Is fear/anxiety, crying common for new christians??

[joycem]

I am a brand new christian maybe 3 months into this. I have been experiencing fear on/off throughout this process as well as some anxiety. And this fear/anxiety is about having to face some of my personal issues/fears.

Some of my fears are showing strong emotion in public, being in groups of people, crying in public, and general insecurity. I have always felt this way but now I feel I have to face it, to grow as a christian.

My church is pentacostal, there is a lot of crying, and that was the first thing that I worried about, if I truly "feel" the spirit I might break down.

Is this common? Anybody have any thing to share about anything similar they have been though and what the journey was like???

I have been told this could the the evil one holding me back, but like I said I have always felt this way...so could the evil one have been doing this my whole life even before I was christian...I had no religion just a general belief in god, but never thought about him much.

 

[Samuel Coleridge]

I am a brand new christian maybe 3 months into this. I have been experiencing fear on/off throughout this process as well as some anxiety. And this fear/anxiety is about having to face some of my personal issues/fears.

Some of my fears are showing strong emotion in public, being in groups of people, crying in public, and general insecurity. I have always felt this way but now I feel I have to face it, to grow as a christian.

My church is pentacostal, there is a lot of crying, and that was the first thing that I worried about, if I truly "feel" the spirit I might break down.

Is this common? Anybody have any thing to share about anything similar they have been though and what the journey was like???

I have been told this could the the evil one holding me back, but like I said I have always felt this way...so could the evil one have been doing this my whole life even before I was christian...I had no religion just a general belief in god, but never thought about him much.

Are you upc or assembly or church of God?

 

[joycem]

It is assembly of god.

Are you upc or assembly or church of God?

 

[Crosssword]

It sounds like there may be demons around. It is typical for them to start bothering people when they come to God. Know that you CAN cast them out, you CAN take authority in Jesus's name, even though you are a new Christian. This article will make it all clear:

Tribulation-Now: Demons & Spiritual Warfare Basics

Did it ever make you wonder why Jesus told people to "GO, preach, The Kingdom of Heaven is at HAND"? And then Jesus said to Cast out Devils and then Heal the Sick ... IN THAT ORDER?

First you have to understand this ORDER OF TASKS you have been commanded to do!

1. GO - You have to be willing to go and do what Jesus said to do, with NO FEAR, "Just Do It"
2. PREACH - The Word of God is POWERFUL. You need to know what scriptures to read and what to say.
3. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND - Wait! Where is the Kingdom of Heaven? Hey .... its at HAND ... get it? Do you? You TELL the Demons that the Kingdom of Heaven is INSIDE OF YOU. The POWER is in your HANDS.... are you connecting the dots here? But you MUST believe it. There is no room for doubt. The enemy will sense your "unbelief" and you can get yourself in trouble here.
4. CAST OUT DEVILS - Devils cause the vast majority (not all) of sicknesses and disease. After you scare the heck out of them with your AUTHORITY and God given "right" to take dominion and cast them into the "abyss", you tell them to GO NOW! LEAVE! ... and NEVER COME BACK, in JESUS NAME. Also you should command the spirit of FEAR to leave also. Get all of them out of there. You don't need to call them by name, they know who they are.
5. COMMAND THEIR BODY TO HEAL - Then you COMMAND them to be HEALED in the NAME OF JESUS. You COMMAND their bodies to heal. You do it in the Name of JESUS.
6. And finally you get that person SAVED. You have them accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and you pray that the Holy Spirit enter their body and fill the "void" or the "gap" left by the demons. This is why Jesus would say "... now go and sin no more". This is not a requirement for them to receive the healing but if you don't do it they can get the sickness back because they enter into sin immediately thereafter and don't have the necessary protection or education to "overcome".

Protecting Your Home, Children, and Yourself

The key is "consecration". Look the word up. Go to your local Christian supply store and get yourself some anointing oil. OIL. You can also get regular oil from the store but at least get "olive oil". Pray over the oil.

"Heavenly Father, in the NAME OF JESUS, I ask you to bless this oil. In Jesus name, Lord, bless this oil with your Holy Spirit" - Amen​

After the oil is blessed, you can put a dab of oil on the four corners of your property, above the door of your house, and some people even put a dab of it above each of the windows of your house. Its up to you. I think the four corners of your property and the door is sufficient. Remember this isn't weather proofing this is symbolic to God and it affords you protection from the demonic realm.

 

[vespasia]

After the oil is blessed, you can put a dab of oil on the four corners of your property, above the door of your house, and some people even put a dab of it above each of the windows of your house. Its up to you. I think the four corners of your property and the door is sufficient. Remember this isn't weather proofing this is symbolic to God and it affords you protection from the demonic realm.

No- do not this suggestion is straight from protective spells used in occult grimoires.

The website you have linked into is someones personal blog.

 

[vespasia]

For some people any big life changes can be very daunting and create worries concerns and fears. If you had things that bothered you before choosing Christ then there is a good chance they will continue to be a source of anxiety.

Can I suggest you make contact with a pastor at the church you have been attending and ask for support. A good pastor will look not only at your spiritual life but will also take into consideration other things in your life that you may need support with. For example if your concerned about breaking down very publicaly it may be possible to move to a quieter section of your churches building and have a member of the churches pastoral team simply come and sit beside you and gently pray for you.

Charismatic churches do tend to see satan as the source of all human suffering. If people are using language that sounds scary to you go and locate one of the pastors and ask them to explain further so you can understand what was meant and why. Hopefully as you get to know Christ and have chance to build up some friendships with this new church you will feel less afraid and feel more able to be the you God made you to be.

 

[whatfor]

It sounds like there may be demons around. It is typical for them to start bothering people when they come to God. Know that you CAN cast them out, you CAN take authority in Jesus's name, even though you are a new Christian. This article will make it all clear:

Tribulation-Now: Demons & Spiritual Warfare Basics

Did it ever make you wonder why Jesus told people to "GO, preach, The Kingdom of Heaven is at HAND"? And then Jesus said to Cast out Devils and then Heal the Sick ... IN THAT ORDER?

First you have to understand this ORDER OF TASKS you have been commanded to do!

1. GO - You have to be willing to go and do what Jesus said to do, with NO FEAR, "Just Do It"
2. PREACH - The Word of God is POWERFUL. You need to know what scriptures to read and what to say.
3. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND - Wait! Where is the Kingdom of Heaven? Hey .... its at HAND ... get it? Do you? You TELL the Demons that the Kingdom of Heaven is INSIDE OF YOU. The POWER is in your HANDS.... are you connecting the dots here? But you MUST believe it. There is no room for doubt. The enemy will sense your "unbelief" and you can get yourself in trouble here.
4. CAST OUT DEVILS - Devils cause the vast majority (not all) of sicknesses and disease. After you scare the heck out of them with your AUTHORITY and God given "right" to take dominion and cast them into the "abyss", you tell them to GO NOW! LEAVE! ... and NEVER COME BACK, in JESUS NAME. Also you should command the spirit of FEAR to leave also. Get all of them out of there. You don't need to call them by name, they know who they are.
5. COMMAND THEIR BODY TO HEAL - Then you COMMAND them to be HEALED in the NAME OF JESUS. You COMMAND their bodies to heal. You do it in the Name of JESUS.
6. And finally you get that person SAVED. You have them accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and you pray that the Holy Spirit enter their body and fill the "void" or the "gap" left by the demons. This is why Jesus would say "... now go and sin no more". This is not a requirement for them to receive the healing but if you don't do it they can get the sickness back because they enter into sin immediately thereafter and don't have the necessary protection or education to "overcome".

Protecting Your Home, Children, and Yourself

The key is "consecration". Look the word up. Go to your local Christian supply store and get yourself some anointing oil. OIL. You can also get regular oil from the store but at least get "olive oil". Pray over the oil.

"Heavenly Father, in the NAME OF JESUS, I ask you to bless this oil. In Jesus name, Lord, bless this oil with your Holy Spirit" - Amen​

After the oil is blessed, you can put a dab of oil on the four corners of your property, above the door of your house, and some people even put a dab of it above each of the windows of your house. Its up to you. I think the four corners of your property and the door is sufficient. Remember this isn't weather proofing this is symbolic to God and it affords you protection from the demonic realm.

I agree with this.

 

[ezeric]

I am a brand new christian maybe 3 months into this. I have been experiencing fear on/off throughout this process as well as some anxiety. And this fear/anxiety is about having to face some of my personal issues/fears.

Some of my fears are showing strong emotion in public, being in groups of people, crying in public, and general insecurity. I have always felt this way but now I feel I have to face it, to grow as a christian.

My church is pentacostal, there is a lot of crying, and that was the first thing that I worried about, if I truly "feel" the spirit I might break down.

Is this common? Anybody have any thing to share about anything similar they have been though and what the journey was like???

I have been told this could the the evil one holding me back, but like I said I have always felt this way...so could the evil one have been doing this my whole life even before I was christian...I had no religion just a general belief in god, but never thought about him much.

Dear Joycem,

Its great that you are now in GOD'S Kingdom, and the LORD JESUS promises to never let you go! Hebrews 13:5

Remember this: That this JESUS life, is a process (not a 1 shot event) and like a child, GOD made you grow-up, so know Spritually, GOD makes you grow. So, don't stress out, trying to figure it all out. 1 Corinthians 3:7

Secondly, GOD doesn't bring you fear, but LOVE (because HE is LOVE), LOVE is a person, but so is fear. (see 1 John 4:18) If it brings fear, anxiety, burden and not freedom its not from GOD. GOD only talks and acts like fruit of the SPIRIT, which is HIMSELF - read Galatians 5:22-23

Thirdly, you do have complete authority over demons, so don't be afraid of what you have authority over. (see Luke 10:19) Because this JESUS is now REALLY inside you, its no longer the old you, now the New You! Which is the LIFE OF JESUS coming through you. Colossians 3:4

It is compassion, without fear.
It is bold, without pride.
It is peace, without confusion.

You are doing a wonderful job! Keep on following JESUS like you are!

-eric

The Exchanged Life

 

[Harry3142]

joycem-

When you were a small child and your parents carried you, were you concerned about their ability to carry you? Did you help them carry you? Or did you simply trust that the one who was carrying you was strong enough to continue carrying you?

In like manner, as Christians we trust in God's ability to 'carry us' as we continue through life. It was his work, rather than ours, that obtained our salvation for us. It was the task his Son successfully completed, rather than any tasks we might perform, that is our assurance of salvation. So we can have confidence that what he has done, he will continue to do.

We Christians don't trust in our ability to hold on to God; we trust in God's ability to hold on to us.

 

[1watchman]

Joycem, it is very typical of Pentecostal Christians to cry and worry, for they teach that salvation is not a surety, and believers must keep trying to win God's approval or they will be lost. You need to see the eternal security of personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, so study your Bible every day. True believers have a new birth (and when one is born they don't get unborn). Do you have Jesus Christ in your heart and are devoted to Him? You need to then rejoice in that as you praise Him, and rest on His "exceeding great and precious promises".

- 1 Watchman

 

[Peripatetic]

It is normal for any Christian (new or old) to have very strong fear and anxiety. However, it is not necessarily healthy or what God wants from us.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:25–27

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Proverbs 12:25

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

 

[joycem]

I appreciate the responses. I am nervous about asking for help at church, so being able to talk here helps me a lot. I am starting to keep a journal.

 

[SharonL]

Joycem - don't let this worry you - and don't try to stop it - just be your natural self. When Jesus is the Lord of your life and the Holy Spirit leads you, you will find this love overwhelming at times.

There is no demons, only the love of God showing through in your emotions. Just talk to Jesus - the Bible tells us He is your friend and is by your side always and only a heartbeat away. Churches sometimes make things more difficult than they are. Just know that you are being overwhelmed with the Love of God - the Holy Spirit is leading you. I cry many times when the Holy Spirit touches my life with leading that I know is not from me. Just enjoy your walk and don't let this concern you.

 

[Lykos]

Hey, i just read your first post. To answer your question no i don't think it is odd for new Christians to cry or be afraid. Then again most of my experience is with teenagers so ya know. I actually wanted to have some sort of emotional well anything once i left the err darkness, i consider myself fortunate to even be able to shed a tear. Which i realize may be a bit of a contrast to your situation and i apologize if my sharing that confuses you or has any negative effect. I feel anxious and something similar to fear comes along with that. God Bless and best of luck.

 

[Grafted_in]

I am a brand new christian maybe 3 months into this.

When you say "brand new Christian" what exactly do you mean? It may sound crazy, but just going to church doesn't make anybody a Christian. Being born of the Spirit of God is what makes one a Christian. Which category do you fall into? Are you born again, or do you just go to church? This makes all the difference in the world, be honest with yourself.

My church is pentacostal, there is a lot of crying, and that was the first thing that I worried about, if I truly "feel" the spirit I might break down.

Pentecostal church? Generally speaking pentecostal churches have a lot of screwy doctrine, and generally speaking they participate in a lot of screwy activities. I say generally because Christians and biblical churches can be found anywhere, but generally pentecostal folks are a little (sometimes a lot) wrong. Have a biblical friend look over your church's doctrine and attend a service or two, then seek their Godly counsel. All may be well where you are, but it might be necessary to find a new church. Nobody can tell you for certain over the internet.

It is certainly true that when the Holy Ghost grabs ahold of your heart you might break down and cry. This does happen and I think it rightfully should. Anybody who knows of God and feels Him directly should be pretty overwhelmed when they realize they are in His presence. There is no shame in realizing your condition before the Almighty God, and if that results in tears then so be it. Concern for how others perceive you should not take precedent over your concern for God.

I have been told this could the the evil one holding me back, but like I said I have always felt this way...so could the evil one have been doing this my whole life even before I was christian...I had no religion just a general belief in god, but never thought about him much.

It could be, but I personally think church folks give too much credit to Satan. Yes he is real and let's face it he's pretty nasty, but a majority of the time we are our own worst enemy. Pride is not of God, but it is not necessarily a personal attack from the devil; it is often our sinful human nature that gets in the way.

The bottom line is this: If you are not born again then you are trying works for salvation and it ain't gonna happen. If you are not born again then you are using your own intellect and strength to change. It ain't gonna last, and it ain't coming from your heart. If you have repented and turned from sin and been born again then you are a child of God. You are a new creature through Christ. That's what you gotta focus on, because that's all that matters. If the Holy Ghost has touched you, you know it. If you've been born again, you know it. If not, you might want to start there. In the words of a beloved old Hymn "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look straight in his wonderful face, and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."

 

[xMATHiiASx]

Please read this sister:

2. Timothy 1:7 :
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear ; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind."

You get it? The feeling/spirit of fear is NOT from God. taking this into context, what it directly says is, that when you fear something you KNOW that it IS NOT from God, and this is not what God has given YOU.

The power you have in the authority in the name of Jesus, gives you the power to cast out demons, heal people etc.
Have you ever, ever heard, that Jesus feared his forthcoming death on the cross?
-No. You know why? Because Jesus had (well, has actually) the spirit of love, power, and not of fear. (logical since Jesus and the Father are one)
Which God would be almighty if He could fear anything at all?

Fear = negative (not from God)
Power, Love = positive (from God)

Satan will mostly use fear, deception, lying etc., to get people to stray away from God. So everytime you have a feeling of anxiety, fear etc., you just say a little prayer, quiet from your mouth, or in silence in your head.
Maybe something like this:

"Father, once again I have a feeling of fear.
I know this is not from you Father.
You say in your Holy Word, that you have NOT given
me a spirit of fear. Therefore Father, I rely on you,
for taking my burden off my shoulders, and to strengthen me
with your eternal Love, Power and Joy, to remove my feeling
of fear. But to strengthen me whatever path I may cross.
Amen"


hope it helped!
blesses!!!!

 

[papaJP]

I am a brand new christian maybe 3 months into this. I have been experiencing fear on/off throughout this process as well as some anxiety. And this fear/anxiety is about having to face some of my personal issues/fears.

Some of my fears are showing strong emotion in public, being in groups of people, crying in public, and general insecurity. I have always felt this way but now I feel I have to face it, to grow as a christian.

My church is pentacostal, there is a lot of crying, and that was the first thing that I worried about, if I truly "feel" the spirit I might break down.

Is this common? Anybody have any thing to share about anything similar they have been though and what the journey was like???

I have been told this could the the evil one holding me back, but like I said I have always felt this way...so could the evil one have been doing this my whole life even before I was christian...I had no religion just a general belief in god, but never thought about him much.

_______________________________________________

I must tell you that you are experiencing personality weaknesses that are being exposed to a greater degree by satan. He wants you to question yourself and your new faith. A lot of pentacostals allow personal emotions to grow out of bounds and the emotions are not always evidence of God's Holy Spirit.
You need help through prayer and teaching. If the pastor is one who can He may help you. However, do not believe that all pastors can be helpful. If you know any strong in faith Christians get a couple with you and let them help you pray and ask for healing. You can become a very strong Christian. Just do not allow yourself to get so hot you burn others. This happens a low with new Christians especially those who go to a pentacostal church. Although it does happen in many other Christian churches.

Let me know how you are doing.

 

[Bain_Adaneth]

I am a brand new christian maybe 3 months into this. I have been experiencing fear on/off throughout this process as well as some anxiety. And this fear/anxiety is about having to face some of my personal issues/fears.

Some of my fears are showing strong emotion in public, being in groups of people, crying in public, and general insecurity. I have always felt this way but now I feel I have to face it, to grow as a christian.

My church is pentacostal, there is a lot of crying, and that was the first thing that I worried about, if I truly "feel" the spirit I might break down.

Is this common? Anybody have any thing to share about anything similar they have been though and what the journey was like???

I have been told this could the the evil one holding me back, but like I said I have always felt this way...so could the evil one have been doing this my whole life even before I was christian...I had no religion just a general belief in god, but never thought about him much.

Joycem,

I hope that my response will not offend you, but to the best of my knowledge, it's true.


It’s your church. Personally I don’t believe in crying in groups like that. I really think it’s ridiculous. Depending on your denomination, you will be participating in different activities. The most important thing that I can ever tell someone, is to follow the bible. Believe in the Word of God, and do as it says in all you do…taking in consideration both the new testament along with the Old testament. And that will lead you to change and shape into the Christian, and even into the church body you belong to. Believe in God and in Jesus Christ and His death initially. When you truly believe, even though you don’t know much, the Holy Spirit will guide you to understand as you read the bible. He will become your counselor. I cry too sometimes, when I am moved, sad, lifted, happy, and praising. But never in groups, because then it is not genuine, and God will not accept your worship. Because it becomes a lie. And I don’t draw attention, or am not loud or shaking, or foaming, or convulsing. There is a verse for that in the bible, and it was when Jesus was commanding a demon to come out of a boy.


No, the evil one is not holding you back. There is not one verse in the bible that says that the evil one is holding you back if you do not cry with the rest. And there is no verse that even pertains to those kinds of crying activities, nor laughing in the church.



Be true to your emotions, for God is a God of Truth. Even if we pretend, He’ll know it.
I have some friends who used to belong to a church like that. They told me that they all made it up, because they did not feel it or really see. But they all cried, laugh, and claimed that they saw Jesus.


Now it is all just a shameful memory, and they’ve come to know the truth. Jesus doesn’t desire any activity from us that does not come from our hearts.
Tears, laughter, and words are expressions that we use to express the truth in the inside.


There are many of us who are able to express this truthfully in our churches. We don't draw attention to ourselves, but when we want to praise God or something, we do tell others, and testify, so that others can rejoice and praise with us too.

 

[SnappleX]

"
Is this common? Anybody have any thing to share about anything similar they have been though and what the journey was like???

I have been told this could the the evil one holding me back, but like I said I have always felt this way...so could the evil one have been doing this my whole life even before I was christian...I had no religion just a general belief in god, but never thought about him much."

-- Hey there. I cried a little bit when I came to Christ because I saw him working in my life and was very appreciative of everything he had done for my family and I. I still sometimes find myself getting teary eyed when I realize how blessed I have been through the salvation of our LORD and how often times I take it for granted....

I think what is causing your excessive crying is likely caused by Satans schemes or it may be your specific life. If your life seems like a prologue of events leading up to this moment in time (good and bad) this may cause you to weep. Or confusion/anxietys/etc can possibly play a role in your crying...

-- SnappleX

 

[Goodbook]

Hello JoyceM,
You have nothing to worry about if you are truly born again. You are in Christ so any fears you just cast your anxieties on to God.
When people cry in church, in my experience, this has happened when I hear a particular worship song that touches my heart they are tears of joy. A lot of the time it's because I realise in some ways how lowly I am and how great He is to love me.

It is not for show. You are safe in church where they let you express yourself. Don't worry about what others are doing. People will understand. Don't feel you have to be like everyone else during worship.

In terms of your social anxiety yes that is Satan..but now you are confronting your fears..you can get delivered. If you have always felt this way you were under bondage to him before, but the good news is you can get free of this insecurity and be secure in Christ. Just recognise those fears are not from God, that you are a child of God now. There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18

Don't be afraid, God loves us, we don't have to hide or fake our emotions for him.