How to trust God step by step?

Do you recall when you first said Jesus is Lord?

Just trying to determine what is wrong.
Can I ask you a question?

It’s just something Christian’s want to do. So they pray about it and it happens. Some effort too striving to be patient and suffer rightly. The wrath of man or woman does not accomplish the will of God. You can ask for anything. That you can handle the trial. That you go around the anger. If you pray for God to increase your patients he will give you trials to handle. Don’t be afraid, I think that’s who you want to be. One who handles trials with patience. It’s no magic formula. After overloading yourself with so much to handle you are going to suffer a little. But God will help you, through the Holy Spirit. The joy of the Lord is your strength also. Whistle while you work.’

Macchiato said:

After all these years of being a Christian or proclaiming to be saved.. I truly realize I dont trust God and I hate when I have to.

When things don't go thr way I want or need them to I get angry, mad and upset..

How do you all do it..

Someone pointed out to me that suffering produces character and character hope..

But its not doing that for me..

I really need help in this area.

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First, let me say that you are certainly not alone in finding it difficult to trust God when things go wrong for you. I find it helpful when things are not going as I would wish them to, to think of this verse from Romans 8:

(Rom 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

If we love God, if we are "the called according to His purpose," then we can be sure that how ever bad things might seem to us, God will cause them to work together for our ultimate good.

By the way, the idea of suffering producing character and hope is also from Romans:

(Rom 5:1) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
(Rom 5:2) through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
(Rom 5:3) And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
(Rom 5:4) and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
(Rom 5:5) Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
(Rom 5:6) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

I've had this struggle for a long time. I hang in there but I don't like God much at times.

Even my old pastor at one stage said to me "All He's (God's) done all your life is to humiliate you! ... What have you done to deserve all this??!"

But at another point he stated why he thought "That's why you get into so much trouble and you don't do much to deserve it".

He added "He (God) humiliated His own Son".

He added "I don't think things will change much until you learn to praise Him." He then quoted Paul's advice from Thessalonians -

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV "... give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

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It's not easy. I don't like it but I may just have to do it.

There is a book called "From Prison to Praise" by Merlin Carothers. You might get some encouragement if you read it (assuming you haven't already). The one drawback is that he was a pretty positive character to begin with, but he did spend some time in prison.

He became a chaplain in the US army during World War II, and moved on from there.

Macchiato said:

After all these years of being a Christian or proclaiming to be saved.. I truly realize I dont trust God and I hate when I have to.

When things don't go thr way I want or need them to I get angry, mad and upset..

How do you all do it..

Someone pointed out to me that suffering produces character and character hope..

But its not doing that for me..

I really need help in this area.

Click to expand...

First step is to admit your sin and run to a Saviour, who can help you.

When you don't trust God, run to God and ask Him to help to trust Him. His hand is never too short to save

Macchiato said:

After all these years of being a Christian or proclaiming to be saved.. I truly realize I dont trust God and I hate when I have to.

When things don't go thr way I want or need them to I get angry, mad and upset..

How do you all do it..

Someone pointed out to me that suffering produces character and character hope..

But its not doing that for me..

I really need help in this area.

Click to expand...

My advice is that you start commanding what you want to see in your life. I started doing that i think either end of last year or beginning this year and I do it daily morning and many things I have written down and commanded have come to pass! So, you can write down something like this: " I declare that I will trust the Lord always". " I declare that I will love the Lord My God no matter what" .

No pains, no gains.

Macchiato said:

Thank you for your honesty. When im going through i dont like God much either. .How do you hang in there? Ill try to check the book out.

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Basically I just keep going through the routine. Go to church, pray daily (if briefly), and keep involved with a charity of which I'm a member (St. Vincent de Paul Society).

I've found the last one helpful for a couple of reasons - the first is simply that I'm doing something for others and not myself.

Secondly, even though at times I can get a bit irritated with some of the clients, I wouldn't want to swap places. They're far worse off than I am.

I suppose it reminds me of a quote my old pastor mentioned above had in one of his sermons. He told the story of a Christian judge (I think) who had his wallet stolen on a train. He was angry at first, but then he cooled down.

He said to himself "There wasn't much money in the wallet anyway. And I thanked God it was not I who did the stealing!"

Now I have no doubt God exists. I've had far too many 'spiritual' experiences to doubt that. So I'm in the odd position that I don't always like him, but at the same time there is no way I can doubt He's there.

On the other hand I've also got no doubt that the devil exists, and he's probably responsible for some of the frustration via his human agents.

So I just keep hanging in. It's the same reason I don't "church shop". There may be more attractive and vibrant churches elsewhere.

But this is where God has put me, so I'll stay here till He makes it clear He wants me to move.

Similar reasoning applied to the pastor (again). He once ran a state orphanage in Melbourne (Australia). He did it so well he told me he was offered the management of the whole state department.

Now he lived below the poverty line for years on his pastoral salary, with a wife and six sons to support. The managerial job would have been very well paid.

But as he thought about it, he said God had put him in his pastoral position, and he would stay there. So he did, foregoing what would have been a much easier lifestyle.

Just hang in there, and maybe get involved with some sort of charity if you can.

Faith is trust. The question about salvation is what that trust is placed in. Some trust in a work they did like baptism. Some trust in what their pastor told them which risks a faith in a pastor. Some in prosperity circles trust in a comfortable life.

For Christians faith is in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to pay for our sins.

1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

If one sees this gospel as true, it can be trusted in. This is the faith that saves.

Perhaps the greatest shortcoming of Christianity is failing to teach Christians how to advance (mature) in their faith. It is often this lack of maturity that causes Christians to fail to have assurance. Christian maturity comes from abandoning walking by the flesh and transitioning to walking by the Spirit. This is essentially giving up the pursuit of selfishness and seeking to cultivate the selflessness of Christ-likeness.

Without maturity one has little assurance as well more frequent struggles with the flesh.

Macchiato said:

After all these years of being a Christian or proclaiming to be saved.. I truly realize I dont trust God and I hate when I have to.

When things don't go thr way I want or need them to I get angry, mad and upset..

How do you all do it..

Someone pointed out to me that suffering produces character and character hope..

But its not doing that for me..

I really need help in this area.

Click to expand...

John 14:23.
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.'"

He seeks Agape love which is unconditional. He makes His Home in this type of Christian through His Holy Spirit. Without His Spirit within, one can not move forward towards the peace they seek.

Hope this helps.

Be blessed.

Macchiato said:

Amen to all of this!

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I guess im not hurting as bad as you. And maybe im emotionally flat. That’s is the way I know. I made myself do it all the way I was learning. Still not all the way there. But you are not feeling it, maybe it’s too great. But if you want to eat the whole meal it starts with one little bite