Is it the thorn in my side?

[Ernie]

I'm not really sure where to post this topic, but since I frequent this the most I chose here. I have posted before on my brain wiring...struggling with ocd, anxiety, etc and in turn making "certainty", "knowing", impossible for me( I do realize many say certainty shouldn't be looked for that's where faith comes in )I have never done any drugs or drinking etc so this perspective is not created but just simply how I'm wired. For the most part I like the meloncholy deep thinking creative analytical personality I have however it is very difficult in my walk with the Lord. I crave the assurance that so many seem to have but I just seems impossible for me to attain it. I just crave that "knowing" and "assurance " so many seem to have. I am curious if you think this is the thorn in the side that Paul talked about that will help make my testimony?

I know some of my posts seem like a broken record but that is just showing genuinely how I am I suppose. I always say I hope the Lord takes my strong "hope" as faith.

 

[Lambano]

I am curious if you think this is the thorn in the side that Paul talked about that will help make my testimony?

I don't know if it is or isn't (that would entail knowing something only God knows), but either way, God's answer to Paul still applies:

 

[newnature]

I'm not really sure where to post this topic, but since I frequent this the most I chose here. I have posted before on my brain wiring...struggling with ocd, anxiety, etc and in turn making "certainty", "knowing", impossible for me( I do realize many say certainty shouldn't be looked for that's where faith comes in )I have never done any drugs or drinking etc so this perspective is not created but just simply how I'm wired. For the most part I like the meloncholy deep thinking creative analytical personality I have however it is very difficult in my walk with the Lord. I crave the assurance that so many seem to have but I just seems impossible for me to attain it. I just crave that "knowing" and "assurance " so many seem to have. I am curious if you think this is the thorn in the side that Paul talked about that will help make my testimony?

I know some of my posts seem like a broken record but that is just showing genuinely how I am I suppose. I always say I hope the Lord takes my strong "hope" as faith.

1 Peter 2:6, Peter is urging believers to live as a spiritual house, built on the foundation of Christ, having laid the foundation of holiness as your response to God’s grace. Turn your gaze to the bedrock of it all, Christ himself, the cornerstone upon which everything stands and of believers as living stones being built into a spiritual house. This metaphor is more than poetic, it’s a rallying cry for Christians to embrace their identity and mission, even in the face of rejection and opposition.

 

[Anchorite]

Sorry about your emotional struggles. Famous Bible teachers have suffered from similar afflictions.

Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, owned more than thirty books on mental health. He read about depression, wrote about depression, and suffered from depression. Spurgeon’s letters contain numerous references to his sinking spirits. He often called himself a “prisoner” and wept without knowing why.

“I pity a dog who has to suffer what I have.”

Some biographers have claimed Spurgeon suffered from bipolar disorder, oscillating between highs and lows, ups and downs, productivity and inability. Others believed his “fainting fits” were also caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

I'm not really sure where to post this topic,

Addictions and Recovey board seems like the default / defacto place for topic like this even if it does not fit the literal title, it seems like where most of the life issues and self help topics tend to go.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

I'm not really sure where to post this topic, but since I frequent this the most I chose here. I have posted before on my brain wiring...struggling with ocd, anxiety, etc and in turn making "certainty", "knowing", impossible for me( I do realize many say certainty shouldn't be looked for that's where faith comes in )I have never done any drugs or drinking etc so this perspective is not created but just simply how I'm wired. For the most part I like the meloncholy deep thinking creative analytical personality I have however it is very difficult in my walk with the Lord. I crave the assurance that so many seem to have but I just seems impossible for me to attain it. I just crave that "knowing" and "assurance " so many seem to have. I am curious if you think this is the thorn in the side that Paul talked about that will help make my testimony?

I know some of my posts seem like a broken record but that is just showing genuinely how I am I suppose. I always say I hope the Lord takes my strong "hope" as faith.

Yes, I think the Lord does take your struggles that way.


PS - You also should not feel bad if you have an analytic personality. I got one too. God gave you it for a reason!

 

[quietthinker]

I'm not really sure where to post this topic, but since I frequent this the most I chose here. I have posted before on my brain wiring...struggling with ocd, anxiety, etc and in turn making "certainty", "knowing", impossible for me( I do realize many say certainty shouldn't be looked for that's where faith comes in )I have never done any drugs or drinking etc so this perspective is not created but just simply how I'm wired. For the most part I like the meloncholy deep thinking creative analytical personality I have however it is very difficult in my walk with the Lord. I crave the assurance that so many seem to have but I just seems impossible for me to attain it. I just crave that "knowing" and "assurance " so many seem to have. I am curious if you think this is the thorn in the side that Paul talked about that will help make my testimony?

I know some of my posts seem like a broken record but that is just showing genuinely how I am I suppose. I always say I hope the Lord takes my strong "hope" as faith.

Assurance Ernie, flows from a bone fide relationship. It is the result of grasping in ones understanding the kindness of God in his gift given.

'if any man thirsts let him come to me and drink'.....Jesus
'he who comes to me will I in no wise cast out'.....Jesus
'if any man desires to know the will of God, he will know it'......Jesus

I get encouragement by hearing and watching the podcasts in the ReDiscovering God link in my signature below....check it out....and pick one which looks interesting to you.

 

[newnature]

1 Peter 2:7, this rejection wasn’t accidental, it was deliberate, the religious leaders and many others dismiss Jesus, refusing to acknowledge his authority and divinity. Yet, their rejection did not diminish Jesus Christ’s role, instead, it fulfilled God’s plan, making him the very cornerstone of salvation. Have you felt rejected or dismissed, as though you didn’t measure up to the world standards, Peter’s words remind you, that what the world rejects, God often chooses and elevates. Just as Jesus was rejected, but vindicated, so too are his followers invited to find their worth and identity in him, not in human opinion.

 

[newnature]

Peter doesn’t stop at Christ’s role as the as the cornerstone, he invites believers to see themselves as integral parts of this spiritual house. 1 Peter 2:5, the weight of this statement as living stones, you are not lifeless or insignificant, you are active participants in God’s divine construction project, each believer has a unique role and place, chosen and shaped by God to fit perfectly into his grand design. Together, each believer form a spiritual house, a dwelling place for God’s present on earth. Romans 12:1, Paul shifts from explaining the foundations of faith to urging believers to live out that faith in a tangible way, he challenges believers with a radical call.

Paul lays out what it means to be fully surrendered to God, inviting you to live as living sacrifices in response to the grace you’ve received. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were typically animals offered on an altar, symbolizing repentance and devotion to God. Paul redefined sacrifice, calling you to offer your own lives, not in death, but in your daily living as acts of worship, every action thought and choice you make can become an offering to God, a way to honor him with your life. Paul’s call to living sacrifice isn’t about grand gestures, it’s about everyday faithfulness, an intentional decision to live in a way that reflects your love for God.

 

[newnature]

The mind changes, desires align with God’s heart and the conscience becomes sensitive to what was previously ignored. The Holy Spirit not only awakens you, but begins to dwell in you, guiding each step, the old life is not merely left behind, it is replaced by a new nature, alive and in communion with heaven. Spiritual rebirth is the foundation of any true Christian journey and recognizing it keeps you humble and aware that everything is by grace, not by your own effort. This new birth however, is not the final point, it is the starting point for something greater, the life you receive did not come by merit, but by grace.

 

[newnature]

Ephesians 4:1, Paul begins with an exhortation that carries the weight of his own experience, he identifies himself as a prisoner of the Lord and from that condition implores that the believers walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which they were called. This is not a casual suggestion, it is a urgent appeal that arises from a deep understanding that the Christian life is not just a change of religion, but a complete transformation of identity. The word walk, does not refer to an isolated moment, but to a continuous lifestyle, a daily walk that reflects who you have truly become in Christ.