Hi! I have some questions. But please let me talk about myself. I first opened my heart to God when I lived in a Christian home (Victory Outreach). I was serving God there full time. I thought I was saved and all that. I came back home to my parents after 2 months. I was still living for God and had desire to serve him and desire to hear his word. after 2 months I started drifting away and eventually fallen away from the faith because I loved the things of this world more. Then there was a point in my life which was not too long ago where I repented of all my sins and trusted in Jesus Christ for my salvation. I even surrendered my life to Him to follow him. All of my goals, dreams, hopes, will and pleasures and sin I gave to God. After this I had the desire to study his word intensely and started hating what God hates and love what God loves. I can feel the spirit in me. I know that I'm bearing a lot of fruit because I'm applying the truths I've learned in the bible everywhere, even at work where most of my co-workers are non-believers, some of which don't like me, some of which like me because they could see my love for all of them. Again, I have intense hatred for sin and i don't sin wilfully anymore. There's no planned out sin and I think I haven't told a lie since then. And I read my bible almost all day everyday and pray everyday. Judging by all this that I mentioned, am I saved? Also, was I saved before this? Did I lose my salvation? or never had it before? My last question is, I've been praying to God for a mate because I've never had a girlfriend. I've been praying that the girl that God gives me be a Christian too like me. Will God answer my prayer? Doesn't God say that He would give anything to his children as long as it glorifies him? Thank you and I appreciate your time reading all of this. God bless.
some q's from a returning backslider
- Thread starter iahm87
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Faithful Son
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Hi brother 
Firstly, you have to narrow everything down, one thing at a time.
Let's start with Salvation and what it means to be a Christian.
God says in the Bible, being "saved" is to place your faith in Jesus, His Son.
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved, you and your household (Acts 16:31)
Read through this page, I use it as a platform on the internet if people ask me what is the way to be a Christian:
the way of salvation - howtobesaved.co.uk
John 3:16 says the following:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
So that's it in a nutshell. If you place your faith in Jesus, repent from (turn away from) your sins and confess Jesus as Lord, then you are saved.
Read Romans 10 as well.
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
If you know in your self that you have placed your faith in Jesus and that you are living for Him, then you are on the right path.
Remember that your life, all your struggles, pain and sin, does not remove you from the love of God. Jesus came to bring us life and all He asks for that we believe in Him, that we should imitate Him (conform to His likeness) and live our life under His Grace.
You are a Christian, you are not forced to live under the law of old, the ten commandments and laws of Israel, you are a free man, a man that lives His life as the Spirit leads.
So I give you this passage, to think about and learn from. Will you be guided in Spirit and Truth by God?
1 John 2:27
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
God bless you
Much love
Faithful Son
Firstly, you have to narrow everything down, one thing at a time.
Let's start with Salvation and what it means to be a Christian.
God says in the Bible, being "saved" is to place your faith in Jesus, His Son.
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved, you and your household (Acts 16:31)
Read through this page, I use it as a platform on the internet if people ask me what is the way to be a Christian:
the way of salvation - howtobesaved.co.uk
John 3:16 says the following:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
So that's it in a nutshell. If you place your faith in Jesus, repent from (turn away from) your sins and confess Jesus as Lord, then you are saved.
Read Romans 10 as well.
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
If you know in your self that you have placed your faith in Jesus and that you are living for Him, then you are on the right path.
Remember that your life, all your struggles, pain and sin, does not remove you from the love of God. Jesus came to bring us life and all He asks for that we believe in Him, that we should imitate Him (conform to His likeness) and live our life under His Grace.
You are a Christian, you are not forced to live under the law of old, the ten commandments and laws of Israel, you are a free man, a man that lives His life as the Spirit leads.
So I give you this passage, to think about and learn from. Will you be guided in Spirit and Truth by God?
1 John 2:27
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
God bless you
Much love
Faithful Son
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response to returning
God looks for sincerity, the sincere effort coming forth from our heart, which is the faith which was illustrated to us by Abraham, when his effort remained sincere to the end, that is, to the point of proceeding forward with God´s will without regard to his own will, and as he was about to do exactly what God commanded him, then God sent His angel to tell Abraham that, NOW I KNOW that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld (from doing what I told you to do); this is when it was counted to Abraham for righteousness, when his commitment to God´s will was found sincere by his trial of faith. Christ also tells us that, he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved; and the Lord knows them that are His, they who are truly sincere.
As for confessiing Jesus as Lord, it is an acknowledgement, it is to admit that He is your Lord, but a Lord is one whom is obeyed, and in the case of Christ, it is that sincere effort to do the things which He says. Many there be that love Jesus as their Saviour, but not as their Lord, though they say He is their Lord, yet the do not do the things which He says: this is an insicere effort, because they only want from Him to go to heaven, but not His terms of giving up their own will, and submit to His only. Confession is as baptism as described by Christ, that, He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be damned. We may say so, but that does´nt make it so, rather only those with an enduring sincerity; shall we fail(ie:fall), Yes, we may sometimes fail, but the sincere one will get back up again, as do the true saints.
As for believing, we have the wise and prudent defining what they think it means to believe, but I prefer Christ Himself to define what He thinks believing should mean, which is, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO,...
So the person that does the works that Jesus does is the person that verily believes, the person in whom is the sincerity too endure to do His will.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
God looks for sincerity, the sincere effort coming forth from our heart, which is the faith which was illustrated to us by Abraham, when his effort remained sincere to the end, that is, to the point of proceeding forward with God´s will without regard to his own will, and as he was about to do exactly what God commanded him, then God sent His angel to tell Abraham that, NOW I KNOW that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld (from doing what I told you to do); this is when it was counted to Abraham for righteousness, when his commitment to God´s will was found sincere by his trial of faith. Christ also tells us that, he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved; and the Lord knows them that are His, they who are truly sincere.
As for confessiing Jesus as Lord, it is an acknowledgement, it is to admit that He is your Lord, but a Lord is one whom is obeyed, and in the case of Christ, it is that sincere effort to do the things which He says. Many there be that love Jesus as their Saviour, but not as their Lord, though they say He is their Lord, yet the do not do the things which He says: this is an insicere effort, because they only want from Him to go to heaven, but not His terms of giving up their own will, and submit to His only. Confession is as baptism as described by Christ, that, He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be damned. We may say so, but that does´nt make it so, rather only those with an enduring sincerity; shall we fail(ie:fall), Yes, we may sometimes fail, but the sincere one will get back up again, as do the true saints.
As for believing, we have the wise and prudent defining what they think it means to believe, but I prefer Christ Himself to define what He thinks believing should mean, which is, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO,...
So the person that does the works that Jesus does is the person that verily believes, the person in whom is the sincerity too endure to do His will.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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Then there was a point in my life which was not too long ago where I repented of all my sins and trusted in Jesus Christ for my salvation. I even surrendered my life to Him to follow him. All of my goals, dreams, hopes, will and pleasures and sin I gave to God.
Dear iahm
I realise you have already had some good detailed answers but I just thought I would answer you because I can understand what it is like to have doubts and difficulties about salvation. I think every Christian goes through doubts from time to time.
If you have truly committed your life to the Lord then you are saved for eternity.
...him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37)
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)
It is not unusual to have uncertainties they come as part of our frail human nature. As Christians we have to learn to trust in the Lord and all His wonderful promises rather than trusting in our feelings. His precious blood covers all our sins.
He is able to save...to the uttermost Heb 7:25
God bless you
Julia
Dear iahm
I realise you have already had some good detailed answers but I just thought I would answer you because I can understand what it is like to have doubts and difficulties about salvation. I think every Christian goes through doubts from time to time.
If you have truly committed your life to the Lord then you are saved for eternity.
...him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37)
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)
It is not unusual to have uncertainties they come as part of our frail human nature. As Christians we have to learn to trust in the Lord and all His wonderful promises rather than trusting in our feelings. His precious blood covers all our sins.
He is able to save...to the uttermost Heb 7:25
God bless you
Julia
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2008
- Messages
- 5,780
Dear iahm87
It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin. Give Him all the glory.
His Holy Spirit working within a Christian produces the good fruit
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance Galatians 5:22
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Gal 6:14
Salvation depends on you truly trusting the Saviour and not on what fruits you can see in your life.
God bless you
Julia
It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin. Give Him all the glory.
His Holy Spirit working within a Christian produces the good fruit
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance Galatians 5:22
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Gal 6:14
Salvation depends on you truly trusting the Saviour and not on what fruits you can see in your life.
God bless you
Julia
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SpiritLedEd
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- Aug 14, 2005
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- 5,315
.....a returning backslider
"'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'And I will make you fishers of men.'" (Mt 4:19 NIV)
God is the Master Fisherman. He knows that many times a fish takes the bait and tries to run away from the fisherman. And the fisherman allows the fish to run as long as he needs to with the bait still in his mouth. But the fisherman knows when the fish, despite his running, hasn't thrown the hook. And he waits patiently for the fish to begin to tire. Sure enough, after a while the line begins to go slack and eventually the fish stops fighting. At that point, the fisherman raises the end of the fishing rod, sets the hook in the fish's mouth, and begins to reel it in.
That's the story of many, many peoples' salvation experience (yours included). They received Jesus with great glee,but,after awhile, the attractions of the flesh again grew strong and they began to run toward the world. But, God knew what was in their deepest heart and He let them run until they grew tired and at just the right moment, He drew them back to Himself.
Our maturing as believers is never a straight line thing. We all take wandering paths as we grow. Even the apostle Paul had problems: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Christ Jesus, our Lord!" (Ro 7:24-25 NIV)
SLE
"'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'And I will make you fishers of men.'" (Mt 4:19 NIV)
God is the Master Fisherman. He knows that many times a fish takes the bait and tries to run away from the fisherman. And the fisherman allows the fish to run as long as he needs to with the bait still in his mouth. But the fisherman knows when the fish, despite his running, hasn't thrown the hook. And he waits patiently for the fish to begin to tire. Sure enough, after a while the line begins to go slack and eventually the fish stops fighting. At that point, the fisherman raises the end of the fishing rod, sets the hook in the fish's mouth, and begins to reel it in.
That's the story of many, many peoples' salvation experience (yours included). They received Jesus with great glee,but,after awhile, the attractions of the flesh again grew strong and they began to run toward the world. But, God knew what was in their deepest heart and He let them run until they grew tired and at just the right moment, He drew them back to Himself.
Our maturing as believers is never a straight line thing. We all take wandering paths as we grow. Even the apostle Paul had problems: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Christ Jesus, our Lord!" (Ro 7:24-25 NIV)
SLE
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