I have fallen by the wayside and wither. My faith is wavering because of the torment of this world and it is clear that I was never truly a Christian.
What do I do?
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ApexVeritas on scored.co
11 months ago0 points(+0/-0)1 child
To be a Christian is to have faith in Jesus Christ, to declare Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and repent of your sins. That's it.
Works don't save us. Church doesn't save us. Baptism doesn't save us. Communion doesn't save us.
The very first Christian who died was the thief on the cross next to Jesus. That thief didn't go to church, get baptized, or have communion. He professed faith in Jesus, and held Jesus as his Lord and Savior in His heart, and he died and went to Heaven.
However, when we become a Christian, the Holy Spirit enters us and will work in us, so that we improve and move away from our sins. Our addictions and sinful behaviors will still plague us, but they will lessen. I can attest to this, because since I professed Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my sins have been greatly lessened, things that I've struggled with for decades, and questions that I've had with scripture, or general questions, have often been answered very quickly (sometimes less than 24 hours).
As the Holy Spirit works in you, you'll repent of your sins, you'll learn what your sins are, you'll move away from your sins and become more aligned with God, you'll pray often, you'll talk to God often, you'll become thankful for what you have, you'll read the Bible (this enables God to talk to you directly), you'll go to church (which can be a struggle, as many churches are corrupt now), or at least want to go to church, you'll get baptized, you'll have communion, and you'll do good works. We don't do all of these things to become Christian, we do those things because we're Christian.
Keep in mind, too, that hardship and struggle don't mean God has turned his gaze away from you, or punishing you. Sometimes God gives us hardships to teach us something. He did so with me, and because I was hard headed, and had so many deep/foundational questions for God, it took me decades to accept Jesus, to repent, to become Christian, and learn the answers to what I asked. However, God was with me the entire time, through the Holy Spirit. He protected me, guided me, taught me, and loved me the entire time, even when I didn't have faith, even when I hated him for all the hardships I suffered.
God loves you.
Being a Christian does not mean we suddenly become immune to struggle and suffering. God is not required to shower us with blessings all of our days. To live is to suffer, even as a Christian. In fact, we're called to suffer more, because we're Christian, and are extolled through our righteous suffering.
God knows your heart, and He loves you. Pray. Give your questions and concerns to God. Talk to Him. He will answer you. It may take time, though. Hopefully you're not as hard headed as I was. And, read the Bible. It really does help. I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to it, so I just read 2 chapters per day, and now I'm almost done with the New Testament (I started 6 months ago).
Also, being a Christian doesn't mean we can shirk our other responsibilities in our lives. God will bless us if we act in accordance with creation, meaning that if we take care of our health, if we eat right, if we exercise, if we get some sun and exposure to nature, if we hang out with our loved ones, if we serve our community and people, if we fulfill out role properly (to protect and provide as men), if we challenge ourselves in righteous pursuits, if we marry a good woman, if we have children, we will find joy, a joy that will embolden and strengthen our faith. Even just doing a handful of these things can bring us out of despair. So, don't shirk your earthly needs. And, our earthly needs are not antithetical to our faith. Strengthening one strengthens the other.
May God bless you and keep you, heal you, guide you, teach you, and forgive you of your sins.
Still, the Holy Spirit has been working with me in that regard, too. The Lord understands that men can err when this particular energy isn't properly directed toward a loving wife. That's why we're encouraged to marry and have kids, to give this energy a productive and healthy outlet. However, the Lord also understands our situation and the environment in which we live, of how much our society and people have been corrupted, making it much harder to find a good woman to marry.
There are no guarantees in this life, except that we will suffer, either in our sin or in our faith, and that we will die and be judged. If our lives were easy, if all of our decisions properly dictated by God so we could not sin or suffer, our lives and choices would be meaningless. Our righteousness is all the more meaningful because we face hardship. Do not give up, because God has not given up on you. The moment you give up, in anything, you have surrendered yourself to failure.
Specifically, if you're struggling to find a good woman where you are, look elsewhere. Look in churches as far outside of cities as you can. Ask the elders in the churches. Look into singles groups that partake in hobbies you're interested in. Don't use dating sites, though. Only meet women in real life.
Works don't save us. Church doesn't save us. Baptism doesn't save us. Communion doesn't save us.
The very first Christian who died was the thief on the cross next to Jesus. That thief didn't go to church, get baptized, or have communion. He professed faith in Jesus, and held Jesus as his Lord and Savior in His heart, and he died and went to Heaven.
However, when we become a Christian, the Holy Spirit enters us and will work in us, so that we improve and move away from our sins. Our addictions and sinful behaviors will still plague us, but they will lessen. I can attest to this, because since I professed Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my sins have been greatly lessened, things that I've struggled with for decades, and questions that I've had with scripture, or general questions, have often been answered very quickly (sometimes less than 24 hours).
As the Holy Spirit works in you, you'll repent of your sins, you'll learn what your sins are, you'll move away from your sins and become more aligned with God, you'll pray often, you'll talk to God often, you'll become thankful for what you have, you'll read the Bible (this enables God to talk to you directly), you'll go to church (which can be a struggle, as many churches are corrupt now), or at least want to go to church, you'll get baptized, you'll have communion, and you'll do good works. We don't do all of these things to become Christian, we do those things because we're Christian.
Keep in mind, too, that hardship and struggle don't mean God has turned his gaze away from you, or punishing you. Sometimes God gives us hardships to teach us something. He did so with me, and because I was hard headed, and had so many deep/foundational questions for God, it took me decades to accept Jesus, to repent, to become Christian, and learn the answers to what I asked. However, God was with me the entire time, through the Holy Spirit. He protected me, guided me, taught me, and loved me the entire time, even when I didn't have faith, even when I hated him for all the hardships I suffered.
God loves you.
Being a Christian does not mean we suddenly become immune to struggle and suffering. God is not required to shower us with blessings all of our days. To live is to suffer, even as a Christian. In fact, we're called to suffer more, because we're Christian, and are extolled through our righteous suffering.
God knows your heart, and He loves you. Pray. Give your questions and concerns to God. Talk to Him. He will answer you. It may take time, though. Hopefully you're not as hard headed as I was. And, read the Bible. It really does help. I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to it, so I just read 2 chapters per day, and now I'm almost done with the New Testament (I started 6 months ago).
Also, being a Christian doesn't mean we can shirk our other responsibilities in our lives. God will bless us if we act in accordance with creation, meaning that if we take care of our health, if we eat right, if we exercise, if we get some sun and exposure to nature, if we hang out with our loved ones, if we serve our community and people, if we fulfill out role properly (to protect and provide as men), if we challenge ourselves in righteous pursuits, if we marry a good woman, if we have children, we will find joy, a joy that will embolden and strengthen our faith. Even just doing a handful of these things can bring us out of despair. So, don't shirk your earthly needs. And, our earthly needs are not antithetical to our faith. Strengthening one strengthens the other.
May God bless you and keep you, heal you, guide you, teach you, and forgive you of your sins.
This right here is my great struggle and the root of my evil.
Still, the Holy Spirit has been working with me in that regard, too. The Lord understands that men can err when this particular energy isn't properly directed toward a loving wife. That's why we're encouraged to marry and have kids, to give this energy a productive and healthy outlet. However, the Lord also understands our situation and the environment in which we live, of how much our society and people have been corrupted, making it much harder to find a good woman to marry.
There are no guarantees in this life, except that we will suffer, either in our sin or in our faith, and that we will die and be judged. If our lives were easy, if all of our decisions properly dictated by God so we could not sin or suffer, our lives and choices would be meaningless. Our righteousness is all the more meaningful because we face hardship. Do not give up, because God has not given up on you. The moment you give up, in anything, you have surrendered yourself to failure.
Specifically, if you're struggling to find a good woman where you are, look elsewhere. Look in churches as far outside of cities as you can. Ask the elders in the churches. Look into singles groups that partake in hobbies you're interested in. Don't use dating sites, though. Only meet women in real life.