It is because I had a deep faith and things did not work out for so long that I have started to question God and my faith.
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How can I continue to believe God when I cannot see results?
- Thread starter Sakhile
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What I do not understand or appreciate really, is how people give advice and tell you how you need to change and what you are doing wrong and how God is right but you are the messed up one. Does it ever occur to them that maybe you are the kind of person who helps and tries to do the right thing. I grew up quickly. I have always been responsible, the giver, the encourager, volunteering, helping out my mother with my younger siblings, going from church to church looking for God. I read the Bible, I am really looking for peace. And yet there are people in my life who get away with murder. I see people who have no care about other people continue to get what they want and make our lives miserable. I think I deserve to have a little break down! I am human and I am not perfect but I am a good person and I am tired of suffering. This has been a rough 26years of life and nobody can blame me for being exhausted. When are things going to work out for me? Who is helping me? Yes I have overcome a lot but there is always new and bigger obstacles to overcome. When do I rest?
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- Mar 22, 2011
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Yes you are human, and like all of us you will have your breakdowns. If your sentiments in the OP were temporary, then you are doing well. And if I seemed too harsh I apologize. But nonetheless there is a danger all of us face of lapsing into negativity, of regarding our circumstances as greater than God's power. If we adopt a 'glass is half full' attitude, life will gladly accommodate us with increasing proof of its validity. it is critical that we get over to the faith side, where all things are possible. Sometimes that's a grueling moment by moment battle.
Sorry you took that the wrong way, and I will reconsider how I stated things. I hope you will overlook whatever judgment you sensed in my post and see my good intent, and consider whether there is anything there that will supply spiritual food for you. We are here for one another.
Blessings.
3Jn 1.2
Sorry you took that the wrong way, and I will reconsider how I stated things. I hope you will overlook whatever judgment you sensed in my post and see my good intent, and consider whether there is anything there that will supply spiritual food for you. We are here for one another.
Blessings.
3Jn 1.2
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ValleyGal
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I can totally relate to this! In fact, I can relate to many of your struggles, always trying to do the right thing and be the right person, always giving, volunteering and going out of my way for other's sake - and doing so cheerfully! I loved who I was when I was your age. But I struggled, too, and no one really saw my struggles - including me, most of the time. In my young adulthood, I had two things I desperately wanted: a good husband and a secure job. I had neither. Sometimes I would work part time, sometimes full time but temporary, etc. It was not until I was 30 when I went to college and became a nurse. I was finally on my feet for a few short years when I had an accident and could no longer perform my nursing duties. After learning to walk again, I tried and tried to find something else that I would love just as much. In the meantime, I went straight back into struggles with housing, love life, education and career. I'm 50 now and finally have a good husband and stable housing, although my job is not stable even though I have a university degree. The last time I went without work, it was for more than 2 years, and I was the sole income earner for my family.
Knowing what I know, and looking back now, those questions you ask... things may never work out for you. No one may ever help you. You may always, always, always have bigger and more painful obstacles to overcome. You may never rest. What will you do if that is the case? How will you be, if that is the case? How will you allow your adversities to shape who you are as a person and who you are as a Christian?
It is easy to break down now and then. I do it more frequently the older I get, simply because I grieve the life I thought I would live, but didn't. During those breakdowns, though, be sure to look to Jesus...not to see if he can bail you out, but because when your focus is on him and the love that drove him to the cross, then all these burdens of adversities seem small in his light. Also, and I can't stress this enough, make sure you have a trustworthy social network - a handful of close girlfriends that you can count on to just be with you and pray with you during your breakdowns and to support your efforts and to rejoice with you when when you do find rest.
More practically, I would encourage you to find a local employment centre. They can help you fine-tune your resume and cover letter for every kind of different job you seek. They can help with interviewing skills, target your skill set to think outside of hotel management (iow, you might be able to use your hotel management skills in a different managerial context, like retail, health, etc).
It also sounds like your family drama is getting to you. Do you have any functional, healthy people in your life? If not, you might want to find some. People can only be saved from drama if they want to be... I personally learned that I could not help the drama in my family, so I had to remove myself from it. I found healthy people to be in community with, and it was the best thing I've ever done for my own sanity.
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com7fy8
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We rest when we are doing what God has us doing in His peace >
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
God does care about each of us, but are we with Him in His peace obeying Him? If we take things on ourselves, we will take things hard when things mess with us.
Have you read about "Paul's thorn"? 2 Corinthians 12:7-15. What I see here is that Paul was having a hard time with that "messenger of Satan" messing with him. But this was because he was trying to do things in ego so he was weak enough for that thorn demon to get the better of him. But then he had a little talk with Jesus, and Jesus says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (in 2 Corinthians 12:9) So, then was when Paul saw how he needed to do everything only in God's grace which has almighty power to defend us against emotional trouble and negative reacting, and this grace of God's love shares His creativity with us
so we can make His good use of any problem, like how Jesus on the cross turned His hard thing into what loves and benefits us.Another thing . . . if we are favoritistic about who we love, Jesus does say, "if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" in Matthew 5:46. In selfish and favoritistic loving only for family and friends, we are in weakness so things can get the better of us. So we need to seek our Heavenly Father to correct us so we are living in His all-loving love with His strength and His creativity for doing good to love any and all people. And we learn this with His Son Jesus >
"'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29-30)
So, we rest when we are all-loving in His love with His own rest shared with us. But as long as I am mainly concerned about what is coming my way, this is not when!!
And, "therefore", Satan will bring things to attack us, to bother us about only ourselves or mainly our own selves. We could quiet down and have peace and intimate sharing with God in nice quiet rest. So, Satan will use things to attack our quiet, so we don't dare go there. He uses boredom, loneliness, frustration, nasty reacting and other negative things to attack our quiet so it seems like not a good place to go. But in being still and quiet we can connect and commune with God.
And as we become all-loving with God, yes we will have more and more people we deeply care about, and ones of these dearly loved and cherished people will have hard things in their lives and ones of them may die before we do. So, in being all-loving we will need the strength of God's love so all these special people's problems and deaths can not get the better of us (Hebrews 2:14-15, Romans 12:21, 1 John 4:18).
So . . . now . . . perhaps you have "only" things of yourself and your own family to deal with. With these, you can become stronger and learn how to graciously handle problems . . . so then you will know how to stay with God while having more and more people to love as yourself
. . . to care about as much as you care about yourself.
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Albion
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Sakhile, I don't know.
It's a vexing question and situation, I agree. But here are some things I think I do know about it--
1. God seems to come through just when we begin to think it's all for nothing--the praying, the believing, etc. So, don't give in to doubt.
2. I've found that almost everyone is going through--or has gone through--terrible difficulties or even tragedies. We often feel like life has dealt us a worse hand than anyone else, but if we only knew.... So, again, don't give in to doubt. It reminds me of that old saying about the person who felt oppressed and cheated by life because he had no shoes--until he met someone who had no feet.
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the only thing you need to change is who is is control of your life. look at your post; you say a lot about what you do for God and nothing about what He has done for you; your focus is on you, not Him. you rest when you stop striving to earn anything from God through your own actions and instead strive to be led by Him; this is why we call Him 'Lord'. what you and i and everyone but Jesus deserves is to live a short, miserable life and then die and go to hell for eternity - thank God we don't get what we deserve! you receive nothing from God because of your righteousness; you must receive His righteousness as a free gift, or you will not be righteous. you have also gotten away with murder; because to offend on one point of God's law is to be guilty of all; don't begrudge the mercy you see God show to the unglodly around you, lest you begin to begrudge the same mercy He showed to you before you received His gift of eternal life. when you indulge in self-pity, you agree with your enemy the devil that God is not faithful - this is a very very dangerous place to be, because your enemy wants only to steal, kill and destroy in your life; and all he needs is your agreement to do so.
when are things going to start working out for you? when you begin to let God lead you instead of leading yourself.
who is helping you? the God who gives you each breath; every heartbeat.
rest now; be led by God; enter into His rest; let the peace of God rule in your life, and that peace will surpass your understanding
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God works in mysterious ways. We humans are conduits of his power, sometimes given the ability to be transistors of whatever type of radiance he gives us. What type of diet and exercise plan do you have? Are you able to be the most high quality transistor of God's energy? Are you ready to receive the gift he has already laid out for you? The stomach and brain have an unexpectedly close relationship, and if you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you should be able to understand the following: God has a plan for your life, but you must be able to understand it with your entire five senses. Your stomach's health determines many things, including how much endorphins it produces. You eat healthy, your body creates more endorphins inside the stomach to circulate through the entire body, creating positive emotions that in turn create emotions that radiate good energy, that in turn create a receptive spirit that is ready to receive the blessing from God.
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bluegreysky
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Well, in my own drama filled life I have learned 2 things:
1) God will let you go through trials because He can't really work on you until you're broken and crying out for Him and open to whatever His will may be.
2) Soemtimes there ARE results, but like you said "you're just not seeing them". Because they are His results, not the ones you dreamed up.
You see yourself sitting in your own office doing important work and wearing a "boss" nametag, but He knows it's not going to work out for you in the corporate-and-cold longrun. So He gives you a seemingly "lesser" job selling shoes. You wonder why and you think this is dumb at age 26. But then while you're there, you learn how much that heavy job wasn't "right" for you and would have made a fool of yourself. Also you meet some great people and stay friends for a long time.
That's just a made-up example. It's happened to me many times.
God kept me in this bank teller job for nearly 4 years now. When I have a college degree. No chances to advance yet. No "bigger better" offers from somewhere else.
Things that looked like they were going to be the end of me didn't end up being the end of me at all. Meanwhile, other banks around me have been firing, laying off, cutting benefits, closing... And when going to another city for a new job seemed like a good idea the door never opened because soon after that I had the chance to get married to my long-term boyfriend and he went back to college. Moving was not an option or he'd miss out on the perfect school opportunity that will line up our future (hopefully)
Though the outlook has been incredibly hazy at times, it's become clear God kept me here in this job at this bank in this branch for many good reasons.
Same thing with him... we met, dated, fell in love fast... wanted to get married then God kept closing the door. I cursed God at times for that.
Then I'd see the ugly problems this poor guy was facing and it wasn't going to work out for us to be married whilst he dealt with them. He needed time and space to heal... and we wound up broken up for a year. Then God brought him back a new man.
Yet, while in the throes of his drama and my job being "unsatisfactory", I never thought God "cared" at all.
We always thank him when we see him deliver, then we quickly forget.
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Cloture
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Sakhile, for starters I would say that you must keep an inventory of His provision. He provided manna to fall from the sky so His people could be fed in the wilderness. When the hungry crowds came to Jesus in the gospels, He fed them all with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Right now you are angry, so the provision you have doesn't seem like much, but I promise you it is. Spend some time reading the Psalms where agony poured from a person's broken heart. None of them lost track of God's goodness.
Number two, you speak of a college education and attempts to secure a job in a particular field. If God wants you elsewhere, you can't kick a door open. Instead of asking God to give you a crowbar to wedge open the shut door, you need to backtrack and ask if You are knocking on the right door in the first place. The people on Mars Hill attempted to serve God in ignorance, and Paul told them ignorance does not work. There is a way that seems right to a man when it isn't right. Don't just guess at God's will for your life; find out what it is.
My husband finally graduated college at the age of 29. We'd been married for two years, often struggling. Going to McDonald's on a Friday night was our version of having a date. When he finished school, he desperately wanted a job in his hometown. He prayed and prayed for God to give him a job nearby. When that didn't work, he prayed for God to just give him *a* job. Within a few weeks, he received two offers out of state. He said he did not want to move away. I remember one night when he was trying to decide what to do, God spoke to him crystal clear and said, "there is a tornado coming and you need to leave." He accepted a job out of state, and we moved. Not one week after he got his first paycheck, his father called to announce that he was quitting his job and needed to move in with us. Our distance was the only thing that kept him from showing up at our door. My husband put his foot down and said no. Magically, a few months later, his father found a new job on his own. Many other things happened in our old hometown, and it soon became clear that had we stayed behind we'd have been financially sucked dry.
God is watching over you in ways you can't imagine. Don't demand that He dumps wealth into a bad situation. Figure out where He wants you go next.
If your family surrounds you with drama, none of that will change when you have financial wealth or even a husband. In fact, it will intensify. Build a support system of friends who encourage you. Start building a life that doesn't depend on your family. Spin yourself out of the drama.
Finally, I would say that you really need quality time in God's presence *without* bringing up money (jobs, careers, etc). I know a lot of people who spend their whole life praying for one financial band-aid after another. If money dominates your relationship with God, it absolutely will affect the relationship. We cannot serve God and money, and we cannot get into the habit of thinking money every time we think God.
Make a choice that you will serve Him even in this. Not that you will be a good person or perform a certain way or act out certain qualities. Choose to worship Him. Choose to stand in His presence and sing Hosannah. Choose to talk to Him about positive things. That is how you draw close to Him, and then He draws closer to us. That is the only way for Him to reveal His will for your life. And when you find out what that will is, I promise you it will not be about Him spending money on a death trap.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. Start there.
Number two, you speak of a college education and attempts to secure a job in a particular field. If God wants you elsewhere, you can't kick a door open. Instead of asking God to give you a crowbar to wedge open the shut door, you need to backtrack and ask if You are knocking on the right door in the first place. The people on Mars Hill attempted to serve God in ignorance, and Paul told them ignorance does not work. There is a way that seems right to a man when it isn't right. Don't just guess at God's will for your life; find out what it is.
My husband finally graduated college at the age of 29. We'd been married for two years, often struggling. Going to McDonald's on a Friday night was our version of having a date. When he finished school, he desperately wanted a job in his hometown. He prayed and prayed for God to give him a job nearby. When that didn't work, he prayed for God to just give him *a* job. Within a few weeks, he received two offers out of state. He said he did not want to move away. I remember one night when he was trying to decide what to do, God spoke to him crystal clear and said, "there is a tornado coming and you need to leave." He accepted a job out of state, and we moved. Not one week after he got his first paycheck, his father called to announce that he was quitting his job and needed to move in with us. Our distance was the only thing that kept him from showing up at our door. My husband put his foot down and said no. Magically, a few months later, his father found a new job on his own. Many other things happened in our old hometown, and it soon became clear that had we stayed behind we'd have been financially sucked dry.
God is watching over you in ways you can't imagine. Don't demand that He dumps wealth into a bad situation. Figure out where He wants you go next.
If your family surrounds you with drama, none of that will change when you have financial wealth or even a husband. In fact, it will intensify. Build a support system of friends who encourage you. Start building a life that doesn't depend on your family. Spin yourself out of the drama.
Finally, I would say that you really need quality time in God's presence *without* bringing up money (jobs, careers, etc). I know a lot of people who spend their whole life praying for one financial band-aid after another. If money dominates your relationship with God, it absolutely will affect the relationship. We cannot serve God and money, and we cannot get into the habit of thinking money every time we think God.
Make a choice that you will serve Him even in this. Not that you will be a good person or perform a certain way or act out certain qualities. Choose to worship Him. Choose to stand in His presence and sing Hosannah. Choose to talk to Him about positive things. That is how you draw close to Him, and then He draws closer to us. That is the only way for Him to reveal His will for your life. And when you find out what that will is, I promise you it will not be about Him spending money on a death trap.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. Start there.
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?Yes, why are you there?"
I will often times tell others....lean not on your own understanding, but on the grace of GOD through his son lord JESUS CHRIST, and advise you to pray for JESUS to take your hand and guide you, but you might be in the scenario for that which is unseen, that which as I stated; do not lean on your own understanding and maybe just, maybe there is a reason for your current placement; that which GOD and his son JESUS knows; that which you are unable to identify the why's and the there fores.
We sometimes allow our emotions to tear asunder any formula of production and compromise a setting that might just well be encamped by the enemy and heavily entrenched. This is when sometimes GOD allows us to stay behind to clean-up the mess or DELIVER a message that is required or more so desperately needed to those it necessitates.
Stand firm, ascertain that which might be unclear, even unto thyself and then allow GOD through his son to open up your acuity.
Praise be to GOD the heavenly father and his son lord JESUS CHRIST forever>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I will often times tell others....lean not on your own understanding, but on the grace of GOD through his son lord JESUS CHRIST, and advise you to pray for JESUS to take your hand and guide you, but you might be in the scenario for that which is unseen, that which as I stated; do not lean on your own understanding and maybe just, maybe there is a reason for your current placement; that which GOD and his son JESUS knows; that which you are unable to identify the why's and the there fores.
We sometimes allow our emotions to tear asunder any formula of production and compromise a setting that might just well be encamped by the enemy and heavily entrenched. This is when sometimes GOD allows us to stay behind to clean-up the mess or DELIVER a message that is required or more so desperately needed to those it necessitates.
Stand firm, ascertain that which might be unclear, even unto thyself and then allow GOD through his son to open up your acuity.
Praise be to GOD the heavenly father and his son lord JESUS CHRIST forever>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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