Letting Go

[TheMewster]

No soldier on duty entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. Also, if anyone competes in athletics, he isn’t crowned unless he has competed by the rules. (2 Timothy 2:4, 5 WEB)
This message is convicting. I've obsessed over grades and therefore disobeyed God here. And I've gotten so lazy that the only reason I read the Bible is because it's just something I have to do as a Christian. GOTTA DO THAT EXCERCISE!

I also struggle with legalism. With all the commands of the Bible (belief, confession of Jesus as Lord, obedience?) I feel like I can't just trust God for my salvation. I know this contradicts Titus 3:5 (but so does Romans 10:9 with the confession unto salvation thing) but I can't let go of it, partly from fear and not knowing anything else... how I'd become... Yup I need prayer.

I also feel that as a Christian, I've gotten a cult like mentality and have almost called our faith a cult a few times. Thing is I've done research on cults because my friend is in one (and I was curious) and I've noticed a lot of aspects of cults match up with either something in the Bible or something in my mentality. However I must push these away and move forward, stay in Christianity, keep up my salvation... Yup I'm a mess. In need of prayer and advice. BAD. God bless...

[goldenspines]

As always, remember read to on in context! \o.o/
If you do, you'll get down to verses 7, 8 and beyond, which gives a better idea of what Paul is writing to Timothy about:

Think about what I say and the Lord will help you understand everything.
Keep your mind on Jesus Christ. He was raised from death. He was of the family of David. That is the good news I tell people.

And yes, everyone needs prayer because no one is perfect. We all mess up terribly and do things that should make God hate us and never accept us. Yet, He still does accept and forgive us if we ask Him to. : D
Trust is also a hard thing to accomplish with God (actually, we'll never be perfect at it). As I mentioned previously in one of your other threads, faith/trust in God is a mindset that affects your actions (it doesn't change your personality or who you are as a person, but it might change how you see things). But changing one's mindset does not happen overnight, but thankfully God is gracious and gives us a boost if we need it (basically, if you seek Him, you'll find Him).

On the topic of cults, here's a definition:

cult
noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers.
3. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

The organized religion of Christianity, by definition, is a cult. Though our society tends to look negatively upon the word "cult" for some reason (or, at least some Christians do). There are varying extremes in cults, but for the most part, it's basically a group of people who gather together for one purpose and there are usually "rules" involved.

Therefore, I can understand why you sometimes see being a Christian as a cult (organized Christianity and religion in general is all around us), but it should not be confused with our individual faith in God.
Our own faith and trust in God is personal and specific to us. While Christianity (the religion) is simply the organizing of those individuals of like-minds/goals. In a very generalized nutshell, fyi.

And yes, of course I'll be praying for you, Mew. I apologize for my long winded-nes. :<

[Xeno]

Mew, listen to this song and tell me if you get anything out of it: Thrice - "Words in the Water"
Actually listen to the lyrics, and we'll discuss afterwards. I feel it deals very specifically with what you're going through.

[Cc4FuzzyHuggles]

I'll be praying for you. ^^

And all I can recommend is love God and never give up on seeking him.

Luke 10:25-28
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,â€