Questioning myself and if I'm religious

Hi. I feel very weird writing here and apologise in advance if i come across odd or if I say something wrong.

I've really struggled with my life the past few years. Right now, I'm going through especially rough patch of life where I feel like I'm just so worthless and my life is such a mess. And yes, I'm fine, just really not great.

I've never been religious. I am baptised and went to Christian kindergarten but that's it. As of late, I've started really questioning what faith is though and if I could find some meaning for my life from there. I've thought about going to church one Sunday but I'm really quite afraid to. I'm afraid of seeming weird or totally out of place or someone talking to me or me doing something totally wrong. I don't know. I'd just really want to turn my life around for something better.

I'm sorry about this rambling, I just wanted to know if there was anyone in similar situation or could offer some words of advise? Sorry if this was in the wrong section. And thanks for reading.

Hey there Peach Blossom, you shouldn't feel worthless. God, family and friends here will be there for you. I have struggled with ADHD, autism and OCD, and 2018-2021 have been rough years. Thankfully, with prayer and support, 2022 has been going very well, and have made a lot of improvements. This may take time.

We don't want to be "religious". we do want to be in vital, daily, unceasing relationship with Jesus.

It's not unusual for people from time to time to take stock of their life. We have an innate sense that something as valuable as life should have meaning and purpose. And yet, we can't quite put our finger on just what that might be.
It's not a new question. The Bible itself is replete with stories of people doing this very thing. One such person was Solomon.
Few people have ever done and accomplished more than he. He sought for meaning in pleasure but couldn't find it there. He sought for meaning in endeavor but could not find it there. He sought for meaning in fortune and fame but meaning still eluded him.
His conclusion: meaning can only be found in a real and vital relationship with God.
So you are on the right track. And if you will seek for God with all your heart, you will surely find Him.
Get a Bible and start reading. And ask God to lead you to a local church. And know that you are in very good hands.
I'll be praying for you and if I can ever be of assistance just let me know.

You don't need to be religious - you only need to put your belief, faith, and trust in God/Jesus.

If you go to a church and do not feel instantly welcome and at home, smile, speak softly, leave and try another. There are some really great churches out there, filled with true people. When you fine one you will know it was well worth the small effort.

You will recognize the right one the instant you walk in the door.

Hi PeachBlossom. When I was younger I was painfully shy and it created more problems in my life than I care to remember. Thankfully, that's behind me now; God was faithful and delivered me.

As others have said, being a Christian isn't about being religious but having a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. You might start by reading the Bible and praying to God for guidance. God has revealed Himself to us in the pages of the Bible, and there you'll discover His great love for you His will for your life.

May God bless you!

Hi, thank you very much for your comment. I'm actually struggling with OCD myself so this meant a lot to me. I hope next year I might make improvements as well!

I know you will make improvements. It may take a few years, but you can pull through this. People and God will help

Hello. Thank you very much for all your replies. I've read and reread them a couple of times now. I'll try my best to follow all your advise!

Hello and Welcome, PeachBlossom...
I want to add to what others have offered, but I also want to bring clarification. This may seem harsh, but it is truth, and it is good.

In and of ourselves, we have done things that make us enemies of God; this is called "sin". The punishment for sin is death. However, God is loving and merciful, and instead of simply destroying us, He has offered His Son Jesus as a sacrifice in our place. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin, was buried, and then rose to everlasting life. This is the hope He offers us: to die to our sin, and to be raised to everlasting life with Him.

Here's the difficult part, the "harsh" reality: we have to admit our sinfulness and our need for forgiveness. You see the evidence of sin in your own life, though you may not recognize it as such. It's all the brokenness, pain, hurt, and relational strife. You can come into right relationship with God by admitting your own sinfulness and need, and accepting by faith the sacrifice that Jesus made in your place.

Jesus does not promise an end to all the trouble in this life; actually, He promises that we will have trouble, but that He has overcome the world. He will take care of you even when this life wears (or tears) you down, you can feel secure in His love and care.

Faith, according to the Bible (Hebrews 11:1), is being certain of what we cannot see. It's not striving, or trying, or hoping; it's knowing. I can't see that my sins are forgiven, but I know that they are, because the Bible, God's words, tells me so. You can know this too.

Ditto? Takes time to learn. Pray to The Father in Jesus name for guidance by The Holy Spirit. My sentiments were even hostile to religion. Still need to admit to that even now at times. It may be 'human' nature. Bible may support this view.

I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I posted this here. I can't believe it's been nearly a year and sadly, I've not made much progress. I'm still questioning, I'm feeling this pull to church and like I wanna know more but I'm just so afraid to take those steps. I don't know anyone in my life who is religious/spiritual (sorry, English is not my first language and I don't really know which word to use) since my grandmother passed away and so I just feel so weird about the whole thing. I don't have anyone to talk to. I feel like people are gonna look down on me for even thinking of these things. And I'm also worried this is just my OCD trying to find me new things to get caught up on.

I'm just feeling so lost. My life's such a mess. I'm such a mess. I really don't know how to proceed. Is it wrong of me to hope people would pray for me? That I'd find my way whatever it is? I feel like it's so hypocritical of me. I don't really know how to pray myself. Sometimes I think about it but it makes me feel awkward.

Man, I'm so sorry for my ramblings. Just feeling so lost. Maybe I'll be back again within a year. Look forward to it I guess.

Hi, PeachBlossom.

If you are feeling a pull, then that means that God is striving with you by the Holy Spirit.

John 6:44

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

When God is drawing you, you had better come.

God's Spirit is likened to the wind in scripture. A lot of people think that they can come to God when they want to, but if God's Spirit is not "blowing like the wind," figuratively speaking, then they are not going anywhere.

Think of coming to God like being on a boat.

You cannot come in a rowboat or by your own strength whenever you want to.

Instead, you need a sailboat, and you had better hoist your sails when the wind (God's Spirit) is blowing or else you will never get to God.

Your eternal destiny is what is at stake, so you really need not be worrying about what other people might think about you if you come to God through Christ. Instead, you ought to be worrying about what will happen to you on Judgment Day if you do not get reconciled back unto God through Christ.

If you would like to know how you can be truly reconciled back unto God through Christ, then I will gladly explain that to you.

Praying His comfort over you in Jesus name, and experiencing Holy Spirit confirmation.
Remember that Jesus was clear when He taught, "You have not because you ask not, etc..."
Ask Him, He delights in giving us the desires of our heart, if we will but serve Him.
blessings

Hi, again, PeachBlossom.

In case you feel awkward talking about these things, here are some basic things that you need to know.

Like the rest of humanity, you have sinned against God by violating his holy commandments.

Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

As a direct result of your sin, you are literally under a Divine death sentence.

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Wages are what we earn, like a paycheck at the end of a work week, and the wages of our sin against both God and our fellow man is not only death, but also what the Bible calls “the second death” for those who die without Christ.

Revelation 20:11-15

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

That is the bad news.

The good news, or the gospel, is that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Eternal life is not something that you can earn.

It must be received, by faith, or by believing what God has said in his word, as a gift.

There is only one man who has ever walked the face of this earth who never sinned, and that one man is Jesus Christ. During his incarnation, or when he came to this world in the flesh as a man, he perfectly obeyed God’s commandments, and he is therefore the only man that death had no legal claim to.

In his great love for you, Jesus willingly was crucified in order to pay the penalty for your sins.

After being crucified, God raised him from the dead, thereby defeating the power of the grave, and Jesus is now seated at the Father’s right hand in heaven where he acts as a mediator or middleman between you and God.

If you are willing to turn from your sins, and believe that Jesus paid the penalty for them on the cross, and that he has since been raised from the dead, then God can grant you the gift of eternal life through your faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for you or on your behalf.

Jesus said that we must be born again in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven (John 3:7), and he was talking about a spiritual rebirth. If you truly turn back to God through faith in Christ, then God will not only forgive all of your past sins, but he will also send the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of you, and the Holy Spirit will enable you to live the type of holy life that God requires.

This is basically what salvation is about, and I will be happy to answer any questions that you might have and/or to provide you with more scriptures along these lines if you are interested in seeing them.

If you feel awkward talking about these things, then you can just go directly to God, through Jesus Christ, and he will hear you.

If you want to, then you can always pray something like this to God:

Father God, I come to you in Jesus’ name.

I know that I have sinned against you, and that I cannot save myself.

I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins, and I believe that you have raised him from the dead.

Father, please forgive me of my sins, and indwell me with your Holy Spirit so I can be born again.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.

Whatever you decide to do, I am praying for you.

Precious friend, A Very Warm Welcome Back To Chat.
I will pray for you - hope you are Encouraged By God's:

Grace Word for our infirmities!

Please Be Very Richly Encouraged And Edified In
The LORD JESUS CHRIST, And His Word Of Truth, Rightly
Divided (+ I and II). ← PG Rated "Approved" *

Grace, Peace And Joy!… + Rich Blessings ♫ 😇 ↑

* PG: Perfect God / Parental Guidance