What Does It Mean to Believe in Jesus?

[Hol]

Donna, I already miss you. Prayers that you are comforted in trials as Jesus alone can give.

We need fellowship, we're built that way. It isn't pleasant at times, we each have faults and wrong one another at times; yet as iron sharpens iron the Lord uses us to help each other grow.

 

[Andrew]

Focus on Jesus & believe Jesus will not reject you or anyone who comes to Him

 

[GreyWolf]

Thank you Idonjohn, I was in tears reading your testimony as I went through something similar. It was only four or five years ago I finally heard a concise explanation of faith alone through Christ alone. Even after that I've had moments of doubt that I've sinned to much for Jesus to receive me.

Those verses Andy C showed reveal such a loving God and we don't deserve any of it but He loves us anyways.

 

[ldonjohn]

Thank you Idonjohn, I was in tears reading your testimony as I went through something similar. It was only four or five years ago I finally heard a concise explanation of faith alone through Christ alone. Even after that I've had moments of doubt that I've sinned to much for Jesus to receive me.

Those verses Andy C showed reveal such a loving God and we don't deserve any of it but He loves us anyways.

GreyWolf, you're welcome. When I think of Jesus' suffering on the cross, I am reminded of the enormity of my sin. Jesus said that He didn't come to call the righteous, but He came to call sinners to repentance. If we weren't sinners then we wouldn't need a savior.

Up until the year 2011 I was a quiet Christian who went to church every Sunday, quietly served in several inconspicuous ministries working unnoticed & liking it that way, and who many times wondered how I could do more for the cause of Christ but not having any sense of a "calling" to any specific ministry.

One Sunday a visiting retired preacher brought a sermon on reaching the lost. He said that we could reach some lost people if we would just tell them what Jesus had done for us. He suggested that we write out our testimony on a computer & print out a "tract" of our testimony. I went home that Sunday afternoon, sat down at my computer and started working on doing what he suggested we do. My testimony of what Jesus did for me goes back to the 1960's and 1970's. Those were the years when I went through the struggle of doubting salvation and searching for answers. I wrote out my testimony, read it, and re-wrote it several times with much prayer because I wanted to be certain that I remembered all the facts correctly. After several re-writes and a lot of praying, I was satisfied that I had it right, so I printed it out on a full sheet of paper.

About 2 months later I decided to retire from my 44 year teaching career. For some reason I felt compelled to share my testimony with all of the staff at my school. I printed out 50+ copies and on the last day of work I gave a copy to each person who worked in my building. I was surprised by the number of staff members who came by and thanked me for sharing my testimony with them. Also, several staff members who for some reason did not get a copy, and came to me asking me for a copy. I don't know the impact, if any, of my sharing my testimony might have in those peoples' lives, but for me, that was a turning point in my Christian life. From that day on, I have found a new boldness in sharing my testimony.

About 2 years later I decided to publish my testimony online at RR, and since doing that I find myself spending a lot of my time with the Christian forums interacting with other Christians and also sharing my struggle with assurance of salvation with others who are experiencing a similar struggle.

I related my experience to make a point. Just like God used a sermon from a retired preacher to encourage me to reach out to others & share my testimony, I believe God can use a sermon, or a word spoken by someone, or maybe a testimony, or a bible verse, or who knows what God will use to give someone exactly that missing link that is needed for that person to find assurance, or peace, or direction in his/her spiritual life.

Below is a verse from my favorite hymn, "It Is Well with My Soul." To me this verse says in very simple words the reason I have peace.

My sin O the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul

 

[mattfivefour]

What Does it Mean to Believe in Jesus?

By Larry Johnson​

Recently I was reading a post on a Christian Forum where someone was attempting to argue that God is not a merciful and loving God. After several replies from other forum members this person apparently realized that he was getting nowhere with his argument and he signed off saying “you guys enjoy your delusion.” My reply to that post was “the delusion is yours, not ours.” That started me to thinking that there might be “Christians” who really are living a delusion. I think “deception” would be a better word to use here for I’m thinking of those who believe they are “Christians” because someone told them that they would be “saved” if they would say a prayer, or confess sin, or promise to follow Jesus, or accept Jesus as their Lord, etc. but they were not presented a full explanation of the Gospel message. Or maybe they were presented the Gospel but failed to completely understand the way of salvation. In other words they are really trusting in what they did instead of trusting in the Gospel. These “Christians” are content to believe that all is well in their relationship with God, when, actually they have been deceived and their faith is misplaced meaning they are not genuine Christians. Another group that I am thinking of are those who, like myself, had a salvation experience but for some reason are doubting their salvation and cannot find a lasting comforting assurance of being saved. For many years I struggled with a lack of understanding of “what believing in Jesus means” therefore I lived in a miserable state of uncertainty about ever being saved.

I was “saved” in church at age 13 & baptized. Several years later I started to question whether or not I really was saved. After about 7-8 years of living without any assurance of salvation I found myself in a state of fear and misery. I had no peace. I went to the alter at church several times to make sure that I was saved. I repented of my sins, I confessed my sins, I accepted Jesus as my Savior & Lord, I committed my life to Christ, I confessed Jesus publicly, I said the sinners’ prayer, I believed in Jesus, I believed He was God’s only Son who was virgin born, I believed He died for my sins, I believed He was raised from the dead, I believed He went to heaven, I believed He is coming back someday, I promised to serve Him the rest of my life, and I believed all the things that I was told that I needed to believe. Each time I went to the alter I was looking for some kind of “sense” of assurance of being saved; I would feel saved for awhile but soon the doubts & fears returned and the misery started all over. I still had no peace.

I began to question myself about whether or not I really repented, or if I really commit my life to Christ, or if I really accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, or did I really commit to serve Him, or did I really believe in Jesus. I questioned all of the things that I had done to get saved. One of the bible verse that I was trusting in was Romans 10:13 “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I had heard that preached as part of a salvation message many times. I would reason with myself that since the bible says it then if I called on Jesus name that I would be saved. Then God showed me that Romans 10:14 explains verse 13 as it says “how then shall they call on Him whom they have not believed, and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Therefore, meaning that I have to “believe” before I call on His name. The real question, then, became “what is the meaning of “believing?” I was confused that Acts 16:31 says “ believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” but then James 2:19 says “You believe that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” So, my understanding of “believe” was at the center of my confusion.

During the time that I was seeking the truth about being saved I talked to my Sunday School teacher and to our pastor about believing in Jesus. Through them I found some good books to read about how to have assurance of salvation. The books were written by well known Christian authors like Dr. Harry Ironsides, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, and Dr. John R. Rice. I read those books over and over and over. Each book referred to scriptures about salvation; some I had already heard and some were new to me. I found myself saying a sinners prayer many times, each time finding relief from the fear & misery for awhile. But the relief would last for only a brief period of time and the misery would return only now it was becoming more of a fearful dread or a sense of doom. I thought I would never know for sure that I was saved.

To make a long story a short one I’ll get right to the point. After several years of living in this miserable condition I finally just gave up on everything I was trying to do and, out of desperation, I turned to God for help. One night as I lay down in bed to try and get some sleep I looked up at the ceiling and said a simple prayer “God, will you show me what I need to know about believing in Jesus?”

The next night I got the big family bible and opened it to the Gospel of John. That was the first time I had ever read in the bible except at church. As I started to read John 1:1 immediately I recognized that God was showing me the truth about His word and about Jesus that I had not seen before. This time was different because I was seeking answers from God Himself and I turned to Him with the attitude that He was my only hope and that I desperately wanted whatever He had for me.

God did not disappoint me. As I read through the Gospel of John God showed me the true grounds for having a settled peace with Him. He showed me that all of my efforts of repeating the prayers, confessing sin, making promises to Him, etc. were not faith in Him but faith in myself. God showed me that I must cease from all of my efforts to find the assurance I was so desperately seeking and to just trust in what Jesus had already done. When the Holy Spirit opened my spiritual eyes to the truth of the Gospel and I saw that my salvation rested only in the finished work of Jesus at the cross, that my sins were nailed to the cross with Him, and that when He said “it is finished” that He meant that my sin debt to God was “paid in full” with His Blood that He shed there, then an enormous sense of relief immediately filled my troubled soul.

Basically, God showed me that He wanted me to turn from myself to Him. That I must simply give up on self and transfer my trust to the finished work of Jesus on the cross; that to “believe in Jesus” means to believe that He will do what He says He will do when we place our trust in Him. Believing means that we rely on Jesus, that we leave it up to Him, that we put our eternity in His hands, that we just believe Him without questioning Him. You see, my problem was that I thought that I had to do something like say a prayer in order to get God to save me; I was trusting my actions, my efforts, and my understanding based on what I had heard from man, therefore I was very much confused and my faith was misplaced. But, when I turned to God, by reading His word, the Holy Spirit showed me the truth of His way of salvation and He immediately cleared up all of my confusion.

So, for me, the lesson I learned applies to any and all acts of “self” to get saved which fail every time. I like to say it this way: “if your faith is in your faith then your faith is not in Jesus.”

So, if anyone reading this should make the all important decision to come to Jesus to receive His gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life, please remember to be careful about your faith; be sure your faith is in Jesus and not in anything you do. He doesn‘t need you to help Him; He wants you to trust in Him as the one who paid your sin debt “in full” on the cross.

If you say a prayer for salvation, be sure you are trusting in Jesus and not in the prayer you just said; your prayer doesn‘t save you; Only Jesus saves.
If you go to the alter to accept Jesus as your Lord & Savior, be sure you are trusting in Jesus death on the cross & not in your trip to the alter.
If you promise to follow Jesus; remember you have to receive His free gift of salvation before you can follow Him; He paid for it with His blood.
If you turn from your sin, remember to turn from yourself to Jesus first, then He will give you power to turn from your sin through the Holy Spirit.
If you accept Jesus as your savior, remember that before you could do so that God accepted Jesus’ death, as “payment in full” for your sin. Again, be sure your faith is in Jesus and not in your prayer. We are saved by God’s grace through faith and God even gives us the faith we need as a gift. The faith God gives you will be focused on the Gospel message of Jesus and will not be focused on anything you can do or have done. Ephesians 2:8,9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”


Following are some of the scriptures that God’s Spirit used to show me the truth of His Word that I needed so that I could understand the true grounds for having a settled peace with Him.

John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said to him, “this is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he hath sent.”

John 5:39 Jesus said to them, “search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

John 5:40 “And you will not come to me that you might have life.”

John 6:37 “Jesus said “all the Father gives me will come to me and anyone who comes to me I will not turn away.”

John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “it is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

And my favorite Bible verse, John14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one can come to the Father except by me.”


[email protected]

Don, I just went back and re-read your article you posted that started this thread. Brother, I liked it the first time ... and I loved it this time. It is an absolutely excellent article and, no doubt, has helped many who have struggled with the assurance of salvation— as I am sure it will continue to do as long as this site is up and people come to read. Thanks for sharing it. I have actually referred to it in a sermon I preached recently, and I could see it had an effect on the congregation ... particularly the line about having faith in your faith rather than in Jesus. Great teaching, bro! Thank you!

 

[mattfivefour]

I guess it was probably a big mistake for me to join this forum. It seems to be more for
mature Christians than someone like me who is struggling.
Thank you all for your kindness and prayers for me, but I feel I don't belong here.

Donna, you belong here. Listen to the other members in this thread. All Christians struggle to some extent or another and with one thing or another. Don't let the fact that you struggle with assurance of salvation (or with any other issue) keep you from fellowshipping here and from being helped by your spiritual brothers and sisters here. Satan wants you alone ... a sheep cut out from the flock is easier prey. Stay put and see the salvation of the Lord.

 

[ldonjohn]

Don, I just went back and re-read your article you posted that started this thread. Brother, I liked it the first time ... and I loved it this time. It is an absolutely excellent article and, no doubt, has helped many who have struggled with the assurance of salvation— as I am sure it will continue to do as long as this site is up and people come to read. Thanks for sharing it. I have actually referred to it in a sermon I preached recently, and I could see it had an effect on the congregation ... particularly the line about having faith in your faith rather than in Jesus. Great teaching, bro! Thank you!

Thank you brother Matt. That article was the result of the teaching of the Holy Spirit in my life as He brought me out of darkness into the light of God's Word. I had been in church all of my life around Christians who seemed to have a peace that I could not find. I had concluded that I would never know that I had believed in Jesus with "saving" faith. There were times when I wasn't sure if God existed or if the bible was true. I was confused and miserable; I felt hopeless & doomed. It's almost ironic that I grew up in church, but never learned the truth about God & the Bible there. It was only after I turned my back on God and went my way that He got my attention and began to accomplish His purpose in my life.

I will never forget the night I sat at my kitchen table & opened the bible for the first time outside of church. I had heard someone say that the Book of John was the place to find out about Jesus, so I turned there not knowing what I would find but willing to accept whatever it would be. The words became alive as the Holy Spirit opened my blind spiritual eyes and showed me Jesus. I found Him there, I found truth there, and my life changed forever. God gave me a peace that is impossible to explain to anyone who has never experienced that peace for themselves. That was 40 years ago, and I still have that peace. Praise God that He gave me parents who took me to church every Sunday so I could hear the truth & would later know where to search for answers. I'm so grateful that He didn't give up on me when I thought that I didn't need Him in my life. I thank Him every day for making my life miserable and fearful as He was working in me to draw me to Christ. God is awesome!

Don, sometimes John & if I forget I might sign out as Larry.

 

[Andy C]

you say a prayer for salvation, be sure you are trusting in Jesus and not in the prayer you just said; your prayer doesn‘t save you; Only Jesus saves.
If you go to the alter to accept Jesus as your Lord & Savior, be sure you are trusting in Jesus death on the cross & not in your trip to the alter.
If you promise to follow Jesus; remember you have to receive His free gift of salvation before you can follow Him; He paid for it with His blood.
If you turn from your sin, remember to turn from yourself to Jesus first, then He will give you power to turn from your sin through the Holy Spirit.
If you accept Jesus as your savior, remember that before you could do so that God accepted Jesus’ death, as “payment in full” for your sin. Again, be sure your faith is in Jesus and not in your prayer. We are saved by God’s grace through faith and God even gives us the faith we need as a gift. The faith God gives you will be focused on the Gospel message of Jesus and will not be focused on anything you can do or have done. Ephesians 2:8,9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

I have read your entire post several times. Excellent.

Many Christians I know have a hard time accepting that Jesus paid for it all. There is nothing required of me other then belief in Him as my Savior. The book of John sates dozens of times that belief in Him is all that is required. Yet as you stated, many want to add to the finished works on the Cross in order to earn or maintain their salvation. I even had a member on this forum once tell me that I might want to read the rest of the New Testament, hinting that there is more to salvation other than belief in Him.

 

[ldonjohn]

I have read your entire post several times. Excellent.

Many Christians I know have a hard time accepting that Jesus paid for it all. There is nothing required of me other then belief in Him as my Savior. The book of John sates dozens of times that belief in Him is all that is required. Yet as you stated, many want to add to the finished works on the Cross in order to earn or maintain their salvation. I even had a member on this forum once tell me that I might want to read the rest of the New Testament, hinting that there is more to salvation other than belief in Him.

This Sunday I heard 2 messages where the ministers emphasized saying a prayer for salvation. One was the pastor of our church who I think is one of the best preachers & pastors in our area. He closed the service by having all heads bowed then he asked for a show of hands of anyone who wanted to accept Jesus as their savior. He then led those who raised their hands in a salvation prayer that included "confess my sins" and "will serve Jesus for the rest of my life." Now, I believe confessing sins and serving Jesus are important, but I don't believe those 2 actions are required for salvation. I sat there in the service wondering if those people were trusting in confessing their sins & promising to serve Jesus or if they were trusting in Jesus' death on the cross, His shed blood there, and His resurrection. I could be completely wrong in my thinking because I know God works in everyone differently. I know that those people raised their hands for a reason, and that they might have been ready at that moment to "believe" the Gospel, but I could not help but think about my experience with being confused by hearing the exact same message for many years while at the same time not really understanding the true meaning of "believing" in Jesus.

Sunday night I heard a TV minister say "you have to say the words out loud" to be saved. Well, again, I realize I might be wrong about this, but I don't believe saying a prayer out loud is necessary for a person to believe in Jesus for salvation.

These are the kinds of things that had me confused for many years. I did all of those things like confessing my sins, committing my life to Jesus, and promising to serve God, but then I heard a preacher say "you have to really mean business with God to be saved," and I would question whether or not I really meant business with God when I was saved. The truth came to me when the Holy Spirit took my focus off of "myself" and pointed me to the finished work of Jesus. When I saw that Jesus had already done everything that God required for my salvation when He took my sin to the cross then my faith transferred from "me" to Jesus.

 

[athenasius]

well said Don!

 

[donna1951]

Idonjohn, thank you for your testimony and I sincerely apologize for questioning you.
I am doing as you suggested by trying to keep my focus on Jesus.
Some of my problem is depression also. Since I was last on the forum, some days
I cry all day and have severe insomnia. My husband went out of town yesterday
morning for his job and I never went to sleep last night and only slept a couple
of hours today. Right now I am up and can't sleep. This fear of mine is to the
point that some days I feel I am losing my mind and I can't quit crying.
I found that praying for others in the prayer thread helps me.
Again, I am very sorry if I hurt your feelings. Please forgive me, I am not well.

 

[ldonjohn]

Idonjohn, thank you for your testimony and I sincerely apologize for questioning you.
I am doing as you suggested by trying to keep my focus on Jesus.
Some of my problem is depression also. Since I was last on the forum, some days
I cry all day and have severe insomnia. My husband went out of town yesterday
morning for his job and I never went to sleep last night and only slept a couple
of hours today. Right now I am up and can't sleep. This fear of mine is to the
point that some days I feel I am losing my mind and I can't quit crying.
I found that praying for others in the prayer thread helps me.
Again, I am very sorry if I hurt your feelings. Please forgive me, I am not well.

Donna, no apology is needed, and you certainly did not hurt my feeling. My only concern was that you had left this forum and we would not hear from you again. Glad you are back. May I offer some suggestions for you to consider. First, have you read the articles I suggested in an earlier post? Next, you might read the bios of Charlotte Elliot & William Cowper. Charlotte wrote "Just as I Am" and William wrote "There is a Fountain." Both of them struggled with doubting salvation and depression, but they are well known for their hymns. You shouldn't have any problem finding their biographies online.

Another suggestion: Find the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul" and just read the words to yourself. Read them over & over. That is my favorite hymn and some days I can't get it off of my mind, especially the third verse that says my sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus & I bare them no more.

Finally, you might read a story I wrote for one of my 5 granddaughters, "Do You See the Nails?" You can find it here at RF at the link below.

http://www.raptureforums.com/forums/threads/do-you-see-the-nails-revised-version.85783/

 

[donna1951]

Donna, no apology is needed, and you certainly did not hurt my feeling. My only concern was that you had left this forum and we would not hear from you again. Glad you are back. May I offer some suggestions for you to consider. First, have you read the articles I suggested in an earlier post? Next, you might read the bios of Charlotte Elliot & William Cowper. Charlotte wrote "Just as I Am" and William wrote "There is a Fountain." Both of them struggled with doubting salvation and depression, but they are well known for their hymns. You shouldn't have any problem finding their biographies online.

Another suggestion: Find the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul" and just read the words to yourself. Read them over & over. That is my favorite hymn and some days I can't get it off of my mind, especially the third verse that says my sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus & I bare them no more.

Finally, you might read a story I wrote for one of my 5 granddaughters, "Do You See the Nails?" You can find it here at RF at the link below.

http://www.raptureforums.com/forums/threads/do-you-see-the-nails-revised-version.85783/

Idonjohn, I am so thankful you aren't upset with me.
I will do all that you suggest. I truly love all 3 of the songs you mentioned and will take
the words to heart. I will look up Charlotte Elliott and William Cowper and their biographies.
Also I will read the story you wrote for your little granddaughter.
I sincerely thank you so very much for your kindness!

 

[Belle of Grace]

An excellent book that I am still reading has helped me to unravel a lot of years of wrong-headed teaching. On the Amazon page linked below, there is even a copy available for a penny + shipping.
Can't beat that for such an excellent book. It is consistent with the gospel of John in New Testament and illustrates what ldonjohn has said. It is good for anyone to read.

**********************/gp/offer-lis...1-1&keywords=secure+and+sure+by+robert+wilkin

And another book on God's grace, the glorious theme. Excellent as well.
**********************/s/ref=nb_sb_...+lewis+sperry+chafer+grace+the+glorious+theme

 

[Belle of Grace]

A couple of years ago during a time that I was struggling in much the same way as Donna has expressed in her posts, in my mind, I heard the verse, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." I hadn't read that verse in my Bible reading in a long time, so I knew that God Himself must be directing me to read His Word and to allow Him to increase my faith through the reading of my Bible. Every time I pick up my Bible no matter whether I'm doing a consistent study of one of the books of NT, etc., or just a random passage of Scripture, there is something that I read that increases my belief (faith). If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. (James 4:8) We also view videos from Institute of Creation Research that demonstrate God's amazing glory in His creation of man and this universe. All of this is God-honoring and faith-building. Then the doubts don't loom so large, because I am reminded more clearly of just 'who' God is and how He provided for each one of us in so many marvelous ways to sustain us on this planet earth, but especially for our redemption with His very own blood. So thankful!

 

[donna1951]

An excellent book that I am still reading has helped me to unravel a lot of years of wrong-headed teaching. On the Amazon page linked below, there is even a copy available for a penny + shipping.
Can't beat that for such an excellent book. It is consistent with the gospel of John in New Testament and illustrates what ldonjohn has said. It is good for anyone to read.

**********************/gp/offer-lis...1-1&keywords=secure+and+sure+by+robert+wilkin

And another book on God's grace, the glorious theme. Excellent as well.
**********************/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=by+lewis+sperry+chafer+grace+the+glorious+theme

Lynn, thank you for these names. I will look on Amazon .
I have been feeling much better the last few days, but I never know when the fear will
set in. I really believe it is spiritual warfare and I know that the Lord does allow this
to help us build up our faith, but sometimes it really does become overwhelming.
I know we aren't suppose to envy people. It's a sin, but I do so wish I could feel
the way other Christians feel with their total assurance!

 

[Belle of Grace]

I understand the envy part of your post, as I have felt the same way so many times. In my adult years (after salvation), I would be tempted to 'intellectualize' what God wanted me to simply take on faith. We are to be as children, I think that's in Matthew. At times, it's been hard for me to be that way, and I have truly envied people who seem to have such simple child-like trust. I have asked God to help me with that.
Last evening my husband and I viewed a couple of the discs from 'Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis'. It's outstanding! It is available from Institute of Creation Research, but may also be available on Amazon. I think some of my doubts in the past were actually rooted in doubt of Him and His Word. That just showed up for the first time about 5 years ago. I was saved at the age of 38 and always had such strong faith. Then, Satan tried me in the fiery furnace. It lasted off and on for about four years. I refused to give in to him and kept running to God for help. He didn't fail me. I was still having a hard time when I first read some of ldonjohn's posts, and I found them to be quite helpful. So glad you are following up on his links & suggestions for you to read.
I'm so glad you are still posting here. As you can see, a 'lot' of us have been through the same thing that you have. Reading God'said Word is the best prescription I can think of. He will always respond to anyone who comes to Him with a sincere seeking heart. Please post again, Donna, and remember it's God's Word that will give you real peace. All the books in the world on assurance won't help you (even the ones I suggested) to have that sense of quiet settled peace that comes from a certainty about one's relationship with Jesus. That's everything to me. Nothing else matters compared to that. Blessings to you, Donna.

 

[donna1951]

Thank you so much Lynn for the encouragement.
My problem is that I believe all his promises and his word, but I just need to know its for me
too. I know God doesen't lie,but I get scared that maybe I am not believing the right way,
I know it is faith alone. It's just so very hard to explain.

 

[Belle of Grace]

I think the book by Wilkin linked above will help you. Also, hopefully you have a good church to attend. Isolation from other women Christians is not good. If you don't have a church, I strongly recommend Bible Study Fellowship. They are studying the gospel of John this year. If you go to their Web site, bsfinternational.org and click on the 'Find a Class' tab, then enter your zip code, you may find a woman's class nearby, especially if you are not far from a small city.

 

[donna1951]

I think the book by Wilkin linked above will help you. Also, hopefully you have a good church to attend. Isolation from other women Christians is not good. If you don't have a church, I strongly recommend Bible Study Fellowship. They are studying the gospel of John this year. If you go to their Web site, bsfinternational.org and click on the 'Find a Class' tab, then enter your zip code, you may find a woman's class nearby, especially if you are not far from a small city.

Lynn, thank you so very much for your suggestions.
Some of my fear is beginning to come back and I am very depressed this morning.
I guess some of my fear is that as a Christian I shouldn't be depressed, but I am most of the time.
I have been in the hospital four times for depression since I was 30 and I am 65 now. The last
time was in 2006 and at that time it was so bad I had to just go ahead and retire at 55.
I do try to read the Bible every day. I have read the New Testament countless times over
the last year. I am starting the Old Testament now. I have read all of it before, with the exception
of the laws. I love the prophets, especially Isaiah. I have read those several times.
I also have severe social anxiety so it's hard for me to be around people.
I' m sorry I never intended to say all of this. I try not to talk about it, but I guess some
of this is the reason I don't feel assurance.
Thank you Lynn for your kindness.