Tag: 1 John

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Am I lost?

Pastor Chris, 

i was saved years ago i had thoughts in my head one day i said out loud the holy ghost was of satan after that i think i said not cause i don’t believe that but i went into all kinds of sin went away from god years i came back to god i wanted to go to church i wanted to so bad i gave up all sin in my life even my job at a bar i gave up all tv that was bad i cry all the time i want to have god in my life so bad i prayed for forgiveness over and over i want to know i believe Jesus is god in the flesh and the holy ghost is gods spirit Jesus cast out satan by the power of god , i am so worried that the holy ghost is no longer with me that i am lost because of what i said i want so much to go to heaven and to do right in gods eyes i pray all the time what is wrong with me is the holy ghost gone away am i lost?

~ Rebecca

 

ANSWER

 

Rebecca,

 

The enemy (the devil) is the accuser of God’s children (Revelation 12:10). He is the one that is tormenting you.

 

A person is born again when she comes to Christ and places her faith in Jesus alone for salvation (John 3:7, 16-18; Ephesians 2:8-9). When a person is born of the Spirit (John 3:8) she remains in that state. She cannot become unborn spiritually anymore than she can become unborn physically. It is forever (John 5:24; 10:27-30).

 

If a pig gets cleaned up it will go right back to its mud hole. It will do this because it is a pig’s nature. That is what pigs do. If a sheep happens to fall into a mud hole it will get out. That is because it is not in the nature of a sheep to stay in the mud.

 

The Bible says the children of God are like sheep (John 10:1-30). Our true nature is to follow the Good Shepherd (Jesus). The fact that you are following Christ is proof that you belong to Him.

 

You fell into a mud hole for awhile. However, you climbed out of that dirty place because you are a child of the King. Now, set your mind on God’s truth and His kingdom. Refuse to listen to the enemy or even your own memories of past failures. When Jesus died on the cross He paid for those failures, so follow Him with your whole heart. It is an incredible thing to be loved so much and forgiven so completely. Memorize 1 John 1:9 and Philippians 4:8. These verses will bless you and strengthen you.

 

For further guidance in these matters I recommend Counter Attack: Taking Back Ground Lost to Sin and Lifetime Guarantee.

 

God bless you! Keep following Jesus. His Spirit has not left you.

~ Pastor Chris

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Does God love some people more than others?

Pastor Chris,

 

Does God love some people more than others? It does not say in the bible that he loves everyone the same. I really have been feeling hopeless lately because I feel he does not love me as much as many others – especially my little sister. It’s been tearing me up inside. It just hurts so bad.

 

~ Nichole

 

ANSWER

 

Nichole,

 

God bless you! Yes, He loves you! You will remember John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (NIV). The Bible also says that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). It is God’s very nature to love.

 

The problem is with us. We sometimes question God when difficult circumstances invade our lives. Why would He allow us to hurt? Or have problems? Why do others seem to have God’s blessing?

 

Our emotions can lie to us. The enemy, the devil, knows this and will try to get us to live our lives based on feelings. Feelings are strong and very real, but that does not mean they always speak truth.

 

It is important that we saturate our minds with truth. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think about the true things, the noble things, the right things, the pure things, the lovely things, the admirable things, the excellent things, and the praiseworthy things. When we do this we find that our emotions become positive and we feel good.

 

Resist the temptation to compare yourself and your life experiences to others. This is a trap. You cannot know what inner struggles others have, the temptations they face, or what will happen to them in the future. Jesus told Peter not to worry about what He had planned for John (see John 21:21-23).

 

God has a plan. That plan includes you. He doesn’t make mistakes. When we arrive in heaven and experience the glories of our Savior face-to-face along with the joys of eternal life, all of our deepest desires will be fulfilled. Keep following Jesus. You can trust Him.

~ Pastor Chris

 

(For further study see Disappointment with God.)