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English FAQ 05 |
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The Truth of the Spotted Leopard
How do I know I’ve been forgiven? I can’t seem to get rid of the guilt that I feel.
Just as all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, so we all,
because of our fallen natures, are liable to commit willful sins (sins we know better than
to do).
When we come to realize that we ourselves are to blame, the guilt can be tremendous. The
devil does not miss an opportunity in telling us how horrible our sin is, that we CAN NOT
possibly be forgiven by God, and can even get us to the point where we feel our case is
hopeless. See the devil's rationale? He succeeds in keeping us away from God!
Don't listen to the devil's tricks, please. He is the one that wants to see us not
trusting God, not believing that He can possibly forgive us. IT IS NOT TRUE!! Remember 1
John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." That is a PROMISE we may each claim. It
takes faith but that's what you and your new wife are learning more about, as Pastor
Dwight presents the nightly topics, right?
Read the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11 & 12); then read Psalm 51, David's
beautiful song of repentance. Also read the story of Christ's treatment of Mary Magdelene,
and how he treated her (John 8:1-11). Sin is sin; Jesus calls sin sin, but much as He
hates sin, He LOVES the sinner (you and me), and forgives us our confessed sins.
"Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not
knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Romans 2:4
All that's left is for you to now BELIEVE that God truly has forgiven you!!
We cannot undo the past mistakes we've made or the consequences of our sins (King David
couldn't either). But we can redeem the time, do all in our power through God's grace to
serve God fully with our whole heart TODAY. Put your past behind you, love your wife,
forgive your ex-wife her part, love your children and God will heal their hurts. Most of
all, come to love your God deeper than you ever have before, and let Him fully transform
you into the image of His dear Son, Jesus.
Take God at His word, believe His forgiveness of you: "Neither do I condemn thee: go,
and sin no more." John 8:11
The only reason why Jesus says go and sin no more is because HE gives us the power to do
this; He's not expecting us to do it ourselves. But we have to believe God, that He really
is a forgiving God when He tells us He is. Your doubting that God has forgiven you is
paramount to calling Him a liar - therefore you can be assured it is that old serpent that
is hissing such doubts into your ear. Resist them; say, 'Yes, I am a sinner; but, praise
God, I have a Savior, One who loves me, has forgiven me, has washed away my guilt and
shame in His blood, and Him will I gladly and forever serve!'
How can I practically find back to a close trust in God, once I’ve thrown it away?
Well, just the fact that you are searching and have a desire to "get back to
God" is a good indicator that God is seeking for your friendship and your love.
On the day of Pentecost many asked the same question to Peter: "What shall we
do?" or in your words, "How do I get back to God"? The answer is simple;
"Repent,... and be converted that your sins may be blotted out." Acts 3:19
First confess your sins, admit them to God and He is faithful to forgive you and cover you
with His righteousness. Remember that true repentance involves forsaking those sins and
taking them no more. But if we do sin we have an advocate, Jesus to wash it away. Next
yield your whole self to Him; Father in heaven, thy will be done in me.
Then, for the rest of your life, make sincere prayer and daily study of God's word part of
each day and your friendship will build, and your trust in God will grow as the Holy
Spirit guides you into all truth which if you follow is a true test of discipleship.
"By their fruits you will know them." If you have a pastor near you they can
guide you and encourage you in your search.
When we accept Jesus how come he expects us to lay down our lives? Isn't that kind of selfish of him? I am scared to death. What if I have to die for Him?
I know that giving yourself over to someone or something can be scary. But I believe the promises on God's side are much more than those things that we may give up on our side!
If God is a God of love, why does he test us? Why does he say that we must follow him?
If God is a God of love he shouldn't give conditions, he shouldn't test us if we believe
in Him?
If we love God is it a test to follow what He asks? If we love God does He say we MUST
follow Him, or is it an invitation of love from one lover to another? The heart of Love
wants fellowship, but allows us to go our own way if we desire. What does your heart say
in love back to God?
I am disappointed that I can't live a Christian life without sinning. How do I handle this?
Try as we might we all commit sin in some form or another after we have accepted Christ and have been baptized. Jesus told the women at the well to "go and sin no more". We probably have spent more of our lives on sinning than living righteously however. We are to receive the Holy Spirit into our lives a baptism, whose main operation is to help us live without sin. Without Him we cant live righteously and we have been counseled by Paul to walk in the Spirit 24/7!!!!
We are not perfect but becoming perfect as we walk in the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. If we sin, Christ allows us to confess, and repent and continue where we left off on our Journey to Heaven.
Lets suppose I’m going to Disney World from New York. Everything is perfect on my journey. Somewhere near Washington D.C. I heat a loud POP!!! OH NO!!!! A Flat Tire!!!! I don’t call a Tow and go back to New York and start over, I just change the flat where I’m at and continue on to Disney World!!!! We just need to change our flat so we don’t continue to sin the same sin over and over again.
What does the Bible have to say about "once saved, always saved?"
The purpose of the plan of salvation was to "save His people from their
sins" Matt. 1:21 (not in their sins) and to cleanse the universe forever of this
terrible leprosy called sin. (Nahum 1:9) If we willfully cling to sin, how can God take us
to heaven? We would begin the sin problem all over again. God in giving His Son made every
provision for our victory over sin if we will only cling to Him. Jude 24 says, "Unto
Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the
presence of His glory with exceeding joy." He is the one who works in us, if we will
only let Him. Jesus also said in Matt. 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord,
Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of My Father in
heaven."
How do I know if it is really God that is calling me to do something
and not just my conscious mind?
The Bible does promise that God will hear and answer prayer. It’s in the Bible,
Psalm 4:3, TLB. "Mark this well: The Lord has set apart the redeemed for himself.
Therefore he will listen to me and answer when I call to him."
Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."
I could share many other verses of Scripture which give us remarkable promises about
God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer (Hebrews 4:16; Matthew 7:11; Ephesians
3:20; Philippians 4:19; Mark 11:24; I John 5:14-15).
I sense from your question what you are really asking is how, in fact, can we hear or
recognize the voice of God. Here are some suggestions:
1. Much of God’s will has already been revealed in His Word. (For instance, God tells us in unmistakable terms in II Corinthians 6:14 that we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. This means among other things, that a Christian is never to marry an unbeliever. If you are praying for guidance about whether you should marry a non-Christian you can save your breath because the voice of God has already spoken on that point).
2. Providential circumstances. (Be particularly on guard here. Many tend to make circumstances 99% of the guidance. They are only one factor. We must view circumstances from God’s perspective and they may be more of a guide negatively than positively. For instance, if you think God is leading you to go to engineering school but you cannot get accepted into any school in this country it may be fairly clear that God does not want you in engineering school. On the other hand, the fact that you are accepted into three engineering schools does not necessarily mean that God wants you to go into engineering. And what of the fellow who was earnestly praying for the Lord to send some money to provide for his families urgent needs. He is walking down the street and as the man in front of him takes his handkerchief out of his back pocket a hundred dollar bill flutters out of his pocket. Is it God’s answer to prayer? Of course not, that would be stealing).
3. Impressions of the Holy Spirit. See Acts 15:28 and John 14:16-17. (As we pray, God often gives us a conviction by the Holy Spirit which deepens, despite new information, to an increasing sense of rightness or oughtness about a course of action. When the Holy Spirit begins to move in our hearts, one conviction deepens and, while we recognize other situations, we sense that this is the will of God for us.)
4. Confirmation of Christian parents, leaders, and/or friends.
(God guides us through the counsel of other Christians who are fully committed to the will
of God and who know us well. This is one of the most neglected dimensions of God’s
guidance. If no one else senses that what we think is the will of God, then we had better
be careful. It is true that sometimes we get mixed counsel from Christian friends, but
their advice is frequently helpful. Remember what Acts 15:28 records: "It has seemed
good to the Holy Spirit and to us . . ." I believe God usually guides in that way--a
personal conviction corroborated by friends opinions.)
When all four of these factors--the Word of God, conviction that he gives us in prayer and
through the Holy Spirit, circumstances, and the counsel of mature Christian friends
converge--It is usually a sign that God’s voice is leading and guiding us.
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© 1998 NAD. Questions collected by Eric Brown. HTML by Darryl Hosford