Entering Heaven . . . Impossible!

[FindTruth7]

Entering Heaven, even by having the mercy of Christ, just seems so . . . hard. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you do, in the end, it seems vain. I know this is not true, but right now it’s how I’m feeling.

This is a sin, that is a sin, this is not, that is, this is a “little” sin, this is a “big” sin! There just seems to be sooooo much to understand, and to stray even a little, which isn’t a hard thing to do in this sexual perverse tempting world, leads one into Hell forever more. One lives a good devout life, but falls into a dry spell and masterbates, or some other mortal sin, then, they have to “make it” to the Confessional in time before their death, or they’ll be cast into Hell, forever more. But if they make it, and Confess, they are saved once again. It’s like saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, etc. etc. etc.

Sorry, I’m just slipping on Faith right now and it hurts, it really hurts. :’(

 

[LionHeart777]

no need to be discouraged, get back up when you fall…boy do I need to do the same. Take a look at the Book of James.

peace!

 

[Knowtheledge]

With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.(Matt. 19:26) God doesn’t want you to be so afraid and sad. You are his precious child, and if you lean on him, he will help you. He wants you to be saved and enter heaven. Just simply “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”(Acts 16:31) And always know that nothing can separate you from God’s love.(Romans 8:38-39)

 

[allhers]

I don’t remember the name of the singer or the name of the song but years ago I heard it.
(It was sung by the same man that sang Butterfly Kisses, if anyone remembers his name.)
Anyway, it told the story about a man who passed by a Monastary each day as he walked to work, there were big iron gates around it, the gardens were beautiful, he could hear their beautiful voices as they sang in prayer together praising God. The man was miserable, he worked day in and day out, never seemed to get ahead, was discouraged, etc…he always wondered what life must be life for those men and one day as he passed by one of the Monks was outside the gate, the man hurried up to him and asked him what life was like for him behind those gates as surely it must be wonderful and holy and everything Divine. The monk answered him…(and this is the chorus for the song)

We fall down, we get up, we fall down, we get up, we fall down, we get up and the Saints are just the sinners who fall down, and get up.

St. Matthew 24:13 But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Persevere, it isn’t any different for the rest of us. I’ll say a prayer for you, we all feel the way you do at times, this too shall pass.

 

[1edyson]

U know I’ve always found comfort in the fact that, there is NOTHING I can do to enter Heaven. That it is a free gift of God’s grace, and I need to do is respond to that Grace. I always tell my Youth Kids, here is the good news and the bad news about getting into Heaven. The Bad news, you cannot do anything to get make it there, the good news, God is in Charge and he loves you and wants you there more than you do, and all you need to do is follow the path he lays out.

 

[Soutane]

God’s purpose in salvation does not merely comprise freedom from guilt and the penalty of sin. To be sure, God forgives and rescues sinners from Hell, and He does this on account of what Jesus Christ did on their behalf and not because of any merit on their part. Yet, God’s purpose in salvation is broader than that. He also saves people from the power of sin in their lives that they may live righteously for his glory. Thus Christ “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

So, salvation includes both “justification” (God declaring the believer righteous on account of Christ) and “sanctification” (God empowering the believer to live righteously). The apostle Paul has the latter aspect of salvation in mind when he commands us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:12-15).

When you fall(which you will)pick yourself up and make an act of contrition followed up by an act of Reconciliation at your earliest opportunity.God KNOWS and much more importantly understands our weaknesses and sinful natures.He is NOT looking for an opportunity to damn you but to save you.Pray for the Grace of perseverance to the end and for final contrition.

Do not fall into the trap of considering yourself “saved”.You have been redeemed.God will render His Judgement.Declaring oneself to be saved or subscribing to the man-made heresy of Once Saved Always Saved is a presumptive sin.God would not have given the first Pope and His Bishops(Peter and the Apostles) the power to forgive sin if all one had to do in order to be saved is to believe or acknowledge that Christ died for our sins.That power would be superfluous.God expects you to participate in your salvation,and no,you cannot "work"your way into heaven but works are Faith lived.

Never despair.That is exactly what the Enemy wants you to do.

 

[fhansen]

At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love. St. John of the Cross

Love, and do what you like. Saint Augustine

These represent what God is most after in us-from the positive point of view- and they’re pretty hard to argue with, IMO. If we keep persevering in the race God will help us win it.

 

[NHInsider]

Entering Heaven, even by having the mercy of Christ, just seems so . . . hard. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you do, in the end, it seems vain. I know this is not true, but right now it’s how I’m feeling.

-snip-

Sorry, I’m just slipping on Faith right now and it hurts, it really hurts. :’(

Do you know that the Hebrew “Satan” translates as “Accuser?” One of the Evil One’s chief tactics is to try and convince us that we will not be saved, that we are too wicked or not worthy or too weak or whatever description he thinks will trap us into despairing of grace.

The truth is that Jesus is our intercessor, His sacrifice is ever-present on the altar in the heavenly tabernacle. The Holy Spirit within us prays for us when we cannot pray for ourselves.

Read Romans 8 and 1 John 2 - the feelings and fears you are struggling with are not uncommon. Paul goes to great length to address these issues, and John the Beloved offers great comfort.

Jesus was always very hard on the self-righteous and very encouraging to the contrite. “A bruised reed he will not crush” (Is. 42:3, Mt. 12:20)

We do need to cooperate with grace, but we need not be plagued with fear. Trust that the God who loved you enough to die for you and has the power to raise Jesus from the dead loves you enough and has the power to keep you safe. You can’t accidentally “lose” your salvation, you have to choose to reject God – and He knows your heart as well as your actions.

Be blessed.:hug1:

 

[JacktheCatholic]

Entering Heaven, even by having the mercy of Christ, just seems so . . . hard. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you do, in the end, it seems vain. I know this is not true, but right now it’s how I’m feeling.

This is a sin, that is a sin, this is not, that is, this is a “little” sin, this is a “big” sin! There just seems to be sooooo much to understand, and to stray even a little, which isn’t a hard thing to do in this sexual perverse tempting world, leads one into Hell forever more. One lives a good devout life, but falls into a dry spell and masterbates, or some other mortal sin, then, they have to “make it” to the Confessional in time before their death, or they’ll be cast into Hell, forever more. But if they make it, and Confess, they are saved once again. It’s like saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, etc. etc. etc.

Sorry, I’m just slipping on Faith right now and it hurts, it really hurts. :’(

Salvation comes from surrending to Jesus and giving yourself fully to him. It is not a struggle but a surrender. So stop fighting and let the Holy Spirit fill you with Grace. It will come naturally after that.

 

[FindTruth7]

God’s purpose in salvation does not merely comprise freedom from guilt and the penalty of sin. To be sure, God forgives and rescues sinners from Hell, and He does this on account of what Jesus Christ did on their behalf and not because of any merit on their part. Yet, God’s purpose in salvation is broader than that. He also saves people from the power of sin in their lives that they may live righteously for his glory. Thus Christ “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

So, salvation includes both “justification” (God declaring the believer righteous on account of Christ) and “sanctification” (God empowering the believer to live righteously). The apostle Paul has the latter aspect of salvation in mind when he commands us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:12-15).

When you fall(which you will)pick yourself up and make an act of contrition followed up by an act of Reconciliation at your earliest opportunity.God KNOWS and much more importantly understands our weaknesses and sinful natures.He is NOT looking for an opportunity to damn you but to save you.Pray for the Grace of perseverance to the end and for final contrition.

Do not fall into the trap of considering yourself “saved”.You have been redeemed.God will render His Judgement.Declaring oneself to be saved or subscribing to the man-made heresy of Once Saved Always Saved is a presumptive sin.God would not have given the first Pope and His Bishops(Peter and the Apostles) the power to forgive sin if all one had to do in order to be saved is to believe or acknowledge that Christ died for our sins.That power would be superfluous.God expects you to participate in your salvation,and no,you cannot "work"your way into heaven but works are Faith lived.

Never despair.That is exactly what the Enemy wants you to do.

What a wonderful post, especially the part I made bold. I know this, have known this for a while. I’m just selfish is all, when I begin to fall and then do fall I feel like the worst sinner imaginable. and that God hates me. God hatting me has been embedded into my mind for being an ultra-etreme-Calvinist (actually, I used to follow what Familo Radio taught). I remmeber laying in bed more than once weeping to the thought that I am a sinner against God and that He will always hate me unless I’m chosen, and by the evidence of the sin in my life, it’s obvious I’m not one of His elect and therefore, as of now, He utterly hates me.

I truly believe those thoughts had an affect on my mind, it’s probably one of the biggest reasons why I suffer emotionally, as well as having a bad case of Obessive Compulsion Disorder.

Thank you, and all of you for the kind posts of encouragement.

 

[FindTruth7]

Do you know that the Hebrew “Satan” translates as “Accuser?” One of the Evil One’s chief tactics is to try and convince us that we will not be saved, that we are too wicked or not worthy or too weak or whatever description he thinks will trap us into despairing of grace.

The truth is that Jesus is our intercessor, His sacrifice is ever-present on the altar in the heavenly tabernacle. The Holy Spirit within us prays for us when we cannot pray for ourselves.

Read Romans 8 and 1 John 2 - the feelings and fears you are struggling with are not uncommon. Paul goes to great length to address these issues, and John the Beloved offers great comfort.

Jesus was always very hard on the self-righteous and very encouraging to the contrite. “A bruised reed he will not crush” (Is. 42:3, Mt. 12:20)

We do need to cooperate with grace, but we need not be plagued with fear. Trust that the God who loved you enough to die for you and has the power to raise Jesus from the dead loves you enough and has the power to keep you safe. You can’t accidentally “lose” your salvation, you have to choose to reject God – and He knows your heart as well as your actions.

Be blessed.:hug1:

Thank you, and for the hugs.

 

[AndyF]

Soutane:

Perfect !

 

[CentralFLJames]

Entering Heaven, even by having the mercy of Christ, just seems so . . . hard. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you do, in the end, it seems vain. I know this is not true, but right now it’s how I’m feeling.

This is a sin, that is a sin, this is not, that is, this is a “little” sin, this is a “big” sin! There just seems to be sooooo much to understand, and to stray even a little, which isn’t a hard thing to do in this sexual perverse tempting world, leads one into Hell forever more. One lives a good devout life, but falls into a dry spell and masterbates, or some other mortal sin, then, they have to “make it” to the Confessional in time before their death, or they’ll be cast into Hell, forever more. But if they make it, and Confess, they are saved once again. It’s like saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, etc. etc. etc.

Sorry, I’m just slipping on Faith right now and it hurts, it really hurts. :’(

LOL - you sound like me a few years ago.

First of all put aside the notion of heaven as a prize to be won or lost depending on if one is lucky enough to die at an opportune moment when one just happens to be in a state of grace (like right after baptism or coming right of confession).

The focus need to be on a RELATIONSHIP with God. This kind of a focus obliterates the fear of failing and puts our hopes and trust in God since God will simply not permit you to fail if we trust in Him. This means one must have a strong daily prayer life. If one is not spending at least 20 minutes of quality time a day talking to God in prayer then one is not really in a relationship.

Also observe that most sin is due to our obstinacy and pride. Sins against personal chastity (e.g. masturbation) in particular are signs of imbalance and depraved passions and can be the most degrading and humiliating kinds of sins. When one has no control over their bodily urges one is forced to admit that one is helpless against sin without God. God permits us all to be subject to sin so we all would be receptive to His Mercy and seek Him out. Being fed up with getting into habitual sins and not being able to break away is exactly what makes us call to God for help. Trust me - within a week of getting a strong prayer life started you will find radical changes in your life and supernatural protection from sinning (I recommend The Rosary or St. Michael’s Chaplet).

Once one is in a relationship sin becomes the exception - not the norm. Then one rapidly progresses in sanctification and the Trinity starts cleaning house and gets one out of a defensive posture against sin into an offensive posture where one is helping others and building up God’s Kingdom on earth. God progressively rewards us with more grace. While one is never completely immune to the temptations of sin staying “in grace” becomes the norm and as we progress it becomes more difficult for Satan to pull us away from God. We still must finish in grace of course. But when one is running the good race one is winning not loosing and that just builds more confidence. But God WILL certainly test us now and then to point out weakness. And if we fall, then EVERY TIME we fail we MUST get up again, go to confession and learn our weaknesses. This is all part of the sanctification process.

The key thing is keep getting up after we fall and get into the confessional and try try try again when fail. We get new grace to strengthen us every time we confess and eventually one matures in the faith and gets to the point where one just finds it utterly distasteful to offend God’s love and His Mercy and it becomes much easier to stay in grace.

Someone coming off a past very sinful life has a lot of concupiscence from those sins that will keep trying to pull the repentant person back to sin. That’s the poison that Satan uses to addict us but God is stronger and He can progressively remove this appetite to sin from us. Think of sin like a serpents bite. The bite hurts bad enough - but its the poison the courses into our souls that spiritually corrupts and damages. Forgiveness of sin removes the poison but it takes time to clear out all those appetites to repeat those sins and clear up the scar tissue.

James

 

[Soutane]

What a wonderful post, especially the part I made bold. I know this, have known this for a while. I’m just selfish is all, when I begin to fall and then do fall I feel like the worst sinner imaginable. and that God hates me. God hatting me has been embedded into my mind for being an ultra-etreme-Calvinist (actually, I used to follow what Familo Radio taught). I remmeber laying in bed more than once weeping to the thought that I am a sinner against God and that He will always hate me unless I’m chosen, and by the evidence of the sin in my life, it’s obvious I’m not one of His elect and therefore, as of now, He utterly hates me.

I truly believe those thoughts had an affect on my mind, it’s probably one of the biggest reasons why I suffer emotionally, as well as having a bad case of Obessive Compulsion Disorder.

Thank you, and all of you for the kind posts of encouragement.

Oh does your post remind me of…me.I have suffered from OCD since puberty and I’m 58 now.As a Catholic this has translated into bouts of extreme scrupulosity which in fact caused me to mistakenly abandon my Faith for a period of time due to the anxiety of never measuring up…The precise opposite of what I should have done.
RUN to your confessor and inform him of your condition.Priests are quite accustomed to scrupulosity and how it can interfere with your spiritual development.Also I would consider getting a priest to act as your regular Spiritual Advisor to guide your development as a follower of Christ and to dispel any notions of a God who is just dying to damn you.

Satan LOVES to plant despair.
God created you to be with Him in Heaven and will give you all the Graces you need to persevere.Trust in HIM-not in yourself.Submit to HIM-not to your fear.If you knew how much you are LOVED by Him you would literally die from happiness.Christ told us to forgive 70 times 7 times(Biblically-an infinite amount)Do you think He would do any less for you?

Always throw yourself upon His Mercy.In times of Attack by the Enemy(who will use your scrupulosity remorselessly)pray,"Jesus!I trust in you!"The prayer to St Michael is also very effective.A daily Rosary will enlist the prayers of the greatest Saint our Blessed Mother.Ask Blessed Mother Theresa for her prayers-she often suffered from the “Dark night of the Soul” as did many of our greatest Saints-St Theresa of Avila and St John of the Cross for instance.You are in GOOD company.

Your scrupulosity is one of the crosses that you must
pick up and follow after Him.A priest once told me that he felt that there was a special place in Heaven for those soulswho endured their scrupulosity and persevered to the end.

Remember we can accomplish NOTHING by ourselves-especially our salvation.Rely on Christ. He WANTS you to.

Remember what Pope John Paul the Great always used to say,“Be not afraid!”

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

Jesus,I TRUST in You.

 

[SteveGC]

Someone coming off a past very sinful life has a lot of concupiscence from those sins that will keep trying to pull the repentant person back to sin. That’s the poison that Satan uses to addict us but God is stronger and He can progressively remove this appetite to sin from us. Think of sin like a serpents bite. The bite hurts bad enough - but its the poison the courses into our souls that spiritually corrupts and damages. Forgiveness of sin removes the poison but it takes time to clear out all those appetites to repeat those sins and clear up the scar tissue.

James

Excellent post, James (as usual)

 

[Dtmccameron]

With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.(Matt. 19:26)

Aha! Aha ha ha ahahahaha ha hah!

Oh! There it is! Just what I was looking for! The secret, the Hidden Truth! There! Right there!

:extrahappy:

Thank you!

 

[BRB1]

some other mortal sin, then, they have to “make it” to the Confessional in time before their death, or they’ll be cast into Hell, forever more. But if they make it, and Confess, they are saved once again. It’s like saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, etc. etc. etc.

:’(

What did you give up for Lent ?

If you give up any habit for 40 days … you will have conquered that matter once for all. Most people have 4-5 major sin issues. So, in 6-8 months … of 40 day segments, you can get those troublesome Mortal sins off the table.