I know God has not abandoned me He has continually provided for me during the past few months after my job came to a close (a blessing in disguise, as it has allowed me to have a breathing space after so much loss last year). I will keep you in my prayers and hope that you feel better. The Habit of Laziness: Failing to do what's right is just as bad as doing what's wrong. He loves you and you can go to him as you are. No amount of effort on our part will ever be enough. Im in the same situation as you and have trouble distinguishing exactly what God sees in me. I once wrote an ebook about this tortuous faith journey entitled idoubt: When Faith Falters. Its .99 cents on Amazon (I tried to give it away, but Amazon doesnt let you give books away). Signed, Wounded warrior. That means that He cannot lie! Ive been to church all my life and became a christian at 20. The Struggle Is Real but so Is the Victory! | Bright Beams Mission I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. Hello EvicFinite. He misses you when you dont come close. What does it mean to stumble? But sin has an almost anesthetic quality; it causes us to lose our sensitivity. What Is Christian Fellowship and Why Is It So Important? Am I on the wrong track? Its not unusual for babies to stumble and fall when theyre learning to walk, and they learn from those tumbles. Ive curled up and cried countless times begging God for an encounter but I dont feel anything. Im struggling with my journey to Christ, im recently returned to my beliefs,or so I thought! But Im not struggling with doubt surrounding central themes of the faith such as Christs immaculate conception, deity, death, burial, resurrection, or the existence and goodness of God, etc. It feels like it all happened so quick. Life without faith is the worst possible life ever! Ive returned today hoping I can offer you some encouragement. While this has not fixed it, I feel a calm and peace in having someone identify the issue in a way i could not, and at least give me a starting point to go from in my path to fixing my relationship with my Lord. It is by unceasing endeavor that we maintain the victory over the temptations of Satan. 1. By that I mean I went to the altar call at a Christian conference, I attended a discipleship class, and then after that, I made prayer and reading the bible a habit. There is light and joy and peace and victory on the other side. Not that I have the answers or anything, but I share honestly about my doubts and fears and self-esteem struggles, even after being a Christian for almost 3 decades. This really and honestly helped me! Keep Walking and then after steady balance the run will Kick In. As if I didnt write enough already, I think Im seeing now the effects my previous church experiences had on me. You are starting to grow in Christ, I believe you will be convicted in your soul of sins when you sin, it is a life long process (those whom God loves he chastises). Found the internet! The realities of life you described can make us question, and I believe God is okay with that. Right now, I cant stand the church. But I dont. I have often found that I have to sit with a doubt for a long time, examining it closely to seperate out the truth from the lie and my expectations from reality, before I can move to a place of acceptance and contentment. I know there is a God (how could there not be) and Im really hoping theres a Jesus (he seems like a cool guy). I hope it is an encouragement to you that God has answered your prayers and provided someone who will always love you. I am just a very young Christian, have been for only about 3 months now. However in February 2008 I woke up for school one day and my faith took a hit. That is all we have to do ..let us be guided. Not sure if you will see this since this post is a few years old. Nothing comes to mind. I need help and have serious doubts. I usually think okay God what are you trying to tell me? Growing up my mom showed me this verse that has helped me rationalize my anxiety: Isaiah 48:10 See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Im carrying an inner hurt at my disconnection from Jesus and the holy spirit, im struggling with knowing wich way to turn, I total up my experiences in life, and I always come back to the same results, theres more bad in me than good! I have experienced a lot of brokenness in my life, so I know its hard sometimes, and you ARE strong enough because you have survived and made it through! But yet Why would I doubt Hos existence? This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. I have asked Gods forgiveness and i know he has. Its all my fault. He uses fellow believers to provide the encouragement and accountability we need. In light of eternity, the short time we have in this sin-ridden existence is just a blip, though it may not seem like it as we go through it. In all things, Christians want to maintain their connection to the Lord. Not a lot of people know that religious OCD exists (its also known as scrupulosity), but maybe itd be something to look into? 86:11; 1 Kings 8:58). For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to dothis I keep on doing. (Rom. I agree with looking for the roots of the problem. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. That also takes trusting Him, which continues to be a choice. I believe in God and in Christ our Savior, but sometimes I have such a hard time accepting my life. Facing doubts is just a necessary step on the journey to Truth. Heart Problems: An divided heart can cause problems. I was raised as a Methodist, believing that I had to repent for every sin I ever committed. Sorry that this was Long, but I feel for all you guys that are struggling and I pray God helps all of us out soon. It sucks when you are in your mid 30s and still struggling with fundamental doubts. 3 min read Christians Struggling with Sin and 4 Lies We Believe In More Ways Than One, The Truth Will Set You Free. The Need for Walking the Walk as Christians: Pay attention to the condition of your heart above external conformity. This is how God cares for us. Why is someone believing in Islam (or any other religion) wrong, and why am I right? People dress up the concept of god with certain personality traits, like kind god, merciful god, gods wrath and such. And I dont know what to do anymore. Blockage or Disease Affecting the Brain: Sin is blocking fellowship or communication with the Head, affecting your ability to walk. My mom died last year and my faith plummeted, I feel absolutely lost and alone. And that was it. What Im trying to get at is that our human frailties and weaknesses are exposed. Nothing after this life? I will try want you recommended hopefully He will come through because I dont want be on this path. I am still working on finding my faith again, if only because my mom would expect me too. If you do not ask he will not be able to intervene for we have the gift of free will. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God. John 6:67-69: Faith is not always easy, but no other worldview or belief system has ever presented itself as even remotely viable or reasonable to me. Christianity can be very hard indeed. Ive had a really good life, but I dont think that can be proof. Collectively, those questions may seem too weighty to resolve. I will keep you in my prayers. Because, if I claim to want to be like Christ, then I would love the church as He loved the church, right? I am weak. Maybe the above is rooted in observation and there are things in life that happen to us all that surpass observation and logical explanation. For the last eight months ive been going through doubts on my faith questioning if I really accepted Jesus as my savior,then questioning if God exists? If not, prayer is dead meditation is only thinking. Pingback: Allow Faith to Overcome Your Doubt - Mainstrock. I would like to share my story. I plainly remember when I did get on my knees that night the anxiety lifted off and I felt like I was on top of the world overwhelmed with happiness looking up to the sky praising God thanking him. For the Struggling Christian - YouTube I hate wasting my life just working, sleeping and trying to get through each day without any friends. Even if you have lost your joy now Im sure God will pick you up and make you into and even greater person than you were once before. I would say that mine is that my mind is easily fooled. Joy is the emotion of salvation. You could sit and worry about things all day, and believe me I relate to you there, but ultimately the word is true or its not. The adage, You cant keep a good man down is a biblical concept. I want you to know that I read your comment last night, and included you in my prayers. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. 2. i struggle in my faith because of lack of leadership. Two years ago after going through severe anxiety attacks and turning to things that made it worse for five years I went back to church and then one day while in my room crying I got on my knees asking Gods forgiveness and that I need him and want my life to change and thought I asked Jesus to come into my life I struggle constantly did I ask Jesus into my heart? If youve heard the term Christian walk, youre probably familiar with the idea of stumbling. For practical purposes, we can think of stumbling as a decision or mistake we make that has the potential to derail us. Although some days I feel like I understand nothing, all I can do is concur with the apostles and say Where else shall I go? The alternatives to Jesus do not even come close to his words of eternal life.. 2. Let me point you in three directions: 1) Check out the resources on anxiety and depression listed in the Support Groups Resources page under the Specific Recovery Resources tab. Since the brain controls our movement, anything preventing proper communication between the brain and our legs will affect our ability to walk. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Stuhdyin 7 yr. ago It's okay man. The universe doesnt exists because we exist. The beginning of the universe also means the beginning of time and space. Jesus wants me to tell you again, how much is the love He has for each one of you beyond all that you can imagine. Such a miracle, to have come from anything but of the works of God. As children grow and get stronger, they need to learn to walk. Also, why would a God who is forgiving and merciful chuck people into eternal torture after they die? Can anyone help me out with this understanding this? But theres even hope for today to rise above our old human nature once we are in Him. When we are born again we are redeemed and His blood covers us. Stumbling forward, then, is walking restored by the Lord through our continual broken and contrite heart., Because we all have a bent toward stumbling, Jesus said, Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. We are literally dead men walking, and if we are literally dead in our sin, we cannot save ourselves. This is one of the most helpful posts Ive found regarding doubts as a Christian. Others seem to keep losing their balance and often fall a life filled with ups and downs. WARNING: dumping a lot of emotional stuff, here. Doesnt matter the fact that it was almost impossible to happen. And "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalms 16:11. When we turn to God and commit to serving Him and enter into covenant with Him there are then expectations, as there are in every covenant relationship (eg. We live by the Spirit, and we need to keep in step with Him. I dont believe at all. I will leave it for you in a separate comment. If youre where I was for a long time, doubt has become a large ball of tangled spiritual yarn in your mind; you dont even know how to begin unraveling it to a place of spiritual comfort. Drag yourself to church if you must but you have to go to church. Once you are fully convicted of His existence, you can come back to your questions with a fresh look that is focused on gaining understanding rather than on proving to yourself that God makes sense. Im 16, but Im afraid i cant rely on faith too. Sometimes it as simple as focusing more on God and what He does above what we do or should do. 59:1-2). Paul doesnt want us to put things in someones path that could become an impediment. He said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matt. If you feel lost, ask yourself if you pushed God away. OCD is such a misunderstood diagnosis. If we all search in our hearts we will see that there always remain a flicker of hope, a flicker of faith and we need to nurse it. I can give you some general thoughts but since I dont know the particulars that led up to this spiritual drought in your life, what I say may seem simplistic. Thanks Donna for the encouragement. Its like she confirmed to me that God does not exist. What Is A Christian Walk? - Bible Verse of the Day I have been struggling and came to my own conclusion that maybe I do have some kind of OCD because I cant just let this go like I normally would. Why wont my mind allow me to believe in Him? He knows better than us whats best for us in the end. You need to take your eyes off of yourself and put them on Christ. Indeed, that has been a struggle since the beginning of time. That doesnt seem very forgiving or merciful to me. Maybe these articles can be of help: Christian Life: Drudgery vs Joy Your comment is raw and honest; it mustve taken a lot of courage to admit that you are unhappy despite trying your best all your life to be a good Christian. Blessings. I just want to know what I believe- and teach my babies. In him we see a model of how to attain perfect happiness. Sermon: The Power to Change - Ephesians 4 Thank you so much for this comment. In this case, I would suggest studying the evidence for Gods existence rather than diving into answers for every individual question in the ball of yarn. I hope youll find your ground in this chaotic world of ideas, I wish I could give you from my own confidence and inner peace. At first they must really focus or concentrate on each step, overcoming fears and insecurities. He chose to be different. Thankfully He does not leave us to makes these changes all on our own, but gives us the Holy Ghost to help us overcome our challenges (and our pasts) and live victoriously for Him. Murphys law: anything that can happen will happen. Is it possible to grow in our faith, if we never struggle with our faith. Why do you think we struggle with faith? When he doubted, Jesus didnt get angry with him and scold him. I grew up in the church (non denominational) and literally was raised there between youth group, small groups, outreach, Sunday services etc- I also led worship (am a singer/musician) and have KNOWN God and felt his presence on occasions more numerous to list, powerful prophetic words have been spoken over me- things people couldnt have known. We all have doubts at one time or another, and those of us who have been hurt in the past may have more than others because we struggle with negative views of ourselves and how God could really love us. Perhaps before going any further it may be helpful to come up with a working definition of faith. Same with the universe. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. I really got a lot from reading this comment and I identify with the way you deal with doubts. I was on fire for God my WHOLE LIFE. God wants you to have that joy in Him and it is possible. He did for us what we cant do for ourselves. Ask yourself these questions: Truth doesnt depend on what you like or on what makes most sense to you personally. Maybe you or your readers may find it helpful or at least anecdotal evidence of the power of what you have presented here. I know God exists because the Universe is rational. | Julesjewels6952. 10 Classic Movies Every Christian Teen Should Watch, Biblical Truths about Sexual Orientation and Gender, 20 Reasons Marriages Fail (Christian Marriages, Too), Why to Make Having Fun Part of Your Ministry, Movieguide Warns Parents: 'Don't Take Your Daughter to See Barbie', This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. Get ready to remotely troubleshoot a leaky faucet. This will open the door to Him being able to help you grow in the faith. He wants us to be greater. Continuing to liken the Christian walk to physical walking, we can find a few reasons walking the walk might be a struggle. For the Christian who has walked through . He chose to accept rejection. BUT, yes, where else to go, nowhere! Not just in God, or in Jesus. Still though, as I have seen and learned a lot of things about my religion and others, I came to a conclusion. i dont feel the holy spirit. It has only been in recent years where god has really captivated my heart and ive given him my all. Your doubt about Gods love and his very existence was unfathomably uncomfortable to others. Thats why God sent Jesus to do for us what we cant do on our own. We exist because the universe exists. I pray that you keep seeking Him. ( Ps. For a season, you were committed to Christ. Why did he do that? Keep seeking. im realy scared of being rejected by Jesus, its a big ask to match up to all the requirements needed to be met to attain an acceptance by Jesus, of course I want to in his presence all the time, more than anything in this world, I dont know what else I can do, can you help, please. Here are a few things you can do to ensure that a stumble doesnt become a complete wipeout. We need to keep falling back on the grace and mercy of our God and we need to keep turning to Him for help. When we drag sin out of the dark, it loses a lot of its power to influence us. I too am struggling with unwanted doubts. You can resist sin by remembering that God has the best for His children. Sometimes I ask God for a sign to try to talk to Him. When we talk about our struggles with one another, we open ourselves up to accountability. God is all around us and it is up to us to see him. Ill go through all five steps youve set above. We constantly stumbled around in the darkness, unable to walk Gods straight path. I would never feel or think again. For that reason, Paul offers this principle: Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak (1 Corinthians 8:9). They might stumble by violating their conscience and eating that meat (which Paul says isnt that big of a deal), but then its a little easier to do something else that violates their principles later. I have been doubting now for about 3 months. Any Christian who is struggling should read The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus and/or Cold Case Christianity to get grounded in the historical evidence for the truth of Christianity. If we are living out biblical love, we will not stumble into selfishness. What makes you scared of reading the Bible? So do not grow weary of doing good! And how mad they get when you disprove them or just simply dont believe them. As hard as it was. And I see those who are faithful who are also blessed. And like anyone learning to walk, we can easily trip . 5 Things To Do When You're Struggling with Faith Doubts - Natasha Crain Struggling with my Christian Life : r/Christians - Reddit Also when I read about the unforgivable sin that didnt help either. Everything we learn from God are the ideas and words of other people. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I cant reply to each comment left below. Proverbs 24:16 says, For the righteous falls seven times and rises again.. I love God so much, but at the same time, i dont even know if he is real. I grew up in the church, believed in it, and loved getting to know God. I was at my Church more than I was at home. Struggle in the Christian life is normal. And people are often just liars. Is Gods word true, or is it not? Dawn Wilson and her husband Bob live in Southern California. May God be with yous and I hope to see all of you in Heaven Amen. Delight. I encourage you to check it out. Homosexuality, predestination, no female church leaders, women being automatically designated as the homemaker, (what if theyre the breadwinner?