Total Confusion

[hazeleyes80]

I've only really been a Christian for a few months. Right now I'm totally confused about something...How do you know for sure that when you ask for the Lord's guidance that it's truly Him and not the enemy trying to deceive you? I'm so afraid of attributing the wrong things to God and Satan that I'm afraid to move. Some things I feel compelled to do seem like good things, but heck, Satan made Adam and Eve think eating the forbidden fruit was a good thing, so how can anyone know for sure? I detest Satan for putting all of this confusion in my mind and heart!!! The problem I have isn't with clearcut issues of right and wrong, but with more ambiguous issues such as switching from one Christian denomination to another, where the Lord truly wants me to go after grad school (I'll be a teacher when I'm done), etc. Is there any way to truly know? The last thing I want to do is commit the unforgivable sin.

 

[rogsr]

Hello my new friend,

First of all, there really is no unforgivable sin, believing that one exists limits God's strength. Who can limit God's strength?

When you pray and you hear the voice or get the feeling, and it leads you into doing something fundamentally wrong then you know you are being tempted by the Devil; if it leads you into doing something fundamentally good then you know you are talking to God. Read Luke's Gospel ch. 4 v. 1-13. This is when Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness. Satan attempts to trick Jesus into doing things that are fundamentally wrong, however, Jesus answers by quoting a scripture which is I think is His way of fighting the temptation off in His mind. Also, since you are a new family member and I don't know how much ground you've covered I would suggest that you read Proverbs soon. More or less all of the wisdom from the whole of the Old Testament is taught in Proverbs. Switching denominations is no easy decision and you must pray on it and be very patient. Don't just jump into something, try several different churches from each denomination so that you get a fair taste of each before making a decision. It took me almost two and a half years of wandering before I found a home in the episcopal church, but now I feel confident in my decision.

Peace and good luck-

 

[Clayman]

As far as knowing what God wants you to do I always ask myself one simple question, "Will this glorify God?"
If it is a yes then likely it is from God, if it is anything else then pray about it and seek wise counsel before even considering it further. Some things like choosing what cereal to eat for breakfast doesn't require all that but if you ever have a question that you can't answer or aren't sure if your answer is correct seek wise counsel.

 

[wayfaring man]

I've only really been a Christian for a few months. Right now I'm totally confused about something...How do you know for sure that when you ask for the Lord's guidance that it's truly Him and not the enemy trying to deceive you? I'm so afraid of attributing the wrong things to God and Satan that I'm afraid to move. Some things I feel compelled to do seem like good things, but heck, Satan made Adam and Eve think eating the forbidden fruit was a good thing, so how can anyone know for sure? I detest Satan for putting all of this confusion in my mind and heart!!! The problem I have isn't with clearcut issues of right and wrong, but with more ambiguous issues such as switching from one Christian denomination to another, where the Lord truly wants me to go after grad school (I'll be a teacher when I'm done), etc. Is there any way to truly know? The last thing I want to do is commit the unforgivable sin.

Knowing The Lord's voice is a gift . We effectually receive this gift as we believe on and follow the leading of Christ and His Spirit . Studying Scripture helps to confirm the nature of The Lord's speaking also . Avoid reading books which are written as if Scripture , for these will cloud and confuse one's recollections . If you've read them already , devote even more time exclusively to Scripture .

It's best not to be emotionally engaged with Satan , if he can arouse our emotions he gains advantage .

Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. <-----> Jude 1:9

...Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed . <------> 1st Samuel 2:30

If your problem is with ambiguous issues , you shouldn't worry about commiting " the unforgivable sin " ( Matthew 12:31-33 ).

Before one can choose with confidence , which church to join etc. , we must be clear on what we believe personally , and then research the doctrines of various groups , to see where we fit best .

As far as Satan's ability to deceive , Christ in us is , is the answer to that problem .

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. <-----> 1st John 4:4

May The Lord Be Pleased To Bless .

wm

 

[Rafael]

Just read the Bible and do your best to learn what pleases God. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Love your neighbor. Follow God's commandments and Jesus teachings.
He has left it up to us to make a plan for our lives, in what interests us for work, etc., but He will direct our steps and go ahead of us to bless our lives if we will only honor Him the best we know how, from the heart, with the knowlege and love we have for that one day. Each day is new with its troubles and blessings, so the Bible says to be not anxious, but to trust God for each day to have its graces. Don't worry or be afraid. Perfect love casts out this type of fear. Know that God realizes who you are and loves you. He knows that we often fail, but who ever heard of a Father that threw a baby out for messing its diaper. Well, its not going to happen, so relax and rest in the love and grace God gives you to grow up in.

Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Pr 16:9 We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

Php 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

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

Ps 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Ro 8:39 Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[InTheFlame]

Reading the Bible every day will help. You'll be more able to recognise 'leadings' that contradict what the Bible says, and know where they come from.

You know how I generally work it out? If it's something I don't really want to do (generally because it seems too hard or deprives me of 'fun') - it's probably from God If it seems impossible - it's probably from God too

 

[Friendship]

Risist the devil and he will flee this is the most common thing for new Christians the first thing the devil will try to do is use fear to turn you away if you feel that fear and confusion it is not from God and you have to resist it. I have dealt with anxiety disorder all my life so this was a real issue for me at one stage and I must have been prayed over I dont know how many times until a preacher grabbed me and told me that it was up to me to resist these lies and that I could go in and listen to the service or leave as he was not going to allow the devil to disrupt his service and that I needed to quit giving attention to the devil as well so I had a choice then I could run out of that church screaming or I could go back in and start resisting so thats what I did and its not easy but when I would have those feeling I would start praising God and the best time to praise God is when you dont feel like it I would start saying thank you god that I can see that I can walk that I have family that I have just every little thing I could think of to be thankful for and the before I would know that feeling was gone and I was shouting and happy and if you keep doing that the devil has to leave you alone, dont let the devil drive you away from God and dont give into fear fight it ignore how you feel and praise God anyway this is risistance.

 

[forgivenmuch]

READ YOUR BIBLE. there are many times in life that bad things happen to us all.
no matter what we do bad things are going to happen. we just have to lean on God when they do come. we can not sit and worry about what may come our way. we just have to live for God. our faith is what will keep us in anything. you must have faith in God.
reading Gods word help us know that we must draw near to God. we must lean on God 100%. God is our leader .. proverbs 3:5 trust in the lord with all thy heart and lean not into thy own understanding. verse 6.. in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths, you see my friend.. we need to acknowlegde God in our lifes.
his word is ever true. jesus paid the ultimate price for us.. and he died a brutal death.
you need to lean of God and pray to him about your doubts. let your faith come alive in God and be strong.

 

[hazeleyes80]

I'd just like to thank all of you for your replies. I would have replied sooner, but I had a rather busy week. I don't even want to think about what my e-mail inbox is going to look like after this many days! I'm still walking around confused, but I'm asking the Lord every day to guide me to whichever Christian denomination He thinks I should serve and worship him in. I still haven't received a clearcut answer (I don't think I have, anyway), but I'm still hoping that He'll give me some kind of sign (preferably a nice obvious one ).

God bless all of you.

 

[SteadyRock]

First of all, there really is no unforgivable sin, believing that one exists limits God's strength. Who can limit God's strength?

I don't agree there is somewhere in the Bible it says never blaspheme the Spirit in any way. That is unforgivable. I don't know what blaspheming the Spirit is though so could someone clear that up for me? (sorry to change the subject!)

Back to the subject...
If you are a Christian then you have God's rules written inside you, as opposed to a Jew having to learn them. So you should be able to discern what is true and right. If you have any doubts then go to the Bible and ask God to give you a passage that backs up what you are hearing. This should help.

 

[Friendship]

Its Mark chapter 3 verse 29
Its a thing I would not dwell on too much as it is a fear tactic the devil likes to use against people as well trying to make them believe that they have commited the unpardonable sin for starters if this was the case then they wouldnt be in this forum because if someone was unforgivable they would not be seeking God in the first place as he would not be dealing with them.

 

[Friendship]

PS I do not mean that you should not dwell on the word because ofcourse you should but I mean worrying about unforgivable sin, because if you put your faith and trust in the Lord he will keep you safe and therefore you do not have to worry about anything the scripture was a warning because the Pharisees accused Jesus of having an unclean spirit.
Always ask the Lord for understanding when reading his word as all the word is truth and good and all is written for his purpose so there is nothing that should not be read or studied but always seek God's guidance when studying so that you dont try to interperate the bible in your own way and get confused and become afraid but let the Lord fill you with wisdom and understanding.
Why do you think we have so many different religions because people have tried to decifer the bible in their own way and you cant, you have to seek God for understanding to truly understand it and knowledge without Godly wisdom is nothing

 

[Rage4Christ]

Grad Student

Guess what? There are no sure things in this life.
You want a sure thing regarding every question. Sorry, its not going to happen.
God put you here to make choices. God didn't put you here to give up your ability to chose to him or satan.

You've got a brain, you've got a mind, you've got a spiritual sense. Make the choice based on your judgment. Ask God not for answers, but the wisdom to make the right answers.

I know, I know. It sounds risky. As long as you make choices with effort and passion, you're fine. God knows what is in your heart. Christ loves you unconditionally. They know you are not perfect.

Don't flounder in uncertainty, seek out uncertainity, view life as a challenge and adventure, knowing CHrist loves you unconditionally along the way.