[Luke]

I have a constant nagging in my own mind. I oft fear that I am not saved. Now, I have mentioned this before on this forum and another, but my thoughts are becoming clearer now. I'm not sure if I have or do trust in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I thought I did, I don't remember now.

I've sinned greatly against God and hate my sin, yet often find myself committing it again and again willfully.

I'm pretty much at the end of my tether. I used to fight it. I am wanting God to forgive me and turn my heart away from it and totally to Him.

My problem is with forgiveness... can God forgive me?

[Just_A_Thought]

Originally Posted by Luke

I have a constant nagging in my own mind. I oft fear that I am not saved. Now, I have mentioned this before on this forum and another, but my thoughts are becoming clearer now. I'm not sure if I have or do trust in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I thought I did, I don't remember now.

I've sinned greatly against God and hate my sin, yet often find myself committing it again and again willfully.

I'm pretty much at the end of my tether. I used to fight it. I am wanting God to forgive me and turn my heart away from it and totally to Him.

My problem is with forgiveness... can God forgive me?

Here are a few questions to clear this up for you...

Do you believe Jesus Christ is God?

Do you believe He died on the cross and shed His blood for you?

Do you believe He rose three days later?

Do you accept His free gift of salvation?

If you said yes to all three then all you must do is ask Him into your heart. It is not a difficult thing and seems to easy to be true BUT IT IS! Thank God He made salvation all on Him and nothing on our part. All we must do it believe. If you can't remember doing this before then by all means DO IT NOW. If you have and know you understood it back then, then don't let Satan keep telling you that you are unsaved because you sin willingly. WE ALL SIN WILLINGLY! We are ALL sinners. Never forget that. I am not trying to down play sin but we do all do it.

Again, we are all sinners. Jesus died for all. You hate your sin and love it at the same time. Sin is fun for a season. This is why we all do it. Grant it, IT IS WRONG. I do not want to sound like I approve of sinning, I don't. Pray and seek God. Fight it. Never think you are lost do to it though unless you don't ever remember being saved in the past. Satan uses this ploy to depress Christians and make them feel like failures. If he is successful he will make you drop out of the race for Christ and make you useless. Don't give in to Satan.

This will never happen while you are still in the flesh. You will always sin until the day you die or are ratured up. Remember...it is all Satan's ploy. Fight sin but remember Jesus love you and move on. Satan just wants to trip you down and watch you lay there. GET BACK UP AND KICK HIM IN THE BUTT!

[Kiwi Christian]

Originally Posted by Luke

I've sinned greatly against God and hate my sin, yet often find myself committing it again and again willfully.

I think this is the cause of all your doubt, my brother. I know first hand, and I'm sure others can testify, that when you are willfulling sinning against God it seems as though you are a million miles away from Him. Your thought life also becomes far less spiritual and your affections are set more down here than up there where they should be. Then you begin to doubt. Apart from a few months after I initially got saved, I can't say I've ever doubted my salvation, but I am not you, and everyone is different.

The fact of the matter is, if you truly got saved at one time in the past then you are still saved at this moment in time and forever more. At the time when you got saved God forgave you of ALL your sins. The sin you willfully commit against God, and continue in, will bring you trouble, sorrow, doubt, confusion, chastisement, and separation from FELLOWSHIP with the Lord, but it won't damn you to hell, you may think it will but that's just your wicked heart (Jeremiah 17:9) and carnal mind (Romans 8:7) casting doubt on God's word, and you love God's word, right!

I say this as a brother in Christ, and pray you come to yourself and stop this willful sinning against the God who loved you and washed you from your sins in his own blood. You can do all things through Christ, and you can choose to say no!

God be with you.

[peopleoftheway]

Brother, I pray do NOT be shaken in these last days, when apostasy is rampant in our Churches, be not shaken in mind nor spirit for the spirit testifies with me and many others on this forum that YOU are my / our Brother.

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Romans 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” That is, once we have been justified by faith, who is there, what power is there, that can separate from the love of Christ? And the answer, how full, how clear, not a shadow, not a doubt, not a question left, when the apostle says that neither death nor life shall separate! Can you think of anything which is neither included in death nor in life? Neither death nor life shall separate!
So Brother whatever sin plagues you today, IT CANNOT separate you from the love of Christ and I pray that it will depart from you and you WILL find peace and assurance.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Dont listen to apostate Christians who condemn you with doctrines of men and self righteousness, we are wretched and unworthy of the Love of Christ but do you know what?, he loves each and every one of us nonetheless
Sin still plagues our mortal flesh and will continue to do so until we are Glorified hang in there prayerfully for it will never become too much

Romans 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

I pray that I may help to bear your infirmities to please our Lord and Saviour because Luke...YOU ARE MY BROTHER

the moment you trust the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, your responsibility as a sinner having to do with the God of judgement is ended for eternity, but that same moment your responsibility as a child having to do with a Father in heaven begins. Now if as a child you should sin against your Father, God will have to deal with you about that, but as a father and not as a judge.


God Bless and I pray that assurance is yours.

[Luke]

I don't ever remember a time I accepted Christ as my Saviour. A time when I did business with God, so to speak. I remember reading a chick tract many years ago, and feeling guilty and condemned, but I also remember not changing after that at all... My memory is kind of all mushed together, but if the order is right in my head, then after I read that tract, I remember being all weepy. I am not sure what I did about it though. I think I thought I was already saved because I went to church and was raised to believe the truth.

May God have mercy on my soul.

[Just_A_Thought]

Originally Posted by Luke

I don't ever remember a time I accepted Christ as my Saviour. A time when I did business with God, so to speak. I remember reading a chick tract many years ago, and feeling guilty and condemned, but I also remember not changing after that at all... My memory is kind of all mushed together, but if the order is right in my head, then after I read that tract, I remember being all weepy. I am not sure what I did about it though. I think I thought I was already saved because I went to church and was raised to believe the truth.

May God have mercy on my soul.

Then "do business with Him now" and never look back do to doubt again! Keep the time and date in your mind so Satan can not use try to trip you up with the "doubting game" in the future.

[Kiwi Christian]

Originally Posted by Luke

I don't ever remember a time I accepted Christ as my Saviour. A time when I did business with God, so to speak. I remember reading a chick tract many years ago, and feeling guilty and condemned, but I also remember not changing after that at all... My memory is kind of all mushed together, but if the order is right in my head, then after I read that tract, I remember being all weepy. I am not sure what I did about it though. I think I thought I was already saved because I went to church and was raised to believe the truth.

May God have mercy on my soul.

When you accepted Christ as your Saviour is not as important as the fact you DID accept Him. If you are so concerned with the timing factor and that you can't remember when you got saved, then by all means do it NOW so you can get on with serving and knowing Christ. If you need a date then let it be the 24th March 2009!

[Luke]

My problem is with my heart. It never changes. I seem to only desire to "feel good" instead of actually wanting to glorify God. I sin, feel guilty, want to feel better so I can sin again.. it's a vicious cycle

[Kiwi Christian]

Originally Posted by Luke

My problem is with my heart. It never changes. I seem to only desire to "feel good" instead of actually wanting to glorify God. I sin, feel guilty, want to feel better so I can sin again.. it's a vicious cycle

I've been there and done that, it was a horrible time in my Christian life, but it was only through hindsight that I could see how rebellious I had been. I came through that period and recommitted my life to God, I made a conscious decision to start doing right and choosing to please God instead of myself. I had to make some huge self sacrifices, and one of them was motorcycling. I sold my $18,000 motorcycle and all my many gears, jackets, boots, helmets, etc, and havn't been on a bike since, and Lord willing will never again, that was one thing that was causing me to sin. Recognise those things which are a temptation to you and get rid of them out of your house, brother. Get rid of your TV, they are good for next to nothing, I havn't had one for over 12 years, what a great blessing it's been.

If it gets really bad just move up to Auckland, I'm sure we could sharpen one anothers countenances bi-weekly in fellowship and praising God. We're going out to the streets this Friday night, we could use an extra man! Of course, you're married, so she is welcome too. You need to involve her in all this soul searching btw.

[Renee]

My problem is with forgiveness... can God forgive me?

Brother Luke,

After I left the Catholic Church and the confessional I asked myself many a times The exact same Question, "Can God forgive me?" I was a very devout Catholic and only my Love for a God I knew as my maker kept me from "grevious" sin. I know that is a catholic definition for sin, but that is one baggage that keeps slipping out from the old days.

George was saved before we were married. My Catholic beliefs kept me from being saved for almost 4 years. After I was saved I was plagued by assurance of salvation.(Anothder drawback from Catholicism) I knew I had received my Lord not only as my maker but also as my Saviour I struggled with this problem of assurancce for many years. In 1975 I had emergency kidney surgery. I faced the fact that if anything went wrong I would not wake up from the table. Kidney surgery is the bloodiest surgery you can have (at least it was at that time).

I wanted very much to wake to my Beloved husband and five children and prayed for life after the operation. I prayed hard and long. The verses the Lord gave me was:

2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Absent from the body, present with the Lord. He would keep me either here on earth or in heaven. My Lord gave me assurance that no matter what the outcome, it would be alright. I have never doubted my salvation or the assurance of my salvation since that day. It took facing death for me to come to believe that God is able to keep me.

I could blame the Catholic Church for that, because it was thoroughly ingrained in me from my youth. But I take the blame upon myself. No one can get me lost,for I believe Christ died for all my sins and that He will continually be my Father and forgive me.

I sin, yes, but I have a very good example of God's love and forgiveness here beside me. If George is able to forgive me everyday for whatever fault or sin I do against him how much greater is Our Heavenly Father's love?

I have comitted my life, love,and body to George and he keeps me. I have found a new meaning to the word KEEP, if George is able to keep me for all these years, how much more Our Heavenly Father.

2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Brother Luke, He not only forgives you, He keeps you.

In Christian Love,
Renee