19yo looking for help/friends

[Qwerty987]

I’m 19yo and just recently got baptized. I did not believe in God for a long time. I am now struggling however with my faith even though I do believe and am just looking for people to talk to

 

[Deuteronomy]

Hello @Qwerty987, I noticed that you are a new member here so, welcome to CChat

I haven't been a teen for a long time now, but I'm willing to talk if you don't mind talking with an old dude (I just turned 68). Assuming that you will want to talk, I'll go ahead and leave a question for you, what kind of faith-based things are you struggling with right now

Thanks!! And again, welcome to CChat

Praying for you!

God bless you!! (Numbers 6:24-26)

~Deuteronomy (David)

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Philippians 1​

6 I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. ​

​

 

[Deuteronomy]

Hello again @Qwerty987, I should have also said that if talking about the things that you're struggling with right now makes you feel uncomfortable, then please don't do so (or perhaps you could speak in generalities rather than in specifics if that helps?).

 

[HoneyBee]

I’m 19yo and just recently got baptized. I did not believe in God for a long time. I am now struggling however with my faith even though I do believe and am just looking for people to talk to

Hello Qwerty, welcome to our teen forum. There are not a lot of teens here but it does seem to be growing. My name is Honey. I am 17 and I have been here since June 7 of last year and became a Christian about 2 months later. I knew absolutely nothing when I arrived here but many helpful Christians helped me learn.

I looked and discovered you have not yet written an introductory post. You really should do that. To find how to do that, just click on "Christian Forums" on the header at the top of the page. If you do not know what to say, just read what all of us wrote of ours and maybe it will help. That is where people go to look for new members and you will meet many people. Fast track to meet new friends.

What are you struggling with?

 

[Subhumanoidal]

Hello Qwerty, welcome to our teen forum. There are not a lot of teens here but it does seem to be growing. My name is Honey. I am 17 and I have been here since June 7 of last year and became a Christian about 2 months later. I knew absolutely nothing when I arrived here but many helpful Christians helped me learn.

I looked and discovered you have not yet written an introductory post. You really should do that. To find how to do that, just click on "Christian Forums" on the header at the top of the page. If you do not know what to say, just read what all of us wrote of ours and maybe it will help. That is where people go to look for new members and you will meet many people. Fast track to meet new friends.

What are you struggling with?

In another post they stated they were struggling with mental health and suicide.
Though I'd advise against pushing people to make introduction posts. Most of them are people that don't know what to say, so they keep it short. Not really leaving anything open to attract anyone to their post. And most responses are those that have taken on the job of greeting new users.
The majority of the site doesn't seem to read, or at least respond, to introductory posts. And those that do draw attention typically aren't even introductions, but jump straight into preaching at people.
I once saw a new user be told they should post an introduction. They didn't want to, but did so because they thought they had done something wrong.
I know you mean well but it is not something people "should" do. It is an option for those that chose to. And those that don't should be free to do so without being told they "should" when that's not true.

The rest of your post was great and seemed a perfect response for the OP to hopefully return and continue seeking help.

 

[HoneyBee]

In another post they stated they were struggling with mental health and suicide.
Though I'd advise against pushing people to make introduction posts. Most of them are people that don't know what to say, so they keep it short. Not really leaving anything open to attract anyone to their post. And most responses are those that have taken on the job of greeting new users.
The majority of the site doesn't seem to read, or at least respond, to introductory posts. And those that do draw attention typically aren't even introductions, but jump straight into preaching at people.
I once saw a new user be told they should post an introduction. They didn't want to, but did so because they thought they had done something wrong.
I know you mean well but it is not something people "should" do. It is an option for those that chose to. And those that don't should be free to do so without being told they "should" when that's not true.

The rest of your post was great and seemed a perfect response for the OP to hopefully return and continue seeking help.

I am not pushing; I am encouraging.

The people who never even go to the intro page obviously are not the ones who help newcomers and make them feel comfortable being here so just let them be. When I first arrived on this site I felt completely lost here. I never had a Christian foster family before this one and I was lost going to church not knowing anything about church. The people who responded to my intro made me feel like someone cared. If not for them, I might not have come back here again and I might never have found a saving relationship with God. We have very few teens on our teen forum. Far more older Christians post here than teens. We need older Christians here too. They responded to me when I was hurting and lost. They helped me very much, though at the time I was poor at telling them that. I do not know that they would have found me to help me if I had not made that introductory post. So please do not find fault with me encouraging new people to take advantage of the intro page. I want it to help others like it helped me.

 

[Subhumanoidal]

I am not pushing; I am encouraging.

The people who never even go to the intro page obviously are not the ones who help newcomers and make them feel comfortable being here so just let them be. When I first arrived on this site I felt completely lost here. I never had a Christian foster family before this one and I was lost going to church not knowing anything about church. The people who responded to my intro made me feel like someone cared. If not for them, I might not have come back here again and I might never have found a saving relationship with God. We have very few teens on our teen forum. Far more older Christians post here than teens. We need older Christians here too. They responded to me when I was hurting and lost. They helped me very much, though at the time I was poor at telling them that. I do not know that they would have found me to help me if I had not made that introductory post. So please do not find fault with me encouraging new people to take advantage of the intro page. I want it to help others like it helped me.

I never said or implied a negative thing about people greeting in that section. I simply said they took it upon themselves, which is not a bad thing. In a forum it's good for people to take on roles to help.

I also didn't say it was bad to have people use the introductions, but that telling people they "should" Does come across as pressure. And gave an example of someone that felt pressured when being told that, even though they originally skipped doing it on purpose.
New people don't know who you are here, and may assume that you are a mod telling them they "should" do things.
A better way to phrase it wouldn't include the word should. More like "we also have a section to introduce yourself. I'd love to see you post there".
That removes the "expected to" tone that should implies.
The other way brings awareness and encouragement to use them, if they want, but feel free to skip it if they choose.

It's not a criticism about you, or your intents or that bringing it up is wrong. It's about using better verbiage to share about it and encourage it.
And I'm genuinely glad it helped you the way it did, and I'm sure you're not the only one, but it's not for everybody and ensuring people don't feel pushed if they don't want to do it.
Helping you to find a better way is not finding fault with you. It's showing you a better way to do what you're already doing.

 

[JesusIsSovereign]

Hello, I will be praying for you and I understand completely understand what you are going through. There's a passage in God's Word that you might be able to relate with and I think you should read: Mark 9:14-29. Pray and ask God that He will help you believe in faith, knowing that even though you may be struggling with your faith, God doesn't struggle with helping His people. You can't lose salvation once you by faith gain eternal life by the power of Jesus Christ, in which He gave us His righteousness NOT based on anything that we may or will do, but solely because of the grace and mercy of God which He gives us through Jesus Christ! 2 Timothy 1:9. God is always good, even when it seems He isn't. God's always working everything for our good, even when it seems like He isn't, and ultimately for His own glory. Romans 8:28-30.

 

[Randy4u2c]

I’m 19yo and just recently got baptized. I did not believe in God for a long time. I am now struggling however with my faith even though I do believe and am just looking for people to talk to

Congratulations on your baptism. Glad to hear you did it. I do wonder what led you to believe in God after such a long denial? The important thing is that you repented and now believe. It is tough keeping your faith when the world tries to drag you down in many ways, especially at a young age. The best advice I can give you is to read and study God's word and ask Him to help you understand the scriptures and to strengthen your faith in Him. Good luck in your walk with God. Stay strong!

 

[LittleMissB]

Hi! I'm not sure how helpful this will be, but I'm 18 and just accepted Christ into my life last February when I was 17. I did go through a phase of struggling with faith; I'm not sure what your struggle is but mine was doubt. I didn't doubt in the existence of Jesus or Heaven or anything in the Bible, but I doubted myself, questioned if I had done enough. I kept wondering if I would be one of those people who get turned away as described in Matthew 7:21-23. On top of that, as someone who never had friends, I longed still very badly for good friends, which I believed to seem as though I was saying God wasn't enough.
What I learned through this is that the first steps into any journey are always the hardest. I think everyone on here can agree that a walk with God is not easy, so you can bet those first few steps are going to be like walking on little Lego bricks. That is when I held firmly to this verse, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work in you so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)
I further learned that when we are still trying to get our bearings in this newfound faith, Satan strikes the hardest. I 100% understand feeling lonely or wanting a good friend group, I still haven't ever had anyone at my house or introduced someone to my parents. One of the first things God says about humans is that we shouldn't be alone, He suggests we need companions (Genesis 2:18, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12), but the search for that can be used by Satan. He'll make us turn to bad influences out of desperation or fear of being alone, he may turn us to doing rotten things for the acceptance of people who wouldn't actually care about us either way. So do be careful in the company you keep.
Overall, though, God always knows what He's doing and what is best for you. This phase is all about seeing if you'll give up or overcome in improvement, to prove your dedication and genuine thirst for the life. (Do you ever forget your point in the middle of explaining it because that's the wall I just hit🤦‍♀️🙄) You'll find a good community, just stay true to yourself, don't give up in faith, and shine for Jesus. I am positive that you'll attract the best people, the type to stay by your side in the long run.
Hopefully this made sense, I'm not good with words (plus it fell off at the end due to losing my point🙄🤦‍♀️)and sorry for leaving you a book to read haha! Good luck

 

[Karlon]

I’m 19yo and just recently got baptized. I did not believe in God for a long time. I am now struggling however with my faith even though I do believe and am just looking for people to talk to

1st thing people should know when becoming a born again Christian: KNOW THAT THE DEVIL IS GOING TO ATTACK YOU ALL DAY BECAUSE HE KNOWS YOU JUST JOINED GOD'S SIDE. he knows new Christians are weak & don't know a lot. he already knows everyone's weakest characteristics. well, the devil has no power against the believer unless the believer lets him!. 1st Peter 1:57 "casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you"'. all your issue belong to Jesus. but just don't say that, you have to believe in it & develop strength to RESIST the devil as soon as he tempts you. don't begin to entertain evil thoughts. once you start doing that it takes longer to recognize you are entertaining an evil thought. i always encourage a smile when you ae battling the devil & to invent rhymes to resist him. here's one i made up: "devil, in the name of Jesus, you & all your about, get out".

 

[HoneyBee]

Qwerty, please come back!

Qwerty came here on September 27, 2024 and left this post. I really want to try to help but I feel helpless to do so because he never came back. He may yet see our posts because when we answer him here, he gets an email notification that we answered his post. All we can do is pray for him and then the long wait and hope he returns.

 

[GRACE_ambassador]

Overall, though, God always knows what He's doing and what is best for you.

Precious friend, A Very Good Point; The Following, which I did not have in the beginning when
I was a new Christian may be helpful for others "just starting out", eh?:

God's OPERATION On All New-born babes In Christ!
+ Updates: (of # 11) + (of #14)

Amen.

 

[Subhumanoidal]

Qwerty, please come back!

Qwerty came here on September 27, 2024 and left this post. I really want to try to help but I feel helpless to do so because he never came back. He may yet see our posts because when we answer him here, he gets an email notification that we answered his post. All we can do is pray for him and then the long wait and hope he returns.

Unfortunately this happens all the time on this site. People post seeking help, but never return. I don't know what causes this to be so common or why anyone would do such a thing.
My guess is some don't want interaction, just answers. But people such as this, asking for interaction then disappearing, baffle me completely.
Also as a heads up, email notification is an option and can be turned off. Many new users don't realize at first, but eventually learn how to turn them off. So a good chance this guys are on, but that's not true for most of the site. Just so you're aware. 🙂

 

[j55]

James chapter 1. Ask God for wisdom and knowledge and increase your faith. Proverbs chapter 1. Lot of people don't obtain knowledge of God's word because they are not sincere and diligent.