how can i possibly live this life?

endure · #1 23rd January 2003, 04:04 PM

ill try not to make this very long.
do you ever feel like you cant go on? like you want to be a christian but dont know how to doit? some christians have even come to the conclusion that we live by grace yet never really doing as we should because they have tried and failed.
do you ever feel like giving up? are you fustrated and ready to quit trying? no matter how much you try to please God, all you do is sin?
i am going through this presently but i think i know the way out.
i do not come to you as someone who knows more than you or thinks hes the God sent to save you, i know that im nobody, just one grain of sand on the shore of Gods vast people, but i am learning, and if your willing to listen to my humble help, maybe i can help you too.

2 cor 3.6

"who also hath made us ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life"

the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

he made a reference to moses writing in stone the ten commandments. but he said that letters only kill.
he is saying that if all you do is TEACH men, then you are really destroying them.
becuase you are giving them knowledge of the truth, which brings responsibility, but they still do not have the ability to fullfill it, thus they are destroyed.
this was the problem with the OLD law. its why it only condemned people and saved no one.

teaching a man how he ought to live does the man no good, you must instead breath life into him and give him power to do these things, this brings life and saves him.

but many people today, like the old testament people only know what they ought to do, and have no power to perform it.

but the NEW testament is diffrent, it brings you into relationship with the Spirit of God and brings your spirit to life and allows you do as you should, and even changes you into the image of Gods glory.

if you are struggling and dont know how to stop, you must ask the Holyspirit to come into your life and change you, and you will begin to live a glourious new life of holiness level by level, you really can be free of sin.
continual love and fellowship with God will keep you full of Gods Spirit, and this changes your evil desires, you will have his desires, it strengthens your weak parts and you begin to live free of all these things you hate to do.

the key is being full of the spirit at all times, this gives you power to overcome.
all you have to do is ask for it, and he will gladly come and doit.
and from then on he loves you like his bride, he longs for fellowship and time alone with you, give this to him and hell fill you with such power you never knew, and you really can break the chains of sin. for where the spirit of lord is there is liberty! 2 cor 3.17
you can have freedom from sin and failure, for we can always triumph in Christ! 2 cor 2.14

OracleX · #2 23rd January 2003, 05:39 PM

I think that many people have been where you are. You are not alone and you matter very much so to God. You are not a nobody in Gods eyes. You are very special to Him.

I went through something similar about 4 months ago. A dry spell that lasted nearly 6 years (started about a year after I finished Bible college). Nothing I tried to do ever lasted and satisfied me. I always felt like I was missing something. I strived so hard to have a good relationship with God. Strived so hard to do what is right. I tried to fix all the messed up parts of my life. I tried to stop doing all those things that I know I shouldn't be doing. I even tried to get help from my pastor who encouraged me to try harder. Then one day I went out for coffee with a friend from work who is a Christian. He had gone through what I was going through about 8 months before. What he helped me to realize that I can't fix anything. I can't stop sinning. I can't just all of a sudden have a deep and wonderful relationship with God. What we can do is obey God. First in the little things, and work from there. I could never be consistant in reading my Bible and praying. Could never figure out where to start reading, so he said start at the begining. Read a verse or read a chapter, but the act of obeying will strengthen you over time with God's help. So that is what I did. Started at Gen 1:1 and read a chapter or more a day and prayed about it. Since that coffee I have missed maybe 5 days over the past 4 months. My focus was not at first to stop sinning, to fix problems with my marriage, to stop some bad habits or quit smokeing. But as I read Gods Word and prayed everyday He helped me with all those other things.

Too many times people focus on the issues in our life and tell us we need to fix them. Even my pastor at the time (since left that church to seek a church with more sound preaching and teaching) was telling me that it was up to me to change these things. Without God we are doomed. God is our strength, He will change our lives. What we need to do is obey Him. Start with reading His Word a little every day and praying a little every day. Start off small and let God make you big. Start off by obeying in the little things and God will grant you victory over the big things.

Your relationship with God is the most important thing. As any relationship that you have here on Earth takes time to develop and grow, so does our relationship with God. Don't get discouraged after a week or two. Fight the good fight. It is not easy. But as God says so many times in His Word, He will be with and help those who obey Him.

God loves you and desires greatly to have a closer relationship with you.

I will pray that the Holy Spirit will comfort and encourage you.

ZiSunka · #3 23rd January 2003, 05:47 PM

Ever hear that Bob Carlisle song, We Get Up"?

It goes, "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, then get up."

When you fail, just get up and run back to the Father for forgiveness. He's quick and free to forgive everyone who asks, everytime.

Could it be that you are failing because you are trying to do it all alone, without the help and support of God and your fellow Christians?

It's really hard to be a Lone Ranger Christian!

Mr.Cheese · #4 24th January 2003, 11:08 AM

For all the people who are around the age of 20.
Don't give up. Never say die. You are learning a lot right now. Learning involves messing up and falling down. But you'll get it right. Just hang in there. Stay in the Word and in prayer. You need these. And remember:
Never Say Die!

Laura · #5 24th January 2003, 01:31 PM

Originally posted by Mr.Cheese
For all the people who are around the age of 20.
Don't give up. Never say die. You are learning a lot right now. Learning involves messing up and falling down. But you'll get it right. Just hang in there. Stay in the Word and in prayer. You need these. And remember:
Never Say Die!

Thanks, man...it's SO hard though.

DaveKerwin · #6 24th January 2003, 01:39 PM

Next to your title for this post is your answer.

The Title reads: "How can I possibly live this life?"

Next to that question is your screen name, which is your answer: "Endure"

The Christian life is not about the peak experience. We are troops on the front line. We fight a battle. It is a worthwhile battle. The battle is for those who are lost; that they may be found. Endure because it is worth it. Endure because you have been called.

KnightCross · #7 24th January 2003, 07:23 PM

Endure, I've got an interesting aside to your comment...I've found that when things were REALLY in the dump for me, my comment to myself was "How can I possibly NOT live this life?" You see, when things were really bad, I could see how my failures of attempting to follow God were actually what had brought about my sorrows...thus, had I not been so prideful and sinful to begin with, I would have never gotten myself in the situation that I was in.

I don't know if it helps or not, but I hope that it does!

Cheers and God Bless!