I'm going to Hell.

[Glow]

I thought I was saved, but I don't truly desire to go after Christ alone. I know we have to repent and believe, but what I thought was "good fruit" is only me reading the Bible, going to church, and praying to God, but the actual obedience to His commandments part is an afterthought in my life, and I don't take it seriously.

I know we are saved only by faith and not works, by repenting of our sins and putting our faith in Jesus; but I've been looking at my life, and I see that I don't truly have genuine love for Jesus, meaning I was never saved. The book of 1 John writes to believers to show whether they have eternal life. I fail all the tests.

I get pleasure in fun/entertainment and get angry at God when I feel like God wants to take it away from me.
I don't enjoy following His commandments. I only seem to enjoy the "feelings" I get when reading the Bible.
My "love" for God seems to be based on my emotions. If I have a "feeling" of love for God (joy, brief feeling of presence of God's Spirit), I want to obey Him, but I only seem to obey Him when it's convenient for me and when it "feels good" to do it.
I don't feel godly sorrow over my sins. My grief over my sins is me feeling "sorry" that I've done something wrong because I don't want to prove that I'm lost; but there's no heart behind it, and I keep giving into the same sins over and over without feeling bad for what I've done to the Person of Jesus Christ.
I give in to sin too easily.
I covet and commit idolatry all the time. You don't have to commit the "big" sins to be deserving of God's wrath. Even a single lie can cause someone to go to Hell forever. I commit idolatry and covetousness every day over fun/entertainment/watching shows/playing games, and I always get angry when I feel God wants me to do something else.
I spent hours and hours watching tv series instead of focusing on Jesus.
I try to justify sin.

What makes all of this so frightening is that I can't seem to repent. I tell God I'm sorry and confess my sins, and I even tell Him that I'm willing to give them up and start fresh, but I can't seem to feel godly sorrow. Godly sorrow means you are grieved over offending God and feel guilt over sins. All I feel is worldly sorrow, which is just me feeling bad that I might go to Hell.

How can I truly repent? How do I get godly sorrow? I've been asking God to save me and for Him to give me true repentance and true faith, but I don't have it yet, and I can't figure out what to do.

Please, please pray for me. I honestly want to see Christ the way I should, and to love Him, but I feel cold and superficial inside.

 

[amadeus2]

Don't convict yourself based on feelings alone. All of us have feelings, but sometimes they are lying to us. None of us are worthy of the sacrifice of Jesus. None of us have earned our way to an eternity with God. God wants us to make an effort, but He recognizes that we cannot do this thing alone. Keep on praying for God to help you to truly repent and then work at it... even if at times you seemingly fail. God knows your frailty as He knows the frailty of all of us. Success is good, but when we don't succeed, don't quit. Look to God once more, and once more and once more for as long as it takes. Ask God to help you not to grow "weary with well doing".

Read about the life of the man David who became King of Israel. He failed repeatedly, but he never gave up and he continued to look to God for help. Compare his life to that of King Saul, who was king before David. The main difference was that when David messed up he readily admitted it and was ready to take whatever punishment or chastisement he believe he had earned. Saul, on the other hand, wanted to justify his actions or inactions and/or to blame his failures on others. God rejected Saul, but David was called a man after God's heart and the apple of His eye.

I am praying for you.

 

[Glow]

Don't convict yourself based on feelings alone. All of us have feelings, but sometimes they are lying to us. None of us are worthy of the sacrifice of Jesus. None of us have earned our way to an eternity with God. God wants us to make an effort, but He recognizes that we cannot do this thing alone. Keep on praying for God to help you to truly repent and then work at it... even if at times you seemingly fail. God knows your frailty as He knows the frailty of all of us. Success is good, but when we don't succeed, don't quit. Look to God once more, and once more and once more for as long as it takes. Ask God to help you not to grow "weary with well doing".

Read about the life of the man David who became King of Israel. He failed repeatedly, but he never gave up and he continued to look to God for help. Compare his life to that of King Saul, who was king before David. The main difference was that when David messed up he readily admitted it and was ready to take whatever punishment or chastisement he believe he had earned. Saul, on the other hand, wanted to justify his actions or inactions and/or to blame his failures on others. God rejected Saul, but David was called a man after God's heart and the apple of His eye.

I am praying for you.

Thank you.

 

[RJ]

I thought I was saved, but I don't truly desire to go after Christ alone. I know we have to repent and believe, but what I thought was "good fruit" is only me reading the Bible, going to church, and praying to God, but the actual obedience to His commandments part is an afterthought in my life, and I don't take it seriously.

I know we are saved only by faith and not works, by repenting of our sins and putting our faith in Jesus; but I've been looking at my life, and I see that I don't truly have genuine love for Jesus, meaning I was never saved. The book of 1 John writes to believers to show whether they have eternal life. I fail all the tests.

I get pleasure in fun/entertainment and get angry at God when I feel like God wants to take it away from me.
I don't enjoy following His commandments. I only seem to enjoy the "feelings" I get when reading the Bible.
My "love" for God seems to be based on my emotions. If I have a "feeling" of love for God (joy, brief feeling of presence of God's Spirit), I want to obey Him, but I only seem to obey Him when it's convenient for me and when it "feels good" to do it.
I don't feel godly sorrow over my sins. My grief over my sins is me feeling "sorry" that I've done something wrong because I don't want to prove that I'm lost; but there's no heart behind it, and I keep giving into the same sins over and over without feeling bad for what I've done to the Person of Jesus Christ.
I give in to sin too easily.
I covet and commit idolatry all the time. You don't have to commit the "big" sins to be deserving of God's wrath. Even a single lie can cause someone to go to Hell forever. I commit idolatry and covetousness every day over fun/entertainment/watching shows/playing games, and I always get angry when I feel God wants me to do something else.
I spent hours and hours watching tv series instead of focusing on Jesus.
I try to justify sin.

What makes all of this so frightening is that I can't seem to repent. I tell God I'm sorry and confess my sins, and I even tell Him that I'm willing to give them up and start fresh, but I can't seem to feel godly sorrow. Godly sorrow means you are grieved over offending God and feel guilt over sins. All I feel is worldly sorrow, which is just me feeling bad that I might go to Hell.

How can I truly repent? How do I get godly sorrow? I've been asking God to save me and for Him to give me true repentance and true faith, but I don't have it yet, and I can't figure out what to do.

Please, please pray for me. I honestly want to see Christ the way I should, and to love Him, but I feel cold and superficial inside.

• I am not judging, I leave that totally up to God.
• But, saying that, the Bible does talk about Christians have the power to discern and many times whether a person is a true Christian or not.
• From all your words highlighted above, not mine, I would say that you may very well not be saved. I will take just two of your statements:

1. You don't have genuine love for Jesus. It is impossible for a "Born Again" Christian to not have some degree of love for Jesus. It is not you that must find or manufacture the love for Jesus but God who is ready to give that to you.
2. You don't feel godly sorrow over my sins. This is called having a repentant or regenerated heart and one of the very "first fruits" of the Holy Spirit living in a Christian.

• Now, if this really doesn't concern you, then you are definetly lost and in need of salvation and that is the bad news.
• But, the Good news is, as long as you are living, there is hope. And, you are here for a reason, it is not a mistake that you have opened up to others on T.J..
• It is ALL by God's Grace. Recieving God's forgiveness is not that hard. God calls his Grace to us a gift and, like any gift, it is free. Your forgiveness of all sins has already been provided by the death of Jesus. On the cross, Jesus died once and he died for all. To defeat satin for all eternity, God required of his own self, the prefect plan and that plan was Jesus. Through Jesus alone, your sins are forgiven and his resurrected life is available to provide you eternal and everlasting salvation.
• The devil's most successful ploy, is to convince us that we are not worthy of salvation or it is just too hard.
• So, according to you, you have tried and it just hasn't worked out. The process is not some slippery slope that you can easily fall off of but, the key is that you truly must desire it. According to most of your statements, you haven't really wanted it and you haven't been ready.
• Again, the good news is that you are here searching for answers. God has no intention of making it hard but he wants more of you than you have given so far.
• When you are tired of the emptiness of sin and when you are truly ready for change in your life, then do something like the below. If this does not help, find a good Christian friend, church or Pastor and ask them to help, it is up to you. Jesus stands at the door of your heart and is knocking right now but, only you can open that door!

1. Romans 10: 8-10 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
2. Confess what, that you are sinful and you don't want to go on like this anymore and only Jesus can take them away
3. Aslo confess what, that Jesus was raised from the dead to enter you and give you eternal life
4. When you have honestly done all that, then take it for granted that it is true. You may and will falter from time to time but the devil is defeated and you are save.
5. Consider this your "Born On Date". Jesus said you must be born again, born of the spirit.See how he described this is in John 3:3-7..
6. When you are feeling low or weak, just go back to the day your were saved and you will always be rejuvinated.
7. God gives you your faith and your faith grows by hearing the word of God...stay in the word of God!
8. It's up to you!

 

[SpiritLedEd]

How can I truly repent? How do I get godly sorrow? I've been asking God to save me and for Him to give me true repentance and true faith, but I don't have it yet, and I can't figure out what to do.

Please, please pray for me. I honestly want to see Christ the way I should, and to love Him, but I feel cold and superficial inside.

"...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to do according to His good purpose." (Php 2: 12b-13)

Salvation is both an event and a process The event of you asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior is followed by the process of His Spirit coming and beginning the process of making you a new person (2 Cor 5:17).

SLE

 

[Zoss]

God judges our hearts. "Focusing on Jesus" doesn't mean not doing the things you enjoy; it means you do the things you enjoy and commit all you are doing to God, asking him to use your expreiences to help others and to make a difference in his works. We are not called to have a perfect faith, and to have a perfect track record with God. There is no definition of saved or godly sorrow, it is different for everyone. Nobody but God can tell you whether or not you are saved, as only God can truly see into your heart. I too struggle with many of the things you have listed above, and i want you to know not to panic. God loves you, he loved you before you were even concieved. ASK God for repentence, and ask him to cleanse your heart. Ask for him to help you to genuinely yearn for him and to feel joy and love in Christ Jesus. God is perfect and he is exalted above all things, and he loves YOU. Ask the Lord to put you somewhere where you can do his works and shine his light unto the world, as in doing that you will find your own faith and love for God.

God Bless you, and please speak to me if you ever need anybody x

 

[Glow]

I would just like to say to all of you, thank you for your help!

I am not sure exactly when I was saved, but I am at peace now about my salvation. I believe I have truly repented, and am on my way to Heaven. Thank you all so much.

 

[Knight1]

Also remember that we are not living in usual times, these are the end times. The efforts of the enemy to destroy the people of God is at an all time high, he knows his time is short. We war against our flesh at every turn and no one is exempt from that. Our struggles can be very, very great. Sometimes we can wonder if we have anything together at all. That is the human condition. God promises to finish the work he started in us..DID YOU GET THAT? HE WILL FINISH IT...NOT US! The work of the Holy Spirit is, in allot of ways a mystery to us. God's ways are much higher than ours.

The Word says: 1 Peter 5:10 -
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. Working out our faith, well...
no one said it would be easy or comfortable. And to add to that we have our daily lives and struggles that seem to make things even harder. Sometimes years go by before we see anything on the outside and that is because a work has to take place on the inside first. God is not absent while all of this is going on though. He is closer than we think. Sometimes we have to hear ourselves say that even if we do not "feel" that. Our feelings can confuse us. That is why we must take every thought captive and bring into submission to the Holy Spirit. The enemy loves nothing more than to bring confusion, frustration and hopeless into our lives. He can whisper things in our ears that we may think is us talking. Our warfare is not carnal but spiritual.

The outpouring of the spirit of the Lord is for such a time as this. Maybe it's because our Lord knew that in these end times, we would need it more than any other time in history. Be of good cheer my sister, Jesus has overcome the world and all hell that tries to come against us. The battle is not ours, but the Lords and he is not in the habit of losing!

For all of us who know the struggles of the faith, there are no stones to throw here. If everyone here is honest about it, we have all faced some very dark hours when our faith and the like have been tried in the very fires of hell! It is never easy, but what victory is?

The Word of God also says: Isaiah 60:2 - For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Did you hear that...HIS GLORY SHALL BE SEEN UPON THEE!! PRAISE GOD!!

We are all a work in progress, my sister in Christ, and you can count on one thing....JESUS WILL PREVAIL!!!