I've concluded that I don't have saving faith. I've tried to believe in Jesus for two years, but I can't. I fear I'm beyond

saving. What can I do? Well, it may be that the Lord has put you in this situation, that is, withheld from you the kind of faith

that you're looking for—saving faith—in order to make you feel absolutely desperate. Not everybody is given the

privilege of realizing they can't produce their own faith. You have that privilege. That may sound strange; take it

as a gift. You have been given the gift that many people—they're sometimes hurt—don't realize: we cannot produce

faith. If we have genuine faith, it's a gift. The Bible says that very clearly in Ephesians 2:8-9: we are saved by grace

through faith, and that not of ourselves; it's the gift of God. You know that now, I hope you do. I mean, I hope you realize

you are absolutely, radically, deeply, powerfully dependent on God to give you faith. Maybe your statement that you're

trying to believe means you don't believe that. You think it really is your job, ultimately, finally, to do it, and

maybe I could relieve you of that burden. You are commanded to believe; yes, you are. You're responsible to believe, but you

can't believe. You're dead. You know that better than anybody. Maybe my telling you this would be the

means by which God would say, "I have, for the last two years, tried to make crystal clear to you that you are dead in your

trespasses, and you can no more get up on your own than a corpse can get out of the coffin."

I would like now to invite you to rest, to stop trying, and to just rest in me. I did it all for you. I went to the cross

for you. I will give you now the Holy Spirit. Rest in me. Trust me. It's a gift. You can take a gift; you can receive a

Gift? It's not something you do, you receive. May the Lord grant you to receive this gift.

What Do I Do If I've Tried to Believe In Jesus but Can't?

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What Do I Do If I've Tried to Believe In Jesus but Can't?

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