Getting Back On Track

[jamesjeffery]

Ever since I was baptised at 18 I always trusted and believed God. I am now 24 and have slid of track for the past 4 years due to issues and problems beyond my control. I used to go to a local church which I loved, but when all my problems kicked off I moved house and never fitted into another church. There is a church about 2 minutes from where I live but I cannot pluck up the courage to go. Everyone looks smart, but I just wear my jeans and a top and I feel I don't fit in even though I know God accepts me for me and not for the clothes I wear.

Even now, I know and still trust the same God. Sometimes I will pray to him but not often.

I just want to get back to the hungry teenager I was before. I think there are way to many distractions going on in my life at the moment. I used to read the bible for hours a day, attend study meetings and was about to study to enter Bible college, but again, all that failed.

I drink, I have unmarried sex (I have been in a strong relationship for 4 years), I swear, view porn and all the other nasty sins that I know are wrong. I just want to break free from it.

To make matters worse, I am about to study at university which means my life will be even more occupied.

Sometimes I find christianity really hard. I never doubt it, but it's tough!

I would give up my life right now for God. I would quit my computer science course at university just to go to Bible school and do Gods work, thats how passionate I feel inside now.

I always had a dream of becoming a pastor when I have done a few years in the computer industry (another words when I am a bit older), but I just get so down and hopeless sometimes.

I am tempted to take a week off and head of some of the places where Jesus visted and just sit and read the bible on my own. I just want the spirit back.

Any advice. Thanks.

 

[drich0150]

Take this petition to God, he the one to return. If you want to start reading start at Matt. 7:7 and luke 11:5 these passages tell you about receiving the "Good gift" of the Spirit.

 

[tvotvo]

My advices to you would be:

1. Do not quit your studies
2. Find your inner balance. From your words I can tell that you havent lost God and faith. But, you are distracted from the materialistic life. Get in touch with God again. Dont try to make a U turn in your life. Do steps. Start praying every day.Communicate with your faith. Talk to your girlfriend about your anxiety you are experiencing right now. She can support you

 

[shelmeister]

Even now, I know and still trust the same God. Sometimes I will pray to him but not often.

This is step one. Re-establish your connection with God. You said that you already have the passion for Him, so tell Him! The more you communicate with Him, the more often you will hear Him communicating with you. And the easiest and fastest way to communicate with God is through prayer.

I drink, I have unmarried sex (I have been in a strong relationship for 4 years), I swear, view porn and all the other nasty sins that I know are wrong. I just want to break free from it.

Huge barriers are created between you and God when you choose to exclude Him from certain parts of your life (i.e. your social life, your sexual life, your relationships, etc). Let God into your life; your whole life. Let Him carry your burden and use that relief to strengthen your life, habits, relationships and faith.

There is a church about 2 minutes from where I live but I cannot pluck up the courage to go.

You are right in that God accepts you no matter what you wear to church. Furthermore, the people at the church should be doing the same thing. That aside, church services are another great way to jump-start your relationship with God. Check out Hebrews 10:24-25 for an explanation of how influential church services can be for all Christians.

 

[In_His_Love]

Hey James,

First of all I want to commend you for taking the steps to recommit to your relationship with the Lord. I also want to encourage you and let you know you’re not experiencing anything new. Many of us have been in the same place before.

God is gracious. James tells us that if we “draw near to Him, He will draw near to us” (Jam 4:8). Our relationship with our Savior takes effort, just as you’d imagine any other relationship would. We need to seek Him in all we do. Jesus has already made the effort, we need to meet Him on our end. Let’s add some perspective…How good would your relationship be with a friend you hardly ever speak to? Probably not that good. A few practical steps to working on our relationship with the Lord are prayer, reading His word, worshipping, serving, and being in fellowship with other believers. If you make the Lord a priority in your life, and these acts a response to that priority, He promises that He will draw near to you!

I wanted to touch on what you said about feeling uncomfortable to attend the local church. Don’t worry about those folks. You will probably find that most of them are welcoming and just excited to see another brother in Christ walk through those doors! Don’t worry about fitting in. You all have one thing in common anyways, Jesus! If the people of the church are concerned with what you’re wearing I would encourage you to find another church.

Shelmiester offered a great word above in regards to the barriers WE create in our relationship with our Lord (notice the emphasis on “we”). It sounds like you’ve already identified these barriers, which is a huge step! Now you just need to work on breaking down those walls. I’m going to speak openly with you here (out of love of course). One of the problems we often have is accepting responsibility for the barriers that we’ve created and other times we rationalize our sin. I can see that both of those might be a possibility from your post above. First, you mentioned that your walk has faltered due to issues beyond your control. I don’t doubt that you’ve experienced some difficulties and rough times but backsliding in our own walk is never anyone else’s fault. That may seem harsh, but we need to accept responsibility for the way we’ve reacted to what life has presented us with. People or situations can not take our relationship with our Savior from us. The way we react to those people or situations can. This is an entirely different topic, but I would encourage you to look at Job for a biblical example of how to handle life’s curveballs.

Second, you mentioned that you were physically involved with your girlfriend and stated that is was a strong relationship of four years. I see that you recognize it as sin which is a good step. But it seems that the statement about being together for four years attempted to add some justification. I don’t know if that was your intent, it’s just the way I read it. If so, that’s rationalizing. Making us feel better about something we know isn’t right. For example we might say, “I got drunk last night, but that’s ok I had a really rough day, God would want me to have a good time.” That is an extreme example, but hopefully illustrates the point. That’s our fleshly nature creeping up. We ALL deal with our own sin issues, but as followers of Christ we should be seeking to be more like Him with every passing day. I want you to see this next point…we cannot do it in our flesh, that’s why we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and provide us with His strength. We need to realize that God doesn't lower His standards based on human limitations but gives us the strength to meet them through divine provision. I encourage you to ask Him to send His Holy Spirit to you, to strengthen you, to help you walk according to His word, and to take the fleshly desires from you.

So to recap:

1. Congratulations on seeking out ways to draw closer to him!
2. You’re not alone in your feelings.
3. Draw close to Him through prayer.
4. Draw close to Him by reading His word.
5. Draw close to Him by worshipping.
6. Draw close to Him through serving.
7. Draw close to Him by attending and fellowshipping at a local church.
8. Don’t be shy about going to the new church. Just go.
9. Accept responsibility and break down those barriers.
10. Accept sin as sin. No rationalizing.
11. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you strength to walk according to His will for your life.

I hope this helps.

I’d like to pray with you if that’s ok….
Lord, bless this brother. Pick him up and dust him off. Send Your Spirit to be his strength. We wish to see your will revealed in his life. Lord, your word says that if we draw near to You, that You will draw near to us. We come to you now Lord, seeking your face. Lord, draw near to us. We love You and we love being with You. Thank you for loving us, Lord. In Your Son’s name, Jesus, we pray.

Have a great day!