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Looking for a bit of advice...

Steve Gleaves

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Where to start, ok so about a year ago me and my youth group went to a Christian camp called Newday (HIGHLY recommend to anyone BTW) my mate decided to bring his girlfriend who at the time wasn't a Christian.
Newday is a fairly crazy place I've seen a fair few miracles there in my time and guaranteed something completely unexpected will happen at least once every year; she and many others that year got saved :amen:.
However this had a really strange effect on her, she sort of gained a conscience to the extreme, having real difficulty just accepting the fact that God could forgive her of her sins.
The next few months were to say the least an emotional roller-coaster for her, she broke up with her boyfriend within the week both of them taking this pretty hard, he (while still a Christian) has left the youth group.
On top of that she became depressed and developed a drink problem.
With the help of our youth pastor and a little counselling she seems to have come through it. however was her 18th today and we got talking about god ect, she was at a real spiritual high and in a good mood as well.
But during her conversation she told me how her aforementioned depression was much worse than I had thought, apparently including self harm and at one point a suicide attempt. This really shocked me, she seems to bottle it up around people as she always seems happy and cheerful.
As I said before she does seem to have come through it, shes on a real spiritual high at the moment but I know from experience that it can be easy to fall to a low. Our youth pastor is leaving in a month or two to plant a church which is really bad because she confided in him during her rough period and hes basically the reason shes still alive. To make things worse a lot of the youth including her are off to university this year and I'm being alone might not help her.
Also Newday is coming up again in August and that could basically mean anything, from a cure all to making things ten times worse.
I should point out that her faith throughout is really really strong and I actually aspire to be at her level of belief, her problem is that she simply can't get over the amazing grace of God and she just doesn't feel good enough.
Any advice for this situation is great as I say shes doing great at the moment and been confiding in me and hopefully others but I'm very concerned for her and terrified that she might reach a spiritual low at some point; If you could all pray for her that would be fantastic.
 
S

solarwave

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Firstly, YEAAAAAH NEWDAY!!!

I've been there 4 or 5 times and will be again this year.

So the problem is she can't accept that she can come to God because she isn't good enough?

Well the truth is that God no longer sees her sins since Jesus death has wiped them away.

I just realised that I have written alot below, sorry about that but it worth reading.

God is love. God tells us to forgive and be mercyful. If God asks these things of us how much more will God do it Himself? God loves your friend:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[j] who[k] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

"31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."[l] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 28-39

If she simply read the first few letters by Paul in the New Testament she would see that it is by Jesus death that we are "brought safely home to God". The whole point of Christs death is to save those who cannot save themselves because God loved them first, NOT because they were good enough.

We are not saved because we are good people, we are saved because God loves us.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2.

Jesus told the thief on the cross next to Him that he would be with Jesus is paradise that day. Was that thief good enough? What good thing did the thief do while dying on the cross to gain heaven? Nothing. He was saved because He trusted Jesus. We are saved by a love greater than life.

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law" - Romans 3:28

"I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? " - Galatians 3: 2-3.

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision (being good or bad) has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" - Galatians 5:6

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." - Ephesians 2:4-5

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2: 8-9.

Jesus said He came to heal the sick (bad people) not the well ('good' people).

So it is by God's love shown to us by Christs death that we are saved. It is simple faith in Jesus death we are saved not by works (being good) no one can earn salvation, it is by grace.

I think she also needs to hear her identity in God. By this I mean that she is a child of God. This isn't just words used. Because of her faith she is a daughter of God and is greatly loved by Him. God will never let her down.
 
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Storm Wind

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Well, many people believe that they are unworthy of God (including myself) ,but one of the many amazing things about God is his ability to forgive people of there sins as shown to us in John.John 8:3-11 (New King James Version)

3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
 
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