Please pray

Vash · Post by **Vash** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:36 pm

I've been struggling with my faith in the general sense. There's doubts and fleshly stubbornness on my part. I need God's help. Please pray for me. Thank you.

In God We Trust · Post by **In God We Trust** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:20 pm

May i ask, what are your doubts? And what is this fleshly stubbornness you're going through?

Turgonian · Post by **Turgonian** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 3:29 am

Vash -- Have been doing so & will do.

Vash · Post by **Vash** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 3:56 pm

What I mean by fleshly stubbornness is my mind is being too stubborn to repent from my current sins that I've slid into.

I don't even think I'm saved. I did ask Jesus into my heart a year ago, but now that I think of it, I asked Him into my heart before I really knew too much about Him. All I really knew was that whoever believes in Him goes to Heaven, and that whoever believes in Him should spread love to people. I didn't take into account surrendering my WHOLE life, habits and whatnot.

And now that I know that, and after about a year of knowing that, I feel sad when I think about God because it's like I feel spiritually full and satisfied with what I have around me on this world and I'm not hungry for God.

I don't even know if I'm being honest with myself by thinking about God. Perhaps that's why I get sad about something that usually makes people the happiest of all. I do think about my soul and Hell and all that, but as soon as something comes up on this world, I stop thinking about it.

I'm so confused... I feel like I've committed the unpardonable sin by being so stubborn for so long, but at the same time, I'm here asking questions. Perhaps that's another indication that I'm not being honest with myself? I don't get it...

Silvertusk · Post by **Silvertusk** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 1:51 pm

Vash wrote:What I mean by fleshly stubbornness is my mind is being too stubborn to repent from my current sins that I've slid into.

I don't even think I'm saved. I did ask Jesus into my heart a year ago, but now that I think of it, I asked Him into my heart before I really knew too much about Him. All I really knew was that whoever believes in Him goes to Heaven, and that whoever believes in Him should spread love to people. I didn't take into account surrendering my WHOLE life, habits and whatnot.

And now that I know that, and after about a year of knowing that, I feel sad when I think about God because it's like I feel spiritually full and satisfied with what I have around me on this world and I'm not hungry for God.

I don't even know if I'm being honest with myself by thinking about God. Perhaps that's why I get sad about something that usually makes people the happiest of all. I do think about my soul and Hell and all that, but as soon as something comes up on this world, I stop thinking about it.

I'm so confused... I feel like I've committed the unpardonable sin by being so stubborn for so long, but at the same time, I'm here asking questions. Perhaps that's another indication that I'm not being honest with myself? I don't get it...

You coming at this all wrong. Dont think about God and how you should believe in him because of fear of hell. Believe in Jesus to give your life some meaning. Remember any worldy pursuits are all meaningless in the end. Look at the bigger picture. And being a christian doesn't mean being a boring dull conserative either. I am a Christian. I love God and Jesus - yet I read fantasy novels - play World of Warcraft - go for drinks and parties with my friends, watch Horror movies. It is what is in your heart that counts and getting your priorites right. It is becoming a slave to the things that are definately sinful is a problem - You can still have a full fun life and try not to do sinful things.

Does this make any sense? Believing in Jesus is about being set free.

God Bless you on your journey

Silvertusk.

FFC · Post by **FFC** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 1:53 pm

Hi vash,
I'll pray for you too. Can I also give you some encouragement? I don't think what you are going through is abnormal at all.

Vash wrote:I don't even think I'm saved. I did ask Jesus into my heart a year ago, but now that I think of it, I asked Him into my heart before I really knew too much about Him. All I really knew was that whoever believes in Him goes to Heaven, and that whoever believes in Him should spread love to people. I didn't take into account surrendering my WHOLE life, habits and whatnot.

You believed by faith when you asked Jesus to come into your heart for everlasting life and if you were sincere God honored that faith. Discipleship and bonding are progressive. Some people are saved for years and still struggle with the world and the things of the flesh. God uses these struggles to draw you closer to Him.

Could it be that part of the problem is that you haven't been able to fully grasp the immense and unconditional love that God has for you? Many people struggle with that because of a warped or strained or even non existent relationship with an earthy Father. I'm not presuming that is the case with you but it is worth considering.

Vash wrote: I don't even know if I'm being honest with myself by thinking about God. Perhaps that's why I get sad about something that usually makes people the happiest of all. I do think about my soul and Hell and all that, but as soon as something comes up on this world, I stop thinking about it.

I think you are being very honest. unfortunately that struggle will always be present in you until you get to heaven. Jesus said "while you are in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good courage, I have overcome the world". The question is not "am I really a Christian because I'm enticed more by the world than Gods ways" but, "Am I willing to surrender all that I am to God and lift Him up and glorify His name above all?" This is where real peace and joy in Christ comes in. You're worried about this because that is how God is getting your attention.

The world gives a lot of satisfaction sometimes because it's easy and instantly attained, but when you are alone with your thoughts at the end of the day it leaves you unfulfilled. God on the other hand, if you are willing to put Him first on the throne of life gives a peace and joy and sense of belonging that nothing in this world can touch. This is the kind of life that God is calling you to.

Every day is filled with choices offered by the world, the flesh, and the devil. God offers only one and that is to surrender all to Him so that He can be your all in all. The former choices are empty and harmful, the latter leads to an abundant and fruitful life. Which will you choose?

God bless
FFC

Vash · Post by **Vash** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 9:31 pm

Silvertusk wrote:
Vash wrote:What I mean by fleshly stubbornness is my mind is being too stubborn to repent from my current sins that I've slid into.

I don't even think I'm saved. I did ask Jesus into my heart a year ago, but now that I think of it, I asked Him into my heart before I really knew too much about Him. All I really knew was that whoever believes in Him goes to Heaven, and that whoever believes in Him should spread love to people. I didn't take into account surrendering my WHOLE life, habits and whatnot.

And now that I know that, and after about a year of knowing that, I feel sad when I think about God because it's like I feel spiritually full and satisfied with what I have around me on this world and I'm not hungry for God.

I don't even know if I'm being honest with myself by thinking about God. Perhaps that's why I get sad about something that usually makes people the happiest of all. I do think about my soul and Hell and all that, but as soon as something comes up on this world, I stop thinking about it.

I'm so confused... I feel like I've committed the unpardonable sin by being so stubborn for so long, but at the same time, I'm here asking questions. Perhaps that's another indication that I'm not being honest with myself? I don't get it...
You coming at this all wrong. Dont think about God and how you should believe in him because of fear of hell. Believe in Jesus to give your life some meaning. Remember any worldy pursuits are all meaningless in the end. Look at the bigger picture. And being a christian doesn't mean being a boring dull conserative either. I am a Christian. I love God and Jesus - yet I read fantasy novels - play World of Warcraft - go for drinks and parties with my friends, watch Horror movies. It is what is in your heart that counts and getting your priorites right. It is becoming a slave to the things that are definately sinful is a problem - You can still have a full fun life and try not to do sinful things.

Does this make any sense? Believing in Jesus is about being set free.

God Bless you on your journey

Silvertusk.

Well, thinking about it that way... I care, but I don't care. Rather, I don't care, but I want to care. I could be sitting reading something about God, and then my mind will just wander on to something that interests me more and then I'll just spin around in my chair completly not thinking about God anymore. Then when I try to read about God again (after my attention reverts back to it), I don't care then.

That's why I don't think I'm being honest with myself.

I guess it almost seems like I sometimes "feel" like it, but I don't want it, if that makes sense.

I am SO confused right now, spiritually and intellectually.

Turgonian · Post by **Turgonian** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:50 am

Christianity is not about feelings, and trying to conjure up feelings about God (or, for that matter, most other beautiful things) tends not to work, whether it is by reading or anything else. Don't hunt for feelings, but do good works, whether you feel like them or not. 'Do good works' not to be saved (which is by grace through faith), but to build a relationship with God.

Peter Kreeft's article on Joy is a delightful thing to read.

Vash · Post by **Vash** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 7:19 pm

But it just seems like my only motivation to have God in my life is an intellectual fear of Hell. That's what I'm trying to say.

I don't care about God Himself, it seems... I just care about my salvation. There's no real repentance in my heart now, because I've been struggling with this for so long.

The thing is, I used to earnestly want God. The Holy Spirit used to be with me. I don't think it is now though, since I don't care about God Himself, and only my salvation.

....I'm lost, aren't I?

Byblos · Post by **Byblos** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:59 am

Vash wrote:But it just seems like my only motivation to have God in my life is an intellectual fear of Hell. That's what I'm trying to say.

I don't care about God Himself, it seems... I just care about my salvation. There's no real repentance in my heart now, because I've been struggling with this for so long.

The thing is, I used to earnestly want God. The Holy Spirit used to be with me. I don't think it is now though, since I don't care about God Himself, and only my salvation.

....I'm lost, aren't I?

Vash,

You are not lost (not in the sense you think anyway). You are definitely confused, though. The Holy Spirit is not a Ping Pong ball that bounces in and out of you at your whim. Like it or not, care or not, if you've genuinely accepted Christ at some point (and only you can know that, despite the fact that you now have doubts) then you are saved no matter how much you now believe that you're not. You are looking inward and seeing that you did not deserve God's free gift of grace bestowed upon you and think that you lost it, or that because you now have doubts, that it never was. But that's an inward feeling only and has no bearing on God's unchanging promise to save you, Vash. You have no power to change that but you do have the power to think that you can, and that, my friend, is the work of the devil. He is doing quite a number on you, making you believe that at this juncture you have some kind of influence over your own salvation. Resistance is futile, my friend (one of my favorite quotes from Star Trek). You've been bitten by the salvation bug and there's no cure. It's just a matter of degrees (i.e. heavenly rewards or lack thereof). You can accept it and make some genuine changes in your life to make yourself more secure in the knowledge that you are God's child who's been washed in the blood of Christ, or you can live your life confused. Either way, your destination has already been sealed.

God bless,

Byblos.

Vash · Post by **Vash** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:05 pm

Well, I found this post on another Christian forum and it concerns me a bit. And I was wondering if anyone had any input as it relates to my situation?

I would have to agree with BEP on that one. There are a couple of key phrases in those verses that let you know exactly what it is that is being talked about. Let me go ahead and pull up the verses here so we have them for reference

Quote
KJV - 4. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5. And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

One of the key verses is in verse 4. "have tasted of the heavenly gift" This speaks of a people who have had a taste of what God has to offer. We CANNOT limit our thinking to just that of Christians because you have to remember that the Hebrews had also tasted of the heavenly gift. They were "enlightened" as to God's ways. They were "partakers" of the blessings that God has to offer. Could this be speaking only of Christians? Sure however, it cannot be limited to speaking strictly of Christians because this verse could also apply to Hebrews as well.

Another important phrase is in verse 6 "they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh" is speaking of crucifying Jesus a second time. We have to take a look at what the Bible says about being crucified.

Some verses throughout that refer to crucifying and such. One must remember what Pilate said to the Jews and their response.
Look at John 19:15 "But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. "
Here Pilate asks the Jews if they are asking him to crucify their (the Jews) king? At which time they respond that Jesus was not their king but that Ceasar was their king. These people who had tasted of the heavenly gift denied that Jesus was their king.
Now take a look over at Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. "
Let all of Israel know that God had sent Jesus, the same Christ they had been looking for, Israels Lord and Christ, and they crucified Him.

Paul expands upon what Jesus is to the Jews in 1 Corinthians 1:23 "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;"
Paul lets us know that for the Greek (Gentile, the world) Jesus is pure foolishness....that the things of God are silly...there is pure rejection from the world for Jesus. But to the Jew Jesus is the stumbling block. Jesus is a stumbling block for the Jews because they did not see the Messiah that God had sent for them, the one promised of old. Paul knew the OT and references possibly Jeremiah 18:15 "Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; " Paul also reinforces this "stumbling" later in Romans 9:32 "Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;" In which Paul speaks of how the Jews sought the glory of God by the works of the law and not by acts of faith. They stumbled at the stumblingstone of faith which is manifest in Jesus.

Let us also take a look at 1 Peter Chapter 2 verses 6-8 "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. "
We see that Jesus is referred to as the corner stone and becomes a stumbling stone to those which stumble at the word, being disobedient. Note that it says here "whereunto also they were appointed" This is in reference to the Jews who were appointed, they had the heavenly gift and were tasters of the glory. But they stumbled.

So through all of this we come back to where Hebrews left off. We know that Jesus was crucified once and that He cannot be crucified a second time. Although we often will talk about metaphorically that when we sin we may as well hit the nail ourselves. Jesus was forseen by the Jews and His story fortold to those that were in God's graces, the Jews. For the nation of Israel to move forward as a nation they would have to have their savior come. Well since Jesus has already come they missed the boat. In order for their savior to come it would mean that Jesus would have to come again and be crucified again....which ain't going to happen. So the nation of Israel, although still God's people, have stumbled upon the cornerstone they were promised and they chose Ceaser as their king instead of Lord Christ.

This set of verses is really simple to interpret and there was no need at all to go into any great length even as little as I have. You must always interpret more complex verses in light of the simpler verses. And there are far too many verses out there that point clearly to salvation being "eternity" and lasting "forever". And with those then this verse cannot contradict those and must not be in reference to a Christian losing salvation but a nation of God's chosen people that were "enlightened" in the glory of God but stumbled at Christ and their only hope would be to have Christ crucified again.

Thanks.

In God We Trust · Post by **In God We Trust** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:21 pm

Hebrews 6:4-6; Jeremiah 31:19: It is because of our humiliation that makes us think twice about repenting. But with great suffering comes repetence from the heart. God is forever graceful, forever willing to forgive (Nehemiah 9:28; Nehemiah 9:31). This builds us up; this brings us closer to God. Quite a while ago, i, myself, did not wanna repent because i was too ashamed of what i've done. Then great suffering came upon me. Such made me repent straight from the heart. Minutes later, the pain was gone. Joy came upon me, and i felt so much closer to God. There is hope, there will always be hope.

Peace and Grace be with you.