Question for true christians out there- need some advice?

Question

I've known God all my life, but as i grew up, i've drawn a lot away from Him. Now, i've tried anything to go back to God, i've tried prayer, ANYTHING but nothing works. Even when i go to church it's as if i'm just hearing words, nothing else- nothing that i can actually live my life upon.

I know for sure that deep in my heart i've become so numb to God- i think i gave away so many chances, that God almost seems like He doesn't even have a place into my life anymore. What can i do to go back????!!!!!!???? Is there any chance? (i've tried reading the Bible, but like i said, it just feels like it's words, nothing that i can base my life upon, and prayer- it's as if i'm talking to myself) HELP!!!!!!!

i don't have a youth group

Answer 1

Being as I cannot state whether you have the spirit or not:

There are some tough questions that need to be asked. Two of them to be exact. The importance of either truly are critical to your question.

1. Have you blasphemied the spirit?

Scripture says:

Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

1Jn 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
1Jn 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.


The one sin that shall not be forgiven man, namely to say that the spirit is evil. Unfortunately, since many people give place to wrath and judgementalism, this is often done. All that is required, is to say to a person with the holy spirit that they are "going to he__", or that they are possessed, or that they are evil.

2. Did you ever have the spirit?

Scripture is clear.

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

If you have the spirit, then nothing is "over". You are the only one whom can remove your salvation.... by throwing it away yourself. Satan cannot. Your fellow man cannot. God can, but has promised leniency (mercy), as long as you try. If your heart were completely hardened, and you had turned your face completely from God, do you think you would even realize the lack?

2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.


2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Maybe, just maybe, what mentally drove you away, was a seeking of truth, and not finding it. You said yourself "nothing that i can actually live my life upon". Your belief (faith) has fallen away for a reason, and these words you spoke will not leave me. If the spirit was ever within you, then you would have KNOWN it was there, as you would feel it within you, and not just around you.

(I was reprobate myself for a long, long, time. I had "professed with my mouth, and believed in my heart", yet like many ignoring the rest of the book of Romans, ignoring chapter 6, and also ignoring christs own words)

Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

And the apostles:

Act 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
Act 8:30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
Act 8:31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
Act 8:32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
Act 8:33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
Act 8:34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
Act 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Act 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Act 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Act 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Like the feeling of the wind outside blowing over you, is a somewhat close similitude of the wind within. If you have never been baptized, as demonstrated in Acts above, do so. If you have, then ask yourself what it is that has come between you and God. Ask this righteously, not sparing yourself, leaving the self justification at the curb. Find it, and earnestly pray to the Father that the spirit of Christ help you remove it. Then seek earnestly after God, and his righteousness.

If there was no chance, YOU would believe the lie, and never realize that there was even a problem spiritually.

Paul

Answer 2

The main thing that keeps us separated from God is sin. Ask yourself seriously if there are any sinful habits that you have fallen into. Are you prideful? Try being humble and serving others. Are you lustful? Make an honest effort to stop any lustful habits and thoughts from entering your mind. Do you get angry easily? Are you constantly worried about money? God said you cannot worship both God and money, so take your pick. Once you have removed yourself from all vices, your heart will start to hear God's gentle words. At this point you should start praying deeply and sincerely, all day long if you have to. This will (a) help you in your struggle against sin and (b) open your heart to the love of God which you can then start sharing with your neighbour. The greatest thing you can do is show acts of love to your family, friends and associates, even to strangers. Each act of love with take another brick out of the wall that has been built up between you and God. One day, once that wall has been broken down by prayer, holiness and good works, the glory of God will flood over you like a tidal wave, and you will have no more doubts about your relationship with Christ. This project may take years, but the prize is eternal life so you should never give up. Do not lose hope!

Peace,
morkie

Answer 3

This is describing myself recently. Don't rely on your own wisdom. Pray constantly.

These are the scriptures I've been meditating on. Matthew 18 talking about becoming like a child. James 4 about humility. 1 John uses the term "little children." There's no room for being "wise" about badness. It's just self-righteousness.

I was reading a book about magic in ancient Egypt. The entire civilisation was riddled with temple worship including prostitution. The imagery used to describe unfaithful Israel was of an adulteress. There is no room for retaining any "worldliwise" knowledge as part of your obedient, cared-for relationship with God.

I wish you all the best.

Answer 4

Well, dear, you need to re-establish your relationship with God. I have been exactly in the same place, and it all comes back to the point of contact, which is at the foot of the cross.
You need to get down on your knees and humble yourself before the Lord. Admit where and when you got sidetracked. God wants you to know where you went wrong and confess it, repent and receive the forgiveness that He so much wants you to have. He hasn't left, nor forsaken you. You say there is no longer place in your life for Him anymore. Well, start giving Him a place in your life. Start focusing on Him again. Just sing a song of praise to Him while you're in the shower, or when you're doing a household chore. Start thanking Him when things are going good. Say grace before you eat a meal. Tell Him you miss Him and want to know Him again. Read just one scripture verse a day, and start looking at it as His message to you each day. If you don't feel His presence, that's okay, because we walk in faith anyway. He loves you, and you just have to realize it, sweetie. The Word of God will become alive to you again, you'll see.

Answer 5

Honestly, I'm also in the same boat as you. I was so close to God and I have let the Devil control my life and now I am trying to get right with God. I do go to church, I do read the Bible and they are not just words to me, thank God. The best way to get back to him is fast, pray and read your Bible. The Devil may be telling you it's not working, the Word of God doesn't mean anything and that God has given up on you but do not listen to him. God's grace and love is sufficient for all of us and He (God) never gives up on us, that's just what the Devil wants you to believe but it's not true.
Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you".

Medidate on the word of God and believe that God is with you. May the Lord be with you as He promised. Don't lose faith in God, He hasn't lost faith in you, He still loves you.

Answer 6

You say you've known God all your life. I would advise you to make sure you've actually had a personal relationship with God. Many people think they have such a relationship and they really don't. Since you don't seem to be able to re-unite with God, I would just advise you to sit back and listen.
Go to this website: http://www.intouch.org/index_76034.html... It's Charles Stanleys'
website
If you click on ‘Broadcast’ and then if you click on ‘Radio Archives’ or ‘TV Archives’ you can get all kinds of Audio or Video messages. I think his archives go back to 2006. This is the christian answer to your problem, which I believe is the only answer. He talks about depression, fear, worry, guilt feelings, lack of meaning in your life, slavery to habits, the christian view of sex and many more things from the bibles perspective. He talks about God and how you can know Him in a personal way. The topics are all labeled so you can pick and choose what you want to listen to. Also, find yourself a church(I recommend one of the Calvary Chapels if there is one near you) but there are other good churches. Just find one that believes the word and teaches it verse by verse. If you go to http://maps.calvarychapel.com/, you can type in your zip code and it will give you the Calvary Chapel closest to you. Find the biggest Calvary Chapel near you. I suggest a big one because the bigger it is the easier it will be to attend the bible studies and just sit in the back of the church and listen without making a committment and without being bothered by anybody. You don't have to worry about someone approaching you about membership. Calvary Chapels don't have membership. They just have bible studies that anyone who wants to know God can attend and listen. If you start listening to Charles Stanley on the internet and attending Calvary Chapel and just listening, I promise you that God will speak to you. God does Love you(John3:16).

Answer 7

Feelings can be deceptive. Sometimes we feel one way then another about many things. What we know is that God is there and he hears our words and those who seek him find him. If you accept the atonement of Jesus stay in his word and keep him close in prayer and meditate on him and soon you will know him. We have the word of God that those who love and seek the truth receive a gift of faith and through faith comes revelation. We can not see God at times do to the fact that e have distanced ourselves and lost faith. I have been there myself to the point i once called myself an atheist..When i sought God again with all of my heart I found him and he showed me he was there the whole time.

Answer 8

It sounds like you have lost your innocence. To have the ability to truly believe and trust in god, a person has to retain some of their childhood innocence. It is one of the reasons that the church tries to discourage the congregation from becoming too worldly (i.e. sex out of marriage; studying evolution; hard core lifestyles, violence etc.), because it destroys a person's innocence. Have you seen too much, or has something happen to you that has destroyed that vital place in your heart where the belief in god used to reside? That's what happened to me. I know from experience that you may never get it back, but take heart. There are other spiritualities out there that don't insist on blind-faith, therefore purity and innocence of heart is not so much required. I know you feel that you have lost something, and you probably have, but you can not go back, so be who you are now and allow yourself to be the more worldly and experienced person you have become. Remember that there is much that comes with the loss of innocence, such as a more realistic attitude and wisdom earned from experience.

EDIT: Oops, sorry. I just reread your question and realized that you asked for only true believers. I used to be a true believer but as you can see, that changed. Sorry, again.

Answer 9

I grew up as a devote Christian. Although I have not drawn away from my beliefs, I have pulled away from Organized Religion that which in my opinion does not practice what they preach. I live my life by the “Golden Rule” and with “Moral Values” outside the restraints of Religion.

You can have your belief in God but you do not have to have a belief in Religion.

Look within yourself, find yourself, and live your life as yourself.

This may not have been the answer you were looking for but as a once devote “Christian” who is a True believer and follower in Christ it is the only one that I can give.
Good Luck.

Peace & Love,
Sam

Answer 10

Hi..

Don't worry. The Bible says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

It also says in Psalm 51 "A broken and contrite heart You will not despise."

You may have played with sin enough that you are still sick with some of its virus after effects. You need to fill your life with truth and maybe have some other believers walk you out of the oppression that sin has opened the door for in your life.

Here is a good book for you to read and talk about with a pastor or youth pastor that you know has a real relationship with God as well as a lot of wisdom.

Stomping Out the Darkness http://www.amazon.com/Stomping-Out-Darkness-Neil-Anderson/dp/0830716408/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-9926603-5880810?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182753342&sr=8-1

The Bible says that if you confess your sins, He (Yeshua/ Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive your sins and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.

Ask the Lord to guide you to a faithful and trustworthy believer in a position of authority in Him to whom you can confess out loud some of the sins you need to confess. See if you can read that book together with the person or get together to talk about it week by week.

You are not too big of a mess. For encouragement, read about how God restored Manasseh even though he had committed all kinds of idolatry.

God loves you. It is because of Him that you are being drawn back to seeking Him now.

Be strong and of good courage. He will help you and strengthen you and help you to stand.

Answer 11

i have been through this before , just relax and pray , i prayed alot but nothing happened at its time , But it happened after all ,maybe God is giving u time for a certain purpose , just keep on praying ,and wait ,God said that he will come and knock the door and who oppens he will get in and have dinner with , so wait for the knock , keep on praying ,go to church , tell ur friends who have faith about it , always be +ve , and never lose hope , and dont worry the I am sure that God will come and knock over and over again till u opens , because he told us so , and he loves u that's why he will never let u go ,
God bless u ,and fill u with his peace