I need some Christian advice.

[Floatingaxe]

:) Priorities...

Matthew 6:32-34

These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

[slim777]

Hey everyone.

I feel as if my faith has been slipping lately. I'm still a Christian but it doesn't feel like it means as much. I heard someone talking about how you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And I try to have one, but sometimes I feel like it's such a small ignored part of my life. The rest is spent with university, friends and other distractions. Now, that is a huge topic, and I'm trying to address it. But something I believe might be related is popping up as well.

I've become scared of dying. And not just a little bit. Like petrified. I don't like being alone at night anymore, or in isolated areas. It started when I started university, I was so excited about it, and the idea of dying before I was finished began to scare me. I enjoy what I'm doing so much and I want more than anything to have a chance to do what I can (I am studying mathematics, and would like to research it as a career). Now that has settled into a general fear of death. I lie awake at night sometimes afraid that someone will break into the house. And I worry when I read about murders in the paper.

It feels like life seems so much more fragile than it used to be. And it scares me. I don't even really know what to ask here. How do I stop this? I want to be able to go to sleep in an empty house again without feeling afraid.

-Keilan

dieing is a scary thing to any human being and is a natural fear, no one has ever come back after dieing at least in our time to tell of its experance, the bible quotes death in a christian as sleep, your not afraid of going to sleep are you? so don't fear going to sleep in death , and when this happen to you and you have put your confidence in Jesus Christ and are upright with him death to you will simply be going to sleep to this world and wakeing up in the eternal home in heaven. perfect love casteth out all fear....

[ColleenLovesMischief]

praying for you friend.

[Smalcald]

Hey everyone.

I feel as if my faith has been slipping lately. I'm still a Christian but it doesn't feel like it means as much. I heard someone talking about how you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And I try to have one, but sometimes I feel like it's such a small ignored part of my life. The rest is spent with university, friends and other distractions. Now, that is a huge topic, and I'm trying to address it. But something I believe might be related is popping up as well.

I've become scared of dying. And not just a little bit. Like petrified. I don't like being alone at night anymore, or in isolated areas. It started when I started university, I was so excited about it, and the idea of dying before I was finished began to scare me. I enjoy what I'm doing so much and I want more than anything to have a chance to do what I can (I am studying mathematics, and would like to research it as a career). Now that has settled into a general fear of death. I lie awake at night sometimes afraid that someone will break into the house. And I worry when I read about murders in the paper.

It feels like life seems so much more fragile than it used to be. And it scares me. I don't even really know what to ask here. How do I stop this? I want to be able to go to sleep in an empty house again without feeling afraid.

-Keilan

What happens when you die is you go to sleep and then you will awake in the Lord, much like a normal night of sleep and then you awake and it is the morning; so objectively we have nothing to fear. However we are human and because of this I do fear death also, even knowing what we do, but our fear should not be terror, but the normal fear of something unknown.

One thing that helps me is meditating on the lives of those who went before us, starting of course with Christ who died alone being tortured. Even if I get cancer or some horrible disease, or get murdered, these are all better than what Christ got. My biggest fear and horror is that someone in my family will die however, my child in particular or my wife. I know that both of them would be with Christ and thus actually happier than they are now, but I cannot shake how horrible that would be, it makes losing my life seem like not that big of a deal. But the fact is everyone on this board will die within 80 years, this is not a long time really, and some of us before then, so however we want to look at it, we are not on this earth very long. Being a math major you realize how short this time is in the grand scheme of infinite time.

So most of our life the vast majority of it will be spent with Christ doing our work assigned to us in heaven, what we do on this earth is actually a very small part of what we are going to do with our lives and what is waiting for us to do.

[KeilanS]

Thank you for the advice everyone.

Interestingly, I picked today to randomly look into my book shelf and find a book called "being God's man... by resisting the world", which was given to me about 4 month back. I had completely forgotten about it.

Seems relevant, so perhaps God is trying to help me out here.

Thank you for the prayers, I will try to keep you updated.

[Guest]

Drink Deeply Of The Words Of God

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." Jeremiah 15:16

Trust In God With All Your Heart

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil." Proverbs 3:5-7

Treasure The Holy Bible

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalms 119:11

Cleave To Jesus

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Fear Not

"And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me." Daniel 10:19

He's Here

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5

And Stay Away From Ducks!

[nebula]

Hey, Keilan!

Nice to see you again.

Everyone else gave some great responses, so instead of repeating data, I'd like to present a little perspective I have learned.

Everyone in their Christian walk has to go through some deserts before our time is done. There are a lot of teachings and songs and such on the storms and valleys, but not much is spoken of about the desert.

We need to go through dry spiritual spells in order to grow. These are times we need to find the water, and in doing so we love it even more. A turning point for me was when I actually learned to find beauty in the desert. I know it is a hard road to walk - and it is frightening. But that's when you need to trust that you are still in the Lord's hand. Just that little bit of hope helps.

Another perspective: we need to pass through times of fear and doubt in our faith in order to strengthen it. I don't know how long you have been committed to the Lord, but I was since my childhood. After going through my times of doubt I could see how I needed that. There had not been a time in my life when I didn't know the Lord. Feeling distant and lost for a time (and it was not a short amount of time) gave me a small taste of what it was like to live apart from the Lord, and coming to the place where I found I could walk away due to discouragement and disappointment, I discovered that I had no where else to go - that is, what other path could compete or compare? Walking with the Lord then became what I chose to do rather than "the only thing I've known."

So, maybe the Lord has led you here in order to deepen your walk with Him in the end.

Keep trusting Him for that. I don't know what "lesson" you need to learn, but I hope that by sharing what I learned from my times will encourage you.

Prayers

[KeilanS]

Thanks Nebula.

And it's good to see you again as well.

[EricH]

Moved from Worthy Welcome to Looking for Advise