Need advice

[Jared_1991]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and needing help and advice. So let me start by saying I was raised baptist and I prayed the sinners prayer and desperately want to believe. I've seen what GOD can do and I myself seem to have had a lot of help along the way ( bad 4wheeler wreck). But I don't feel like a Christian. I do want to be one so bad I can't stand it. But it seems like I'll focus on god for little while then the focus shifts to something else and God goes to background. That and the fact that I have major doubts even in church there's a voice in my mind that says this is not logical. Gods not real. When I die they'll be nothing I'll just die. Etc. and even when I do try to focus on god I get nervous talking about him. Like people think I'm an utter Moran, even talking to my wife about him. I want to Change I've read the bible know the stories well but those doubts kill me. Anybody went through the same thing or have any advice on what I should do. I pray but seems like it goes up unheard

 

[Sophrosyne]

Christianity is NOT about feeling right but BELIEVING in God and what he has done on our behalf (the Gospel). If you measure your identity as a Christian based upon your feelings in time you will be an atheist because our sin nature even as a Christian and others around us will bombard us and catch us when our "feeling like a Christian" is off and whammo... we will sin and keep sinning and the sin will draw us farther and farther from God.
A bible teacher once said.... we aren't sent to hell for our sins but for UNBELIEF. I faltered as a child and abandoned God because my "feelings" and faith were not based upon the rock. Knowledge is the key, don't just read the stories in the Bible read into them and think about how all parties think and what they do and put yourself in the place of EVERYONE in the Bible you read about (even God). I found until I put myself in God's place reading about what people did and thinking what I would do and what he did instead I realized that God is so much more than I had believed he was and the more I learned about God the more faith I had in him and the less doubts I had.
The bible equates that people perish for the lack of knowledge (of God). Many relationships (marriages etc) that are based upon feelngs only fail it requires knowing and understanding the people whom you are in the relationship with and the more you know them and understand them the more comfortable you are with being with them the less you have to worry about them not understanding and being embarrassed and such. In other words your knowledge of them can actually override your feelings when you feel hurt by them you knowledge says that they don't mean it the way you thought they did and you can just ignore it etc.

 

[Jared_1991]

Thanks this is very helpful. I had based my faith on feelings and constantly failed bc I never felt I was doing what I should. I guess bc at church and Christian movies it was like instant change I looked at them with admiration at how strong there faith was and was ashamed of myself. plus those tiny voices saying it's not real didnt help. I guess I figured the voices would subside after I gave my life to Christ. All this made me question my salvation

 

[lutherangerman]

Examine the fear and the doubts and you will realize that it is them who are illogical and unreal. It is logical to believe in a Creator God and there are many logical elements why you should believe in Jesus Christ, God's son. Just examine this world and it is so beautiful and complex, the physical, unliving world and the biological, living world, it cannot be different than that it had a good and wise Creator.

But I have been through similar doubts. You have to remember your life, its early stages, the latter ones. Like everyone, you also have evidence of God in your life. Your loving parents, the friends you had, the good things you experienced are all evidence of God's doing in your life.

Also consider the bible. You are not the only one in this journey and there have been many people of faith who knew God and took their chances with Him. Abraham, Sarah, David, Solomo, Hiob, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Peter, John, Paul, Matthew, Luke, Marcus, etc. There have been eye-witnesses of Jesus and of all he said and did and they also witnessed his resurrection from the dead. Take them serious and do not cling to your fear and doubt. Always say no to them.

Would you believe it if someone said your grandgrandgrandparents did not exist? You can likely never prove this because you cannot go and touch and hear and see them. You believe because there were other people who tell you they lived here on Earth. Likewise, we believe in Jesus because we had trustworthy eyewitnesses of his life and doings.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Thanks this is very helpful. I had based my faith on feelings and constantly failed bc I never felt I was doing what I should. I guess bc at church and Christian movies it was like instant change I looked at them with admiration at how strong there faith was and was ashamed of myself. plus those tiny voices saying it's not real didnt help. I guess I figured the voices would subside after I gave my life to Christ. All this made me question my salvation

Salvation is a free gift, if you truly believe when you ask Jesus to be your savior it is a done deal. If you have voices speaking to you they are preying on your ignorance about salvation and God if you learn enough about those topics from the Bible then their words will be IGNORED by you.
Satan will try to convince you that if you don't do enough God will take away the free gift of salvation and this just isn't true. The fact that you ARE upset and struggling to keep it means that to me you have faith in the one who saves you and ARE saved it is often those who didn't have faith in the first place at the sign of any trouble they abandon God in their lives and act like they were never saved to begin with.

 

[True Blu]

Oh my gosh! I think I know how you feel! I think?

Like you'll try to focus on God, and go into deep thought about it, but before you can your attention gets hooked on other things and you don't even feel God is relevant after a while, because you'll go day-to-day without much thought about him. But at the same time, there's an unsatisfying urge to know God. Similar-ish? Maybe it's not exact, but you know, ish.

I battled that ever since I first realized that I kind of don't want to go to Hell when I die. It's been years, and I still go through the whole apathetic battle towards God. If it was up to me, I think I'd just wait my way into Hell, to be honest. I'm that horrible!

But at the same time, I know that Jesus can save me from myself, which is who I want redemption from the most! Can I be a bit honest? I'm not even sure I'm saved yet, but I do know there is a God, for sure, no doubt, but I don't know how you get that sureness of salvation, or how you can be positive that you belong to God. And I think you need that sureness that there is a God, which I don't think you'll get from just hearing about Him in church or learning all these facts about Him. Heck, I'll go so far as to say you may not know God from reading the bible alone! You should read the bible, don't get me wrong. But how you get to know God is real is by feeling Him, by having a relationship with Him. By talking and being in His presence. Him guiding you everyday and showing you His will. Otherwise, it's all just a story, not a reality.

I just wanted to say that I shared in that aspect of battling with knowing God personally. I don't have much advice except for that bit, but I do hope you find God and find truth! I'll pray about that!

 

[NJA]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and needing help and advice. So let me start by saying I was raised baptist and I prayed the sinners prayer and desperately want to believe ... But I don't feel like a Christian. I do want to be one so bad I can't stand it. ...

Jesus & his apostles didn't give "the sinners prayer" as the way of salvation. They told people they needed to repent of any old ideas of what makes you right with God, be immersed in water, identifying with Jesus death fo your sin accepting no confidence in your "flesh" to make you right and receiving God's Spirit ... it was known precisely when this happebned, God bare independant witness with speaking in tongyues (prayer to God not preaching to men).
Acts 2:4, 33, 37-39; 10:44-48.

I strongly advise you to contact people that are faithful to this. I'm with these.

 

[dms1972]

Thanks this is very helpful. I had based my faith on feelings and constantly failed bc I never felt I was doing what I should. I guess bc at church and Christian movies it was like instant change I looked at them with admiration at how strong there faith was and was ashamed of myself. plus those tiny voices saying it's not real didn't help. I guess I figured the voices would subside after I gave my life to Christ. All this made me question my salvation.

When I seen your question I remembered this book by FB Meyer I heard recommended In it there is a chapter: called Fact, Faith, Feeling.



http://www.ccel.org/ccel/meyer/guidance/files/guidance.html

 

[razzelflabben]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and needing help and advice. So let me start by saying I was raised baptist and I prayed the sinners prayer and desperately want to believe. I've seen what GOD can do and I myself seem to have had a lot of help along the way ( bad 4wheeler wreck). But I don't feel like a Christian. I do want to be one so bad I can't stand it. But it seems like I'll focus on god for little while then the focus shifts to something else and God goes to background. That and the fact that I have major doubts even in church there's a voice in my mind that says this is not logical. Gods not real. When I die they'll be nothing I'll just die. Etc. and even when I do try to focus on god I get nervous talking about him. Like people think I'm an utter Moran, even talking to my wife about him. I want to Change I've read the bible know the stories well but those doubts kill me. Anybody went through the same thing or have any advice on what I should do. I pray but seems like it goes up unheard

sounds to me like the enemy (demons) are playing with your mind. Had a friend once say, if you think about it, the only way demons can get to us is through our thoughts.

Try this...take your thoughts captive and put those thoughts on the things of God. II Corinthians 10:5 and Philippians 4:8

Of course this is assuming you believe with your heart, which is something you question in your OP. As to that part, you and God alone can know for sure. Belief of the heart is as much about determination of following (which the OP seems to show) as it is being convinced of anything. It is to decide in the depths of your being that you will follow the Christ wherever HE leads. If this is you, then all that is left (as per the OP, not as per the believers life) is taking your thoughts captive and putting those thoughts on the things of God. If you haven't believed with the heart, then you first need to do that and confess with your mouth the Lordship of Jesus the Christ in your life. IOW's you decide with the depths of your being that Jesus is not only God, but Lord of all, including but not limited to your life.

 

[TheyCallMeDave]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and needing help and advice. So let me start by saying I was raised baptist and I prayed the sinners prayer and desperately want to believe. I've seen what GOD can do and I myself seem to have had a lot of help along the way ( bad 4wheeler wreck). But I don't feel like a Christian. I do want to be one so bad I can't stand it. But it seems like I'll focus on god for little while then the focus shifts to something else and God goes to background. That and the fact that I have major doubts even in church there's a voice in my mind that says this is not logical. Gods not real. When I die they'll be nothing I'll just die. Etc. and even when I do try to focus on god I get nervous talking about him. Like people think I'm an utter Moran, even talking to my wife about him. I want to Change I've read the bible know the stories well but those doubts kill me. Anybody went through the same thing or have any advice on what I should do. I pray but seems like it goes up unheard

Hi. Back when I was in the infancy of my walk with Christ, I experienced some doubts . Its a normal thing and God will respect that so long as they are true doubts and not excuses for departing from God which I know is not your case.

What you need to do at this stage of your walk is :
1. Remember that your status as Christian isn't based on how you feel at the moment, but, on what Christ did for you on calvary in cancelling all your sins. Base it on fact, not feelings. Sometimes I feel totally unworthy of being called a Christian, but that doesn't change the fact that I am Born Again .
2. Become more disciplined in your walk. Serve God and Others diligently, read Gods Word regularly and look up 'doubts' in your concordance for specific passages, attend your local evangelical church regularly , be in prayer a lot during the day, ask God to give you the fruit of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22 , study Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians chapter 6 , watch for Satanic attacks on you during your walk....hes going to try and win you back. Cast him out in Jesus name .
3. Get together with Others for prayer often.

From a logical standpoint based on good reason for God being quite real....read this debate I was involved in and youll see just how illogical it is to take any kind of an atheist view : http://www.christianforums.com/thre...d-view-reasonable-and-logical-or-not.7813978/

Contact me privately if you like. Ive been thru the doubt stage a long time ago. Dave.