Why is it so hard to beileve in Jesus Christ?????????

[paul1149]

I think there's a minimum number of Likes necessary before you can PM. You can post in the tech support forum and get it resolved.

 

[Countryangel707]

I think there's a minimum number of Likes necessary before you can PM. You can post in the tech support forum and get it resolved.

thanks

 

[Countryangel707]

is this legit:http://so4j.com/is-it-real-11-biblical-tests-of-genuine-salvation-john-macarthur im not sure how i feel about John McArthur because he said once that God only died for the people going to Heaven.

 

[paul1149]

I find JM good to a point, and then very frustrating. I stopped listening to him a long time ago, and I don't recommend him.

 

[razzelflabben]

Okay, let's start here and pray it doesn't stir too huge a hornets nest in the thread.

The church word for demonic activity is demonized, this can come in two forms. 1. oppression. Oppression basically means that demons are attacking you from outside your being. It would be things like whispers in your ear, or personal attacks by others.

Here is an example. Right now, I am in a very serious situation in which someone very very close to me is contributing to abuse from people not as close to me. All of this is piled on previous abuses that I still battle daily. The end result is that I am fighting just not to give up, to just not give into to the self loathing and self inflicted harm that I can fall into easily. In fact, giving in means I stop studying scripture, stop praying, stop ministering, stop loving. In fact, I am so low today that it is taking everything to post this to you. That is because that is what Satan wants, he wants me to stop, to hate myself, to stop fellowship with God and delve into self doubts and hatred, pity etc. All people someone very close to me is adding more abuse to a situation that is already on the verge of all out abuse. That is oppression.

Oppression is fought by separating truth from lies and holding only to truth. It is fought by remaining faithful to God no matter the situation, which includes study of the word and prayer. It involves self inspection with honest eyes (which is my greatest difficulty right now) It involves telling Satan you are done with listening to the lies and that he has no place in your life. I could give a few others but that is the heart of it.

How you know whether or not it is oppression by asking God to reveal to you any area in your life that gives Satan a foothold For me it is self doubt, big time, and believing I have some worth at all, something redeemable about me. Be careful not to call everything an attack of satan, in fact the scriptures warn us about blaming demons for things they do not do. Rather search your life and search with God's help to see if there are areas that you are opening the door for Satan to do his work rather than closing those doors and allowing God to do His work in you.

The other possible is possession. From your posts I don't see evidence of this one, but posts are not always enough to know. Possession is attacks from within. This is a bit more difficult to deal with and would require someone that is Spirit filled to help you eradicate the demon/demons from your life. There is a biblical test for this one too, Scripture says that only by the HS can you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Long story and I won't go into details here, but when I question whether or not I have given myself over to satan, I often simply proclaim out loud that Jesus Christ is Lord. You would be surprised by how many people I have given this test to and they have failed, they simply could not confess that Jesus IS LORD!

It is also helpful here to ask God to reveal, I have seen that work miracles as well, where something that was hidden in the darkness was revealed in the Light of God by simply asking.

Well, that is a start....again, Bondage Breaker is an excellent book that will help a lot to rid yourself of oppressions if they exist.

Oh, I forgot to mention and think maybe I should...open doors for demonic activities can be from the past or present. They can involve objects that have been brought into the house.

One such incident I encountered was with a young girl who was feeling convicted over some records she owned. God had been telling her to destroy them. I talked with her and encouraged her to follow God no matter the cost. She got so angry she pulled a knife on me and tried to stab me. But a force that she described as a hand, held her from stabbing me until she was ready to put the knife away. She burned those records and lets just say that the smell and flames were not normal, but had characteristics of demons.

 

[Countryangel707]

Okay, let's start here and pray it doesn't stir too huge a hornets nest in the thread.

The church word for demonic activity is demonized, this can come in two forms. 1. oppression. Oppression basically means that demons are attacking you from outside your being. It would be things like whispers in your ear, or personal attacks by others.

Here is an example. Right now, I am in a very serious situation in which someone very very close to me is contributing to abuse from people not as close to me. All of this is piled on previous abuses that I still battle daily. The end result is that I am fighting just not to give up, to just not give into to the self loathing and self inflicted harm that I can fall into easily. In fact, giving in means I stop studying scripture, stop praying, stop ministering, stop loving. In fact, I am so low today that it is taking everything to post this to you. That is because that is what Satan wants, he wants me to stop, to hate myself, to stop fellowship with God and delve into self doubts and hatred, pity etc. All people someone very close to me is adding more abuse to a situation that is already on the verge of all out abuse. That is oppression.

Oppression is fought by separating truth from lies and holding only to truth. It is fought by remaining faithful to God no matter the situation, which includes study of the word and prayer. It involves self inspection with honest eyes (which is my greatest difficulty right now) It involves telling Satan you are done with listening to the lies and that he has no place in your life. I could give a few others but that is the heart of it.

How you know whether or not it is oppression by asking God to reveal to you any area in your life that gives Satan a foothold For me it is self doubt, big time, and believing I have some worth at all, something redeemable about me. Be careful not to call everything an attack of satan, in fact the scriptures warn us about blaming demons for things they do not do. Rather search your life and search with God's help to see if there are areas that you are opening the door for Satan to do his work rather than closing those doors and allowing God to do His work in you.

The other possible is possession. From your posts I don't see evidence of this one, but posts are not always enough to know. Possession is attacks from within. This is a bit more difficult to deal with and would require someone that is Spirit filled to help you eradicate the demon/demons from your life. There is a biblical test for this one too, Scripture says that only by the HS can you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Long story and I won't go into details here, but when I question whether or not I have given myself over to satan, I often simply proclaim out loud that Jesus Christ is Lord. You would be surprised by how many people I have given this test to and they have failed, they simply could not confess that Jesus IS LORD!

It is also helpful here to ask God to reveal, I have seen that work miracles as well, where something that was hidden in the darkness was revealed in the Light of God by simply asking.

Well, that is a start....again, Bondage Breaker is an excellent book that will help a lot to rid yourself of oppressions if they exist.

Oh, I forgot to mention and think maybe I should...open doors for demonic activities can be from the past or present. They can involve objects that have been brought into the house.

One such incident I encountered was with a young girl who was feeling convicted over some records she owned. God had been telling her to destroy them. I talked with her and encouraged her to follow God no matter the cost. She got so angry she pulled a knife on me and tried to stab me. But a force that she described as a hand, held her from stabbing me until she was ready to put the knife away. She burned those records and lets just say that the smell and flames were not normal, but had characteristics of demons.

Ok, Wow Thanks. I actually find this type of stuff interesting.

 

[Countryangel707]

so update on my situation. im still in and out. i still want that assurance and realationship with God. i just dont know why i cant trust it feels like something inside is stopping me but im not sure what.

 

[oi_antz]

i cant trust

it feels like something inside is stopping me

Could you provide some detailed description of these two statements? It should be quite easy to figure out if you want to

 

[paul1149]

so update on my situation. im still in and out. i still want that assurance and realationship with God. i just dont know why i cant trust it feels like something inside is stopping me but im not sure what.

Sometimes people focus on the big things, when they really need to attend to the little things. The one who is faithful in the small things will also prove faithful in the big things. And more will be given to him until he has the big things.

Please reread my post #22, which is about this. I see it time and again, and am convinced that many people who stress over their faith level simply are focusing on themselves rather than God, and rather than on obeying the light they already have. And you can look into yourself an awful long time without finding anything worthwhile, even an entire lifetime. Jesus affirms that without Him we can do nothing. Paul says that nothing good dwelt within him save Christ Jesus.

Ask God to reduce you to whatever level you need so that you so you can find your atomic point of obedience to faith. Grace is given to the humble. Our job is to approach God with the right attitude, predominantly involving willingness. When we patiently and persistently get that right, we can be sure that God is free to work and we will hear from Him in due time.

I suggest doing that rather than getting overly focused on demonic influence. Yes, demons are active. They usually exploit a point of entrance. Go after the point of entrance, and do it as I have described above. If you submit to God you will be able to resist the devil. Strive to enter His rest. Keep at it and don't give up.

 

[Countryangel707]

Could you provide some detailed description of these two statements? It should be quite easy to figure out if you want to

Well it's just like every time I start thinking about this problem I get detracted and its like something says to me " No You dont want to think about that" and then if I ignore that voice in my head and really think about it and tell myself ok Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again, that's all you have to believe to be saved, just trust in what Jesus did, and I just can't bring myself to trust it, there have been a few times where i think i did but those moments only lasted a few hours.

 

[razzelflabben]

so update on my situation. im still in and out. i still want that assurance and realationship with God. i just dont know why i cant trust it feels like something inside is stopping me but im not sure what.

if you are renewing yourself daily, there are two options, 1. something not yet dealt with or 2. your growing in your confidence and trust in the Lord and just don't realize it yet.

 

[razzelflabben]

Well it's just like every time I start thinking about this problem I get detracted and its like something says to me " No You dont want to think about that" and then if I ignore that voice in my head and really think about it and tell myself ok Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again, that's all you have to believe to be saved, just trust in what Jesus did, and I just can't bring myself to trust it, there have been a few times where i think i did but those moments only lasted a few hours.

how often do you remember the things God has already done in your life?

Lets try an experiment....what has God already done in your life? Specifics...what do you give Him credit for doing?

 

[Countryangel707]

how often do you remember the things God has already done in your life?

Lets try an experiment....what has God already done in your life? Specifics...what do you give Him credit for doing?

Well, He allows me to wake up every morning and have breath, He allows me to have shelter and clothing,He allows me to have family. He got me threw my parents horrible nasty divorce. He has always been there for me. I have always known that when I needed help to just call on Him and He'd be there.

 

[razzelflabben]

Well, He allows me to wake up every morning and have breath, He allows me to have shelter and clothing,He allows me to have family. He got me threw my parents horrible nasty divorce. He has always been there for me. I have always known that when I needed help to just call on Him and He'd be there.

keep going...so far you have given no reason to doubt...you know, like you don't doubt your family is there, etc. So keep going, what else has He done for you.

I have a friend who was fighting for custody of her daughter. She was sitting in a room at the courthouse and waiting, nervous and anxious. Then, he eye caught a tissue box and in that instant, she was reminded of things God had already done in her life, things that reminded her that no matter the situation, He had already proven not only that He was there, but that He was true to His promises and faithful to Love unconditionally....so keep going, keep remembering. Be more specific

 

[Countryangel707]

keep going...so far you have given no reason to doubt...you know, like you don't doubt your family is there, etc. So keep going, what else has He done for you.

I have a friend who was fighting for custody of her daughter. She was sitting in a room at the courthouse and waiting, nervous and anxious. Then, he eye caught a tissue box and in that instant, she was reminded of things God had already done in her life, things that reminded her that no matter the situation, He had already proven not only that He was there, but that He was true to His promises and faithful to Love unconditionally....so keep going, keep remembering. Be more specific

Well i'll be honest im having trouble thinking of anything else. He's just always protected me and been there for me.

 

[razzelflabben]

Well i'll be honest im having trouble thinking of anything else. He's just always protected me and been there for me.

okay...so how has He protected you, when did He protect you? How did He show you He was there? When did He show you He was there?

I told you that when I looked back, I could see where God was. Very very short version of what I am talking about.

When I was 6 my life was so out of control I was looking for a way to kill myself. One night as I lay in bed wishing beyond all hope that I either wouldn't wake up or that when I did wake my family would be gone, I thought about the world. This world couldn't just happen I reasoned, it had to be created. If created, then the creator wouldn't make anything greater than he/she/it. If nothing was greater, that included my situation and all I needed was to be one with that creator and I would not only survive, but thrive. That night I prayed to an unknown God that if I was right, that he/she/it would become so much a part of me that it was impossible to know where he/she/it began and I ended. Thus began my journey in Christ.

As the years went by, I learned about God, about sin, about confession and repentance, and etc. In that learning, I purposed to never allow anything to come between me and God. I did after all need Him in order to survive much less thrive. My situation however did not change. Well, one day when I was in high school, I was sewing and my sister came in the room and laid on my shoulders. I asked her to move and she refused. I told her to move and like sisters sometimes do, she refused. So I took hold of her arms and set her off of me. My sister went crying to my father that I scratched her and showed him an old scratch that was healing. My father went nuts, took off his belt and began to beat me. Had you been witness to it, you would have assumed I got the beating of my life, but the truth is that that belt never struck me. There were no marks nor sting from it's contact. That day, Christ literally stood between me and that beating.

As I reflected on those moments, I took time to look back over the years and it was in those moments that I realized that God was allowing and causing that scared, hopeless 6 year old kid to not only survive, but thrive in a situation that was intended to kill and destroy. He not only had been in every ordeal but He was overcoming the sins that were bombarding me. I can tell of all kinds of stories that at the time were just horrendous things I had to go through, but as I looked back, I saw God's signature on each one. Just like the beating that day, God placed His name on me and in that revealed to me exactly where He was the whole time. Between me and the sinful world that wanted to destroy me. He was setting me free from the bondage of sin and death, just like He promised He would do as He hung on the cross and suffered immeasurably for my sins and yours.

Look back and discover what God has done. Look for His signature on your life and what do you see? Where was He when you suffered? When you cried out to Him?

 

[Countryangel707]

okay...so how has He protected you, when did He protect you? How did He show you He was there? When did He show you He was there?

I told you that when I looked back, I could see where God was. Very very short version of what I am talking about.

When I was 6 my life was so out of control I was looking for a way to kill myself. One night as I lay in bed wishing beyond all hope that I either wouldn't wake up or that when I did wake my family would be gone, I thought about the world. This world couldn't just happen I reasoned, it had to be created. If created, then the creator wouldn't make anything greater than he/she/it. If nothing was greater, that included my situation and all I needed was to be one with that creator and I would not only survive, but thrive. That night I prayed to an unknown God that if I was right, that he/she/it would become so much a part of me that it was impossible to know where he/she/it began and I ended. Thus began my journey in Christ.

As the years went by, I learned about God, about sin, about confession and repentance, and etc. In that learning, I purposed to never allow anything to come between me and God. I did after all need Him in order to survive much less thrive. My situation however did not change. Well, one day when I was in high school, I was sewing and my sister came in the room and laid on my shoulders. I asked her to move and she refused. I told her to move and like sisters sometimes do, she refused. So I took hold of her arms and set her off of me. My sister went crying to my father that I scratched her and showed him an old scratch that was healing. My father went nuts, took off his belt and began to beat me. Had you been witness to it, you would have assumed I got the beating of my life, but the truth is that that belt never struck me. There were no marks nor sting from it's contact. That day, Christ literally stood between me and that beating.

As I reflected on those moments, I took time to look back over the years and it was in those moments that I realized that God was allowing and causing that scared, hopeless 6 year old kid to not only survive, but thrive in a situation that was intended to kill and destroy. He not only had been in every ordeal but He was overcoming the sins that were bombarding me. I can tell of all kinds of stories that at the time were just horrendous things I had to go through, but as I looked back, I saw God's signature on each one. Just like the beating that day, God placed His name on me and in that revealed to me exactly where He was the whole time. Between me and the sinful world that wanted to destroy me. He was setting me free from the bondage of sin and death, just like He promised He would do as He hung on the cross and suffered immeasurably for my sins and yours.

Look back and discover what God has done. Look for His signature on your life and what do you see? Where was He when you suffered? When you cried out to Him?

The only experience I can really remember was when I was 6 and I was sitting on the floor with my mom and our neighbor who my mom was tutoring(cause the girl was in college). I looked up at the moon and it was i the shape of a perfect cross, when I told them they said it was just my imagination and the moon was round as normal. But I still to this day remember that perfect shaped cross that was shining down at me.

 

[razzelflabben]

The only experience I can really remember was when I was 6 and I was sitting on the floor with my mom and our neighbor who my mom was tutoring(cause the girl was in college). I looked up at the moon and it was i the shape of a perfect cross, when I told them they said it was just my imagination and the moon was round as normal. But I still to this day remember that perfect shaped cross that was shining down at me.

Sounds like God was trying to get your attention....what did He want to tell you that day?

 

[Countryangel707]

Sounds like God was trying to get your attention....what did He want to tell you that day?

I'm not really sure, shortly after that is when I asked him to come into my life and to protect me from Hell.

 

[razzelflabben]

I'm not really sure, shortly after that is when I asked him to come into my life and to protect me from Hell.

Is that all you wanted from Him, to protect you from hell? Is that all you want from Him now? Who do you want Him to be to you, just a protector or more?