Poverty, illness, disgrace. Is this the life that God wanted to give me?

[Divide]

I read the Bible everyday ... to no avail...

To no avail? Forgive me Sister but our relationship with the Lord is more like a partnership than the Lord working magic on us to supernaturally make us into better spiritual people. So when you said you prayed for the Lord to change you and you can sense no changes, it's probably because you want Him to do it for you instead of help you. It doesn't work like that.

In other words, you have to put forth more effort into seeking His will on your life. How much do you read every day? Do you read it from your intellect or from your spirit? I usually read the text 3 times and usually 4 chapters per day. The frst reading is from the intellect and looks to learn what the message of the text says. The 2nd reading is from the spirit and I read it again and look for the spiritual principle being expressed and consider how it may apply to my life and situation. And then I read it again and mediitate on it and ponder it and perhaps ask questions of the Holy Spirit and so forth.

The Lord doesn't expect you to be perfect, He knows we will fail. But He expects a consistent effort from us and for us to lean on Him and trust Him that He will make a way. He wants to see us demonstrate our faith and trust in Him. We call this acting in faith. When Peter walked on the water with Jesus, he couldn't do it until he acted in faith and climbed out of the boat and committed his weight to the water! Then the Lord responded to that faith. So when you ask the Lord to help you, if you do it with an act of faith at the same time, you will get better results! Some people say that Faith is spelled R-I-S-K. Peter took a risk so he got to walk on water. For a little while, but when he took his eyes off of the Lord and started looking at the scary wind and waves inside himself he began to put faith in the oceans ability to kill him instead of clinging to the Lord. SO he started to sink and Jesus had to save him!

That looking away that Peter did we call wavering faith and you can not waver in your faith.

James 1:6-8
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.../KJV

James is telling us that we cant be double minded and expect for the Lord to help us.

So acting in Faith with your actions and words to demonstrate your trust in the Lord...puts the ball into Jesus's court! hat's what our Lord does, He responds to our faith!

The Lord when He helps me, He isnt big on providing details to me about it. He wants for me to figure it out and exercise this feeble little brain of mine and heart to see His truth. I do things and wait on the Lord to help me and I am largely clueless as to how He will do it.

One time, I was short on money and behind in my electric payment and they gave me a shut odd notice for a certain day. But no money. So I prayed clinging to the Lord and asking for help with it. Send me some work so I can pay it and keep the lights on. The phone did not ring. It was my slow season of the year. Well the shut off date came and went and they did not shut me off. Two weeks after the shut of date, I called them and said, hey, I know I am behind and have a shut off notice, but they didn't shut it off, why?

She put me on hold to check and came back on to me and said oh we looked at your payment history and can see that if you have the money that you pay fast, so we decided to give you some time on that....Wow, and there was my miracle! I was expecting for the Lord to send me some work to earn money (Self-Employed) but the Lord did not answer my prayer that way! He softened the hearts of the utility people instead! (In a town where they do not give people breaks!) That was like stepping into the Twilight Zone. I was able to pay it before they did anything so it all turned out well for me, Praise the Lord!

The moral of that story that I learned is that we can't dictate how the Lord answers our prayers. He will answer our prayers, the way that He wants to. Do you think it is possible that the Lord could have answered a prayer of yours in a way that you wasnt expecting? So maybe you missed it?

 

[Divide]

I forget what it was about exactly but one time I had a question for the Lord. So I prayed and asked my question, and I got no response. So I prayed about agin the next day, and the next, and the next and next and next. He was being silent to me and that isn't what I wanted or expected! I wanted my answer which was but a small thing.

So I'm about two weeks into prayng about it and never getting any response whatsoever. So I figured well maybe I;m on a need to know basis and I dont need to know? So I put it out of my mind.
Well it's been awhile since I did any reading of the Bible (about 3 weeks I think) and I wanted to catch up on my reading so I grabbed my Bible and flipped it open and it was weird! My Bible flipped open to the exact page that when my eyes fell upon the words, it answered the question that I had been praying so long about! It was as simple as that. Wow. So He did answer me, but He required my effort at the same time. And that's when I got my answer. Praise the Lord indeed!

This showed me that even though I learned to hear the still small voice of God, I got used to that and so would talk to Him all the time, and invite Him to go with me to work and stuff...but I began neglecting reading the word and just got used to asking Him directly. This was His way of telling me, even if we talk more to still conrinue with the reading of His word!

 

[Divide]

The Lord sometimes delays the answering of our prayers to see if we will hold our faith to the end of the situation. Like I said before, He is, Last Minute never late. Endure to the end He says!

During the covid pandemic my country's government sent out a bunch of stimulas checks to it's citizens. I got 3 of them myself. I am retired and on the fixed income of social security. I thought retirement would be good, but it almost seems like I am on public assistance or something. It is not good. So what is a man to do with a small windfall of cash that drops into his hands? I bought items that I normally can not afford to buy. I spent the money as fast as I could on non affordable items to ensure that something stupid could not jump up and take the money from me.

When I got the last and largest check I spent it in one day. And as I returned from the shops I went into the basement for something and walked into a warm wet floor. My hot water heater was leaking water and would need replaced. I had enough money that morning to buy a new water heater and that is my trade so I could install it myself. But I didn't have any money to buy a new heater now!

So I shut off the water to it to stop the leaking onto the floor and I figured that I would have to wait a full month until I had a chance of buying a new unit. I checked the units age and it was 5 1/2 years old. Water heaters come with a 5 year warranty, so mine was just out of warranty of course. And as I am standing there pondering these things, I thought does the Lord want me to go without hot water for a month? Doubtful but possible.

But I had the money that morning! So, why didn't the Lord let me know to not spend that money because I would need it?! I could not understand that. I know the Lord was doing something but I had no clue what and all I knew is that I'm looking at a month without hot water. I know that Lord works in mysterious ways that I don't always understand, but I do trust Him, so I began to laugh at my situation and I lauged and prayed to the Lord and said, Lord I don't know what you are doing here but I trust you and can't wait to find out how you will deal with this situation for me!

My plan was to make a material list of the minimum needed to effect installing a new unit when the money came to buy it, so I could be ready. If I bought the same model unit then all I would need is two copper 1/2" couplings to solder the pipes back together. SO I did that and called the next day to get the price of the new water heater, so I would know what I am looking at money wise. I gave the man the model and serial number and he put me on hold to check.

He came back on and said yes we have that unit in stock and it IS under warranty so would cost me nothing! But it's 5 1/2 years old? Nope. This is a Rheem brand heater and Rheem is proud of their heaters so always gives a minimum 6 year warranty with them! It was not just out of warranty! It was just in warranty!

The Lord knew all this, lol. He wanted to test my reaction to this situation of no hot water so I am awfully glad that I was laughing instead of being angry or something! So I guess I passed that test! That felt good!

I suppose the moral of that story is, even when we don't understand what God is doing with us when He allows bad things to happen to us...is all about clinging to the Lord and having unwavering faith and trust that He will do good for us if we let Him and don't jump the gun with complaints. Do not complain!

I sit here in poverty myself, where I have almost no money but I have lots of time. It occurs to me that there is a lot of security in poverty...because it keeps me clinging to the Lord! And as I sit content in my poverty, I grow rich in the Lord's word! Praised be the Lord!

I don't care if I never get rich in money. The Lord could bless me with a lot of money and make me rich! But the Lord knows more about me than I do myself. That I would get myself into trouble with too much money and without money I remain clinging to Him! And I can see that how it works. Poverty has security with it, and His name is Yahusha!

I dont get robbed because I dont look like a guy with money. I drive a a 29 year old truck! I wont be carjacked, lol! It's a good truck and it was the Lord who gave me that truck. But that a different testimony.

 

[Bobber]

He let the Israelites wander in the desert for 40 years because He did not like to hear them complaining and not obeying His directives.

And you know it can be very difficult to encourage some dear people. If some are committed to embrace offence then what can one do. The Israelites ( you mentioned them ) and when said Caleb and Joshua tried to give encouragement to the people they got offended. They even wanted to stone them. Num 14:10

A lack of hope sounds like a job for the book of Psalms in the bible. When I feel discouraged I read Psalms. That always puts things back into perspective for me. It's like the book of Promises or something!

Very good!

 

[Divide]

And you know it can be very difficult to encourage some dear people. If some are committed to embrace offence then what can one do. The Israelites ( you mentioned them ) and when said Caleb and Joshua tried to give encouragement to the people they got offended. They even wanted to stone them. Num 14:10

When I read that, I remembered that the Lord does not change so I only knew that I should not complain about not having hot water or why didn't God tell me to save my money...But instead of embracing the trial of no hot water and becoming offended, I refused to and simply trust in the Lord to show me what He was doing and I laughed at no hot water! I wanted to know what the Lord was doing! If I had taken offense to it who knows how long would I wander without hot water?!

I kept my peace and joy in the Lord throughout the experience so the Lord worked it so this bad thing turned into a blessing instead of a trial.

One time, the Lord answered a prayer of mine that I had thought about praying but did not because I chose to stand on His word and His word says I don't even have to worry about that, the Lord knows our needs. So I didn't pray for it. Stood on His word. He answered it within 30 minutes! What I was going to pray for but did not.

Sometimes I dont want to be the gimme gimme gimme kid. So I hesitate to pray for some things. But! He said we have not because we ask not, so I pray and ask anyway. I also learned from one Pastor that prayer is a form of worship. So I'm good in asking for very much!

 

[Endeavourer]

I'm sorry for the circumstances you find yourself in.

Sometimes when you live according to an assessment you make of your own situation, you can have blinders that don't open yourself to all possibilities. It may be a good exercise to be a little more open to the people posting here as they may have had paths in their lives that are similar in some ways to your situation.

2 Cor 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

God bless.

Warmly,
E.

 

[Bobber]

When I read that, I remembered that the Lord does not change so I only knew that I should not complain about not having hot water or why didn't God tell me to save my money...But instead of embracing the trial of no hot water and becoming offended, I refused to and simply trust in the Lord to show me what He was doing and I laughed at no hot water! I wanted to know what the Lord was doing! If I had taken offense to it who knows how long would I wander without hot water?!

I kept my peace and joy in the Lord throughout the experience so the Lord worked it so this bad thing turned into a blessing instead of a trial.

One time, the Lord answered a prayer of mine that I had thought about praying but did not because I chose to stand on His word and His word says I don't even have to worry about that, the Lord knows our needs. So I didn't pray for it. Stood on His word. He answered it within 30 minutes! What I was going to pray for but did not.

Sometimes I dont want to be the gimme gimme gimme kid. So I hesitate to pray for some things. But! He said we have not because we ask not, so I pray and ask anyway. I also learned from one Pastor that prayer is a form of worship. So I'm good in asking for very much!

Here's a thought too.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Jm 6:16

This really can be a good help to many who go off and complain about God and becoming offended. Many people claim "Well I prayed to God, Didn't get anything! I've done my part! God didn't!"

Think of Noah building the Ark. God DID NOT just tell him to build that Ark! He told him how to build it with instructions. "Well I'm just going to build the Ark and ....I don't have to build it 450 feet long....300 feet will do! And 50 or feet wide? Well 30 feet will do!" Point. God has told us not just to build a prayer life but HOW to build it. When they don't build it God's way they can get ticked off like Cain, get offended and bitter while ALL THE TIME God who LOVES them would say, "Look if you do things according to instructions won't you get the positive results like others?"

To build a prayer life here's some tips. Get ride of strife. One won't get hardly anything if they've got chips on their shoulders. Mk 11:25 Be in faith, meaning not wavering holding fast to what you believe you've received by faith in prayer. Mk 11:24, Jm 1:4 James 1 warns us of NOT WAVERING. Another tip don't be just asking for things to consume upon your lusts and at the same time not really concerned about seeking first the Kingdom of God and being in right standing with him. Jm 4:1-5

God IS NOT a slot machine and refuses to be one meaning I've done God such a favor in saying a prayer.....NOW WHERE is the results? Phil 4:6 states too with all prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known to God. That's thanksgiving before you even see the answer, thanking him without wavering that God answers prayer....and my prayers! He said he would, he said he loves me and he said he cares and I believe that regardless of what Satan would like to say to the contrary!

If one applies and makes sure their prayer lives have what I've said and you can find other things in the WORD one is coming into the place where it's not JUST prayer....but EFFECTIVE prayer. So that can be a problem. People pray. But they have no concern if they've added the ingredients to effectively appeal to God by their actions for him to answer.

He wants to answer. He wants to love them and help them but it really can come down to is one really making Jesus and his instructions TRULY lord over one's life. If not they can pray....AND GOD WILL behind the scenes even weep at the difficulties they face but can't help them. Some have not truly come to Jesus and have learned and applied his instructions. If they do they'll find him full of mercy, forgiveness and will be an ever-present help in time of trouble.

 

[NBB]

If so, why then did he sacrifice Jesus, only for me (and probably many others) to have a disgraceful existence, filled with nothing but disgrace, poverty, illness, failure and hopelessness? It doesn't make sense, didn't Jesus say "I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly"? Why would God send his Son to die for me (and many others), so that I could live a mediocre life? And I am not only speaking in terms of material prosperity, but in a sense of spiritual blessings as well. Yes I am a Christian, and yes I do pray everyday and I practice my faith. Yet God has not come through for me. So many things have gone wrong in the last ten years for me that it has been like Hell on earth at times. Yet there is no hope of restoration or vindication for me. And there are so many things in my past that I cannot explain that do not make sense, there might've been times when God would speak to me or give me a sign, yet it was so rare and it still doesn't make sense, I cannot understand the meaning behind it or if it was even him or if I interpreted it incorrectly. Even when I make a sincere effort to turn from my sins and pray and seek God's presence, he does not grace me with his voice or his presence. I suppose I have to conclude that my life is of little value or importance to God and that he hates me for some mysterious reason that is beyond my understanding.

I believe we can't survive as christians especially if we need a lot from God, if we don't go to reunions with other christians, is important because (you want Gods presence rigfht??) He promised to be there when 2 or 3 congregates. And also it says, where the Spirit of God is, there is freedom and blessings.

 

[timewerx]

didn't Jesus say "I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly"? Why would God send his Son to die for me (and many others), so that I could live a mediocre life?

First I'm going to tell you, none of this is your fault. We simply live in an evil world that swallows the weak that's why.

Whenever the Bible mentions the "blameless". It speaks of the weak, the poor, the orphans, widows, the lame, those who cannot help themselves.

Those worthy of blame are those who heard your cries and chose not to help you and I mean REAL HELP, not just in words and advice but helping you as a real and good friend would do like offering you a job....Just off my head if you can see what I mean.

God will severely punish these people as we are supposed to help even strangers, not just our close friends or family members.

 

[Thijs Hottenhuis]

If so, why then did he sacrifice Jesus, only for me (and probably many others) to have a disgraceful existence, filled with nothing but disgrace, poverty, illness, failure and hopelessness? It doesn't make sense, didn't Jesus say "I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly"? Why would God send his Son to die for me (and many others), so that I could live a mediocre life? And I am not only speaking in terms of material prosperity, but in a sense of spiritual blessings as well. Yes I am a Christian, and yes I do pray everyday and I practice my faith. Yet God has not come through for me. So many things have gone wrong in the last ten years for me that it has been like Hell on earth at times. Yet there is no hope of restoration or vindication for me. And there are so many things in my past that I cannot explain that do not make sense, there might've been times when God would speak to me or give me a sign, yet it was so rare and it still doesn't make sense, I cannot understand the meaning behind it or if it was even him or if I interpreted it incorrectly. Even when I make a sincere effort to turn from my sins and pray and seek God's presence, he does not grace me with his voice or his presence. I suppose I have to conclude that my life is of little value or importance to God and that he hates me for some mysterious reason that is beyond my understanding.

It is difficult to look at this world, and then to still believe that there is a loving God. It takes understanding of the human condition and the need for a spiritual awakening.

In order to see Heaven, you have to be born again. Born to what? To the Christ in you, the hope of glory! Recognizing yourself as the “He that is in me” that is greater than the “he that is in the world.”

Jesus started His three-year ministry with reading from the psalms, clearly indicating that our true nature is not of the flesh, but of Spirit:

“Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’?”
(John 10:34, NKJV)

“I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.”
(Psalm 82:6, NKJV)

Therefore, rather than looking for understanding, I encourage you to pray for a revelation. Blessings to you, @headphones777