I am really having trouble accepting Jesus as my lord and savior! Help please! Thanks

[VikingGirlTBird]

Greetings Everybody!

How are all of you?

I am really having a lot of trouble really trying to truly accept Jesus Christ into my heart as my only lord and savior by truely repenting of all of my sins but, everytime I felt like I truely repented of all of my sins and truly accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as my only lord and savior to the very best of my ability...afterwards (Like that day, day afterwards, or a couple of days afterwards.) I really do not see any truly convincing evidence of me being a true born again Christian.

Everytime I do something bad (Sin.) I feel just as guilty as any normal person would and when I feel/realize like I had done something wrong/bad, that I feel very remorseful about it, that I really want forgiveness, and that I really want to say "I am extremely sorry for what I have done. I promise that I will really try not to do it ever again. Please forgive me please." to God, Jesus Christ, or to another person, I feel just as sorry, really wanting to change my thoughts, feelings, actions, and behavior, and really want to really try not to do that bad/wrong thing ever again as much as a normal person does. And when everytime I really want to truly accept Jesus Christ as my only lord and savior, I really try to make myself feel even more guilty, remorseful, and repentant than ever before because I am really hoping it would really work this time but, it never does because I really see no true evidence of being truely born again afterwards.

Sense I am seeing so many false conversions with myself, I am beginnning to feel like in order to be truly saved by Jesus Christ, I really need to feel and be even more repentant of my sins (Which I really don't not see how I can ever do that without the help of the Holy Spirit.) but, how I am supposed to do that when I really need the Holy Spirit's help to do that and what's worse, he mostly helps you truely repent when you are truly borned again (He dwells with in you.) but, how is he ever going to help me when I can't even get him to dwell in me the first place by repenting as hard as I can and truly accepting Jesus Christ as my only lord and savior in the first place. It is like skipping a nessuary step almost. I am in a really fusrating, confusioning, sad, and in a horrible sitiuation because I really do not even know what to do.

Can all of you really help me please by really offering me advice and/or praying for me? Thanks so much! May God bless all of you always! Amen! Peace! PS: I am extremely sorry for this very long thread! Please forgive me. Thanks!

 

[joey_downunder]

I once read this in a Christian book and it stuck with me:
Strong faith in a weak bridge will land you in the river,
weak faith in a strong bridge will get you across.

It is faith in *Jesus Christ* that saves you, not faith in *your faith* (whether head knowledge, or feelings, or experiences).
Have you done this? Romans 10:9-13

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans 10:9-13&version=ESV

 

[aiki]

I am really having a lot of trouble really trying to truly accept Jesus Christ into my heart as my only lord and savior by truely repenting of all of my sins but, everytime I felt like I truely repented of all of my sins and truly accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as my only lord and savior to the very best of my ability...afterwards (Like that day, day afterwards, or a couple of days afterwards.) I really do not see any truly convincing evidence of me being a true born again Christian.

What "truly convincing evidence" do you expect to see?

Imagine you won a million dollars. The money is put in your bank account and all you have to do is make a withdrawal and spend it. Now, suppose you woke up the day after you won the money and looked in the mirror. Same face, same body, same bed head. You are still in the same house, still sleep in the same bed, wearing the same pajamas. You haven't grown taller, or more beautiful, or fatter and uglier. Nothing seems to have changed. You have a million dollars in the bank but you are still the same! Does this mean you don't have a million dollars in the bank? Of course not.

It's going to take time for the reality of your new-found (though hypothetical) wealth to affect your daily experience. You're going to have to actually make some withdrawals of your cash and spend it before things start to change for you. Imagine if you said to yourself, "I don't feel richer. I don't look richer. I guess, then, I'm not actually a millionaire." Would you be right? Would this sort of thinking make any good sense? I'm sure you would say not.

But this is what you're doing as a newly born-again person. You don't feel any different, and your experience isn't any different, so you're jumping to the conclusion that your conversion didn't take. If it doesn't make any good sense to think this way in the hypothetical millionaire example I gave you, why should it make any better sense to think this way as a new spiritual "millionaire" (which is what you are as a newly adopted child of God)?

And when everytime I really want to truly accept Jesus Christ as my only lord and savior, I really try to make myself feel even more guilty, remorseful, and repentant than ever before because I am really hoping it would really work this time but, it never does because I really see no true evidence of being truely born again afterwards.

Are you calling God a liar? He says that when you are converted, that's it. Done. No more need to ask to be saved. Once is quite enough. So, why are you behaving as though God didn't say this? Do you think God doesn't mean what He says?

In a very real sense you are, spiritually-speaking, like a newborn infant. Can a newborn run around, or talk, or do the things that are commonplace for a more mature human being? No. Likewise, you must grow into spiritual maturity. You must recognize that you are brand new to walking with God and there will therefore be a lot of staggering and stumbling around as your journey with Him begins. Be at peace. God knows you will need time to grow mature as one of His children. He's not going to cast you away because you are young and weak in the faith. He is patient and longsuffering toward us and "remembers that we are dust."

Selah.

 

[NewChristian87]

I agree with what's already been said, but I would just want to add that being a Christian, being born again, means that you can call upon God and ask Him for help, repent when you sin etc.

'No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.' 1 Corinthians 10:13

God is faithful so pray to Him with your concerns and He will help you. It might not happen immediately, but trust in Him and He won't let you down

I hope your mind has been put to rest (a little) now. I will pray for you, of course

'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.' Romans 15:13

 

[Terry M]

Hi VikinggirlTbird

I really relate to what you describe. When we are in a love relationship with someone, it's aweful when we feel we've let them down.

From what you've said, I think you have a wonderful dedication to the Lord that you would even want to please Him and not sin anymore. I believe that feeling unworthy of God's love is a normal part of being born again. The dedicaton you are feeling to God can make us feel even worse than before. However a couple of things come to mind:

Tempation is not the same as sin. Jesus was tempted. The devil put temptations into His mind. It's not what comes into our minds that we are accountable for- is what we do with them next. How many times have you been tempted and fought back. How many times have you rejected the thoughts and moved on. How coragious is that eh? Give yourself credit for your achievements.
Are we perfect? No way. Who has been? Even having walked for three years with Jesus, the disciples certainly weren't.
I'm not saying to ignore our sinfulness, but be aware of the love you have for the Lord - and how much He loves us - even while we are just week human bings.
For me, being 'Born Again' is not about being perfect -it's about being born into a new relationship and commitment to God and to Jesus. Sounds to me like you really have that - so enjoy it. Find places and times when you can just sit with Him and enjoy the peace that He wll place in your heart.
Bless you. May He open our mind to the deep love He has for you - and may you soak in it, feel safe in it, live in it. In His name.

 

[FreeinChrist]

MOD HAT

This thread is being moved to Christian Advice.

 

[REPHAIAHPEDAHEL]

The problem is that some tell you that you have to repent of your sins before you become born again. The truth is everyone's sins past, present and future are already forgiven because of Jesus' finished work at the cross but not everyone accepts this free gift of forgiveness of sins! When you believe in Jesus you receive forgiveness of sins and you are born again!

Look at how Cornelius became born again:

Acts 10:43-44 NASB
"Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." [44] While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

Cornelius and his household just believed and received! Simple!

 

[sdowney717]

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry
Mark 1
14 Now after John was put in prison,

Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom[e] of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Repenting of your sins and believing in the gospel means repenting of your unbelief and believing that Jesus is your Savior, Lord and your God.

Unbelief is sin.

Cornelius and household did repent first of their unbelief. God's Holy Spirit guided the entire affair between Peter, the message, Jesus, Cornelius and his whole household.

However we must repent of all our sins as well. This is part of being sanctified, made Holy, without which NONE of us will see the Lord.
Heb 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:[bless and do not curse]

Doubting Thomas

John 20

24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

[sdowney717]

Acts 3, Peter tells them to repent and be converted.

Repent means forsake your prior way of thinking about God and believe in the gospel of His Son.

Converted means to be born again, a new creature in Christ which is a work of the Holy Spirit. We repent and he converts or saves us and not we ourselves.

17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,[a]

21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren.

Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.

23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’

24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.

25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’[d] 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”