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Discussion Forum : Miracles that follow the plow : prayer for hardened heart again

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 Re:

Brother i have sought to be saved just like that too but i never stay faithful , i start doubting again and nothing changes within me, i think sometimes the lord saves on his own time. I understand it shouldn't be that hard, but then why isn't the lord doing that for me, or why isn't he helping me with my faith, you know i have begged for better faith and mercy.

 2009/9/8 13:25
rainydaygirl
Member



Joined: 2008/10/27
Posts: 742


 Re:

Hey Bible4life

Just a thought, maybe approach things from a different way. Think about all that Jesus has done for you, read the Bible and just really shut everything else for a time and seek to "know" Him as a person who loves and wants to have a personal relationship with you. Spend time learning to love the Lord with "all" your mind, body, heart, and strength. Knowing Him and realizing that your sin crucified Him may help to soften your heart. Don't think about what you are going through, understand how your sin grieves Him and what it put Him through. Take the focus off of self. In the end though, God is not going to force Himself on you, either you want to know Him, to submit your life unto Him or you don't? Sometimes you write as if its Gods fault your not saved and that is just not true, so if the enemy is causing you to think this way, Repent. might be a first step in a journey that lasts an eternity.

with care
rdg

 2009/9/8 14:02Profile









 Re: prayer for hardened heart again


Hi bible4life,

rdg makes some good points, particularly the general one about looking away from yourself (Heb 12:2).

I am searching on SI for old threads about the difference between conversion and regeneration, and I came upon this excellent post by philologos. He said:

[i]'1. Repentance as an event takes place before regeneration.
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Act 2:38 KJV)

2. Repentance as a disposition takes place after regeneration.
I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. (Eze 36:29-31 KJV)

It may be that the friend's pastor is of 'reformed persuasion'. Calvinists generally believe that everything begins with regeneration, and that a person cannot repent until they are born again. I DO NOT believe this but it may well account for the some of the confusion?'[/i]


I think Paul Washer would agree with him.


[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4328&forum=35]Does Repentance Come After Conversion?[/url]

 2009/9/9 8:19
jimp
Member



Joined: 2005/6/18
Posts: 1481


 Re:

hi, i praise God for you and your post for it reeks with remorse and sorrow for your condition. peter walked out on Jesus and denied Him and went back to fishing for a living.just because you are not religeous or mr. goody 2 shoes does not mean that the same savior who went after peter and cooked lunch on a fire for their fellowship isn't after you. Thank God that Jesus is the savior and not you or i.you need to realize that Jesus loves you personnally even when you are a jerk like me.labor to enter into rest in the finished work of the cross where He died for you and payed the full price for your sin. His strength is made PERFECT in our weakness. dont try to buffalo Him with christian mumbo jumbo and tell him to take you just like you are and do whatever He wants with you,and He will.jimp ...i love you and will see you in glory.

 2009/9/9 8:54Profile









 Re: prayer for hardened heart again




No one without the Holy Spirit would ever, ever confess the things you do about the condition of your own heart. You do see yourself rightly, in one sense, but what you lack is the other half of truth that Jesus' blood and suffering have provided for you. You are under the condemnation of the devil. It is also possible that witches and sorcery are attacking you. Sometimes their power is very real.



You must believe and endure. You need your Christian friend now more than ever, along with prayer. Do not give in to your feelings or depression.


Try and find the autobiography of John Bunyan. He fought a very similar battle as you. He described the day he knew that Jesus set him free, and the devil was rebuked. Adam ran from the light."Where are you Adam?"


Everyone here that is honest would say , that at some time or another, they have ran from the light. I have. Those of us who remain a disciple, would also say that at some time we learned to take our corruption and depravity to the Father to have it removed, and be cleansed.


"Unless your righteousness EXCEED that of the Scribes and Pharisee's, you will in no way enter the Kingdom of Heaven."...Jesus.


Our testimony is Not living a holy life, but why and how we do. We are all carrying about an evil nature, that strives with the holy spirit for control. We must learn to put it to death, by the Spirit, powered by the Blood of Jesus, and the RESURRECTION of himself. We have all cried; "Who will deliver me from this body of death!"


This is your cry, at this moment. Throw yourself upon the Lord, cry out for mercy, and push into the light, and your Christian friends that care for you. Believe that this is WHY Jesus came to the Earth...with you in mind. I only survive because of this. All Christians, as yourself, are in the same fix. Seek and pursue this Peace, and do Not give up.


One more thing. As a young Christian, I too, was sure I was going to Hell, for sure, because I was consumed with lust , and unbelief. I lamented, exactly as you do now. I still wonder, at how I have made it this far. I have learned, somewhat, to trust in the blood of Jesus alone, and His righteousness, upon an absolute failure. This is why Jesus came....for weaklings...and in spite of what others may think of themselves, or say, or teach...every true Christian is but this....and that's today...not way back when.

 2009/9/9 11:39
Leo_Grace
Member



Joined: 2009/6/14
Posts: 703


 Re:

Dear bible4life,

I agree that rainydaygirl makes a very important point, that you should focus on knowing Jesus and not on yourself and how you feel. As Paul Washer said in his sermon "The True Gospel", "It's all about God". You might want to listen to this sermon, which touches on many of your concerns at [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7X24_vOWwU]Link to The True Gospel (Paul Washer)[/url]

Also, I pasted below my response to a different thread which I pray will be helpful to you.

Copied from another thread:
---------------------------------------
If you ask any Christian if they are born again, almost all of them will say yes. But we know from scripture (Mt 7:21-23) that on the day of judgment, many who claim Jesus as their Lord and Saviour will be disappointed to learn that they will not be allowed into God's kingdom.

The truth is one does not become a born-again Christian by declaring himself to be such. Neither can the declaration of a "religious authority" like a priest, or a pastor, or an evangelist make it so. Only God is qualified to decide the matter. However, he has provided sufficient guidelines in the Bible to help us assess ourselves in this regard.

First, we must make a distinction between a professing Christian and a born-again Christian. A professing Christian is one who has turned towards God and openly acknowledges Jesus as Lord. In a sense one can say that he has faith in God... but the critical question is what kind of faith? This distinction of different levels of faith or belief is explained in the Bible in Mt 13:1-23 (Parable of the Sower) and James 2:14-26 (Faith and Deeds).

A professing Christian can be likened to a new believer who believes in God and his word, yet has not yet imbibed a sufficient understanding of scripture and God's character to experience a life change (being born again). A professing Christian is still a seeker who has not yet reached the end of his journey. A reborn Christian is one who not only believes in God and his word, but also has come to a point of understanding where he is overwhelmed by the greatness of God's love, the majesty of God's holiness, and the sinfulness and unworthiness of his own life. The reborn Christian is so moved by these things that he truly falls in love with God the the way explained by Jesus in Mt 22:36-40 "with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your mind".

I believe it is this "falling in love with God" phase that constitutes true rebirth. Of all human values, virtues, or emotions, it is love that has the power to change lives. It is love that changes one from being a "taker" (self-gratification) to being a "giver" (selflessly gratifying the object of our love). Love is what makes parents die for their children; it is what makes patriots die for their country; it is what made God give up his only son for us; it is what made Jesus die for our redemption; and it is what will make us live or die for Christ. That is why scripture says in 1Co 13:13 that love is greater than faith.

The journey from being a professing Christian to a reborn Christian depends on how well the Holy Spirit is able to lead the believer. It can take an instant, or it may take a lifetime, and sometimes the journey is never completed. As explained in the parable of the sower, if we allow ourselves to be distracted, if we lose interest, and if we fail to become deeply-rooted we could fail to complete the journey --- thus we have a situation where a "born-again" Christian appears to lose his salvation and end up in hell. The truth is he was never born-again, though he claimed to be.

I believe that a true born-again Christian --- one who has come to know God intimately, one who has fallen totally in love with God, and whose overriding goal in life is to please God and God alone --- such a one can no longer be lost (Jn 10:29).

Love is so powerful that one would seek to please his or her beloved even in the absence of rewards and even with the threat of punishments. Thus we see how the apostles and many Christians devoted themselves to serving the cause of Christ even though they suffered and died for it.

One way I try to distinguish true born-again Christians from those who have still to reach that point is to ask: Why are you a Christian? Most would answer something like: To gain eternal life; to be blessed; to become righteous before God; to be with fellow believers; to gain guidance; to get to heaven, etc. To paraphrase these responses, they are saying "I am a Christian to get something good for myself" -- still with the attitude of a "taker" but definitely moving along the right path (thank God). But those who have been transformed would answer "I am a Christian because I love God", and if pushed they would admit that they would still be Christians even without the promise of salvation, even without heaven or hell, even without the promise of blessings. These are those who would suffer and die for Christ. These are those of whom the Bible says "the world was not worthy of them". These are the ones who can never fall away --- because they are in love with God.

 2009/9/9 12:35Profile
sevenarmy
Member



Joined: 2009/8/19
Posts: 2
Quartz Hill

 Re:

Rainydaygirl is right. When you focus too much on your circumstances you lose sight if Jesus. Its like when Jesus told Peter to come to him and walk on the water, his faith enabled him to do so, but soon after as he was looking to his feet then looking towards Jesus then looking towards his feet he began to lose focus(Faith) and began to sink. Jesus says,"O you of little faith, why didst thou doubt?"And so that is all of us at some point in our lives when we lose focus on the big picture which is Jesus. There is Credulous faith,Commercial Faith and Courageous Faith. We should all choose the Courageous Faith!Jesus never said it was going to be easy, if it were we would all be in Paradise with our Father. Hang in there for the long race,there is a reward for us all focus on Jesus first then other people then yourself and I promise all things will work for the will of our Father. Amen I say to you all, & peace be with you.


_________________
David J. Arellano

 2009/9/9 13:21Profile
hmmhmm
Member



Joined: 2006/1/31
Posts: 4994
Sweden

 Re:

sometimes there may be a need to "examine ourselves" but even if you do that all your life you will only find the same as the apostle paul "in me dwells no good thing" , and i dare presume he would be considered a much holier man then both you and me, and even the great preacher Jonathan Edwards said that he saw in himself a infinite sea of infinite wickedness, when i then look at what is reported of the man outward, how much he preached, how much he prayed, studied scripture, how much God used him, still that was his own revelation of himself, but...it did not make him doubt his salvation, nor what Christ could do, and what he did, and what he was going to so.

Dont judge your spirituality and walk with God by your feelings, then you would be saved once a week sometimes, and in really hard times once a month, judge it by your honesty towards God, your longing for Christ, and to know him and what HE has done for ALL who believe.


_________________
CHRISTIAN

 2009/9/9 14:23Profile
ccchhhrrriiisss
Member



Joined: 2003/11/23
Posts: 4779


 Re:

Hi bible4life...

I posted this in the Songs with a Message thread, but I think that this same song might be your prayer too.

I am deeply moved every time I hear it. You can listen to this song by [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVgPQm06g2c]clicking here[/url].

[b]O' Lord, You're Beautiful[/b]
(original version)
[i]Keith Green[/i]

[i]I listen to this song often. It has always moved my heart and draws me back into a hunger for His presence[/i].

[i]Verse[/i]

Oh Lord, you're beautiful
Your face is all I seek
And when your eyes are on this child
Your love abounds to me

Oh Lord, my body's tired
But you keep reminding me
Of many holy tireless men
Who spilled their blood for thee

[i]Chorus[/i]

I want to take your word and shine it all around
But first help me just to live it Lord
And if I'm doing well help me to never make a sound
Except to give you all the glory

[i]Verse[/i]

Oh Lord, my faith is small
And I need a touch from you
Your Book of Books
Lies undisturbed
And the prayers from me too few

Oh Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clear
Replace the lamp of my first love
That's fueled with holy fear

Oh Lord, you're beautiful
Your face is all I seek
And when your eyes are on this child
Your love abounds to me.

:-)


_________________
Christopher

 2009/9/9 14:33Profile
Mangan
Member



Joined: 2007/4/19
Posts: 161
Sweden (Northern Europe)

 Re:

Are you living a clean life? By that I mean lust, internet pornography, masturbation and so forth...

Often, (not always) unbelief is the result of a lifestyle of habitual sinning.

Magnus


_________________
Magnus Nordlund

 2009/9/9 14:48Profile





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