I have been having a huge problem the past 6 months. I am constantly paranoyed that the "end" is near. About a year ago I found god. I had always believed but there were times I questioned whether he existed. I would sin and pray like I was reading a text book. It was memorized. It was never like I was Communicating with God. Now I talk to him constantly, I am ALWAYS trying to not be ignorent and sin without knowing its a sin. I am constantly thinking is this a sin? Is this a sin? Now I wont eat till I am full, I try not to lie, I wont say anything abd about someone or judge, I wont by myself nice things anymore. I feel guilty every time I even think about buying my self some nice sunglasses or that cute shirt in the store. I always ask for forgiveness. But now m life is miserable I have no fun, everything costs money and I should probably be donating it to a charity than spending it on myself. Also I am haunted by my past I didnt respect my body and sadly I am no longer a virgin.....
2007-02-16 06:58:03 · 30 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
and I recently had a breast augmentation because I was not comfortable in my skin. I mean I could have used that money for something better. I am scared I dont want to go to hell. but its like no matter what I do I feel its a sin. To have a nice car? to have a decent appartment? to eat out? to eat till I am full? to not have nice clothes? I feel bad anytime I treat myself to something because there are people out there who have nothing. I am so confused and I am stressed out beyind anything that its put me into a depression. I just want to be a good person and go to heaven to be with the lord. But why is me trying so hard to be good and not sin making me so miserable? i need answers am I thinking about this too hard? I have read that only 5% of us will be chosen? But how do they know? is it wrong for me to wish that the end wont come in my life time? Shouldnt I be excited to join the lord? Ugh.. I need help . please.
2007-02-16 07:03:06 · update #1
WOW I honestly did not except so much response from all of you!! Thank You all so much You honestly dont understand how much it means. It honestly made me cry. I am at work right now and that made my day. I feel so much better now! Thank you all!!
God Bless!!!
2007-02-16 07:57:46 · update #2
Sweety...what you are going through is not totally unusual with a new Christian. If you have read my posts before, you know that I will say...I am not an end timer. There is a faction in Christian belief that literally worship the "end times". Right now, you have been pulled into that factor. A good person to talk to would be your pastor...but if he is an end times pastor then go talk to either a United Methodist or Presbyterian pastor (there are others, I just want to give you something concrete here).
Do not read any more end times information right now, do not study revelations. Focus your Bible study on the Gospels.
Study the meaning of grace, of forgiveness, of love. Define what it means to truly be a Christian in todays world. Do not look at sin...remember that God, and not you, define sin. As you work through this I think you will find your faith growing and reaching levels of enlightenment you have not experienced yet.
Sometimes, religion can become unhealthy. As Christians we need to learn to recognize that and to help people when we see this happening (good example...post partum psychosis moms who harm or kill their children are almost always tied into some kind of out of the normal religious belief).
You have seen that you have become obsessed with dying and with the end, so much that it is now a phobia for you.
Good luck to you and God Bless, Love and Keep You. And yes, your sins, whatever they are, have already been forgiven.
PEG
2007-02-16 07:12:03 · answer #1 · answered by Dust in the Wind 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is impossible to live a sin-free life. There is none perfect exccept for Him. Being saved is not a free ticket to sin; however, it is not a restriction on your life either. You should feel absolute freedom. Everyone has different convictions and those convictions can vary from person to person. You are free to live your life as you wish. Once you feel a conviction (guilt) come over you for something you have done, that is when you repent for it and ask forgiveness. As far as the sins of your past, once you were saved, those transgressions were forgiven and forgotten by God, never to be held against you again. Psalms 103:12 states that He has removed our transgressions from us as far as the East is from the West.
2007-02-16 07:20:29 · answer #2 · answered by Beej 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that it's important that you understand that a walk with Christ is not supposed to be a trail of tears; contrary to what you may have heard in a church, Christianity is NOT a matter of the pursuit of rightiousness for fear of devine retribution, and God is not a bully. The over-riding emotion that's supposed to define your walk with Christ is love, not guilt; Christianity has been used as a political tool throughout its history and most of the guilt-inducing doctrine was introduced for that purpose. God loves you so its okay to have nice sunglasses; perhaps you should find a balance between greed and self-denial; I bet if you tried, you could find a way to do things for others without becoming a monk. I hope this helps.
2007-02-16 07:09:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Oh, goodness!
First things first, I'm going to tell you what I believe so that you can understand where I'm coming from. I am a Christian, but I have never been as "die-hard" as you have become. I have made many mistakes in my life and I know that I will continue to do so. I lost my virignity when I was very young and made a series of equally poor decisions. I have always felt badly about my actions, but I know that the way I live my life now shows God that I am a new person.
God gave us free will so that we would make our own choices and learn from our mistakes. He knows that we aren't perfect and doesn't expect perfection from us. All he wants is for us to be good people, honor Him, and spread his word. I believe that God is hearing your words as you write them and is probably saddened that your devotion has led to depression. I'm sure that He would love for you to have the sunglasses or t-shirt that you want, just as long as you aren't stealing the item, worshipping material items as you once did Him, or spending all of your money only on yourself.
I think you need to maintain a balance of faith, humility, and personal integrity. If you continue to reduce the joys in your life little by little, there will be few things left that make you happy. That is NOT what He wants.
I hope that you can take some time for yourself and feel better about that steps you've already taken to improve your life. Don't waste your energy worrying about the "end", but focus on ways you can make your life and the lives of those around you better. That way you are responsible for a whole new "beginning". Good Luck and you can always feel free to contact me if you need to talk.
2007-02-16 07:09:13 · answer #4 · answered by maryeforeman 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It sounds like you have some issues that have nothing to do with your religious preference. Guilt is part of all of us, some of us feel guilty after making huge purchases, others don't. I feel guilty when I punish my children even though I know I needed to. It is part of being human. But yours sounds a little more involved than just worrying about if your spending habits will determine your afterlife. Being nice is a good thing. Living your life the right way is good. Doing something for yourself is good too. So what if you got a boob job. Honestly, I would talk to a counselor. It wouldn't hurt anything and it might put some of your feelings into better perspective. Best of luck to you!
2007-02-16 07:08:35 · answer #5 · answered by firey_cowgirl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Boy are you a mess. Because you misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with having nice things as long as they were not ill gotten. And make sure that the things you have don't become more important than your Father. Other than that , make as much money as you can honestly, save for your dreams, or an emergency, give to the poor but still meet your obligations, buy whatever keeps your life interesting . TRY to keep his commandments as best you can and ENJOY YOUR GODLY LIFE and sleep well !!!!!!!! You ol worrywart you.
2007-02-16 07:24:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The only unforgivable sin is rejecting Christ.
Keep on moving forward. Live contently knowing that you are forgiven if you truly have accepted Christ.
You are not perfect (none of us are). If we were, we would not need Jesus.
It's not a sin to buy nice clothes, as long as some starving person doesn't come up to you and ask for food and you turn them away so that you can go shopping.
If you live miserably, speak to God and let the Holy Spirit direct you.
2007-02-16 07:04:26 · answer #7 · answered by Christian93 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Listen-God does not expect you to be perfect.He has not placed you on this earth as a penance.He has given you gifts and He wants you to use them.He has given you life and he wants you to enjoy it.
He has placed you with others so that you have friends.Do not worry whether the end is near or that your end is near.
You are right not to judge and you are right not to lie and you are right trying not to sin.But God does not want you to live in misery.
Do your best and have faith,love and charity but within what is your own reasonable capability.
At the marriage of Cana Our Lord turned water into wine.Had he been a dour, fun-less and all too serious guy he wouldn't have done that.To everything there is a time and a season.Your time now is to enjoy what God has given you,thank God for it and spread that joy to others.
Good Luck
2007-02-16 07:08:52 · answer #8 · answered by bearbrain 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You are forgiven---not by your actions, but by God's grace. It sounds like you need some counseling. Try and talk w/clergy. You need to also forgive yourself. I feel that as a person who is searching & rgrowing in your faith, where you are is not surprising! I would urge you to join a church and become a part of a congregation where you can recieve support & affirmation.
2007-02-16 07:09:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The bible says that all fall short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death. Having said that the bible also says that for God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son so that none should parish but have ever lasting life (john 3:16). If you have truly confused to God that your believe in his son Jesus Christ and asked forgiveness of your sins and asked Christ into your life, you are forgiven of your past, present and future sins. As for your feelings of guilt they are natural but God also wants us to be happy in this life as well as life after death in Heaven. After giving your life to Christ you should want to live as He did and seek His ways. However you should not feel as if any little slip up could cause you your salvation. That would take the power away from God and give it back to you to. God said if you confess your sins and give your life to Christ you are saved. Being so then who are you to change that? So if you are saved then relax don't be so hard on yourself. Read your bible, talk w/ others and spread the good news so others can come to Him.
2007-02-16 07:16:15 · answer #10 · answered by ClarkKent (S) 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋