Thoughts of unbelief

[Job405]

Again while laying in bed this morning I had some bad thoughts. Most of my bad thoughts seem to happen while laying in bed or being distracted. This time I had thoughts of unbelief, like "I no longer believe in Christ" even though I still believe in Him.

Do you think God will forgive me for these evil thoughts? I did not mean them. Am I now an apostate?

 

[tturt]

Yes, He forgives you. If you have thoughts of unbelief, just keep believing in Him.

 

[Daniel9v9]

You're not an apostate.

It can be easy for us to think of God as always working against our salvation. This is not the case. Christ died for you, you believe, I presume you are baptised into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which means that God has pledged you as His son. And with God as our Father, there is always repentance and always forgiveness of sins.

So whenever Satan attacks your conscience, flee to the Gospel - God's promise of grace. This promise is firm and unchanging.

 

[April_Rose]

Again while laying in bed this morning I had some bad thoughts. Most of my bad thoughts seem to happen while laying in bed or being distracted. This time I had thoughts of unbelief, like "I no longer believe in Christ" even though I still believe in Him.

I don't have OCD but you're not alone. I realize that if I truly no longer believed that I wouldn't be worried about losing my faith to begin with.

 

[St_Worm2]

I had thoughts of unbelief, like "I no longer believe in Christ" even though I still believe in Him. Do you think God will forgive me for these evil thoughts? I did not mean them.

Hello Job405, if you did not mean what you thought this morning, then I do not believe that there is anything for God to forgive, is there? God knows your heart, so He also knows where those unintended thoughts originated, so no worries

Now, if you had sinned when you thought those evil thoughts this morning, do I think that God will still forgive you? Well, only if you ask Him to

How do I know? Because that's exactly what He said He would do .. cf Numbers 23:19; 1 John 1:9-2:2. Trust God, know His word, and always choose to take Him at His word, no matter what your feelings are telling you in the moment. As Christians, our feelings can and often do betray us whenever sin is involved, especially with our enemy's help, but God will never betray you, nor will He ever go back on His word .. e.g. Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust Him!!

1 John 1
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 2
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.
​

God bless you! (Numbers 6:24-26)

--David

 

[April_Rose]

Thank God that our salvation isn't based on thoughts and feelings and I actually think it's normal to feel saved some days more than others,.. but like David posted above,.. God knows our hearts. Mark 9:24.

 

[Aussie Pete]

Again while laying in bed this morning I had some bad thoughts. Most of my bad thoughts seem to happen while laying in bed or being distracted. This time I had thoughts of unbelief, like "I no longer believe in Christ" even though I still believe in Him.

Do you think God will forgive me for these evil thoughts? I did not mean them. Am I now an apostate?

No. It means that your mind is being assaulted by external forces - evil spirits. If you do not choose to think a thought then it is not you. You do not need to be condemned for a thought but you do need to take action. It is significant that these thoughts come while you are in bed. I recommend a book by Jesse Penn-Lewis called "War on the Saints". It was a tremendous help to me. It can be hard work to get free. Satan does not let go easily. But it is absolutely worth the effort.

 

[Job405]

No. It means that your mind is being assaulted by external forces - evil spirits. If you do not choose to think a thought then it is not you. You do not need to be condemned for a thought but you do need to take action. It is significant that these thoughts come while you are in bed. I recommend a book by Jesse Penn-Lewis called "War on the Saints". It was a tremendous help to me. It can be hard work to get free. Satan does not let go easily. But it is absolutely worth the effort.

I chose to think that thought, twice, but it was not what I believed in my heart.

 

[Aussie Pete]

I chose to think that thought, twice, but it was not what I believed in my heart.

You chose to think that thought? Or did it just flash into your mind?

 

[Job405]

You chose to think that thought? Or did it just flash into your mind?

I think it was more like reading it off a piece of paper. I do not believe the thought, I do not agree with it, I do not mean it, I want nothing to do with it but somehow I thought it. I have a demon tormenting me so the enemy definitely plays a role, and I also have OCD and anxiety which may have contributed to the thought.

But I have learnt that while thoughts do matter, what God really wants is your heart, and what really defiles a man is what comes out of the mouth (Matthew 15:11). So if my heart is pure and I choose carefully what comes out of my mouth then I should be OK.

 

[Aussie Pete]

I think it was more like reading it off a piece of paper. I do not believe the thought, I do not agree with it, I do not mean it, I want nothing to do with it but somehow I thought it. I have a demon tormenting me so the enemy definitely plays a role, and I also have OCD and anxiety which may have contributed to the thought.

But I have learnt that while thoughts do matter, what God really wants is your heart, and what really defiles a man is what comes out of the mouth (Matthew 15:11). So if my heart is pure and I choose carefully what comes out of my mouth then I should be OK.

Yes. But if you have a demon tormenting you, it is good to deal with it. "Resist the devil and he will flee".

 

[Soyeong]

Again while laying in bed this morning I had some bad thoughts. Most of my bad thoughts seem to happen while laying in bed or being distracted. This time I had thoughts of unbelief, like "I no longer believe in Christ" even though I still believe in Him.

Do you think God will forgive me for these evil thoughts? I did not mean them. Am I now an apostate?

What we believe is expressed through our actions, however, we can have thoughts pop into our head without acting on them, so you can still choose to live in away that expresses that you believe in Christ regardless of what thoughts pop into your head. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we are instructed to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ, so recognize where your thoughts are coming from, and if an evil though pops into your head, then take it captive.