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I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/17/2009 8:55:07 AM
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v1c70r
Posts: 1
Joined: 11/17/2009
Status: offline
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Well to make a long story short. I am 16
My parents grew up going to church every sunday and were very religious. Somewhere along the way they somehow got way from it an never took me or my sister religiously. We just went on major holidays and such. I recently felt convicted to find God and have a relationship with him. I told my family and they all agreed that they thought we should return to church to an start building a better foundation with God. My mom found this really nice church that I really enjoy going to. This is the first time I have been going to church every week.
We have been going for the last 2 months or so and my whole family is acting different in a good way. The only problem is that I just cant find my faith like I want. I believe there is life after death through Jesus an God but it seems the thought of it not being there is scary because I would never see my family an friends again. These thoughts started when Athiests were talking about it on Tv and I think my faith isn't strong enough to handle stuff like that. Other stuff like how they say they say the earth is so many billions of years old an doenst match with the bibles records hurts me.
I have been reading the bible a lot lately and it has really helped me but I have horrible thoughts while reading it. Not so much evil or anything but like when I am reading these great stories im thinking to myself "This is fantastic an it sounds good but what if its not true?"
I probably havent written this the best and probably didnt explain it enough either.
I guess my question is How can I improve my relationship with God and know for sure he is with me. I feel ashamed because he has blessed me so much through my life and then I turn my back on him and doubt him. Please give me your insight.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/17/2009 9:57:35 AM
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MrFribbles
Posts: 2375
Joined: 1/29/2007
From: Hawaii, but I've moved around since then
Status: offline
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First of all, welcome to the forums!
Don't feel bad about having doubts. You're in good company. The Apostle Thomas doubted the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, even though he had spent three years with Him before that. Having doubts is not turning your back on God. We all go through times of questioning what we believe, and frankly, we should! God is not scared of our questions. He has answers for all of them, if we're willing to listen.
You might want to check out your local library (or your church library, if it has one) for a book by Lee Strobel called "The Case for Christ." It was written by someone coming from an Atheistic viewpoint trying to disprove the Bible's proclamation about who Jesus is, and he ended up becoming a Christian because of what he found. It's a good read for someone in your position right now.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/17/2009 1:22:11 PM
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armywifey
Posts: 69
Joined: 6/11/2009
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Faith is a process. Don't be discouraged if your faith isn't big yet, it is growing. I would be mindful of what and who you surround yourself with as these factors may be contributing to your doubts.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/17/2009 3:59:22 PM
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SavedByGraceMD
Posts: 969
Joined: 2/13/2008
From: the poconos
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: armywifey
Faith is a process. Don't be discouraged if your faith isn't big yet, it is growing. I would be mindful of what and who you surround yourself with as these factors may be contributing to your doubts.
v1c70r, welcome to the forums.
As Mr Fribbles pointed out, you are not alone when it comes to doubting.
And as armywifey pointed out here, you need to be careful about what you surround yourself with. The who's, what's, where's, and so on. If you are watching something that you do not agree with, change the channel.
You must remember that we have an enemy... and he is going to try to trip you up. Read the parables of the seeds and the soil. A seed has been planted in you, and now satan is going to try and steal it away. But you have a place to go, a refuge, a safe place, just call on Jesus.
There are many books you can read that may help you. I have and have read Lee Stroebels "A Case For Christ". I liked it, so if you can find it, you should definitely read it. You can also read "More Than A Carpenter" by Josh McDowell... another former atheist.
And most importantly, you build your faith by reading the bible. Read God's word. Check out Jeremiah 29, and don't stop at verse 11. Verse 11 -14 are some of my favorite of all the scripture...
Jeremiah 29
11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the LORD..."
Seek after Him with all your heart and He will come to you. Believe it or not, God comes to you.
Read the parable of the prodigal son and see how God runs to each one of us as we seek Him out.
Read the parable of the lost sheep and see how God leaves the 99 to find the one lost sheep.
Luke 15
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
We are all growing in our faith. None of us are walking a perfect walk. The only way to truly grow is to seek after Him. Get to know Him.
_____________________________
Isaiah 41:10
"Fear not for I am with you,
Do not be dismayed for I am your God,
I will strengthen you and help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"
http://followtheleader-mat1624.blogspot.com/
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/17/2009 5:27:36 PM
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deermousie
Posts: 2730
Joined: 9/26/2007
Status: online
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Welcome to the forum, V1c70r! You'll find a lot of caring people here. 
I'm so glad your whole family is turning to God - that is great (usually it's one person while the rest of the family make fun of them). Don't worry about the feelings; they will come eventually.
I'm really glad you're reading your Bible - I've been a Christian over 30 years and reading the Bible is really key. It's a spiritual book, and God blesses us when we read it and teaches us things supernaturally through it. Going to church is a really good thing, too, and I hope the pastor is a good Bible teacher.
quote:
We have been going for the last 2 months or so and my whole family is acting different in a good way. The only problem is that I just cant find my faith like I want. I believe there is life after death through Jesus an God but it seems the thought of it not being there is scary because I would never see my family an friends again. These thoughts started when Athiests were talking about it on Tv and I think my faith isn't strong enough to handle stuff like that. Other stuff like how they say they say the earth is so many billions of years old an doenst match with the bibles records hurts me.
You are in the middle of a battle that's been going on for thousands of years. Here's how it looks: God created a perfect world and somehow evil got into it (He never tells us how, just that it happened). So people "fell" - the spiritual part of them that talks to God died, and they turned their eyes on themselves and got selfish and unkind to others. Spiritually dead, and nasty. God called it sin: that's an archery term that means to miss the bullseye. We were spiriptually dead and couldn't hit the bullseye morally (God is first of all moral - He is good and has no evil in Him. The universe runs on moral traintracks) so people started acting selfish and evil.
The solution? God said that sin had to be paid for by death, and He started the sacrifice system you see in the Old Testament that kills an innocent sheep or cow to pay for the person's sin for a year. Stay with me, it later involves you.
Then God said He did this so you'd get the idea that an innocent life's death will pay for sin, and He became a man - a perfect man (innocent of evil) and died in your place. That's why John the Baptist called Jesus "the Lamb of God."
And it will last forever, because when the debt was all paid, it couldn't keep Him dead (it was all paid for and gone) and He rose to life again. And you, in His place, get life that never ends. It's the Great Switch, and it cost Him His life but you get it free. Your sin, His death, life forever alive. Wow!
Here's the war part: there really is a devil (he's a created being and isn't equal to God. He used to be the #1 angel but he fell out of heaven because of pride. He's limited in what he can do, and someday he'll be in the lake of fire, never to escape) and he can whisper stuff in your ear and make you doubt God. That's what you're hearing on TV: a bunch of people who don't believe God but believe their own minds can figure out everything and God has nothing to do with it. Ha, they wish. God has everything to do with it, because He made it all.
If you read/watch the atheists long enough, they can make you believe you don't exist. You do exist. And God exists. The Bible is the key because it's God's love letter to you to tell you everything you need to know. Since people who don't believe in God can't beat God up, they have to beat you up: undercut your faith (they can reach you). So they say, "The Bible is wrong. It's inaccurate. Jesus didn't raise from the dead, he only fainted. Jesus walked across water because he was stepping on lily pads/knew where the rocks were. Jesus didn't exist. If you believe in God we're going to ridicule you." You've heard it all before.
How do you know the Bible is true?
Internal evidence: it says it's true. 2 Timothy 3:16
External evidence: over 25 people wrote it in over 4000 years and they all agree (try to get 4 people to agree on lunch!  ). There is a scarlet thread of redemption running through the books of the Bible, and it points to a Messiah. It's Jesus, who fulfilled every prophecy (what, 230 of them?) to prove He was Him.
Testimony: thousands of people have died who paid with their lives to say it's true. A deathbed testimony is considered a fact in a court of law because the person can't gain from lying when they'll soon be dead. Look at all the people who were burned at the stake in Europe because they dared translate the Bible into the language of the people so people could read it themselves (this is where free public education started - it was the Christians. Up to then, mostly only scribes and lawyers could read. Even kings couldn't read).
quote:
I have been reading the bible a lot lately and it has really helped me but I have horrible thoughts while reading it. Not so much evil or anything but like when I am reading these great stories im thinking to myself "This is fantastic an it sounds good but what if its not true?"
It's that spiritual battle. If you want a fun education on this, read C. S. Lewis' book, "The Screwtape Letters." It's a short fictional book on a demon educating his nephew on how to mess Christians up. Lewis was a terrific Christian writer; I wish I'd known him. But I'll meet him in the future!
quote:
I guess my question is How can I improve my relationship with God and know for sure he is with me. I feel ashamed because he has blessed me so much through my life and then I turn my back on him and doubt him. Please give me your insight.
We are all forgiven sinners, V1c70r, and we all blow it occasionally. The difference between us and people who don't belong to God is that we fall, we confess (say we sinned - missed the bullseye of God's moral perfection. Don't be afraid of the word perfection; God knows we don't have it but has given it to us legally), repent (turn around and go the other way. We try to not repeat the sin) and we are in right relationship with God again; the nonChristian can live in their sin habitually and not care.
So kick the shame to the curb and thank God for making things right at Calvary where your sin was nailed to the cross (when Jesus died, you hadn't been born yet. All your sin was future, and it's all forgiven! So don't let shame trap you; it's baseless now).
Instead, you can say something like, "Thank You so much, God, for forgiving my sin and for making me right with You. Thanks for all Your promises* and Your love. Help me to please You and walk in Your ways and help me to know and love You better. "
*The promises. Oh, the promises! The Bible is full of them! Start digging them out. The Bible is a gold mine for you to dig out, and you'll never get to the end of it! There's still more gold to find. I try to read my Bible cover to cover every year, and every time I see things that I never saw before. Wow!
Here's a couple promises for you and me:
"I will never leave you or forsake you" Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 and Hebrews 13:5.
"I love you" Isaiah 43:4 (the Old Testament was written for us, and those promises are for God's people. That means, those who believe that Jesus' death and resurrection paid for their sins).
We all deal with doubts. Get your face in your Bible and worship Him at church in the middle of other believers. When you go to church, you are entering God's courtroom. There we praise Him and give Him His due, and we learn about Him, which helps the doubts. And ask God or your pastor about your doubts: God can't be found out to be too small and you can't hurt Him. Run a bulldozer over God, it won't hurt Him. He's real and He's sovereign and powerful. He's king of the universe, and He knows we are weak and fall on our faces on occasion. His pity for you is great. Let Him pick you up. Crawl into His lap and rest in His love a while. He is for you and you are baptized into His family (if you aren't baptized, the Bible says it's something believers are to do. Talk to your pastor and set a date).
Hope this helps, dear. Welcome to God's Forever Family! It's an adventure and a love story, and it's about you and Him. God bless you!
_____________________________
People died to give you the Bible in your language.
Read it. Eat it. Dwell in it. Rightly divide it. Live it.
Laugh, dance, praise your God, and go read some more. And God bless you.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/17/2009 9:08:52 PM
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doublebarcqh
Posts: 1
Joined: 11/17/2009
Status: offline
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I am sitting here reading your post, and it is almost like I was writing it myself. I have dealt with these issues of a fear of death all of my life. When I was younger I would wake up in the middle of the night and be completely overwhelmed and could not get back to sleep, and have to go see my parents. Even in my teen years I had the problems. THey would come and go. My father is a minister and we were very involved in church all through my teen years. Now I have strayed away and I do not like it. As I graduated college, I had a complete breakdown, with an EXTREME fear of death, and ended up having to get on medication to deal with my issues. I have read books and take medicine, and yet it doesn't go away. For the past 5 years it has not caused me a problem, but now it is showing its ugly face again, and I am not handling it well. I am 28 years old, and fight this.
We need to pray, and fully give ourselves to the lord. I ask daily that he reveal himself to me so that I know, and that I can put this to rest. But I know that is not the way that I need to deal with this.
Its scary I know.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/18/2009 12:24:27 AM
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georgerobbyjr
Posts: 78
Joined: 9/2/2006
Status: offline
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quote:
I guess my question is How can I improve my relationship with God and know for sure he is with me. I feel ashamed because he has blessed me so much through my life and then I turn my back on him and doubt him. Please give me your insight.
God is with us always, regardless of our emotional state he does love us. Read your bible and pray that your faith would be strengthened.
Mark 9:23-24 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" "
It is natural to doubt a little, especially when you are a new believer. God tells us to ask for what we desire, if you desire wisdom and greater faith then request them from God. There are less noble things to ask for, so I doubt your prayer would go unanswered.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/18/2009 8:13:15 PM
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AnalystsAreUs
Posts: 152
Joined: 4/12/2005
Status: offline
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If it were not true then you should see people walking around outside with no clothes(like nothing at all) on when the temperature is warm enough. After all, why is one part of the body any different than any other if we just evolved? My dog and cat don't wear any clothes when they go outside. Yes, clothes provide some protection, but why make it illegal? Yet even in atheistic societies like China, people wear clothes on hot days while outside. The only logical explanation is that all societies had a common origin.
And that origin is found in Gen 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings... Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
_____________________________
The needs of the many depend on the courage of the few.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/18/2009 11:37:03 PM
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JanEast
Posts: 5
Joined: 5/1/2009
Status: offline
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Just a few of my caring thoughts to encourage....
In Peter, it tells us that "satan comes like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour" yes be aware but (not afraid as some have posted here)
The Bible tells us if we resist the devil he will flee from us. I think it's in Proverbs.
One good study I like to reflect in-is the armor of God, ...."put it on".... It is in Eph. 6
I have had scary feelings and thoughts and was guided to ask in prayer "By the shed blood of Christ get the satan away", because those (thought) are not from or of God. I believe it works! We do get weary and tired and God's word tells us in Matt."come to Him those who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."
Love,
Jan
PS From 2/28 to 6/12 of 2009 I did an online study/listen w/ www.reviveourhearts.com It was several parts, all entitled "The Life of Joshua" I learned so much. I am planning to study "The Way of Wisdom" archived in August 2009 ( I think its about 10 days, just 20 min. a day )
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/19/2009 6:39:59 AM
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bravjim
Posts: 154
Joined: 10/8/2008
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: v1c70r
Well to make a long story short. I am 16
My parents grew up going to church every sunday and were very religious. Somewhere along the way they somehow got way from it an never took me or my sister religiously. We just went on major holidays and such. I recently felt convicted to find God and have a relationship with him. I told my family and they all agreed that they thought we should return to church to an start building a better foundation with God. My mom found this really nice church that I really enjoy going to. This is the first time I have been going to church every week.
We have been going for the last 2 months or so and my whole family is acting different in a good way. The only problem is that I just cant find my faith like I want. I believe there is life after death through Jesus an God but it seems the thought of it not being there is scary because I would never see my family an friends again. These thoughts started when Athiests were talking about it on Tv and I think my faith isn't strong enough to handle stuff like that. Other stuff like how they say they say the earth is so many billions of years old an doenst match with the bibles records hurts me.
I have been reading the bible a lot lately and it has really helped me but I have horrible thoughts while reading it. Not so much evil or anything but like when I am reading these great stories im thinking to myself "This is fantastic an it sounds good but what if its not true?"
I probably havent written this the best and probably didnt explain it enough either.
I guess my question is How can I improve my relationship with God and know for sure he is with me. I feel ashamed because he has blessed me so much through my life and then I turn my back on him and doubt him. Please give me your insight.
Hi Vic70r:
First of all, I would like to welcome you to the forums. You stated that you recently felt convicted to find God and have a relationship with Him. This means that you have heard the call and have acted upon it. This is a good thing. God calls all men (and women) to Him. Since you heard His call, it was by His design. It means that he has a calling for you, a purpose.
It is okay that you have doubts and questions. God chooses to woo some of us to Him, the same way a suitor will woo a woman that He wants to pursue. It is an element of love. As you continue to seek Him, over time He will win your heart and cast out your doubts and fears (as love does cast out all fear). The best advice I can offer is continue to seek answers to your doubts. At the same time, continue to seek to find out just who He is. Take the time to think about how He describes Himself in His word. Get to know who He is. He will answer those questions over time. Remember, His number one goal is to have you seek Him, to pursue Him, to fall as deeply in love with Him as He is with you. So He will answer enough of your questions to build your trust in Him. He does it this way for a couple of reasons. One, because He is not interested in just a surface faith, but He wants to build a deep rooted faith in your heart based on trust in Him and His word. He's been doing this for thousands of years and knows you intimately. He knows what will work with you and what will not. The second reason is to help you mature. At 16, you have a lot of maturing and growing to do. He knows the plans He has for you, and He knows the best times to reveal something new to you. He'll wait until you are ready, just as a parent waits until their child is ready for them to give them new things. (A good parent isn't going to allow a 6 year old to drive a car. They wait until the child is old enough to drive.) But as you do grow and mature, He will reveal new things to you and give you understanding of things as you are ready to handle them.
_____________________________
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfilll the lust of the flesh.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/20/2009 1:07:21 PM
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terryjohn
Posts: 129
Joined: 3/23/2007
Status: offline
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We are not about believing in stories or about things that may or may may have happened, but rather recipiants of a revelation of God's love and righteousness. Hence, despite the arguments of many and attacks from skeptics on the possibility of miracles and science, we are convinced in the healing power of the gospel and love of Christ.
Even if the enemies of Chirst were to be proven right in matters of science, our faith is not based on such things. In fact, a man who bases his faith on such is the most miserable of all men, for he would either have to hide from the facts or spend his life arguing about possibilities which is a never ending job and a pointless one given that God has given us his Spirit and not facts to base our faith on.
With all my education and experience I can see that man has nothing to boast about when it comes to wisdom. Could God have meant for men to discover him under a microscope? Pure and simply God only allows men of faith, humility and love access to the richness of His glory, righteousness and love. We come not to Him in our wisdom, although wise men will seek him, but in our love for who He is and perhaps of secondary importance for his promises sake and then may be for what He may or may not have done.
Some have suggested that if they found the body of Christ our faith would be proven, wrong but it is not, for again it rests in God as He is and not in what men say He has or has not done. In the end, the gospel of Christ with its message of love, righteouseness, justice and hope is what transforms lives and it is the one that will set many captives free. This is the power of the gospel, this is the evidence of the power of God and this is my and our joy.
To love my father, I do not need to know or be certain about facts save the fact that He is my father and He loves me.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/22/2009 3:46:39 AM
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Leemariefink
Posts: 12
Joined: 9/29/2009
Status: offline
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I'm 17 years old and I have been suffering from the same fear. I WANT to believe in life after death, but I too suffer from the idea that there may not be one.
I hope that we can find some kind of peace from this.
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RE: I am having trouble with my faith. - 11/22/2009 3:49:11 AM
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Leemariefink
Posts: 12
Joined: 9/29/2009
Status: offline
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Reading this post makes me wonder if I will ever overcome my fear...
I too have been medicated for a fear of death. I also wake up in the middle of the nights completely full of dread and fear.
Even when it isn't in the front of my mind, the fear is there somewhere in the back of my thoughts. Anything I do somehow comes back to "You're going to die one day."
It is a miserable feeling, and it is impossible for me to find complete happiness with this sense of doom hanging over my head.
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