Why I'm here

[j_hunt_12]

Well I went to church as a child but me and my family stopped after our preacher got caught looking at "something" on the church computer. After that I stopped going to church altogether and became what you would call a lukewarm Christian. In my first two years in college I kind of forgot about it completely and became a normal college student. I fell into some bad habits and did some stuff I regret, but I always felt guilty for the stuff I did unlike my friends and the other college students in general.

This year I've been studying abroad away form the U.S. college scene and I've finally taken on the task of improving myself and I have slowly been becoming better. I am a liberal at heart, but I have found the general teachings of the Bible very moral and good and good for the lifestyle I want to live. I do call myself a Christian but still frown upon most denominations and the church attitude in general (I have a right to with my past experience with churches). I have been dating a very conservative Orthodox Christian for 6 months now and she has been another large reason I want to do everthing I can to improve myself long-term. My main interest is being as moral and good as possible. I am not interested in digging through the Bible and arguing to find what is right and wrong because, while it is a good guidebook, I believe most normal people know what is right and wrong in their hearts (even though many people nowadays lie to themselves about it too much), and I believe your actions are your only true test of faith. I'm here to keep involved with Christ more consistantly because I am much more happy this way than I was my first two years in college, but I still fall out sometimes as do all Christians. thanks, peace

 

[Vic C.]

Welcome to the site. We pray you find the forums edifying. :angel:

 

[Guest]

Man j_hunt_12, my story is suprisingly similar to yours so I just thought I'd share.
It's long, but i encourage you to read through it.

I grew up in a pretty solid Christian family. I got saved at 7 years old and was really on fire for Christ for a long time. I witnessed to my friends as often as I could, was very involved with my church and when I got to middle school, I started playing in our church's worship team and was having a blast. Unfortunately our worship leader, who was really my best friend at the church and close mentor, got caught doing something he shouldn't have been and resigned. I was confused and mad and didn't really know what to think about the church anymore so I quit going. Slowly over time, I became pretty luke warm. I got into the whole party scene in highschool and joined a fraternity in college where I was the ONLY Christian. As you can imagine, the next two years of my life were in a pretty constant downward spiral. I got into about every sinful thing available (which being a frat boy in college... is pretty limitless). Like you, I felt very convicted about how I was living (unlike my friends) but as my heart became harder, It seemed easier and easier to tune those convictions out. I finially got to a point where I really didn't feel guilty about how I was living anymore. I thought "Surely God can't expect me to live so differenty from EVERYONE around me? It's impossible! Drugs, alcohol, girls...thats just what college is about right? I'm no different from anyone else! Surley God understands that!" Buying into these lies brought me a strange sense of freedom for about two weeks. Then out of the blue, WHAM! It was like reality smacked me in the face. The fact that I wasn't feeling convicted about the way I was living...REALLY convicted me! I wanted to recommit my life to Christ but was really struggling with guilt. I knew that there are no limits to God's forgiveness, but I felt so guilty at the time that I couldn't even find it in myself to ask for it. I couldn't believe that someone that was truely saved and on fire for the Lord at one point, could ever sink to such a low level.

I really had to pray for a softness of heart before I was able to totally recommit my life to Christ. Pat Robetson wrote a book called "Six Steps to Revival", that really helped me in my recommitment. Now I've never been a big fan of ____ step plans to this or that...they always seemed cheesy to me but this very small, easy to read book changed my life and I would highly reccomend it to anyone that is seeking recommitment. Now I was in an awkward situation. I was a different person, trying to live a different life, but still living in a house surrounded by 40 other guys with completely different morals. I prayed that God would make it obvious in what he wanted me to do and to make a long story short...he did just that and a couple weeks later, I moved out. Now that was the biggest step in faith I have made in my LIFE. Afterall, the best friends I had were in that house. In leaving them, I felt very alone. But I wasn't alone, God was with me the whole time, begging to have a relationship with me again. In taking that step of faith, I have been blessed beyond my imagination. There are so many worldly things that are so easy to get caught up in, but living for Him is so much more fulfilling! In getting back involved with a church, I have made a lot of friends that I can actually relate to in faith, which has been indescribably awesome. I came to realize that even in my lowest point, God was right there with me and in control. No, it may not have been where he wanted me to be, but he has shown me that I can use my experiance to really witness to a whole different group of people in a way that I never could have before. I'm so thankful that as far as I knowingly ran from him, he never let me go and never gave up on me.

Going through that experiance built a trust in Him that I had never known before. My relationship with Christ is so much deeper and more intimate than it EVER was before I had slipped and fallen on my face. I DARE you to switch your main interest from being as moral and good as possible, to placing your full trust in God, building a relationship with Him and seeking Him first in everything you do and SEE if you aren't swept off your feet by his love and what he has in store for you!

In Christ alone,
-Skydiver

 

[Skydiver4Christ]

Yea, so I forgot to sign in when I wrote that, but it was me ;-)