A humble request...

[1Timothy115]

Ouch! What made you say that? That is just what I wonder if I'm doing.

Yes, Carl is the right name.

Thanks so much for everyone's comments and prayers. U4tarheel, bless you for remembering me all this time!

I can only guess the Lord gave me that. It's what I thought of while thinking of how to pray for you.

Don't hesitate, purpose to seek truth, not mine but, God's. If you do this and the Bible is wrong what harm will come to you? But, if the Bible is truth you have avoided eternal harm.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

[Seth Doty]

I understand that part of the Biblical story of God, Jesus and man that I am told I must understand in order to be able to accept Jesus as my saviour. But I don't know whether I really believe in God and therefore His saving Grace through Jesus. I don't know if I really recognise my sins as sins--things that I have done against God. I can't say whether I'm truly repentant, in that I have a broken and contrite heart before God.

So the things that you pass off as very easy, I struggle even to comprehend. Even concepts such as 'faith' and 'belief'--I'm not sure if I really know what they are, before we even begin to talk about applying them to God.

Carl, I have been praying for you for some time.

There is a time for examining ourselves and our hearts and there is a time when we must put that aside, step out, and choose to act on what God has said simply because he said it. As it is written:

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, OBeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.


I know you must have at least a little faith or else you would not pray and I know you desire to be saved for if you did not you would not have kept coming here for so long nor ask for prayer for your salvation.

I am persuaded that you know everything you need to know to be saved and that you have been given the desire to be saved. All you have to do is put feet to that desire, step out and OBey the command of the Lord to be saved. As it is written:

"John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

And again:

"2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"

Once you reach the point you are at the longer you wait the harder it will be to trust Christ. Every day you delay OBedience to the command of God the more firmly set in doubt you will become.

"Hebrews 3:7-11 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)"


That generation of Israel regularly saw the working of God in their lives yet they simply would not OBey or trust him. God had long patience with them and tried many different things to bring them around but they never would move forward in faith and OBedience. God is and has been working in your heart also. He has been drawing you to him. Don't be like the generation of Israel that could not enter in to Canaan because they hardened their hearts and would not trust and OBey. It is written:

Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.


God has given you the desire to be saved, a little faith, a little fear of the Lord, and the knowledge of how to be saved. That is a gift, and it is everything you need for salvation. Your responsibility now is to use that small gift to OBey God so that he can give you the greatest gift of all. You already have all the faith your going to get until you use the faith you have. Use that faith to OBey God and accept Christ and he will increase your faith from there if you abide in him since faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

"Matthew 25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."

[lettheredeemedsayso]

Thanks, Futurehope. I don't know whether your questions are just rhetoric, but I'll try to answer them. I understand that part of the Biblical story of God, Jesus and man that I am told I must understand in order to be able to accept Jesus as my saviour. But I don't know whether I really believe in God and therefore His saving Grace through Jesus. I don't know if I really recognise my sins as sins--things that I have done against God. I can't say whether I'm truly repentant, in that I have a broken and contrite heart before God.

So the things that you pass off as very easy, I struggle even to comprehend. Even concepts such as 'faith' and 'belief'--I'm not sure if I really know what they are, before we even begin to talk about applying them to God.

Lastly, do I know that I don't necessarily have long left? Yes, I do understand this--my not accepting Christ isn't because I believe I have lots of time to do it later. That is one thing I am sure about. I've never seen anything in the Bible that contradicts what Jonathan Edwards said:

"...whatever some have imagined and pretended about promises made to natural men's earnest seeking and knocking, it is plain and manifest, that whatever pains a natural man takes in religion, whatever prayers he makes, till he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of OBligation to keep him a moment from eternal destruction."

Thanks so much for your prayers.

You are not alone many people struggle to comprehend faith but if we could fully understand God it would not be faith. I think many people believe that they have to fully understand the things of God before they can accept Him. Such is not the case.

Hbr 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

[Alimantado]

Ok, thanks very much indeed to everyone for all your comments. Seth, it is a delight to see you posting on here again; I'm so grateful for your taking the time to lay it all out for me like that and I'm only sorry I can't say any more than that in response right now.

[JerryNumbers]

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Yes, either this verse is true, are its false, one are the other, impossible to be both true and false. Those who have chosen to believe, did so only through faith.


Mark 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

Luke 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

Yes, simple child like faith, that is all it take.

[1Timothy115]

You asked us to pray for you. I will continue to pray. In return I have a request for you to pray for your salvation too.

[Alimantado]

I do that quite a lot, 1Tim115. Thanks for your continued prayers.

[Alimantado]

I don't know what more could be said to me; Seth and others on here seem already to have told it like it is--laid out my simple state. But some people here might appreciate an update and I feel like sharing, so I will.

I remember a couple of years back there was a thread about being saved and showing fruit. There, Jerry Numbers explained that when he was saved, nothing could stop him from running up the isle to profess his faith and new-found relationship with God to all. And every testimony I have read since, speaks of that joy of coming to Christ.

When I try think about offering myself to Christ, though I have no qualms about confessing what I am to God, no remaining pride to swallow and no OBjections to raise, all I feel is fear, anguish and impotence. Please pray for me, that God might show me what it is that keeps me from him.

"....With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without..."

[Psalms18_28]

I surely hope you think about it. You never know tomorrow would be your time.

[JerryNumbers]

Its not about experience, emotions, your experience may not be like mine, your experience may not be like someone else's, your emotions when saved may not be like some other person, its all about you, the Father, through Jesus Christ the Savior.

His promise is, if a person will accept Jesus as their Savior, by grace {unmerited favor}, through faith, not of their self, not of works, he has a free gift He will give them, salvation.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

In this world there are actually 2 different sets of people, those who believe, those who do not, those who have everlasting life, those who the wrath of God abideth on

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Those who believe hath the Son & everlasting life.

Those who do not believe have the wrath of God on them.

It simply boils down to this, if a person will accept their a sinner.

That there is a price to paid for being a sinner.

Asking for forgiveness of ones sins.

Accepting Jesus as Savior who gave His life on the cross to pay the price for our sins.

Its not about experiences, emotions, crying, but simply a person accepting this fact, truth, with child like faith.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

By the way, what every person actually deserves including my self, is to pay for their own sins by spending eternity in hell, God has proved His love for us by showing mercy by giving His Son to pay our sin debt on the cross, Jesus proved His love for us by freely dying on the cross to pay our sin debt.

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He {Jesus} humbled Himself, and became OBedient unto death, even the death of the cross.


1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.

Jesus does care, He has proved this by the cross. We all feel impotent when compared to Jesus, the only name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Ac 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

[Alimantado]

So I did finally trust in God and accept the gift of God's grace. I don't know exactly when, for I have prayed so much and anguished so much over the last month. But in the end, I realised that my heart had changed and that I not only accepted the fact of my iniquity and of salvation being offered in Christ but that I trusted in Him too.

I can't type much more and I might not post on here for a long time, partly because I feel very humbled rather than joyful but also because I need to spend less time on the net. The good news so deeply subverts everything I believed in that it's about all I can do to trust in God for now. I'll just copy and paste that hymn that sums it up so well:

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

God bless everyone on here for putting up with me and for listening, sympathising, explaining, guiding and of course reproving. I hope it doesn't take away from God's glory to praise those who work for him; I praise you all now and offer my heartfelt thanks. I shan't name anyone because I'll forget some, but you know who you are.

Carl

[HappyChristian]

Carl, that is SO WONDERFUL! Praise the Lord! Thanks for letting us know about this.

[Bakershalfdozen]

Tears of JOY!!!



Praise the Lord!!!

[Psalms18_28]

Wonderful news, Carl!

Thanks for letting us know..

[JerryNumbers]

Wow, that was great to read with bleary eyes, such news is always wonderful to hear.

I love the song.

Thanks for letting us know!