Doubts

[Kitty.]

So I have prayed the sinner's prayer before. I prayed when I was young. I prayed a couple times just to make sure. I have heard of people who think they are Christians and realize they aren't and what if I am one of them? What if I am not saved.
I have felt and seen the Holy Spirit in my life and so have others but what if?
I'm a really paranoid person and all I want is the assurance. I love God. I believe that he sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins and that He rose again on the third day. All I want is a good relationship with Him. I have spent so many days having panic attacks about this.
Someone please help me with this.
Also, I have been verbally and emotionally abused several times. I don't know if that would have anything to do with it.

 

[childofGod31]

So I have prayed the sinner's prayer before. I prayed when I was young. I prayed a couple times just to make sure. I have heard of people who think they are Christians and realize they aren't and what if I am one of them? What if I am not saved.
I have felt and seen the Holy Spirit in my life and so have others but what if?
I'm a really paranoid person and all I want is the assurance. I love God. I believe that he sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins and that He rose again on the third day. All I want is a good relationship with them. I have spent so many days having panic attacks about this.
Someone please help me with this.
Also, I have been verbally and emotionally abused several times. I don't know if that would have anything to do with it.

Praying a sinner's prayer is NOT what saves people. It's a daily relationship with God that does. So some people pray a prayer and then stop at that. It's like they think it's a flu shot. You got the shot, so you won't get the flu. No. It's a process. It's a journey. It's a road. If you travel the narrow path, following Jesus, doing what He did, AND SPENDING TIME WITH HIM, while believing in Him, THIS is what will end up in your salvation.

I had doubts too. Until I developed a daily relationship with God. Until I gave Him my time and came to spend time in His presence. Until I started to think of Him as much as possible. Until I started to really get to know His heart. My faith grew. My doubts disappeared. I found out what God is like (a little bit) and what His love feels like. And it's been the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. To hear Him speak to me, to talk to Him daily, to bask in His love for me - it's the best thing about Christianity. It's the "honeymoon" part of Christianity. It's the "abundant life" part of it. The rest of it is like a drudgery of everyday life of a married couple. But these special times together make it good, make it worth a lot.

So spend time with God, talk to Him. Talk to Jesus. Like you would to your best friend or a brother. He called us his brothers/sisters. Jesus does not want to be far upon a pedestal, far from us. He wants to have an intimate and close relationship with us. And He made us worthy of that. He made us holy. He made us "a royal" priesthood, so that we could come really close to Him and fellowship with Him without separation and reservation.

It's like Jesus really really wanted to be intimate with us and broke down the wall that separated us. He made us holy, He made us just like Himself, so that we could be a pair, a couple, together with Him. He died for this opportunity because He wants so much to become intimate with us. But we put a wall between us. We put Him high above us and we separate ourselves from Him and thus we prevent our intimate relationship with false humilty. Do not let false humility separate you from Jesus. He made you worthy of Himself. He died so that you and Him could be Bride and Groom, heart to heart, intimate and close. So take this gift and love Him. Talk to Him. Make Him to be everything in your life. And in return you will feel and receive His love. And I must tell you, I never knew there was so much love....there is SOOO much love and it's so exciting!

 

[Turtle Dove]

Very well put childofgod 31. I will pray for you. God loves you he wants you to know that you are saved once you follow in his footsteps. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

 

[Edwards1984]

Regarding the sinner's prayer, as others have said that is not what brings about justification. Obviously, God moved you in such a way that you were compelled to take the prayer, and in that manner you have been given a great gift (cf. Eph 2:8). From this faith will greater works follow, and I believe you have experienced merely the tip of the iceberg at this point.

In regards to "who is not a Christian"...well, what defines a Christian? If you mean a faithful follower of Christ, we all strive to be one. If you mean someone completely spotless...well, no one can be. This does not excuse our sin, and certainly our guilt in regards to sin is a sign that we are aware of our relationship with the Holy Lord (compare this to the unregenerate who not only feel no guilt at sin but embrace it and others who commit it).

If you are experiencing doubt, I want you to know that this is normal. Do not panic. Do not fear. Two years ago I was laid off from work, unemployed, running out of money, and facing the possibility of having to move back in with my parents. My faith really was tested. There were some moments where I felt abandoned by God and on the verge of apostasy. I had only been a Christian a year and a half, and already my life seemed to have been completely reversed. However, I kept even a mustard seed-size of faith, and I would have to say that right now I perhaps feel closer to God than when I did in my old home. Therefore, do not panic when some great test of faith comes upon you. Know that virtually every great Christian leader, scholar and pastor experienced some kind of doubt or pain in their life that nearly cast them away from God. However, Christ is able to save His sheep to the uttermost (Heb 7:25) and those whom the Father gives to Him will never be cast out (John 6:37). I don't know what kind of abuse you have experienced in your life, or what else you are experiencing inside your side. If there is personal guilt inside you right now, I will repeat the words of a wise man: "Christ is a far greater savior than you are a sinner."

I hope by God's grace this helps somewhat, or at the very least will be coupled with the works of others to assist you. You are in my prayers.

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

The Bible says that the ones who are God's spiritual children, or Disciples, or saints, or heaven bound, or "saved" or whatever you want to term it are the ones who believe. One word. Believe (meaning to rely on or place total trust in a thing). That's it. Done.

Believe what? Rely on what? Trust in what? Well, in a sentence (an admitedly grammatically imprefect sentence): God is holy and can't just pardon sin without someone paying for it, humans sin because of a fall that took place in the past, God didn't wipe the slate clean but was gracious to allow us to continue and gave us a choice, that choice being to believe that we can't pay for our sin but Jesus did by taking the punishment on the cross. Do you believe in the historical Jesus? The narrative in the Bible? The truth that a sin must be punished because of God's justice? But that God's mercy prompted him to pay his own penalty in the form of Christ? Do you rely on what Christ did to pay for your deserved punishment?

Do you believe that Jesus Christ personally took the total amount of your punishment for sin when he suffered on the cross and then physically rose again?

Great. You're a "Christian" or "Believer" or "Saint" or heaven bound or whatever you want to call it.

It is not even your faith that saves you, it is the object of your faith. It's not the greatness or firmness of your faith, but the firmness of the object of your faith. You don't gaze at a telescope to see the stars, you look through the telescope. Look through faith (the telescope) to Christ, who is the firmness of your salvation. What he did is the object to look at, not your faith, the lens or telescope that you use to see the object. The stronger your faith is, the closer Christ will appear, not the better the telescope will look.

Feelings are deceitful. It's hard to come to terms with, but feelings can lead you to all sorts of crazy places. Learn good doctrine from the Bible. Don't be scared of the word "Doctrine". It just means learning the truth about a certain belief. You don't need to get a Ph. D or go to Bible college. Just read the bible, go to a good church, pick up some good books, talk to people. Take it bit at a time. But once you get to know what you know and how you know it, then the feelings will change. Never seek to change a feeling with another feeling. Change a feeling with a truth. And it's not immediate. Much effort is taken to move a cruise liner, and it doesn't appear to move at first. But once it does, it's almost unstoppable.

Hope this helps you.

 

[salida]

Take one day at a time and get some inspirational friends that love God by their actions. Read the bible and pray daily. Get involved in a serious church. Its a life long lifestyle and you will know God more and more. True faith is demonstrated by actions. Feel free to email me.

Christian concept: www.livingwaters.com/good/

Visit: www.TheBibleProofBook.com. And you can read The Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell (its overwhelming circumstantial evidence of bible) and Examine the Evidence by Muncaster a former athiest/The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel a former athiest. Christiananswers.net, www.equip.org (articles), http://www.gotquestions.org/

 

[Wells Marsh]

Dear Kitty,

You are a dearly beloved child of God. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Do not let the enemy give you lying or confusing thoughts. Tell the devil to take his thoughts and leave.

Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (as in terror).

“May the Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

WM

 

[iamjcs]

So I have prayed the sinner's prayer before. I prayed when I was young. I prayed a couple times just to make sure. I have heard of people who think they are Christians and realize they aren't and what if I am one of them? What if I am not saved.

I have felt and seen the Holy Spirit in my life and so have others but what if?
I'm a really paranoid person and all I want is the assurance. I love God. I believe that he sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins and that He rose again on the third day. All I want is a good relationship with them. I have spent so many days having panic attacks about this.
Someone please help me with this.
Also, I have been verbally and emotionally abused several times. I don't know if that would have anything to do with it.

Disciples of Jesus Are Known by Their Fruit - Greg Laurie - Harvest Ministries


A little boy went over to a pastor's house, where the pastor was doing some carpentry in his garage. The boy simply stood there and watched him for quite a long time. The preacher wondered why this boy was watching him and was finally so curious that he stopped and said, "Son, are you trying to pick up some pointers on how to build something?"
The little boy replied, "No. I am just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer."

Often, we will find out what we are made of by what comes out of our mouths in both good and bad circumstances. When we have a change in conduct and character in our lives, it is a type of spiritual fruit. Galatians 5:22 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control . . . " (NKJV).
A Christian's life should be characterized by these things. What fruit are you producing? ... Instead of love, is there hatred, bitterness, or even prejudice in your life? Instead of joy, is there constant gloom? Instead of peace, is there turmoil? Instead of gentleness, is there a short temper? Instead of faith, is there endless worry? Instead of meekness, is there pride and arrogance? Instead of self-control, are you a victim of your own passions?

If you are a Christian, then people should be able to look for—and find—fruit in your life.
If your fruits indicate NOT, then either you don't know God at all or a recommitment to Christ would be in order.
Why? Because a disciple of Jesus Christ will produce spiritual fruit.

Jesus said, " 'My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father'" (John 15:8 NLT). Jesus also said, "'By their fruits you will know them'" (Matthew 7:20 NKJV).
http://www.crosswalk.com/who-is-jesus/11550555/

VINEGAR: Sin is bitter; breaking God's word is not good.
Therefore, it must be exposed ...
HONEY: Is sweet as the good news of Jesus which fills the pp of the Bible
http://www.dianadow.com/articleschristlivvinhoney.html