Is it sad?

I am new here. So, when I was 10 years old, my mother was divorced for a year and joined the Jehovah's Witnesses. I had to follow suit. I do not want to judge here - JWs are good people and one day we all will stand in front of the throne and everybody will be responsible for him/herself, ok?). When I was 18, my mother threw me out of the apartment and I was on my own with no money. I went deep into drugs, spent time in jail, and therapy. Many years later my life changed 100%. I got a job (international like UN) and was working all over the world. I earned good money. But I never stopped praying - all these years. And I can tell you - honestly I do not know why - so many miracles happened in my life. Otherwise I would be dead since a long time. It is now several years I found back to being a real christian. I am not affiliated to any church - but know the Bible actually quite good (heritage of Jehovh's Witnesses), but now read it in the context. I came to the conclusion, that the more simple we take our believe, the better it is. Today it is not important for me who is Babylon the great, or the wild beast.... I only tried to follow 4 principles:

Luke 10:27 - Love God above all and your next as yourself
Jacob 1:28 - look after widows and orphans
Luke 18:14-15 - I am like the tax collector (and mean it).
Matt. 5:3 - blessed are those poor in the spirit

I have spent so many years abroad, have seen so much, was in war, in places you will not find in any tourist agency. I do not even know any longer, where I belong. For the moment I am living in Spain - but this can change very quickly. This world is going down - and I cannot tell you how often I cried, when I saw people suffering. Even that I have the privilege to post here (means - having a PC and internet connection..) is something not common. I spent years in Afghanistan too - very beautiful country, but sad to see. So, now since a year I am retired and fight very hard against dependencies, I had all my life. Beer is the first one to name. Sometimes it works for 3 months, then I fall down - and have to stand up again. I read the bible daily, I pray, I walk a lot in nature and thank god for what he has done for me and those who depend on me. I do not know if I am even worthy of God's forgiveness. But I keep on going and try to do good things - as I did most of my life. I make a lot of music to praise god. Besides this - now that I am getting old - I realize how this world is going down: more and more quickly and in all aspects (war, famine, weather, overpopulation, poverty....). And I hope that I will see the end of it all. I wish sometimes I could talk to someone - but this is difficult here (I live in a small town in Spain, there is only a Catholic church (again - no judgement please!!). My Spanish is ok now, but mostly I speak in EN-FR or DE. I fight for the moment. So if you wish, pray for me.

Depressive and lonely (like I am very often) - listen here:

Praying for you now. "I wish sometimes I could talk to someone" - Keep posting. I love to listen and hear more from you. We share burden with one another. Tell us more.

First off welcome!

Glad you are seeking Truth.

But we've learned that sometimes people only stay for a short time here for a variety of reasons.

So I need to be blunt here, most Christians consider JWs to be a cult. There are HUGE problems with the beliefs and Bibles that JWs use vs Christians.

In case you haven't heard the One True Gospel unto Salvation, here it is:

God wrapped Himself in human flesh in the form of His Son, Jesus the Messiah. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin. He suffered, was crucified, and died to pay OUR sin debt. He was raised to life from the grave to prove He had defeated death. If you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that His Father resurrected Him to Life on the 3rd day, you WILL be saved. You will be filled, and sealed with the Holy Spirit, who will empower ALL to turn from their sins. The sin of adultery, lying, stealing, homosexuality, gossip, slander, drunkenness, covetousness, etc... And most importantly the sin of DEAD works, or a moral life in an attempt to EARN Salvation. He will also equip you to love like He did and do good works for HIS Glory.

Hi PennEd,

yes I know JW very good - after having spent years there. I know all the trouble - but as everywhere, there are good and bad people. This is what counts. Recently (I left JWs 30 years ago) one of them just gave me 3000 - because I was in financial trouble. I know of course, the basis. Yes, Jesus is the son of god, came to earth, died for our sins. But nobody can EARN salvation - this is a gift. So we treat the gift with respect, right?

I fight really very hard, trust me. But what I have seen over all these years abroad has made me sick. I fight for the moment very hard with dependency. I know I have to go much further (not that much is missing, maybe 3 months or so), then I am ok. I fought all my life and I could tell stories out of my life, when god spared me - I do not know for what reason. Otherwise I would be dead - trust me. Maybe one day I will tell more. I try to keep it as simple as it gets. I read the bible in different versions, best of all is the word by word translation greek-EN (or in my case greek-DE). I think I do good works - following Jacob 1 - and I did it for many many years. But all this is nothing as long as I am not 100% clean, I mean as much a humanly possible. But it will come. So excuse me - this is what I say every day as well to God. But I work on myself. And I am very, very happy that after 2 years of absence finally my wife will join me in August here. So we will have a good life. As Jesus said - wherever there are two or three who are together in my name, I am right in the midst (sorry, more or less the text translated from German).

By the way - did you ever realize that we can maybe speak several languages, but that the language of the Bible will always be in only one? A miracle to me. And one thing at the end - many people say many things about others and about Jehovah?s Witnesses. I never judge (I forgot) and I would never judge anybody. This is not for me.

Thanks for your answer.

Welcome, Dromedar!

I suffer from occasional bouts of depression also. I will also say a prayer for God to lift the cloud of depression that is hanging over you. Glad to have you onboard with us. Welcome to CC.

Thank you Tourist. Better being the lost son on the way back.... I am going as quick as I can. But sometimes I fall down.

Hello Dromedar..

How about adding these two principles:

1) Believe Jesus
2) Trust that the Atonement He secured by His death on the cross pays the penalty for your sins..

Thats an easy one to answer.. You are Not worthy of God's forgiveness.. Thats why it is a gift offered by God through belief in His Atonement.. NO ONE is Worthy.. It cannot be earned or won.. It has to be accepted as a gift , So that all the boasting is for The LORD Jesus.. All praise is for the LORD Jesus.. He is the Hero who was good enough.. He is the Victor over death.. He saves us who cannot save ourselves..

As for false churches.. One should declare them to be false and why they are false to give warning to others who may be in the process of being decieved and lead down a path to eternal damnation..

‭1 Peter 5:8-11‬
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

Hi Adstar,

you are right - I forgot to mention this - thought it is clear. But you are right.

About judging other religions or persons - I refuse. I have enough to do to judge myself and that hurts already. There is one judge for all of us and one day we all will be judged.

I can only act - means, what I think is not correct I say or simply do not go to a place where I think they do not tell the truth. Look, where would Christianity be today without the Catholic church - which was in power for nearly 1200 years? Did they not bring a form (even if not correct) to Latin America, Philippines, Japan, China, Korea, whole Europe and parts of Africa?

I am not going to church anyway - here is no church I could visit. And I have no car.

Before i read the Bible and became a Christian i was a catholic.. I thank the Holy Spirit that He moved me while i was reading the Holy Bible and gave me enough wisdom and understanding to lead me to renounce the catholic religion and become a Bible believing Christian.. So i very much disagree with your views on the History of the catholic church with it's inqusitions and crusades and pogroms and it's Atonement of the LORD Jesus denying doctrines like Purgatory.. An incorrect form of Christianity is like a path peppered with land mines, designed to maim and kill and prevent people from reaching the objective..

What is important is that you believe Jesus and trust in the Atonement He secured.. Tell me did the repentant criminal on the cross next to Jesus ever go to church or own a car? Nope he simply acknowledged his sin to Jesus and confessed his belief in Jesus and Jesus told him that today you will be with me in paradise..

(Luke 23:39-43) "¶ And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. {40} But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? {41} And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. {42} And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. {43} And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

What works did he do? .. Did he get baptised in water? Did he get all the other sacraments? Did He attend temple services or sunday mass? Was he worthy? Nope... He was saved in an instant because He believed..

OK. But it's not about good (who defines good) or bad people.

It's about good or bad doctrine.

VITALLY important point. JWs believe Jesus is the son of God, but they don't believe He iS God.
Is Jesus God?

Nothing wrong with good works, as long as you don't think those good works help get you in Heaven.
It appears you still read a JW Bible. They say Jacob instead of James.

That's wonderful. Glad to hear.

Not judging the people. Only the erroneous, dangerous and heretical doctrines and bible of the JW cult.