Hey guys, sorry for the short absence I didnt mean to make it seem like I ignored the thread I started and the responses of everyone And I certainly didnt mean for the thread to end up like that I was actually kind of nervous coming back to check on it because I thought by now most of you would have rolled your eyes and gotten so tired of me but thanks for taking the time to respondThingsabove: My heart definitely wants to submit to God, it just seems like my head is in the way, if that makes any sense for some reason I feel like God wants me to remove all these nagging intellectual and doctrinal issues from my head before I can go to Him for the freeness of the gift and the pleasure of having rest in HimMaryJane: I envy that so much in you on how you see yourself as a wicked sinner because then Gods gift is so much more beautiful to you I know I am a sinner, and on certain days I feel filthy because I am so drenched in it, but I wish God sometimes would let me see more of myself because it still doesnt feel like enoughAnonymity: I guess its not so much the justice part that bothers me I guess its the eternity of it, you know? Taylor and Leo: Ive talked to pastors about this, but sometimes I hear different things I discount my chance at salvation because in order to be saved I guess one has to feel convicted enough of their sin to where they can stand before God and tell Him that they deserve to go to hell I know this theologically, I just dont feel it enough in my bloodstream Leo, my fear of hell, among other things, is whats keeping me seeking God however, I dont ever think Ill be allowed to trust in Him for my salvation until I agree with Him about hell and until it doesnt rub me the wrong way but everytime I think of hell I get so sad and bothered and upset about it and Im afraid those thoughts will never go away you said this in a later post: If the idea of hell makes you angry because of the eternal torment it signifies, then be angry at sin and at sinful man -- never be angry at God who has done so much to keep us with Him, and away from hell.Thats part of why I am in mental agony! Because I think the reverse! I get upset at God rather than man and I keep hearing that the only way to change is if the Holy Spirit convicts a person and since I still think these things I usually conclude that the Holy Spirit hasnt convicted me yet, and without that first step, I cant quite go to God and I think thats what started my whole doubtingDeepThinker: Its not that I dont think God can save me I guess I just feel that He wont save me because of my attitude towards Him and hell, you know? I have listened to sermons, but sometimes they confuse me on this subject because Ill get something from one person and a different thing from anotherInGrace, IWantAnguish, KingJimmy, broclint: I dont want to reject Christ I want to choose Him its just that like I said before, I fear that I am not allowed to receive Him until sin gets convicted so much inside of me that I can even say sumthing to the effect of Hell is too good a place for a sinner like me I remember hearing a story of a person who actually said that and I got so jealous of himJimp: Thats actually a pretty interesting analogy using the river, I never thought of it like that beforeBible4life: Wow Ive actually got a lot in common with your friend Ive definitely wanted to end my life due to all these miserable thoughts in my head it justs sucks cause most of them are thoughts against God and stuffAgain guys, sorry for the absence Your responses werent in vain, thank you for them I guess what I fear the most are my sinful thoughts against God and that they will never go away Sometimes I do think well heck, if God knew we were going to sin and be sent to hell, He shouldnt have made us in the first place he owes it to us to save us and I know these are horrendous, blasphemous thoughts, but I just cant seem to get rid of them Im pretty ashamed of sharing them with you all, but I guess I should one pastor told me that these thoughts prove how wicked we truly are, yet they still arent beyond the mercy of God and that Christ can save me from them but then another pastor said something along the lines of the very fact that I have these thoughts means I cannot be saved yet, at least so I dunno Im miserable...oh, and to Paul West, Im sorry about the thread and where it went and how you had to lock it alright everyone, I guess thats it for now thanks again for taking the time
_________________James
Greetings Jdl Keep seeking Him, spend all your time in the Bible, read from Genesis to revelations and see the faithfulness of God. He does not abandon or turn His back on those who place their faith and trust in His son. His love for you is so far beyond anything that you could ever imagine. He sent His only son to die for you so that you might be saved. You said you have these dark thoughts, begin today to take every one of these thoughts captive and submit them unto the Lord. When these dark thoughts enter your mind, don't give them a moment, take each one captive, grab hold of it and take it to the cross. The enemy wants to deceive you into believing that there is no hope but you do not have to believe his lies. It is your choice. I will keep praying for you. I came across this message shared with me and thought I would pass it along to you. God blessmjTRUST, and Move Deeper and Deeper Into His LifeHave you ever stood between two mirrors? Do you remember what happened when you looked into the one in front of you? You could see yourself in mirror after mirror, deeper and deeper and deeper, to infinity. This is how all-encompassing it is when you understand this: We must have Faith... that Faith is our access to the Father. We must believe that He gives Life to those who believe. We must have Faith that our Father forgives all who have Faith in His Son. Trust... that the Solution... is simply to Trust. This is the Gospel, the Good News. And the more we Trust, and enjoy His Infinite Wisdom and companionship. Deeper and deeper into His heart and life and power. Trust that there is Life... in trusting the Blood of the Son.
Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. This promise is for you, Jdl!Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. When you get God's ways figured out, you will be God.IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. When I was in a college of education, they tried to brainwash me with the arrogance that I have the right to pass judgement on God. THANK GOD I didn't let their folly take control of my soul! God will deliver you from the folly of passing judgement on Him if you will seek Him with all of your heart. Small illustration: Electricity is a great thing when it is respected properly. When it is not, it can be extremely painful. While in this life, I don't understand God's ways any more than a caterpillar understands the view that a butterfly knows . . . but give me about 5 minutes of flying into eternity, and many mysteries will dissolve.
_________________Michael Strickland
Sometimes I do think well heck, if God knew we were going to sin and be sent to hell, He shouldnt have made us in the first place he owes it to us to save us and I know these are horrendous, blasphemous thoughts
one pastor told me that these thoughts prove how wicked we truly are, yet they still arent beyond the mercy of God and that Christ can save me from them but then another pastor said something along the lines of the very fact that I have these thoughts means I cannot be saved yet, at least so I dunno
Greetings JdlJust wanted to remind you, God has given you all that you need, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit, spend time in the Word and let the Holy Spirit teach and guide you. Trust and have faith in the Lord. If you choose to spend your time truly seeking Him, you will find Him. God Blessmj__We live by faith, approaching Him in every area of our lives, every minute, with faith in the Sonthe Father loves the Son. We live by faith; thats Gods call. And that faith is a posture of heart, affecting the attitude we take in the way we speak and how we make decisions, and how we respond in times of failure and success, crisis and difficulty. The just shall live by faith. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. And so we live that way all the time. In other words, through Jesus we have peace with Godthrough the Lord Jesus Christ. We come to the Father through Him. No one comes to the Father but by Me, Jesus said. I am the way, I am the only way to the Father. The Father is the destination, and we come through the Lord Jesus Christ. We come to the Father in peace through the Lord Jesus Christ, reasoning with the Father not on our own merit, on any front, but reasoning with the Father on the merit of the Son of God. Thats living by faithtrusting in Jesus worth, not our own. Thats not a doctrineits the way we live our lives! Thats what Paul meant when he said, through our Lord Jesus ChristI no longer live, I live by faith in the Son of God.
Hey guys, thanks for the responses...Deep, thanks for sharing that story...I wish I had the conviction that you all have...Are you guys sure that I'm allowed to ignore these thoughts? I mean, it seems like there's no way I can become a Christian with these thoughts until they're all completely gone, rather than ignored...I guess sometimes they hinder my seeking after God...I guess I also fear the fact that i am troubled by that aspect of God's character...and I remember hearing Spurgeon say that if we don't like something about someone, we will not trust them...thus I feel like I can't trust God if I have these thoughts about Him because it would be a false trust that He probably wouldn't accept, you know? I feel stuck...I used to read the ten commandments over and over to try to get a sense of the holiness of them and the wickedness of me...but the more I did it the more hardened I became
Also, MaryJane, where did you get that message? I liked it...and Lorddoitagain, you said: When you get God's ways figured out, you will be God.IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!I need to hear that...but I guess for me it's a struggle to try and organize which are the ways I think He wants me to figure out and which are the ones I should leave alone, u know?
mean, it seems like there's no way I can become a Christian with these thoughts until they're all completely gone, rather than ignored...I guess sometimes they hinder my seeking after God.
Jdl, I recommend you take the time to read the new thread, "What must I do to be saved?" By Charles Finney.I pulled it from SI text sermons with you in mind. I hope it helps.It's under Scriptures and doctrine.