your life. Allow him into those dark places which we keep hidden. Ask him to fill you with light. Ask him to surround you with God's love and protection.

Happiness comes not through living for ourselves, but from living as we were made to live. God made us as an object of his love. He wants us to love him in return. We can show love toward God when we love others. We are to do this without expecting it in return. When it is returned you will feel good about yourself. When it isn't returned you will also feel satisfaction because you are a loving child of God.

C. S. Lewis once said that when we pray we do not transform God, we transform ourselves. It is the same with love. Love does not necessarily transform the other person, but it transforms us. I think that if you do this then you will find the happiness that you seek.

Never give up! God wants us to depend on him. Give him your troubles and then you will not have to deal with them alone.

 

[Anti Existance]

You have to understand that the world is a place filled with darkness and hatred, and that we are here to spread love and light on this world.

Its like this , your living a destructive lifestyle that is ruining your life!, along with that you have materialistical friends who have no 'touch' into the higher and refined ways of life which is LOVE. And you have lost 'touch' completely too, because people who live on the level of lust,drugs,alcohol towards no regard of how many they take , will NEVER be happy , become egoistical, self centered and hurtfull towards their enviroment, so where does this leave you? In the position of a unbeliever, because you cannot 'comprehend this' society where people walk past porno, and cola , a society that screams to you in the neon glitter and with luring commercials ' come gamble, come dance ,come drink, come spend your money' But is that spiritual freedom, is anyone of them happy? No, the question is why not ?

Because ' Nothing in the entire universe will obtain you happyness exept Love.

We are here to love and help others, this exchange of energy is what makes us happy. This is what God wants from us, a loving interaction between everyone.

Its hard to maintain your self-control with so much temptations, but even if you fall you will notice that it didn't give you happyness.

So let me guide you to a better way of life.

http://www.aleroy.com/Abetway.htm
http://www.aleroy.com/board00.htm

 

[madison1101]

Sweetie, you are so confused about all of this. If you have accepted Christ as your saviour, you are always going to be a Christian, whether you like it or not.

Christianity is simple, it is man that complicates things. Simply spend some time in the Bible each day, learning about Christ and God the Father. Try reading the book of John first. Pray for strength to obey God each morning. Each evening, confess your sins and thank Him for being with you throughout the day. As you mature in your faith, you will find yourself sinning less and less and having more peace in your heart about your relationship with Him.

I also suggest that you participate in some youth group or Bible study for your age group. I teach middle school and know full well what temptations are out there for our young people. It is not easy being a teenager these days. It is harder to try to resist all the temptation that is out there. That is why we need to confess each day when we have sinned. All of us sin. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Be safe.

 

[riddles]

Flip, I know exactly what you mean.

I have committed my life to God so many times. And each time I am serious and I mean it but then it seems that God tells me to do some really hard stuff that I don't want to do at all and I just give up and run away from Him again.
I can relate to how you feel about not having what it takes to live the Christian life - I feel the same.

I hope you can work things out tho.

 

[Bobby35]

Christianity is too hard for me, I have been a christian most of my life.. On and off, But when i recomit myself i just end up slipping up a few days later and going with the world. In so many different ways... Drugs, Alcohol, lust etc... because of school and the company i keep.. I belive in christianity but im not strong enough to keep the faith. No one knows im a christian... if i even am one. I have always found christians to be stuck up! well... not all of them, but alott christians get on as if they are higher up than you and are perfect, that really annoys me too because my dad was a pastor of this church and they treated him so badly that he came out with stress problems and had to have a heart operation related to stress!. Im just sick of going back to normal all the time.i go to a penticostal church on sundays with a few christians. about 4 of them and only one of them i find to be decent and normal, but also a strong christian, when i go to church its a great feeling, i feel spirit filled... until i walk out of the church and there is no music... but i know thats what happens in penticostal churches, its known for people getting really into worship until they get out and they are normal people getting on with life. With baptist etc, they stick to the bible but hardly any youth go there and its all traditional so it tends to put me to sleep... YOU JUST CANT WIN!!! I really cant go on much longer, going back to normal all the time, i keep asking god for help and reading the bible but it wont work. Maybe i should just try again when im older and see if i change

I understand what you are going through. I was once there. What I learned to do was to give myself entirely to Him for his Holy use and from that i found peace and unimaginable joy. There is a web site called GTH Ministries that will lead you to peace if you will let it happen. When reading scripture stops working, you need to start growing spiritually. That will lead you into a close relationship with God.

Start today.

 

[UnitynLove]

And he began to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was beside the sea on the land.
And he taught them many things by parables, and he said unto them in his doctrine,
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
The sower soweth the word.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word immediately receive it with gladness;
And have no root in themselves, and so endure for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

 

[jande2211]

Please, don't let religion rot your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Spend much more time in His word and with Him than at places that make you feel good or put you to sleep. Just let Him talk to you thru His word.

 

[mikeforjesus]

I am an orthodox christian and I think its important to confess your sins to God in the presence of a legitimate priest as they have the authority to loose and bind... the people had to do that in the early centuries I believe and I still think more people should be doing that now.

Have you read Psalm 51 before? I think it is likely that you have.. but you can read it here if you haven't or if you want to read it again.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2051;&version=9;

Also maybe this will help.. do you think you have already been born again?
See John 3? of water and the spirit? I am orthodox and I think you need to be baptised ..full water immersion and annointed with oil (it u'se to be by laying on of hands) to receive the Holy Spirit


Ezekiel 36 (King James Version)

26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

From
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2036;&version=9;

When you have a thirst for the Word of God those traditional churches wont be very boring anymore I think..

But sometimes people might not have a thrist for some reason known by God only maybe.. not because they are living outside of Gods will MAYBE?

 

[whitedove7]

Sounds like to me you have a very deep broken heart. Has anyone ever minissered to your broken heart? Jesus came to heal the broken heart according to Luke 4:18 http://truth7.blogspot.com/2005/10/teaching-broken-heart.html

Don't give up on christianity because there are reasons why you slip back and forth all the time.

 

[NewbieinChrist]

Christianity is too hard for me, I have been a christian most of my life.. On and off, But when i recomit myself i just end up slipping up a few days later and going with the world. In so many different ways... Drugs, Alcohol, lust etc... because of school and the company i keep.. I belive in christianity but im not strong enough to keep the faith. No one knows im a christian... if i even am one. I have always found christians to be stuck up! well... not all of them, but alott christians get on as if they are higher up than you and are perfect, that really annoys me too because my dad was a pastor of this church and they treated him so badly that he came out with stress problems and had to have a heart operation related to stress!. Im just sick of going back to normal all the time.i go to a penticostal church on sundays with a few christians. about 4 of them and only one of them i find to be decent and normal, but also a strong christian, when i go to church its a great feeling, i feel spirit filled... until i walk out of the church and there is no music... but i know thats what happens in penticostal churches, its known for people getting really into worship until they get out and they are normal people getting on with life. With baptist etc, they stick to the bible but hardly any youth go there and its all traditional so it tends to put me to sleep... YOU JUST CANT WIN!!! I really cant go on much longer, going back to normal all the time, i keep asking god for help and reading the bible but it wont work. Maybe i should just try again when im older and see if i change

I completely understand. I'm not strong enough to keep trying to be perfect for Jesus. I feel like He put it way too hard on me. He says in Matt 11 that His yoke is light, but it's too heavy for me. I did not grow up going to church. We didn't even own a Bible in the house I grew up. My divorced parents are very ungodly, unloving people. I met Jesus later in life, 40, and got saved at a charasmatic/faith/prosperity church. Now, I'm finding out that they're false prophets. Now, I'm all screwed up in my thinking. They made me feel like I had to shop at Neiman Marcus to be a member. My very 1st church hurt me. I don't understand all of the different denominations. Which one is honest and true?

 

[JEBofChristTheLord]

None. Only the Lord Himself is entirely honest and true.

 

[EzekielsWheels]

Yeah we all sin at times no matter how close our walk with Christ is and there are definitely seasons of backsliding (at least speaking for myself). You are wherever you are. I think if you're relying on yourself that's part of the problem. Do you want to give up your life to Jesus Christ and let him run it or do you want to have control? If it's the latter there's going to be problems because you're not tapping into the Holy Spirit.