I find myself caring less and less about the presence of God in my life. I realize He's the only way for salvation, and I am not against Him or anything, but for some reason He keeps becoming less important to me. I know it's wrong, and it scares me, but I don't know what to do.
3 comments:
Hey,
That's a great question. I have a feeling that what you're dealing with is doubt. Usually, when faced with the question of Why is God becoming LESS important to me...its usually because something else has become MORE important to you. Sometimes we realize this...sometimes we don't. The Christian life is filled with ups and downs of realizing the different things that we substitute to fulfill us..instead of God. These things are called idols. My guess is that you've got something else in your life, that's getting in the way of your relationship with God. The first thing that you need to do is try and figure out what that thing is. Once you figure it out, hand it over to the Lord and ask Him to replace it with Himself. Also, please start by asking God (specifically) to restore your desire to serve Him. Don't be scared. But what you're dealing with is okay. I'd recommend that you start by trying to get to the heart of what IS important to you. Also, it is helpful for me sometimes to ask some of the following questions. This was taken from a talk on DOUBT that we had at Youth Group. I hope that you'll find it helpful. Every time you see the word "doubt" insert the words "less interested in God."
• I HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY…SHOULD I FEAR THAT I MAY NOT REALLY BE A BELIEVER AT ALL?
• THE FIRST THING THAT WE NEED TO REMEMBER IS THAT DOUBTING ASSURANCE IS NOT UNBELIEF
• WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? DOUBTING INVOLVES ASKING QUESTIONS..AND UNBELIEF INVOLVES PRACTICING A LACK OF FAITH
• HONESTLY..IF YOU NEVER DOUBT OR ASK QUESTIONS, HOW WILL YOU EVER KNOW THE TRUTH?
• WE LEARN BY ASKING QUESTIONS. FOR EXAMPLE: I WATCH THE FOOD NETWORK ALL THE TIME. TO BE THE BEST COOK, YOU MUST PRACTICE YOUR RECIPES AND ASK QUESTIONS. SOMETIMES GREAT CHEFS MAKE BAD MEALS WHICH CAUSES THEM TO DOUBT THEIR SKILLS, BUT THEY ASK QUESTIONS, LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES, AND MOVE FORWARD. THE RESULT IS BETTER MEALS. THE QUESTIONS DON’T CAUSE THEM TO NO LONGER BE CHEFS. AND THEY DON'T ALWAYS FEEL LIKE COOKING.
• SO IT IS WITH CHRISTIANITY IN A SPIRITUAL WAY, WE MUST LEARN TO WORK OUT OUR SALVATION THE SAME WAY THAT A CHEF WOULD WORK OUT HIS/HER RECIPES. AND WE MUST COMMIT TO PERSEVERING THROUGH THE TIMES WHEN WE DON'T "FEEL" LIKE "COOKING"
• IT TAKES TIME AND IT TAKES QUESTIONS AND THAT’S OKAY.
SO LET’S SAY THAT YOU’RE DOUBTING A LOT…WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? FIRST ITS IMPORTANT TO ASK WHY YOU’RE DOUBTING.
• THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT CAUSES OF DOUBTS. CAN YOU THINK OF ANY?
• SOMETIMES DOUBT IS CAUSED BY UNREPENTANT SIN: SIN CAUSES SADNESS OR GRIEVES THE HOLY SPIRIT. IF WE ARE A CHRISTIAN THEN WE HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN US AND WHEN WE SIN…IT CAUSES CONVICTION AND SADNESS.
• SINCE THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ONE WHO GIVES US THE EXPERIENCE OF ASSURANCE, WHEN WE GRIEVE HIM, WE MAY TEMPORARILY LOSE OUR EXPERIENCE OF ASSURANCE, BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT WE’VE LOST SALVATION OR THAT WE AREN’T A CHRISTIAN.
• SOMETIMES SATAN ACCUSES US AND PLANTS DOUBTS IN OUR MIND TO DISCOURAGE US.
• SOMETIMES THE PRESSURES OF TRIALS OR HARSH CIRCUMSTANCES DRIVES US TO DOUBT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD. FOR EX: "IF GOD IS GOOD THEN HE MUST NOT LIKE ME OR I MUST NOT BE A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE HE’S ALLOWED THIS “BAD” THING IN MY LIFE."
• SOMETIMES WE MAY DOUBT MERELY BECAUSE OF OUR MENTAL OR PHYSICAL CONDITION AT THE TIME. THINGS SUCH AS EATING DISORDERS, OR DEPRESSION CAN AFFECT OUR MENTAL CONDITION
• SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY: THE MORE RECENTLY YOU’VE COME TO CHRIST, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO HAVE DOUBTS
• SENSITIVITY TO SIN MAY CAUSE CONFUSION ABOUT ASSURANCE: SOMETIMES NEW BELIEVERS CONFUSE THEIR NEW SENSITIVITY TO SIN AS DOUBT, WHEN IN REALITY, THEY ARE JUST MORE AWARE OF HOW BAD THEIR SIN IS..BECAUSE OF THEIR NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.
• 2Cor. 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• REVERSE THIS VERSE FOR THE CHRISTIAN: NEW CHRISTIANS BECOME “UNBLINDED” TO THE SIN IN THEIR LIVES AND SOMETIMES MISTAKE IT FOR LACK OF BELIEF, WHEN IN REALITY IT’S A NEW AWARENESS AND THEY ARE JUST BEGINNING TO EXPERIENCE CONVICTION…WHICH FEELS BAD.
• COMPARISONS WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS: MAY CONFUSE ASSURANCE. COMPARING OURSELVES TO OTHER PEOPLE IS NEVER GOOD. SOMETIMES YOU MAY BE COMPARING YOURSELF TO A MORE MATURE CHRISTIAN…WHICH MAY CAUSE YOU TO DOUBT. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMPARISONS OF YOURSELF TO ANYONE BUT JESUS CHRIST…ARE PERFORMANCE BASED CHRISTIANITY. THAT’S NOT THE GOSPEL
• CHILDHOOD CONVERSION CAN AFFECT ASSURANCE: THE REASON OF THIS IS BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN CHRISTIANS SINCE CHILDHOOD, KNOW LITTLE ELSE BESIDES BEING A CHRISTIAN. SOMETIMES WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER NORMAL TEMPTATION AND SIN, THEY MAY BEGIN TO CONFUSE THAT WITH LACK OF SALVATION.
• WHEN YOUR CHRISITAN EXPERIENCE IS BASICALLY THE ONLY LIFE YOU’VE EVER KNOWN, SOMETIMES YOU WONDER IF THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE KNOWN IS THE REAL THING.
• BUT IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT OCCASIONAL ANXIETY LIKE THIS IS NORMAL…IT’S OKAY
• SO TO RECAP DOUBTING ASSURANCE IS NOT THE SAME AS UNBELIEF IN JESUS
• ITS OK TO HAVE DOUBTS AND IS IN FACT NORMAL AND NECESSARY FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH.
• SO WHEN IS DOUBTING DANGEROUS?
• WHEN IT BECOMES CHRONIC.
• OCCASIONAL DOUBTS, EVEN HORRIFYING DOUBTS AT TIMES OR PERIODS OF OUR LIFE CAN BE NORMAL, BUT DOUBTS THAT PERSIST IN THE FACE OF EVERY BIBLICAL REMEDY DEMAND CAREFUL ATTENTION.
• SO WHEN IS DOUBTING DANGEROUS?? WHEN THE DOUBTING QUESTIONS BECOME UNBELIEVING PRACTICES.
• NOBODY CAN SET A LENGTH OF TIME OR DEPTH OF FEELING THAT DEFINES THIS. BUT WE CAN SAY THAT UNENDING DOUBT IS NOT A NORMAL PART OF BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY AND SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
• SO…WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU HAVE THIS, YOU REINVESTIGATE THE GOSPEL. YOU FIRST START BY ASKING GOD TO GIVE YOU ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS. YOU ASK PEOPLE LIKE ME TO HELP YOU, YOU ASK YOUR FRIENDS, YOU TELL YOUR PARENTS (GOD HAS PUT THEM THEIR TO GUIDE YOU...THEY LOVE YOU) BUT YOU SHOULD COMMUNICATE IT WITH SOMEONE.
• BUT REMEMBER THIS, NON-CHRISTIANS DON’T QUESTION THEIR SALVATION OR DESIRES ABOUT GOD. DEAD MEN CAN’T SPEAK. YOU MAY BE ASKING...DERRICK, WHAT IF I’M REALLY NOT A CHRISTIAN AND I THINK I AM…I MEAN I KEEP DOING THINGS THAT GOD DOESN’T WANT ME TO DO.
1John 5:13 ¶ I have written these things32 to you who believe33 in the name of the Son of God so that34 you may know that you have eternal life.
1John 5:14 ¶ And this is the confidence that we have before him: that35 whenever36 we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
1John 5:15 And if we know37 that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.
• THIS WAS WRITTEN BY THE APOSTLE JOHN TO CHRISTIANS.
• ONE OF THE REASONS THAT IT WAS WRITTEN WAS SO THAT WE MAY KNOW THAT ITS NORMAL TO HAVE DOUBTS AND SO THAT WE MAY ALSO KNOW THAT IN THE MIDST OF THOSE DOUBTS..WE CAN HAVE ASSURANCE
IT’S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY, BECAUSE JESUS WAS OKAY IN OUR BEHALF, THAT’S OKAY WITH GOD, AND THAT MAKES US OKAY WITH GOD, BECAUSE GOD’S OKAY WITH JESUS. OKAY?
• REMEMBER THE ASSURANCE OF YOUR SALVATION RESTS PRIMARILY ON THE CHARACTER OF GOD, THE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST, AND THE TRUTH OF GOD’S PROMISES. ITS NOT ABOUT YOU.
So the fact that you ask these questions is a good sign that you're on the right track. Again, be encouraged, you care about your relationship with God. But remember, God cares about you. I encourage you to tell your parents, tell a friend, communicate with your pastors..but overall, ASK GOD to answer the question that you posted.
Your honesty is encouraging. Thanks for the honor of your post.
I love you in God's way,
Derrick
I appreciate what you said, and I know that doubting one's faith is in reality an assurance of his or her faith. I also know what it feels like to doubt my faith, and what I'm feeling is not doubt. The problem is I understand and agree with everything you said. I know that doubt in a Christian's life is necessary in order to strengthen his or her faith. I know that new believers experience extreme feelings of doubt because of their sensitivity to sin, and that mature Christians are, in a way, more immune to the "little things." I know all this and agree with it. The problem is that I find myself not caring about it. I don't doubt that I'm a Christian, I'm just afraid of the path I'm on. I find myself in Church listening and praying, "OK, God, help me here, I really need you right now. I know I've been saved, help me live my life right." But after I open my eyes I just go right back to not caring. It's not that I doubt my faith, it's that I'm apathetic toward it. Again, I appreciate what you've said, but what can I do about just not caring? I know how to be a Christian, and I know how to live a faithful life. I just don't care enough to try sometimes.
-Doubting Thomas (original poster)
Hey,
First, I just want to say...just how much I appreciate your honesty. Your post means a lot to me because you are so honest. I wish that more people in this world were as honest about their thoughts/struggles with their faith as you have been in your response. Out of respect for you and your question, I'm gonna need a little more time (not too long, but long enough to respect your great question with a thoughtful answer) to think/pray about the best way to respond to your question. Thanks for the clarification on your question and I PROMISE that I'll respond with the best answer that I have. Also, if you're willing, talk to me at youth group. I don't bite and I promise not to hold your blog "anonymity" against you :)
Thanks so much for your question..its such a great one,
Derrick
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