For pastors or strong christians only? No Sunday Christians or mockers please.?

Question

I feel like I have completely lost my faith in Christ as Saviour of my life. I pray just because i feel like I am supposed to. And not signifigant prayers either, but the little self serving prayers like "Oh God help me here." I have read the Bible maybe once on my own in the last year.to try and have any sort of relationship with God. I know that I am saved, but I feel like the seed planted on rocky soil. When I first became a Christian, 7 years ago, I read the bible every day like 2x a day. Now I read it at church. I am depressed, I have lost my joy, and I am starting to live like I used to before I was saved. I just feel like I am too bad for God to help me. I have thought about suicide lately. I have zero self control, except when it comes to cheating on my wife, but I still look at chicks with lust in my heart, which is the same thing. I don't know when to rely upon self control or when to rely on God, (the Bible says both). Any Scriptural Help Please? I want a dynamic

life changing world changing relationship with God.

Answer 1

I hope I can encourage you. It is an Everyday walk. You are walking in your testimony right now. And you can't have a testimony without tests,right??
Keep pressing through and fall on your knees,sometimes when we go to that "secret place" we need to just be quite. Find a spot where there are no distractions read a chapter of Psalms, then a chapter of Proverbs Yes that much .If you sit down and read your Bible and are really Hungary and thirsty for God that is right where you can meet Him. Its Your relationship with Him all I can tell you is How I get through my days.For I have some convictions of my own.
Nothing is too bad for God's forgiveness(His love is big) and all it takes is a complete turn around on our part.
Brother I pray that you get your joy- for the Joy in the Lord is our strength.
Lord,
We come to your throne with boldness as we are saved by Your loving Grace.Because You loved us first. Stop the fleshly thoughts that we get our minds wrapped into and tend to entertain Lord we want to have our thoughts on You for You give us Peace and comfort. Abba we come to You as broken people and pray that You will mold us into what You want us to become we can not do that if we are looking at our selves and our problems all the time. Take these desires and flush them away as they do us no good. It leads to sin and therefore seperation from You. For the Wages of sin is death.
Lord I pray for this man's marriage that His wife will be the only one that he will have a sexual connection with in his thoughts and beyond and that He will not WANT to even think of another in that way....Lord Let him cast All his imaginantions and cares on You for this is Your will...Lord, Your Word says that You give and take away so I pray this for this man today. Restore his heart and mind and rekindle the fire- make his heart clean and his hands pure. I pray protection for this marriage.
Lord We want to do good but we are weak with out you
Thank You Father God! We praise Your Wonderful Name For You know our future and Will for us and we want what You have for us because it is better than anything that this world can offer.
Guide this man's footsteps, place them on the track again and renew His mind in the Word Every day. Thank You!
In Jesus's Mighty Name We Pray,
AMEN!!
†Everyday Prayer Warrior†

Answer 2

Sounds like you need some really good Christian friends and a faith study to attend on a regular basis where you get to know the people in the group and you get to learn more about the Scriptures. Also sounds like you might need to see a doc about some anti-depressants...
One thing you need to know and believe is that NO ONE is too bad for God to redeem!
Read the gospels. Who did Jesus pick to follow Him? were they people of high status? NO! One was a hated tax collector. Look at the Apostle Paul! He was a murderer in all respects and look at how the Lord changed his life.
We have to chooses who to let control our lives. When we rely on self, we mess up big time. When we rely on God, He is in control.
Being a Christian does not mean you have a life without trouble or heart ache...but we have hope that many don't and that is foundin John 3: 16 and all thruout the NT.
Another thing ya might want to do is serve the Lord. Local missions are a good place to start. Find some Christian friends and ask God to show ya what you can do to help those in need. Get Your mind on the Lord and on others and serve and you might be surprised that YOUR JOY will return.
AND if those thoughts of suicide continue...go to the emergency room and do not wait.
God loves ya and has a good plan for you if You let Him..if ya rely on Him. Take care!!!!

Answer 3

I cannot pull the exact scriptures out of my hat that
will solve your dilemma. I'm not that good at answering every problem with a scripture.
I wish I had time to really talk
to you. Here we go:
You are being way too hard on yourself! You are a human and you inhabit planet
earth. You are living in an age that is really not condusive to a moralistic life.
Life is not sin,sin,sin as most preachers preach.
Life is one day at a time. Every man has lustful thoughts, some more than others. To stop the cheating,
you bring your marriage out of heaven and down to earth.
you get you and your wife
straightened out. Sex lis not
dirty. god made it. Get to
some good marriage counselors or your marriage
is down the tubes.
Feeling you are unworthy.
that is straight from the devil's pit. If you are a Christian-
you are worthy!!! Why? Jesus made you worthy.
If your faith is shaky. Take some days off and go out
into the wilds someplace that you love. Take your Bible so the Lord can show you some things, and dedicate this time
to communion with God & Jesus & the Holy Spirit & and
probably some angels.
Lay it on the line. Tell the Lord exactly how you feel.
Good/bad/or indifferent.
Most steady Christians don't have to rely on self control in
any area. why? Because the
thoughts and acts just are not
a part of their make-up anymore.
You are having a heavy dose
of satanitis. he is on your tail
but good. My advice is when
you go out to pray (SOON)
you ask your pastor (or a prayer warrior) to pray seriously for you. I sure hope
your wife is a born-again christian, ask her to pray.
Don't tell her about the lust tho cause she is a woman after all.

Answer 4

Countless people are going to come into your life and then leave again. That's life. We all have separate paths to walk, sometimes they intersect, but they almost always diverge again at some point. All you can do is let your friend know you care about her and tell her you're there to listen if she ever needs someone to talk to. To be someones friend means you put them before yourself. Taking some time apart might be good for both of you. If you really want to keep things going though, try and form a new bond. Go off on an adventure together and create some new memories. Maybe a day of skiing, or hiking, or ice skating. Something that is active so you aren't forced to just sit and stare at each other across a table. A volunteer project could also bring you closer together. Organize a clothing or food drive, volunteer together at a museum exhibit. Ask your church to recommend some activities, maybe an alternative spring break, mission type deal. There are tons of possibilities. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

What you are going through is called a dry season ...it is a time of growth and testing...you get stronger during this time. Do not lose heart but keep pressing on, I am just recovering from a dry time myself, it was a number of things that happened in my life that happened right before my dry time, my mom past away, I gained a lot of weight back after losing a bunch and then my pastor was promoted to a high office, I had to force myself to go to church for a while and then eventually quit for almost 8 months. Do not worry, keep praying and read the word as you can. Remember he will never leave you or forsake you and it is NEVER about how we feel...our feelings can fool us quite a bit. Also you are facing what is called condemnation and that is from Satan but he is a liar...God has promised to forgive and forget every sin as you confess it to him. no matter how much you think you have blown it you need to remember that we serve a God of Mercy!!! Also I would like to give you an example that might encourage you a little ..a Bible Character that went through what you are going through...we are human But God is great and will get you through all you are going through..Read the story about Elijah when he fleed from Jezabel 1 Kings 19..especially verses 3-5...the whole chapter should bring back your hope because you face the same things that of a great prophet did. God saw him through this time when suicide looked to be a good option to Elijah. God will get you through this TRUST HIM!!! Peace
Edited Robert C that was an excellent answer!
Edited there are a lot of great answers here many of which you can learn from. I will be prayinf for you.

Answer 6

My hearts aches when I read these kind of experiences that people go through. I wish I could be right there to encourage you personally. There is really never enough information to adequately get a sense of the root of the problem on this forum, it is so impersonal. I can pray for you and in doing so ask God to send people into your life who are called to help you make it through this bend in the road.

I don't always feel saved washedclean21, and I make mistakes and feel the guilt that comes with my actions. Remember Gods grace is sufficient. What is there to go back to??? Here is a verse that I hope gives you a lift.

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,


Intercessor Prayer Warrior

Answer 7

You are going through a season of your life that all Christians face at one time or another. If you are weary, take your weariness to the Lord. It will pass. Declare the blood of Jesus over your life: He is faithful to complete what He is part of, and He is part of you. Trust in God; He won't leave you because your spirit is in the valley and not on the mountaintop. You can emerge with your faith renewed and stronger. The key is not to become overcome with your circumstances or with what you are going through at the moment, but to keep your eyes firmly ahead on your goal: a full relationship with God. Your self-awareness and your humility in facing your problems is very moving. Take your exact feelings to God and tell Him, the same way you told us. Tell Him night and day, wherever you are. There are times when we can only cry out to Him. He will answer.

If you have lust in your heart toward a woman when you look on her- and that is normal- then look away. Pray the blood of Jesus over your marriage. Be careful not to put yourself in situations where something can actually happen with another woman.

This season of your life will pass. Keep climbing; you will come up out of the valley, and you will see the mountaintop. Being a Christian is not easy; it isn't meant to be. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. From struggles like yours, one can emerge a hundred times stronger. Don't let the devil cheat you out of that. What you are going through is spiritual warfare. Put on the whole armor of God.

**Just had to add this- isn't it funny how you specifically addressed your question to Christians, yet not only were you bombarded with nonChristian answers, but some of them actually went through thumbs-downing all the Christian answers? There is an influence actually trying to keep you from getting the advice you need. That proves the case for spiritual warfare.

Answer 8

You need to spend more time in God's word. If possible even talk this problem over with your pastor. The bible teaches us that we can learn through tribulation. Tribulation leads to perseverance which leads to building of character which leads to hope. Hope will not disappoint.
Something else that has helped me is a realization that the power of God lives in me. When you accepted Christ as your savior God sent eh Holy Spirit to guide you. God being infinite can not be divided up into pieces. Infinity divided by any number is still infinity. So when the Holy Spirit lives in you so the all the power of the Almighty God. It sound like Satan has a good hold on your life and is trying to lead you away from God. Ephesians 6: 10-19
God Bless

Answer 9

Okay I'm not a pastor, but I am a Christian, and many of my friends have the same problem right now. I'm not going to say that your mindset will change overnight, but there are a couple of things that, with God's help, can change the attitude of your heart.
-First off, remember what God has done for you.
Not only has He given you the best gift ever- eternal life, think of all the times that He has come through for you! He said in His word that He will never leave you or forsake you, and I'll bet that even if you think as hard as you possibly can, you couldn't come up with a time that He failed to see you through. He has never given us any reason to doubt His faithfulness, He's never lied to us, He's always kept His promises, and He's never abandoned us in our times of need. Remember that when Jesus died on the cross, He died for EVERY SINGLE ONE of your sins. In John 3:16 it says that ..."WHOSOEVER believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life." It didn't say 'as long as their sins aren't too bad they won't perish', it said WHOSOEVER- anyone.
-Next, remember who God is.
God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, Triune, eternal, holy, the Creator, Sustainer, and Savior of the universe, and the list goes on. You need to realize how wonderfully special it is to have a personal relationship with Him. God will help you with your attitude if you ask Him. Try to spend time with Him every single day. Twice a day. Have an attitude of constant thanksgiving to God. After all, without Him, you would be lost.

-Keep praying-

Pray that God will bring into your life someone that will hold you accountable- making sure that you keep on track with your devotions and your attitude.
Pray that God would change your heart and your life- confess your sinful lifestyle and then TURN FROM IT
Pray that God would give you the joy that only He is able to give
Pray that God would give you the will to live for Him 100%
Pray that God would help you realize just how much He loves you- after all He gave His Son to die for you
Pray that God would help you rely on Him for everything

I reccommend that you start reading your Bible at least twice a day, I have begun to do that- it really helps me to have my focus on God all day long (exactly how it should be)

Remember to ultimately look for answers in God's word- it will never return void.

I will pray for you also


Keep living for Christ!

Answer 10

Washed Clean 21,
I am a Pastor, and at times I feel just as you described. There are times when I feel I cannot read the Bible...there are times that I feel as if I cannot pray. There are times I feel as if I am going insane. There are 2 schools of thought here: 1) As a Christian you know we are constantly under attack from the enemy. He plants seeds of doubt in our mind, makes us doubt our faith and tries to drive a wedge in our relationship with God. 2) God may be drawing back (not away) from you as a test to your faith...know He is there, without feeling His presence. I have been down this road more than once, and trust me...if you keep the faith, you will be strengthened in your faith. What you are experiencing is nothing new...many people before us have walked down this path. If you keep the faith...you will be rewarded...if you turn from your faith (you will return later, trust me), you will go though a time of what has been referred to as the "belly of the whale" a time of reflection...a time to discover..a time to heal...a time to recharge your batteries and connect back to God. The key is to remember...God is always with us; in the valleys and on the mountain tops, and every step in between. I will pray for you...God bless!
Chris