I need help answering a question for a friend...

[becky013]

A friend asked me this & I'm not sure how to answer... Why when I let God into my life He seems to screw it up worse, and when I turn my back on him things are fine?



Please if you can help me answer this for him, I would SO appreciate it.
And I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area of the forums... this is my first post & I'm learning.

 

[Johnnz]

Evil opposes us more strongly when we become a Christian.

Teaching on sin, judgement and trying harder don't, help either.

John
NZ

 

[paul1149]

John is right. When I used to drive a van, if I slammed on the brakes things would come flying forward and hit me if the rear section was a mess. If you let God in, He's going to start dealing with your messes. That means change, and change isn't always easy or fun. You'll slam the brakes on things you used to do, and things might start flying.

It's like the Israelites making bricks in Egypt. Pharaoh made them get their own straw after Moses showed up. But eventually Moses brought deliverance and freedom. Simply put, things often get worse before they get better, but there is no alternative to the process if you want things to get better.

I would suggest your friend read Hebrews, which is a great exhortation. 10.35-39 has:

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
For, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​“Yet a little while, ​​​​​​​and the coming one will come and will not delay; ​​​
​​​​​​​​but my righteous one shall live by faith, ​​​​​​​and if he shrinks back, ​​​​​​​my soul has no pleasure in him.” ​​​
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.​

And the entire chapter 12 is must reading about the discipline of God, how it's harsh for a season, but well worth it.

 

[Sketcher]

Why do you think God is screwing up your life when you turn to him and live his way?

 

[a pilgrim]

Unlike the health and wealth gang report, real Christianity if a battle field, not a pleasure cruise. There is a cost. Most do not want to discuss that.

 

[1watchman]

A friend asked me this & I'm not sure how to answer... Why when I let God into my life He seems to screw it up worse, and when I turn my back on him things are fine?



Please if you can help me answer this for him, I would SO appreciate it.
And I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area of the forums... this is my first post & I'm learning.

This friend doesn't sound like a real "born again" believer, as no true "child of God" would EVER accuse God of screwing up his life. It seems to be one who has only been tempting God and challenging Him, so God rejects that. I think I would tell your friend that, and advise him to get serious about humility to the Creator-God, and receive His "great salvation" in Christ. He might then be "born again" by the Holy Spirit and receive much blessing.

 

[seekertruth72]

Sometimes i wonder if the closer we get to obeying God the more satan tries to come against us to cause us to stumble. Christianity isn't always a cake walk and we should warn others about tribulation so they are not caught off Guard, sometimes people paint the wrong picture of Christianity, as if its all fun and games without any suffering. Then when people have tribulation or some type of suffering they are caught off guard not being warned ahead of time about it.

But to suffer for Christ is better to suffer without Him, we will suffer anyway.

 

[SavedByGraceAndLove65]

I understand how someone could feel overwhelmed sometimes when they are going against the grain of a very corrupt world and living for Jesus,I've been there too,I think we all have.I would struggle with relying on myself,and I've learned recently that we can't do that,we have to hand it over to God because we can't handle it on our own. It is really tough sometimes and I agree with the PP. I think a lot of people believe that if they become a christian they will only be blessed and everything will be peachy from then on,they don't realize there are trials and tribulations and just because we are saved doesn't mean we won't suffer,sometimes I do think we suffer more for Jesus-we carry our cross and being a christian means we share in Jesus' suffering as well as God's love. and I also agree-I think that Satan does attack christians,I think that,of course He would attack us worse because he hates that we are relying on Jesus and that we are saved. I would tell your friend to not lose hope and not lose sight of what is important,which is living for God and that no matter what,God loves us,and sometimes bad things happen in life to purify us,we come out as gold.when things are hurting in life,we have to turn towards Him always instead of away. encourage them to read their bible and pray for help with feeling the way they do,and to ask for wisdom. I'll pray too. take care.

 

[SavedByGraceAndLove65]

also,i've noticed that sometimes bad things happen-it seems like end of the world at the time,and then later on we realize that it had to happen that way for things to get better.like if you break up with your bf or gf,and you are naturally heartbroken,but later on down the line you meet your future husband or wife. if you wouldn't have broken up with mr. or ms wrong,you wouldn't have found mr or ms. right. lol. just trying to make a point,hehe. so I think always hanging on to that faith that God works for the good of those who love Him is so important,and to remember the great things He has done for you in the past. to love God is to obey God.

 

[seekertruth72]

very good points.

 

[Leimeng]

~ When a person lets GOD in to there life. That is, when a person becomes Born Again and experiances the new birth, on has betrayed the god of this world (Satan) and become an enemy. Satan does not want anybody serving and loving GOD. A person who experiances and knows GOD and His love through Christ will become a threat to the kingdom of darkness.
~ Evil, death, destruction and other sorts of bad things do not come from GOD, they come from the devil.
~ Continue to discuss amonst yourselves...

Peace,

Leimeng

Flatulo Ergo Sum ~~~

(***Insert Personal One Liner Here***)

 

[godsdiagnostics]

I am going to give you some advice where I have learned from this exact thing:

Usually when things are going to good and there is nothing wrong, most of the time the enemy has us where he wants us. It is when we move on with God where you get your greatest opposition. Please know that once this is realized, it is imperative to remember that Satan is nothing more than a fallen angel and is not equal with God, including when he turns up the heat when we want to draw closer to the Lord.

The reason I know the enemy is at work is because of the "fruit" of your statement. God is not screwing things up worse, you just have an enemy who can't stand the fact another person who wants to believe God and wants to serve him is doing this by free will of choice. The Lord has good plans for you and will NEVER seek to punish you by seeking Him.

 

[Halil]

very good question

 

[SearchingStudent]

A friend asked me this & I'm not sure how to answer... Why when I let God into my life He seems to screw it up worse, and when I turn my back on him things are fine?



Please if you can help me answer this for him, I would SO appreciate it.
And I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area of the forums... this is my first post & I'm learning.

I'm going to try to answer your question...with a set of personal experiences.

in 2010, I lost my job. I had just started a degree in religion at Liberty University. I noticed that every semester, SOMETHING would happen that would threaten to derail my education. A new job with a longer commute, exploding plumbing in our house, my mother's declining health and eventual death, a cross-country move. No joke, it was like clockwork, every 8 weeks some crisis would hit that would threaten my ability to complete my schoolwork. I prayed and prayed and asked God WHY??? Why was this happening when I wanted nothing more than to finish my degree and use it in whatever way He saw fit. I got my answer. The evil one would throw obstacles in my way to try to get me away from my studies, get me away from getting closer to God.
He's still trying. I moved across the country for a job. My house isn't selling. My husband and I had some horrendous fights, long distance. The relatives I'm staying with are "liberal" christians who have some interesting beliefs and they can't stand mine. My son got his girlfriend pregnant, started some mess with my husband and we requested that they leave the house...and they're beyond angry with us.
BUT...I know that God is in control. The evil one is trying to get me to give up and let everything slide. Its not working. I pray more, I read the word more, I journal more and more stuff keeps happening. It's ok though. God won't necessarily keep us FROM the trials, but He will get us through those trials. I have faith...I know that in the end, all will work out to God's plan. My job...stay faithful.

Things are "fine" when you try to keep God out of your life, because that's when the evil one has free rein. The minute you start going back to your Father, the evil one gets bent out of shape...and starts all sorts of chaos that leads you to believe that God is causing that chaos...and the Father of Lies gets you to believe that lie...and wins.

 

[GQ Chris]

Your friend sounds like a simpleton, no offense. The simple shortened answer is that God is the answer to all our problems, and the lengthy but true answer is that walking with God is often fraught with difficulty and sometimes pain, and isn't the lies that guys like Joel Osteen like to tell people.

 

[SharonL]

The enemy looks at it like 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' - otherwise if you are not following God - the enemy leaves you alone - when you choose to live God's way - he considers you broke and starts working on you to turn you away from God. He knows that many people blame God for our problems.

 

[cajunhillbilly]

God disciplines those that He loves. They are being treated as sons when facing difficulties.

 

[GQ Chris]

If everything goes well for you all the time, chances are pretty good that you're not God's child. You're bastards and not His children.

 

[CGL1023]

A friend asked me this & I'm not sure how to answer... Why when I let God into my life He seems to screw it up worse, and when I turn my back on him things are fine?



Please if you can help me answer this for him, I would SO appreciate it.
And I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area of the forums... this is my first post & I'm learning.

The simple rule is that God only sends blessings (Isa 54:9, James 1:17) and the devil only sends pain, sorrow, destruction, oppression, etc. (John 10:10 a)

Most people who are ignorant of the above, lie about God, saying that he sends sickness, disease, poverty to teach us something and many other variations on this theme. That is what happened in your example.

The fact that when your friend turns to the devil and things are fine, should mean that he is solidly in the devil's camp. How can you benefit from such a friend?