“Frustrated Feelings”

Friday, August 11, 2017

Why do I feel forsaken by the Lord?  I know I’m not "good" in God’s eyes because of the things I do, but I don’t want to be this way.  I want to be a christian; why do I feel as if the Lord doesn’t want to work with me?  Yet, are there any specific things I should say and do?  I used to have anger problems; I still do, but I read the Bible and learned that we must humble ourselves, and I try to.  I used to break things and use terrible language, but I have calmed from that.  I use bad language when I’m mad, but I also try to restrain myself.  My family said that God won’t force Himself onto you, and for years, I wouldn’t ask because I didn’t think I wanted it, but now I ask, and I know God hears me, but I just don’t know what to do.  Please, if there is anything I should know, I would love to hear back from you.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Without A Compass

Dear Without A Compass,

One of the unfortunate side effects of the “faith only” teaching that is so prominent in today’s religious world is that it leaves people (like yourself) without any sense of direction.  What you do does matter to God.  James says that only when faith is combined with works will our faith come alive (Jas 2:17-18).  We can never earn salvation (Eph 2:8-9), but there is an expectation that we obey God and draw near to Him (Heb 7:25).  There are specific things that God wants us to do to be saved.

If you want to know what the Scriptures say it takes to become a christian, we recommend you read “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”.  After that, it is important that you become a part of a faithful congregation and attend regularly (Heb 10:24-25), so you can grow (1 Pet 2:2).  Not all congregations are faithful; if you would like help finding a congregation that teaches only what your Bible says, we would be happy to assist you.  Our e-mail is askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

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