I'm moving on.
To me, Life itself is God, and the Cross is a symbol of peace.
I have mulled over the scriptures time and time again and it has returned pain to me for lack of understanding, but what I can tell you from the bottom of my heart is that I believe. That's it. I 'believe.'
I'm moving on. I'm going to be an EMT and then work on being a Paramedic.
I lost hope after reading the scriptures. I lost faith. I lost confidence. I lost my self-esteem. I lost my self. I lost way too much, and yet here I am, a man that does not and was not going out to do wickedly.
Bye everyone.
Greeting
@twcstp111
My heart is troubled my friend, for many reasons, not because you have chosen to walk away from God, though that should concern me, but that mentally it is affecting you. God does love you my friend, so much so he let his one and only son be crucified, to die on the cross, shedding is blood for your sins and mine, for all our sins.
I do not know what you have read my friend, but I do know this, God loves you and God does not create fear, lost faith, lost confidence, lost self esteem. No, No, God is the opposite to all these things
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you
Psalm 118:8
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man
Jeremiah 17:7
The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the LORD, is blessed.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 10:35-36
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
1 John 2:3
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
1 John 4:16-18
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
If what you experience is not from God, you can be sure it is the work of the devil. Now this tells me if the devil is doing this to you, he sees you as a threat if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and are born again.
Now there is a key, I you prayed for God to reveal the Truth in His Word to you before starting to read the Bible? Have you read all of John's Gospel
In particular read All of
John 3:1-21
Please read it all, if you have read it again, we are praying for you. You will see in the message Jesus says, 3 times, you MUST BE Born Again. He also says if you are not, you will NOT SEE and NOT ENTER the Kingdom of God, not here on earth now or in heaven. Sin veils us from the Truth, that veil has to be removed, only God can remove it, but only when we are born again from above.
So look again at your comments of your issues. You cannot understand scripture, it is confusing, you think you believe but what you believe is in your head, it must be in your heart, it will only be in your heart if you have repented, given your life back tom God your creator, and chosen to take up your cross daily to follow Jesus and learn from him.
I say this respectfully, I do not want you to misunderstand, you haven't lost faith because you have not yet received it. You say you have mulled it over and decided... it is clear here you are trying in the flesh to think things out. It doesn't work that way, first we have to repent and accept Jesus, then we learn how to let go of self and let him guide us in life, many will tell you this I am sure, the more we learn to give in to God, more of him, less of me, the more he can do for us and Bless us.
What ever you decide my friend, may the Lord Bless you and guide you. This verse sums up what I have just shared.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
