i dont know how to love or forgive

[treeschanna510]

a couple of weeks ago my aunt basically got in my face told me off and then pushed me out the door then she and my cousin went and twisted to story around in their fvaor i walked awat from god a few years ago becuase i have issues with forgiveness,lust and wrath i want to pray to fix them but apparently i dont know how to love god right becuase ive never felt this big presence so i just gave up by im ready to be officially but i dont know to love or forgive what should i do?!

[cslewislover]

Were you raised a Christian? How much do you know about Him, or that the Lord forgives you if you ask Him? When we accept the Lord as our savior and Lord, then He can begin the process of sanctification, which will help you over come those things. We need His help - we can't do to much on our own. You need to accept Him and let Him love you.

[treeschanna510]

yeah i got saved when i was 3 but as i went through a depression i started cutting my self and attempting to commit suicide and then after i got out of it i started lusting and holding grudges more

[cslewislover]

yeah i got saved when i was 3 but as i went through a depression i started cutting my self and attempting to commit suicide and then after i got out of it i started lusting and holding grudges more.

Do you mean 13? Do you feel you are saved? Do you have doubts? I guess you do, based on your first post. Do you submit yourself to the Lord? I think we all have different issues, different areas in our lives that take a lot longer to go away after we become Christians. When people get saved, often something happens and a transformation is apparent, but even if it's a real obvious thing, we are not made perfect.

[treeschanna510]

yes i kind of have doubts but idk its like a spiritual warfare inside me or something like continuos conflict and no i was saved when i was 3 ive never rlly felt a spiritual presence from god and honestly if died right now im not so sure id be going to heaven in fact im certain i wouldnt be going

[cslewislover]

How can you be saved if you didn't make a commitment to Christ? Being saved is a conscious decision to give your life to the Lord, and then the Holy Spirit begins working on you and in you. If you've never given yourself to Him, but you believed He died for your sins, then you need to give yourself over to Him and make Him Lord of your life.

[cslewislover]

I know Byblos may argue about this, but I wanted to post this for you. Are you referring to an early baptism? This is from God Questions? http://www.gotquestions.org/infant-baptism.html


Question: "What does the Bible say about infant baptism?"

"Answer: There is much confusion about baptism in the various Christian denominations. However, this is not a result of the Bible presenting a confusing message on baptism. The Bible is abundantly clear of what baptism is, who it is for, and what it accomplishes. In the Bible, only believers who had placed their faith in Christ were baptized - as a public testimony of their faith and identification with Him (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4). Water baptism by immersion is a step of obedience after faith in Christ. It is a proclamation of faith in Christ, a statement of submission to Him, and an identification with His death, burial, and resurrection.

With this in view, infant baptism is not a Biblical practice. An infant cannot place his or her faith in Christ. An infant cannot make a conscious decision to obey Christ. An infant cannot understand what water baptism symbolizes. The Bible does not record any infants being baptized. Infant baptism is the origin of the sprinkling and pouring methods of baptism - as it is unwise and unsafe to immerse an infant under water. Even the method of infant baptism fails to agree with the Bible. How does pouring or sprinkling illustrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Many Christians who practice infant baptism do so because they understand infant baptism as the new covenant equivalent of circumcision. In this view, just as circumcision joined a Hebrew to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, so baptism joined a person to the New Covenant of salvation through Jesus Christ. This view is unbiblical. The New Testament nowhere describes baptism as the New Covenant replacement for Old Covenant circumcision. The New Testament nowhere describes baptism as a sign of the New Covenant. It is faith in Jesus Christ that enables a person to enjoy the blessings of the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 9:15).

Baptism does not save a person. It does not matter if you were baptized by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling - if you have not first trusted in Christ for salvation, baptism (no matter the method) is meaningless and useless. Water baptism by immersion is a step of obedience to be done after salvation as a public profession of faith in Christ and identification with Him. Infant baptism does not fit the Biblical definition of baptism or the Biblical method of baptism. If Christian parents wish to dedicate their child to Christ, then a baby dedication service is entirely appropriate. However, even if infants are dedicated to the Lord, when they grow up they will still have to make a personal decision to believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved.

Recommended Resource: Baptism: The Believer's First Obedience by Larry Dyer."

[treeschanna510]

i mean i think i made a commitmentbut being the age i was i dont really remember so i cant quite dispute you there as for the rest how do i love god anyway?

[cslewislover]

Well, that's a big question, sort-of. But if you really believe that Jesus went on the cross for you, endured all that pain - including the separation from God he felt because of your own sin - then you appreciate that, right? How could you not love a guy that died for you like that? So you wouldn't have to endure eternal pain because of your sin? He died for you personally.

To me, other forms of thankfulness also make me love God. I love people and I love the beauty I see in His creation, so I appreciate Him for those things since He made them. Since I became saved, I know He is with me, and that alone makes me love him too. I don't know. If these things don't make you love Him, what would? I'm not being "smart," but am asking if you have thought about this.

[treeschanna510]

i want to love him but i just feel like ive screwed up so badly for years ive had kind of a sex addiction ive been keeping from my family but i havent had sex in real life just on the internet and ive done it so many times in addition to not forgiving and everything and i guess i just started thinking god wont listen to me becuase i keep sinning and i find it difficult to forgive i mean ive kind of forgiven but my mom said if i cant say good morning to that person then i havent forgiven them and honestly i dont even wannna look at my aunt or cousin

[cslewislover]

Here is a great resource on forgiveness - on God's forgiveness as well as how we are to forgive. It's on pdf format, so that you can read it online: http://www.rbc.org/uploadedFiles/Bible_ ... of_god.pdf God will forgive you. If you go to that pdf, which I really think would help, you could start off with the questions in the back beginning at page 23. It's pretty quick going through those and they speak of your issues.

PS: It can take a while to load.

[jlay]

Tree,

Thanks for sharing your concerns with us here.

The forgiveness of God through Christ is great enough to cover a multitude of sins.
A couple of things I would recommend to you.

Think about this verse for a minute

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

God sent Jesus, who was sinless, to literally take on your sin, so that you might be made right with God. This is amazing and is God's message for YOU. Check out what he says before this verse.

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Absolutely amazing!!!!

Confess your sin, repent (turn) from them, and put your trust in God. That means get rid of those things that are leading you into sin. If you have a computer that is causing you to sin, get rid of it, no matter what the costs.

Of course you find it difficult to forgive. You are living in secret sin, and haven't taken your sin to God. Your conscience bears witness that your lust, and unforgivness are sin. Yet you continue in them, willfully. Stop!

by treeschanna510 » Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:01 pm
i mean i think i made a commitmentbut being the age i was i dont really remember so i cant quite dispute you there as for the rest how do i love god anyway?

Watch this. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 4315335400

[cslewislover]

I just wanted to mention quick that God wants us to enjoy life, and see his provision for us that way. He doesn't want us to just see the "do not do" things.

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Tim 17).