So a few of you seem to answer questions here with, "open your heart and the proof will show itself" or some stuff like that. I have read about 40% of the bible now, I asked Jesus (outloud and everything) to forgive me for all of my sins past, present and future, and help me live my life in a way I could be happy with. I see Christians so happy in their faith, with their "life is great" attitudes and I wanted that to. i want to feel God's glory and all that, but no amount of believing, or praying has changed me or how I feel one bit. I think maybe it's because I'm doing it for selfish reasons.....or maybe it's because Christians are wrong. Thoughts?
2006-12-13 08:14:06 · 46 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
well muslims ask god only if they need help
we respect jesus as a wonderful prophet
but when we ask for forgiveness we ask god directly
2006-12-13 08:18:23 · answer #1 · answered by micho 7 · 0⤊ 7⤋
Jesus preached a gospel of repentance. He didn't say "follow me and you'll have a great life." You gotta be willing to humble yourself, come down off of the throne of your life, and let it be Jesus' seat. Salvation is completely a gift of God, but your heart has to be right or the gift won't take root, like a seed on hard packed ground. The realization that you have sinned against a holy God prepares your heart, ploughs it up, to make fertile ground for the seed to take root. You must see that you are man, and God is a Holy God, and you've broken His law. Repenting is a big issue. It's more than being sorry, you must turn from sin, when sin and temptation present themselves, refuse, turn away, no matter the consequenses. Jesus has purchased you with His blood, your life is no longer your own. When Jesus has come into your heart, you'll know it. I did the same thing as you, even prayed the "prayer" several times, and like you are saying, nothing. Don't give up. Keep looking for Jesus, and He'll find you.
God bless you, friend
2006-12-13 09:41:46 · answer #2 · answered by lost and found 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, the advice you were given, likely with good intentions, was flawed. In Acts 8:26-39 the Ethiopian eunuch was reading the Bible as well. When asked if he understood what these things meant (referring to the prophesies of Isaiah) he responded "Really, how could I ever do so, unless someone guided me?”
The Bible is similar to a puzzle. All the pieces fit together harmoniously and you can put it together. But we all need help with this. It is important to associate regularly with others who are studying the Bible and putting its principles into practice in their lives.
As you read, think about these things: What is this telling me about God, his personality and his purposes? How can I apply this in my life? How can I use the material to benefit others?
If you are waiting for an intense happy feeling just from thinking about religious matters, though, it may never happen. Think about the times when you feel best about yourself. Is it not when you've accomplished something good? The same is true of our worship. When we act both on Bible principles and on the commands given to Christians, we gain the fruitage of God's holy spirit which includes joy.
Having an open mind and open heart is a good start. As Isaiah 48:17 says, God is the One teaching us to benefit ourselves. You can't go wrong from reading his word. But you will get the most benefit from it by being taught Bible truths in a person to person setting. A home Bible study would probably be the most helpful and comfortable for you.
2006-12-13 08:41:43 · answer #3 · answered by queenn_mab 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well 1st off you must make sure what you are telling God you truly mean or like you said nothing will happen and when you truly mean it I believe you feel at least a little something but know this that just because you become a Christian life is not always going to be "great" we are still human you'll still have heart aches but now you'll have God's love which will make it worth getting over those tough times and moving on to better ones. I really hope you will open your heart and don't give in so fast :)
2006-12-13 08:37:43 · answer #4 · answered by m cheryl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Years ago, at 1 extremely low point in my life, I asked a Pastor the same Question. His answer, "Faith".
Please think about the meaning of the word.
I believe that sometimes a definition of Faith might be -belief when there is no evidence.
When you accept and commit to God, you decide that this IS your answer and as such, you must have Faith in your decision.
Stop looking for answers, when I decided that God does not control EVERYTHING I became much happier as I realize the mistakes are mine not God punishing me. The successes are OURS.
You want to feel his Glory, watch a sunrise, a kitten play, a babys first laugh, walk in the woods, His Glory is everywhere.
God Bless you
2006-12-13 08:26:44 · answer #5 · answered by jetero41 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is hard, but remember the clay does not speak to the potter. The human thought can’t offer advice to God. We are His people. Jesus is not going to come for you and snatch you away because you are changing. You have plenty of work to do in getting rid of the old man completely (and understanding what that means). It takes courage and faith to walk the straight and narrow path, so don’t be discouraged and keep the faith. As you make progress doing good, a change will take place within you, a change that words can’t describe. This life is filled with trials and so you need a good footing so as not to slip and go backwards. The journey is worth the work.
2006-12-13 08:47:11 · answer #6 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like you are a literal thinker. Cause and effect, black and white, on and off, a realistic thinker. And in this world such a way of thinking is expected and valuable. However to my understanding, as I am sure you are finding out, religion does not always work that way. I believe a large part of attaining the result you are searching for is to not only open your heard to Jesus and God but to also follow His teachings as best as possible. That alone will give you a feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day. Keep in mind that the exact feeling of happiness you are expecting may not be the feeling you will get. It may be a different form of happiness. For example the happiness you are seeking might simply be the feeling of satisfaction you get when you compliment someone when they are having a bad day.
2006-12-13 08:39:41 · answer #7 · answered by weaselnutzninja 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
>>"help me live my life in a way I could be happy with."<<
There's the problem! That is what sin is all about, putting yourself first.
Because I am a christian and that joy you want didn't come to me straight away. As I kept going to church and reading the bible. I understand that when Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment that I deserve so I can go to heaven and then Jesus rose to life. Understanding this, I have joy knowing that I am going to heaven as a forgiven person, but not as a good person.
So, I encourage you to start going to church and continue reading the bible. So, with the help of the Holy Spirit you will recieve this joy.
God Bless.
2006-12-13 08:30:59 · answer #8 · answered by A follower of Christ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is something that many Christians struggle with. We feel that we can't see god's glory, and we don't feel any different from before we became a Christian. We are still commit the same sins that we had trouble with before.
It is easy to see God's glory. Just look. I mean, We are on a ball of rock 90million miles away from a continuously exploding sphere of gas. The clouds, flowers, everything we take for granted just think about the God who thought of it all.
If you need to feel like you're doing something for christ, Try sharing the gospel. An easy way to learn to do this is through Evangelism explosion. eeinternational.org
I'm praying for you.
2006-12-13 08:40:38 · answer #9 · answered by go2bermuda 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The first thing is if you are doing it for selfish reasons it's probably not genuine and that's probably why you don't see "results". The only advice I can offer is when I felt this way after I accepted Jesus Christ and I didn't know what to expect, I made sure to fellowship with other believers, and put effort forth in growing in my faith,that's when the Lord showed me that He is Faithful and rewarded my efforts by multiplying the results tenfold. Stay in Prayer and Stay in the Word. God is Faithful.
2006-12-13 08:41:09 · answer #10 · answered by master_tedsu 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, are you serious about encountering Jesus, and living a happy life? You don't become a christian to feel good. Although, that eventually will be a side effect. Many people seem to have a striving attidude in prayer, even what seems to be a task oriented prayer life. The point of prayer is to have communion with God. The Father's prayer for example starts off with our father in heaven. Do you know deep in ur heart God is your Father and you are His son. He loves you like a Father. However many people view this from how their father acted towards them. Our Father God is different, we dont have to do anything to have Him love us more. He sees us as perfect, because Jesus died and took away our sins. Start meditating on God's word, don't just read to be finished with a chapter. Even take one verse at a time, asking God what does that mean. Turn on worship while your doing it, let your spirit just rest in His. Slowly as paul tells us we will begin to reflect Christ. We will never be happy all the time while on this earth. Even Jesus up in heaven weaps. He weaps for the lost and desperate. Yet true happiness is rooted in joy. The saved all have joy, even if we don't feel like we do. Stop living life by how you feel. If you feel depressed or sad just tell yourself no I am happy in Jesus name. Sooner or l8tr you will be happy. The reason is because words have creative power, God created the universe with what? WORDS. Sorry this was so long, everything i said was rooted in scripture, if you don't believe me look it up yourself. God bless!
2006-12-13 08:37:00 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋