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Maharg

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Endure2

Just wanted to let you know I have been going through something similar, on and off, for abut a year now. I don't know the answer to it. It does sound as though you have been pushing yourself - have been hard on yourself - telling yourself that it must be that you have to DO something. I can't explain the lack of comfort from God - I don't understand it. Maybe it's about understanding that it doesn't have to be earnt - I don't know.

Just wanted to let you know you are in my thoughts and that I have prayed for you,

Love,

Maharg
x
 
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cygnusx1

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God doesn't judge us as much as we judge ourselves .......... our life is in God's hands , He doesn't wait for us to be holy and all that stuff ......... He is the God of the downcast , the reject , the man who cannot lift his face up , the women who thinks it is all lost ....... that my dear friends is the Only God Jesus spoke of ........ one who comes for the dejected , the broken and the contrite ...... all the ''Holier than Thous'' are a million miles away .........from The Lord!
 
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IKTCA

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Brother Lee,

The history of Israel is the history of God's grace and mercy. Remembering Israel's history is remembering God's goodness and love. Stephen's sermon was nothing but remembering Israel's past, but his face became like angel's.

If you know no life outside Jesus, it is because God has been merciful to you. Your past life of 20 plus years is the history of God's merciful hands on you.

If you doubt God's mercy, it's not because God's mercy is lacking in you now but because you stopped giving thanks and praise to God.

It is your choice to hide behind your rebellion and call out to God, "Show me yourself," or kneel in humble petition, "Show your face to me." Words are the same, but hearts are different.

My flesh nature tells me to condemn you as the old brother condemned the younger brother who returned. But I also have to face the master, and in fear of him, I know I have to keep you in my prayer.

Days are short and darkness is approaching fast. Be sober, and remind me to be sober, for I need your rebuke myself.

Rupert
 
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Apologetic

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I don't want this to be some kind of arrogant "been there, done that" reply, though it may sound like it at first glance. Let me first tell you that I know and have experienced what you are going through.

Endure2 said:
thankyou everyone,
the truth is, i just dont know who Jesus is anymore. my feelings and struggles lately havent caused me to come to a new idea about him,

Our feelings are always a burden when they are down. But your feelings can never bring you closer to God. Neither can your struggles do so. Give up trying to save yourself. Give up. Christ died for us sinners, and you are one of us. What we humans tend to do, is mix our sanctification process into our status before God as justified through faith. Faith - remember - faith can become a "work". Don't strive to believe. Faith is such a difficult thing to define. Faith is proved by coming to Jesus with whatever is troubling you.

God is a God who hides Himself (Isa 45,15). Don't forget that. But wait for Him.

I know what it's like to not want to read the Bible or pray anymore. When it happened to me, I asked myself why I had become so tired, and I found out that it was because I had fallen into legalism and my faith was in danger. Are Rosenius' books availible in English? If so, you should read one of his. He was an evangelist during the 1800s. You sound to me like you're heavy burdened. Now here's a word from Jesus to YOU: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt 11,28. Just come to Him, and if you feel like you can't come to Him, tell Him so and He will come to you. There is nothing in you, as you are in yourself, that can make you stand up and walk over to Jesus. Let Him do it. He wants to be solo in saving your soul. Let Him be just that

but just to become indiffrent about, i just havent thought alot about it.
You know what you're seeing here? Part of your sinful nature. Don't worry - it's still there . And it's gonna stick with you till the end of your stay on earth. But Jesus' blood is the payment for all sin, including our hideous, cold, indifferent and evil nature. It is Jesus' love that should be flowing through you, not your own. And His love doesn't depend on your feelings. In fact it doesn't even depend on your existance.

God loved you before He created the world, Endure2. He planned your creation along with everything else. And together with the fact that He knew YOU would want to follow His Son, Jesus. Now God is putting you on a test. He never puts us on tests we are unable to endure. Count on Jesus, and you'll be counting right.

God knew you would be a sinner, and He knew every person on earth would be a sinner because Adam would fall and sin in the place of the whole humanity, thus passing on the sinful nature, and every person would perish rightfully in the flames of hell, by God's justice... UNLESS!

Unless God sent His only begotten Son to earth to make complete payment for all of the sins ever to be comitted in the world. Jesus did so. He lived your life the way you should've. He believed in God the way you should've. He treated people and loved them the way you should've. He prayed like you should've. And finally, He bore the just and fair wrath of the Holy Lord God which you should've paid the penalty for in life and eternal death. He paid your debt in full (John 19,30) in His flesh when He died on the cross. He rose again in your place for YOUR justification. Your salvation is finished. There's NOTHING more for you to do. God is satisfied with Jesus' sacrifice. That's it. That's the gospel.

You say it's a fool's story to you, well yes, to the mind it is a fool's story and a fool's hope, but to every child of God, it is God's power to save people from eternal death.

Courage, courage, dear heart.
 
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kellyc

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edure, i recognize a lot of things you say because when i was young i felt them too. as time went by, i kind of decided to make no decisions about Jesus. i let it go. i didn't have to do anything at all. i had been asking God to give me more faith, but it didn't seem to work. i just stopped. maybe you are at that point to. we get burned out when we are the ones trying to be worthy of Jesus. you might have forgotten that God already sees you as perfect. there's nothing you can do to make yourself a better christian. maybe that is what you were doing all along? i guess if you try too hard you often fail, because you are trying the wrong things. i wish you all the best, and will pray that you realize how it is to be free in Christ, there is no condemnation. you don't have to try to be "good".
 
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Leah

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A BIG

I can't live w/o Jesus either and wouldn't want to.
 
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Leah

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Say it again!
 
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Leah

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PRAISE GOD! Your post also touched my heart and revealed to me what it is I needed to know to heal the wounds in my heart and soul. This gave me the answer I longed to know and didn't even know it! *lol* Right now, my spirit is at peace and I thank you, Apologetic, for your post. It was food to my soul.

thanks.
 
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Apologetic

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Halleluja, what a great God we have!!
 
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Endure2

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guys...

i just dont believe this anymore, becuase i dont want philosophy or reasoning or words, if he is real then i want to see him myself, im sure hes more than capable.
i dont mean to sound arogant, but i cant try to live something that calls for me to give up alot of things i enjoy doing and to believe in something i really dont know for sure is real... when the brilliance of mans understanding and witty thinking comes to an end... it may not have ever been true.

im beginning to feel christianity is based on ignorance and fear.
ignorance of another explanation or rebuttal to the lofty thoughts, proverbs, apparent truths or explanation of our existence and deep fear of a dreadful end without his grace.

and i cant trade what is so hard to believe isnt real and trustworthy, for something that seems so vague and fruitless.

when i ask him to let me see him or show me a miracle or something beyond just apologetics or reason, it doesnt happen. and im not demanding of him, but really sincerely asking him... i want to see him... but he never shows himself to me.

i feel like i was just brainwashed all my life.
i cant trade all i do have and do enjoy for something i cant see in a hope that is may be beneficail.
i dont want to live this intense lifestyle that christianity calls for... for what?
i dont see anything.

and if im truely wrong and deceived... then im not just fustrated or angry or kinda mislead... im on my way to a dreadful hell... and God knows this... if he loves me then why doesnt he talk to me so i will stop this doubting... and not burn for eternity? doesnt he understand that if hes real i really do want to see him, if hes real i want to know.

if hes real, i want him to show me and help me do what he wants from me.

i hope he isnt angry at me, i hope he doesnt let me wander blindly into a burning hell unknowingly just becuase i began to doubt or maybe even got a bit arogant.

i hope he doesnt turn me to a pillar of salt just becuase i looked back like he did lots wife...or have his servants destroy me, my wife and children just becuase im an unbeliever and i might corrupt his prize children one day when i just dont know any other way to live, like he did repeatedly in the old testament.

how could he do that to me? im the weak one arent i? the petty human creation? how am i supposed to be the strong one?

maybe hell do me like he did Job when Job eventually doubted and cursed the day he was born, in the end God openly rebuked Job and corrected him and asked "where were you when the heavons were formed? what do you know?" thats fine with me... its better then burning for eternity becuase i dont understand and got tricked.

i want to see him if hes real, experience him... and i dont want this bunch of bull that says things like "well hes too holy" ... im tired of patching up the gaping holes in my life with these goofy littly half baked explanations and these foolish ideologies about suffering through and not letting your eyes fool you and God speaks in diffrent ways or OH... maybe the devil is wrestling with my angel and he cant come to me!

i refuse to be a part of some unseen war between light and dark and the forces of good and evil, i dont want to be a white night in some holy war.
and i dont want to be a part of some secret society that knows things and does things the rest of the word doesnt know or know how to do... becuase "THEIR ALL DECIEVED... WE KNOW THE TRUTH THAT THEY CANT UNDERSTAND" unless they go agaisnt better judgement and convert.

i want to live in my little house on a hill and have a wife and kids and work a job and one day die and be no more and forgotten about (though a nice afterlife would be nice)... i dont want to be a part of some constantly intense lifestyle of fighting unseen demons and evil and having to save a world of people destined to burn in a fiery dungeon if i dont... and their bloods on my hands! having to read and pray and read and pray or else the evil will win!

i dont mean anyone anyharm... but it all seems to utterly foolish to me sometimes. Christianity is just so so lofty... and it seems to have given me nothing but heartache and worry...

this just isnt for me anymore, it seems to offer so little in return of my full devotion or maybe even my mortal life, everything except the real true walk with a real God that loves me and is there for me.

Lee.
 
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Maharg

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Lee,

I'm sorry to hear how angry and disappointed you feel with the Christian life you've been leading. It sounds as though things have felt pretty intense and you really feel tired of believing you are in a spiritual battle. I've prayed that you would have rest from all of this for a while God would come and find you and reveal Himself to you in a new way.

Maharg
x
 
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Evie

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I don't know you,but we all go through times when we do start questioning. Believe me,in another post I stated that I am a struggling Christian, well I have even considered leaving the faith all together. I keep telling myself daily 2 things
1) the anichrist is getting rerady to come (as we can tell from just looking at our messed up world)
and
2) and most importantly that there is nothing else to go back to
 
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Dexx

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Endure2 said:
im not allowed to be a christian if i dont resist lust, pray everyday, read everyday, strive for holiness, try to live up to the ideal christian person
Lets boil it down to basics. Please forgive my bluntness. I may be completely wrong. Is your greatest struggle with lust and touching yourself?
 
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Endure2

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yes it was.
that was what i could never truely definitly stop.

but... though i dont want to be the tradegy in a christian story be the example of what not to be, and i hope these people are still my frends,
untill God finds me one day and shows me diffrent with more than words, im not a christian anymore and im not going to let this bother me anymore.


everyone,
i hope i dont seem crude, evil or ungrateful.
but i cant do anything else.
 
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angelwind

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I have not got anything wise to say to you...but I see your struggle...so does the Lord...maybe you will struggle to the end of yourself someway...amd then the Lord will give you something that is special for you.

Anyway, I'm glad you posted again...I will pray for you.
 
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repentandbelieve

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If you go back and re-read your post you can see the problem is obviously rooted in selfishness. This is the reason you receive nothing of the Lord, who is our Source of strength. Uproot the the spirit of selfishness, which is leavening your religious experience, and God's Spirit will address itself to your heart

People who are not engaged in unselfish labor have a sickly experience, and become worn out with struggling, doubting, murmuring, sinning, and repenting, until they lose all sense as to what constitutes genuine Christianity.

Selfishness always blinds and deceives. Selfishness is contrary to the spirit of Christianity and utimately brings spiritual death.

Try curtailing some of your own plans, and help those who are struggling.
 
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