Help...

[Pancho]

Howdy folks

Sometimes I feel I need constant reassurance from the Lord... I get disheartened very easily. Whilst I don't want to describe myself as a fair weather Christian... at times I do feel like one whose gospel was sown on shallow ground.

I read the word and sincerely receive it with joy but it doesn't take much to knock my small faith. I can't seem to grasp how God loves me so much and is eager to help me even when I was the one who got myself into so much trouble (especially as I knew better, or at least should have).

The Lord has proven himself faithful over the years... when I consider this I can't help but think 'why would God bring me this far only to leave me now'...

And yet I frequently feel like a little boy who's in constant need of reassurance from his dad... perhaps I'm a doubting Thomas.

[AndrewA]

Can you identify a time when you felt insecure and vunerable? Could be something that took place 10 years ago or last year, a traumatic divorce or bereavement for example. Just about every Christian will feel the same way as you do at some point, wont go into the debate about how God will test our faith, but sometimes we do need to be broken and humbled before being built anew, however without proper counselling, from a Christian councillor, not worldly councillor, it is impossible to say what lies at the root of your feelings.

However God does love you ! I know you are aware of that, it is simply getting that information from your brain to your heart and making your heart and body believe it 100% without question. How are these doubts arising? Christians are in front line warfare with Satan and his cronies, weather we like it or not, one way Satan gets to us is trying to influence our minds and the way we think, those thoughts that God has abandoned you, or guilty thoughts about what you did in the past are from Satan, so dismiss them from your mind, easier said than done, I know it is and so do most other Christians.,

It can take a lot of work to break this negative way of thinking, again there can be a lot of junk and clutter in your mind that needs sorting, what kind of things are you clinging on to? Do you give in to same temptation time and time again, even though you repent and say you wont do it again? Well again Satan will have fun with you there, he will tempt you with sin, and then when you have sinned Satan will tell you how nasty and worthless you are, what a wretched sinner you are and God will not want anything to do with you.

At end of day you will need proper counselling or at least take a discipleship course, there’s a pretty good one going around called Freedom In Christ. There’s a lot of soul searching and dealing with all your problems, you do not have to tell anyone any of your secrets or sins unless you want to, unfortunately I heard a few groups and churches don’t stick to this, but don’t let that put you off.

In mean time, why not read and even do a bible study on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11–32 that will help you. Oh one last thing, feeling like a child in presence of God, I don’t know any Christian who doesn’t feel that way, God really is our father and we really do behave like naughty children in his eyes ! so not surprising you do, another comparison is that God shepherd and we are the sheep, Jesus also compared himself as the shepherd who looks after us, see my website for these passages and to read Psalm 23, The Lord Is My Shepherd I Shall Not Want.

shameless plug see my link below !

I hope this is of help.

EDIT:

Just thought of this to add:

TO help you with your daily questioning about how much GOd does love you and that he hasnt adandoned you etc, find a few verses that mean alot to you, im sure otheres will help you out with thier favourite verses, anyway, take verses like "The Lord is My Shepherd" and write them out and carry them with you, some people have scripture plastered all over thier house so when they start feeling bad they have somewhere to turn to quick and read somthing encouraging. Maybe you could do this if you dont already.

Edited March 6, 2007 by AndrewA

[RCruise]

Howdy folks

Sometimes I feel I need constant reassurance from the Lord... I get disheartened very easily. Whilst I don't want to describe myself as a fair weather Christian... at times I do feel like one whose gospel was sown on shallow ground.

I read the word and sincerely receive it with joy but it doesn't take much to knock my small faith. I can't seem to grasp how God loves me so much and is eager to help me even when I was the one who got myself into so much trouble (especially as I knew better, or at least should have).

The Lord has proven himself faithful over the years... when I consider this I can't help but think 'why would God bring me this far only to leave me now'...

And yet I frequently feel like a little boy who's in constant need of reassurance from his dad... perhaps I'm a doubting Thomas.

I have been there! I never realized it but, long before I came to Jesus, I always sought assurance of my being needed and worth in most every field of endeavor. In every job, I had to be the best over others, etc.... That did not go away when I came to Jesus. I never got "acceptance" from my dad growing up. No matter what I did, he could do it better (though he really didn't or couldn't). God HAS accepted us! Period! We can never do enough to win His acceptance or too little to loose His acceptance. His acceptance of us is based solely on Jesus' work on the Crose, our acceptance of His "Finished Work" and that He IS God revealed in the flesh and Rose Again. You don't "earn that" ..... You "Accept that" willingly and lovingly into your heart and follow Him out of the Same Love He Loves us with.

You speak of "getting yourself into trouble..." and I don't need more info or clarification but believe I fully understand what you are saying. None of us are perfected when we come to Christ. He cleanses out many things perhaps right away and takes up residence in us. We can "Grieve Him (The Holy Ghost)" by several types of willful acts that we bulldoze right through His convictions but, we keep slipping into bad decisions and habits because we fail to go all the way and abide always in Him. When we put more of our life, time, effort into Jesus, His Word, Prayer, just talking openly even with Him, than we do all the other things and issues and people in our lives, we lack that Strength and Power He is trying to give us. That is why He said to Love Him more and Abide in Him...not for His Benefit but ours. Oh it is a benefit to Him in His Pleasure for we were created for His Pleasure, to be Loving and Loved in His Wonderous Presence.

I did a sermon recently showing that though we were Created in His Image, we no longer are since Adam fell. This is proven in one Scripture:

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

We need to be "Conformed" to Jesus' Image and we are "Predestinated" to be so. If we were still or already in His Image, no need to be "Conformed to His Image". So, taking this deeper, Jesus also said we must be "Born Again" and hear me on this for many people really miss this.., The Scripture confirms HOW we are Born Again in :

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Keep hanging in there and get deeper into His Word and keep going back over the Word repeating it to yourself and finding Jesus in every place from OT through the NT and hide His Word in you repeating it to yourself and Believe all He said. Soon, you will be less of your "doubtful self" and more Jesus and His Strength. This seems like a foolish "child's game" for first graders but, I tell you it works! And did not God say He calls the Foolish and does the Foolish things to confound the wise? Amen! And again He says to us to become like little children to see and accept His Kingdom. Amen! You will never feel accepted or assured until you get into accepting His Assurances and Acceptance. I know! Amen!

[Arben]

Howdy folks

Sometimes I feel I need constant reassurance from the Lord... I get disheartened very easily. Whilst I don't want to describe myself as a fair weather Christian... at times I do feel like one whose gospel was sown on shallow ground.

I read the word and sincerely receive it with joy but it doesn't take much to knock my small faith. I can't seem to grasp how God loves me so much and is eager to help me even when I was the one who got myself into so much trouble (especially as I knew better, or at least should have).

The Lord has proven himself faithful over the years... when I consider this I can't help but think 'why would God bring me this far only to leave me now'...

And yet I frequently feel like a little boy who's in constant need of reassurance from his dad... perhaps I'm a doubting Thomas.

I know how you feel. I've been there. It sounds as if you may be allowing your emotions to control you. Perhaps you would be helped by reading my testimony.

Edited March 7, 2007 by Arben

[Old Hickory]

I think that we have all been there. Discouragement is the devil's greatest tool. It's hard to remember, but God is always with you. In good, in bad, He is there.

[ted]

And yet I frequently feel like a little boy who's in constant need of reassurance from his dad... perhaps I'm a doubting Thomas.

Even Thomas rested all doubts.

t.

[None]

...perhaps I'm a doubting Thomas.

No. That's the lie the devil wants you to believe.

We all fight this battle. We all make mistake after mistake, "knowing better". It's when you look back at what you once knew was a mistake and no longer feel it was a mistake that you need to start worrying. Your mind is constantly being fought over by the "principalities" Paul was speaking of. If you can now do what you once believed was wrong, with no feelings of guilt, the "bad guys" or more correctly "demons" defeated that area of your morals and your defences now have an access point for them to use you in their favor, in that area, to weaken other people in that area.

[terter]

We're all screwed up - one way or another.

When I watched "The Passion" I think it really helped me to understand how much Christ loves me. And to think He would done it if it had only been for one person.

The mind is definitely a battlefield - replacing thoughts that oppose God's Word with scriptures that tell us who we are in Christ such as Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV) "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. {4} Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength."

If you can't remember scriptures word for word - just paraphrase and use them whereever you are.