how hard do you try?

...I read it...
And, of course I will pray for you, I know this is a rough time in your life, and all your prayers are heard, you are not as insignificant as you think! The down times are all a part of life, we must go through the bad to appreciate the good. Unfortunately sometimes with the rough times in our lives, the only way out is through. Someone once told me that if there is anything in your life that takes you away from God, you must omit that from your life, it is true I have found. Rely on the strengths of other people, we'll help you through with the power of prayer...oh and if you will, e-mail Crusader Abrahm, he has touched my soul with the light of the Lord in his words, we will all pray for you here, you'll be among friends...I'm praying and wishing for only great things for you!
Amie

There is a saying...

"All sunshine and no rain makes...well...a desert."

I know where you are, and I know I have not seen the last of the desert sands myself. God sometimes gives us a chance to try and feel our way even when we don't "feel" His presence right next to us like we used to. It doesn't mean He isn't there! Keep doing what you're doing - keep knocking down the doors of heaven, keep praying, crying Abba Father...

You will not go unheard

And we are praying

beachbum,
Firstly, let me welcome you here. [SHADOW=crimson]WELCOME! [/SHADOW]
I am so, glad you are here!

Now let me tell you, my heart goes out to you deeply. I was saved 7 years ago. And though I am ready to do great things at church, I am still doing menial tasks. Sometimes I get to pull weeds, or sweep the walk, or some simple thing I may see as a meaningless effort. All this after reading the Bible from cover to cover, not to mention other numerous books by great Christians.
I am always in prayer and I am more knowledgeable than almost any other Christian at church. Most are only there on Sunday. I have seen brand new Christians promoted ahead of me, not because they are better Christians, by any means, but someone wanted to help them because they seemed unstable. They are all gone and I am still there.

At first, I was hurt and angry. Here I was availing myself to do the work of God and I was, as I saw it being looked down upon when I knew I could do much greater works than was being done by those of little or no faith or knowledge of God's will. I mean I was very angry. I ever quit going to church for awhile because of it. But then God gave me this peace - There is nothing in the Kingdom that does not mean anything, nothing meaningless. There is nothing so menial it is useless. All things work together for the good of the Kingdom of God.

Remember, those recieving the accolades now for doing the work,
they are receiving their rewards. Also, reflect upon the ages of many in the Bible God used in the past. Look at how old Abraham was before God began to use him in a way we measure as great. Moses was 80 years old. Noah was old. Think about it.
It is like great wines. The cheaper less expensive wines, not that they are not wonderful wines, like Zinfendel is ready in just 1 to two years to drink. But the Charonays and Cbernet Sauvingions
take up to 10 - 12 years before they reach their peaks and are truely ready to drink. But they are the ones that are savoured by the masters of wine making. All these other wines, some white and some pink and some red seem to be passing by, but when all is said and done, the truely great ones, though less in number, because they were tenderly cared for, turned and kept at just the right temperature become the heralded ones throughout the centurys.

You are doing nothing wrong. Do not stop praying. Ask God to continue to reveal those things He wants to reveal about yourself,
so as to continue to grow in Him. Continue to focus on Him in worship, prayer and study. Make your worship as pure as you can. If at any point your mind is not on Him, refocus. But do not try to do too, much at one time. Let God guide you in this. Being too busy is not what God wants. He just wants you. He loves you beyond all our understanding.

Remember this, God is in the smallest of all things. He is in doing the dishes, He is in our smallest task at work. It is easy to feel great joy when we are on top of the mountain of Glory. It is in the menial task where we find out where we are in Him. Know that in all we do, it is to Glorify our Father in Heaven. Know that although the limited minds, I am not saying this condesendingly,
we are all only human, they do not see what you do, God loves you all the more for your efforts in serving Him.

But it is in our closest relationship with Him, our Abba Father, that
He loves us most and most dearly.
Praise His Holy Name. Praise God.

God Bless You! and let God guide you, give you peace, and provide the daily strength and eyes to see the Glorious God we serve. For he is humble and His burden is light.

Originally posted by beachbum
i am a born-again Christian. i was saved 6 years ago. i have been close to God in the past. i have actually seen miracles in the past.

but now for the last year or so, try as i may, i can't feel close to Him anymore. i have almost given up. the whole time i have been a Christian, i feel like God and other Christians don't notice me. i used to pray, and do my quiet time Bible study religiously, i went to church every sunday, i tithed 10%, i went to small groups, i listened for God, i obeyed the rules, i was sincere and enthusiastic, i believed and i waited and i trusted. i even tried to serve in different ways and either was turned down or given something useless to do.

but no matter what i do, i am always left alone. i never 'hear God answer me.' no one at church or in the small groups even notice me. the things i prayed for went unanswered. in his sermons, my pastor (who truly is a great pastor and a very Godly man) tells us 'this is what you should be doing' and then next week 'God wants you to do this.' and after a while, i am so busy trying so hard to do and be what God wants i'm going nuts trying to keep up. and still i hear nothing.

and then i think, 'it must be me. it has to be me.' the Bible says if i do all these things, God will bless me. so i am doing something wrong. am i the only person that feels like this? how do i get out of this funk? i want so badly to be right with God, but i feel like no matter what i do, or don't do, i can't be.

(i wonder if anyone will even read this .

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>> the things i prayed for went unanswered.

What are you praying for? For me I search to find out what God's will is for me, so I can pray according to His will. I figure at this point in my life, I have made pretty much a mess out of things, trying to do it my way, so it's time to do it God's way.

1 John 5:14-15
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. [15] And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Jesus talks about our daily bread. We know that daily God cooks up a fresh new loaf of bread for us. Everything we need is in that loaf of bread. All the life, all the health, all the healing, all the strength, whatever we need, God provides for us daily.

Maybe it is the church I am attending. The annointings there are just awesome. Lately God has been giving us annointings that all we have to do is show up for the service. It use to be 10 or 15 years ago, I would have had to fast for a week or two in order to get the annointing we are getting now.

Of course I try to seperate myself from all unGodlyness. I try to stay away from things I know do not please God. Thanks, JohnR7

I've faced the same problem of not feeling God there all the time. I've recently learned, though, that He wants us to continue to believe, and to have faith in Him, even when we DON'T feel Him. That can be tough; believe me, I know. It's worth the effort, though.

YOu guys keep saying you're saved? What are you saved from?

Saved first and foremost from a temporal life and an eternal life APART FROM GOD *shudder* without any hope, without any love, without any peace...I could go on and on...

But He came to give us life and give it more abundantly...Jesus TOOK MY PLACE and did it without batting an eye. Beaten beyond recognition. Mocked. Hung on a cross and slain for MY wrongs. I think on it - and I can harly keep the sorrow from drowning out my praise...But I will not stop praising God! He is my All, my very reason for living! Life makes sense with His guidance - and I am SAVED from things I had not thought powerful enough to KILL ME! (oh, the wretchedness of ignorance...)

PRAISE GOD!!

Originally posted by WhitBit
Saved first and foremost from a temporal life and an eternal life APART FROM GOD *shudder* without any hope, without any love, without any peace...I could go on and on...

But He came to give us life and give it more abundantly...Jesus TOOK MY PLACE and did it without batting an eye. Beaten beyond recognition. Mocked. Hung on a cross and slain for MY wrongs. I think on it - and I can harly keep the sorrow from drowning out my praise...But I will not stop praising God! He is my All, my very reason for living! Life makes sense with His guidance - and I am SAVED from things I had not thought powerful enough to KILL ME! (oh, the wretchedness of ignorance...)

PRAISE GOD!!

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Yes, Praise God in all His mercy and grace. In my own eyes,
I am not worth the trouble, yet in His eyes I am worth His own Son's very blood. Bless Him.
and may God Bless you WhitBit.

Originally posted by Valkryie
YOu guys keep saying you're saved? What are you saved from?

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Saved from Hell...eternal damnation...the fire...satan

Salvation = Eternal Life with the Lord

[SHADOW=teal]I AM SAVED BY THE HOLY GRACE OF MY GOD! [/SHADOW]

beachbum, how are you? Please let us know. Should we continue praying for you?

OK.... So I'm saved from GOD....?

Beachbum, First of all hello and welcome.
I can relate to where you are. Times like these are a testing of our faith, where the dross is burned away, so that what is true can grow. Do not lose heart. The Lord is still with you. I think many times we are given the little seemingly insignificant things to do and I think when we prove faithful in those, we are given more.
I am praying for you too.

Originally posted by Valkryie
OK.... So I'm saved from GOD....?

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NO! You are saved BY Jesus.

Do you know the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you want to know it?

READ: The book of John in the Bible

Here is some:

John 3
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son(Jesus), that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved

but now for the last year or so, try as i may, i can't feel close to Him anymore. i have almost given up.

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Feeling distant and forgotten by God is a symptom of depression. Often, when a person gets treated for depression, the closeness comes back!

But it can also be a symptom of unresolved sin. Sometimes it doesn't seem obivous, but you might have a sin(s) that need to be confessed. Even if you have repented internally, confessing to the Lord brings forgiveness and a refreshed relationship with Him.

Both of these things have happened in my own life, so I know whereof I speak.

Originally posted by Valkryie
OK.... So I'm saved from GOD....?

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Who is this person, and why do I seem to be the only one replying to their questions?

Hello, and welcome to the boards, beachbum!! Hope ya have a great time here. Everyone is very friendly and loving

What you're doing is good, but what you're doing is not very right either. What you're doing is to see what you are able to see how you can get closer to God. When we want to get close to God, we must let His Spirit work through us. We shouldn't run around, wondering and trying to get closer to God if with no guidance from God.
You seem stressed out and annoyed because of all you did, you don't feel the way you did before. It would be good to relax and just let God do the job, since He's the Only One Who can actually get us closer to Himself (We can't do anything but let Him work through us). Like, go on a nice, quiet camping trip with you and God, or some quiet, relaxing vacation. Fast, too, because when we're weak, He's strong; when we're strong, He's "weak" to work through us.

Get yourself into deep praise and worhip of God, His Word and prayer, too, and devote yourself to Him and Him only. It seems to me that you're not letting God do what He can do to get closer to Him. You're seeing what YOU can do to get closer to the Lord.

God bless you!

Must you put Quote by me 2 FREAKING TIMES!? And is John in the New or Old Testament?