Is it bad that I'm somewhat affraid...?

Is it bad that I'm somewhat affraid...?

... of the subject of Armageddon?

I mean, it also excites me as well... but sometimes I just can't help but think that I'm going to be one of the tormented people in the end times.

Sometimes I don't think that I'm going to Heaven, or deserve to go to Heaven.

I know that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is my Lord and Savior who died for the sins of man including mine, and that He rose from the dead three days later and that there is no other way but through Him...

But I have problems with an addictive personality... and I spend almost all of my time of this other internet forum that is pretty much the complete opposite of this place.

Most everyone who goes to that forum are devout Atheists/Agnostics... so they're always mocking me and what-not for my beliefs (not all the time, but they do in subject of debate)... and though for a very VERY long time of going there it was completely easy for me to just accept that they were lost and I didn't believe a word they said in terms of God "not existing", but... as that one verse which I forgot the address of says "Bad company corrupts good manners..." I believe it's finally taking it's toll on my faith.

I thought I had finally completely come back to God after earlier this year when I actually considered that Satanism would be a good route for me, and then I repented and practically wanted to die for even thinking for a moment that Satan was the true all-loving God... and that the real God was evil.

I... I still feel stupid for thinking that... though it was so long ago.

But I just... I guess I don't spend enough time in the Word... like my mom says.

She's always begging and pleading with my siblings and I to just spend a little more time with God... and I want to actually.

But sometimes I feel like my siblings will make fun of me for it.

And I know that it's foolish to put the opinions of your siblings above God's... and it is... and I really am going to spend more time with God.

*sigh*... I guess..... I just really...... I don't know.

I guess I just need encouragement from fellow Christians... I just.......

Even though Satan will hear me as I say this:

My biggest fear, is discovering that through my whole life, thinking that I'm a Christian and going to Heaven for eternity... dieing and then spending eternity in Hell. I don't want to be someone who lives their whole life in anticipation for Heaven but then ends up going to Hell.

And I feel like I deserve to go... but I don't want to go... I want to go to Heaven. I want to be with Jesus and God and my whole family and all of my friends in Heaven forever!

... and sometimes the fear of Hell becomes so great that Satan tries to put thoughts into me telling me that maybe none of it really exists... because I get too afraid of the possibility.

I don't WANT to not believe! I don't WANT to be afraid!

I want to be bold in Christ!!! And not care what people think! I want to know 100% that I AM going to Heaven...

I just... I want to know.
 
Amen! Throw your hands up and rejoice in Him, Brother! Let His love shine upon you.

Stop going to the other website. It obviously troubles you. If you want to play on the internet, then do it ways that will teach you about Jesus and God.

Find a website where you can download the bible. Go to godtube.com and watch some positive videos. Find some .mp3 hymns online and download them to listen to while you're surfing the internet. There's Christian games out there, even ones that you can play online. Find them and play them. Look for reviews online regarding Christian fiction. That's how I found one of my favorite authors today (T.L. Hines, the Stephen King of Christian Fiction).

And about being afraid of the end? GOOD! That fear is your best weapon right now. Use it. Feel it. Be afraid of the Lord God. That fear tells us that He's in charge...it can blossom a desire to obey His commands.

God is awesome and beautiful, my friend. The more you learn about Him and His Word, the better you're going to feel. Pour your mind into that cup, you're going to be okay.

:jesus-cross:
 
Heh... perhaps I should have specified... I'm actually your sister in Christ. XD

I don't really know about being afraid of God. It seems... wrong to me. If I were a mother I wouldn't want my children to obey me because they were afraid of me, because they know I have the power to punish them... I would want them to obey me simply because they love me, and knew that I loved them... and because they know that when I'm with them they're safe... and..... I think I just answered my own question.
 
Mopom, you are going through a step that many Christians go through at some point. I did, and still am. You believe in God and by your own admission, you fear Him, at least as far as the end times are concerned. The one step you have yet to take, I think,by your post, is trust. Yeah, we all know that Jesus said that all we need is believe in Him and accept His act of atonement as our own, and we will be forgiven for our sins. But that is so out of the park of human understanding it is hard to really fully accept,especialy for new Christians, or maybe I should say young Christians-as in those who have accepted Christ yet have not fully commited their lives to Him(raises hand).

I have accepted Christ as my Savior, and I do love HIm, but not as I should. I have not directed my eyes so that they focus entirely on Him. I allow myself to get distracted by temporary distractions like TV or sports, or work. I used to spend all of my interent time on car forums which were similar in their membership to the one you are on. But I have also realized very recently, that those forums,while they satisfied a desire to be with people that shared a common interest I have,that interest is not the one that really matters most to me, nor is that type of interaction the type that I really desire. So I know what you are going through, Im just a few steps ahead of you. This is what I have found out once I turned my head torward Christ:
It is easy to say "believe and trust Him", but as humans, this is a huge request. It is asking us to go against what we know and what we have experienced in our lives here on earth. As the old saying goes, "If it sounds too good to be true, it must be", right? Yes, some hear/heard the gospel and felt something reach inside of them and take hold and dropped to their knees and asked Jesus into their heart and never deviated. But for most,such as myself, and maybe you, it has been more of a process. I am selfish and relunctant, but am slowly being changed through the increased amount of time I spend in prayer and in God's word. And this is after I was actually in the presence of God! Even after that moment, it took years for me to truelly acept Christ as my Savior, and am still somewhat reluctant to submit fully to Him.Why? I don't really know, but I think most of it is fear. And this fear breeds doubt,in oursleves, and in God. These fears, and doubts are from Satan,the great deciever,the father of lies, and they are powerful. But God is more poewrful than Satan's greatest attack against us. Satan is only as powerful, as we allow Him to be. As our faith and trust grows in our Father, we are given the strength and descernment to recognize, and resist these attacks. "Greater is He that is within us, than he that is in the world.

Rest assured, we cannot be saved by works, that nothing we "do" will give us admittance into the Gates of Heaven. That which needs to be done, could only be cone, and already HAS been done, by Christ.

"2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.-John 4:2-4(KJV)-Biblegateway.com

It sounds to me that your fear is not really one of the existance of God, but of failing Him. How can you be faithful to Him, until you KNOW him, and what He desires of us. Your heart is with Him as expressed by your deisre to trust Him. But your trust will grow as your devotion grows. You cannot get to know God by going to secular forums and debating His existance. You cannot get to know Him by listening to other peole talk about Him or what His Word says. Regardless of how earnest they sound, what they say is just that,what THEY say. You must read His word. He gave us this book for a reason. He is IN the word. He IS the WORD. Read, and pray. SPend as much time as you can doing these two things, and you will grow in faith, your fears will be abated and you be lifted up before God as His child whom He loves, and whom loves Him.Remember, God does want us to fear Him, but because we love Him and acknowledge WHO HE IS, not because we doubt Him or His promises.

Here's some verses that may encourage you to read the Scripture.(these are copied and pasted from www.biblegateway.com. Check it out. it is an awesome searchable reasource with enormous capabilities.)
"Romans 10:17New International Version (NIV)
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ"

"Matthew 4:4King James Version (KJV)
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"

"Matthew 7:24New International Version (NIV)
[ The Wise and Foolish Builders ] "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."

"Matthew 13:19King James Version (KJV)
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side."

"John 5:24King James Version (KJV)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

"John 14:10New International Version (NIV)
Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work"
 
hi. im new here too. brand new actually. and i def agree with whirlwind about playing in good ways online. doors can easily be open to the enemy and that was my biggest concern when reading abot the other message board you go to.. just dabbling in things can open doors that CAN lead to destruction. you joined this forum so you believe so why entertain the enemy? just a thought.. this is written out of love and concern. like i said im new here adn im a new christian so im sorry that i dont have scripture to back this up.. but any help on this is welcome from anyone who wants to add scriptures!! you are in my prayers girl.
 
Perfect peace

It is not wrong to be afraid, everyone is at some point. It is what you do with that fear. A hurricane is approaching, but their is a calm in the center. I was in the first Gulf War, the first time that we came under chemical attack, I was so scared that I was shaking. I prayed to God to take that fear away and he did. We came under many more chemical attacks but I was never afraid, I had perfect peace. I just put on my chemical suit in lightening speed and trusted in him. We had to sleep to the sounds of bombs dropping and artillery being fired but I was not afraid. I simply trusted in God's divine protection and I made it safely through the war.
 
Whirlwind is right.
I went through that, trying to help someone agnostic and it was useless.
They say they aren't satinists but in my opinion, anyone who denies God is a satinist.
Seriously, stay away from there.
Also, it is human nature to fear the unknown~
But with God, there is no fear because He knows you inside and out.
He knows the number of hairs on your head.
And you know He truly loves you~
Remember that satin is sly, a liar, a deceiver and clever.
All he wants is to destroy us by putting doubt in our hearts.
Rebuke him in the name of Jesus, the one name he and his demons truly fear!

 
Mopom, you've definately come to the right site! I'm excited for your interest in this topic, as it is an interesting one. actually, i want to suggest something to you that i took at my church that REALLY helped me out ALOT. if you can get your church to try it out i'm sure ALOT of your questions will be answered and they will be answered in a way that won't make you afraid of it. There's a bible study on the Book of Daniel which deals with two topics: purity and prophecy. Daniel dealt with both, and there's alot in that study that has to do with the end of times (in fact, she explains all of it, so you'll know alot more than than you probably would know if you just looked around at this confusing websites where they really don't break it down for you. the study is done by Beth Moore. check out this site to find out more about it:



Beth Moore

Good luck and God Bless!

In Him,

Eric Wright
 
You will go to heaven, but my concern for you is to stay away from the agnostic forum site.
It reminds me of the story of Lot. Lot was a Christian, but he went to live in Sodom. He was there long enough that it started to take a toll on his faith.
Run away from that site and take refuge here!

We all have pasts that are deserving of wrath. But through Christ we are able to shed the old flesh, die daily and are now able to approach the LORD.

Grace and Peace-
 
Overcoming fear thru faith in Christ will cause your spirit to soar- view all fear and trouble as an opportunity to trust God.
 
1 Peter 2:17

I fear God. I want to make Him happy with me.:)

Psalms 23:4

But I won't fear evil. Since I've asked Christ into my heart, it has no power over me.

The devil can't take my joy, and that makes him terribly angry.
rant.gif
 
Mopom,

Bless you sister for coming on here and telling us your story. I know it must be hard, as revealing such personal struggle can leave you feeling vulnerable. I am in agreement with everybody on this forum that you should stay away from the site you were involved with. It takes a person who is very strong and mature in their faith, very deep in the Word, and constantly in prayer to take on the task of trying to reach the lost on that forum. Even then, they should not try to do so alone. Do not let their lies and godlessness take it's toll on your heart any longer. I have a secret I must share with you that you may not have thought of before. It is a true kicker that the devil himself cannot deny. The mere existence of Satan should ease the worries of doubt in your heart. After all, Satan cannot exist if God didn't make him. Even more so, Satan would not hate you as a Christian so much and try to drag you down if Christ had not died for your sins. If your message to the Satanists and atheists was false, Satan would have no need to try to win you over or attack you. After all, who tries to fight somebody for no reason? While troubling that Satan attacks us, the fact that he does attack us is an encouraging thought. Satan attacks you because you love God, and that scares him. Satan knows that he is no match for God, or for someone who is very close to God. That's why he must deceive and keep your focus off of God. That's his way in. Surround yourself with the Word of the Lord. Pray my sister. Fellowship with other Christians, whether it be on the internet or not. The closer you get to God, the harder time Satan will have trying to get to you.

:pray:
 
Hello Sister
I've read you're post and wanted to respond.
I noticed that you are very young so I want to tread gently here with you. First of all GET AWAY from atheists and agnostics. You will lose your faith if you continue to spend time there. Do you know that 75% of Christians kids who enter secular colleges lose their faith entirely. As Christians we are asked to integrate with the world for the purpose of preaching to them the gospel, so we cannot avoid that. However, we cannot have fellowship with them because they hate God. They aren't consciously aware that they hate him but they do. Light cannot have fellowship with darkness(2 Corinthians 6:14-15). Remove yourself from that group now or you'll lose your faith, I guarantee it.
Fear of hell is actually good. You should be afraid of hell, as I am also. I've written on hell before and nothing concieved in any sanitarium or state of delerium could equal the unspeakable horrors which comprise the biblical hell. The most fearless of men, the strongest, fiercest of mankind will be petrified beyond comprehension after they've spent three seconds in this place. Satan himself will grovel and beg for mercy after he is pitched into the lake of fire.
Fear of God is good---the bible even says so. I'm very afraid of God, for which I am thankful.
However, to worry continously day after day if you're going to end up dropped into this place is not natural nor is it very healthy. Struggling with sin isn't something that's confined strictly to a select few believers. Everybody struggles with sin in various forms, in various situtations. Struggling with sin isn't evidence you are lost. Blatant, unremorseful, unihibited, gleeful, habitual sin day after day after day, without the slightest concern for obeying Jesus Christ---is evidence you are lost.
I'm not going to address armageddon because I don't feel that's important. I'm concerned about your salvation. I'm concerned for your soul and want to help.
I don't know if you are saved or not because you are so young still, and your profile states that you were saved at two. Nobody gets saved at two. You cannot accept Christ at two years of age. I do not know if you were born into a family which professes Christianity but perhaps somebody told you that you were born again because your parents are Christians. Nobody is born into Christianity in the natural realm----you are born again spiritually, meaning that God does a fantastic and undeniable change in your heart. Paul the apostle said:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
That is what is meant by born again. Your old self is crucified by Christ's blood and you are born all over again. I'm sure you already understand that though.
How do you know you are saved? Don't listen to preachers, don't listen friends, don't listen to family, don't listen to me, and don't even listen to other Christians. Christians can tell you if they believe you to be saved, but they can't know for sure. I do not know for sure if you are saved due to the fact that everyone and his dog calls themselves Christian these days.
The bible---that is where you go. 1 John chapters 1 and 2 are the tests of assurance for Christian faith. There are a series of tests in this book which will tell a person whether they are saved or not. I wrote an article not too long ago titled "Examine yourself", which goes through in detail the steps of 1 John and what exactly they are. If you ever want to read it I'd be happy to e-mail it to you. My e-mail is [email protected]
Throw away "The message" and get a bible. The message is an atrocious butchery of God's word which belongs in the garbage.
I encourage you to get into 1 John and see where you are. God loves you and so do we. I wanted to be frank and straight with you sister because that's what Christian love is---truth.
God Bless You
 
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