Anyone Else Feel Like They're Being Toyed With?

[Hyperstation]

Do you ever have moments when you wonder if you're living the Christian life completely wrong? Lately I feel more like I'm being teased by God or like He's completely disinterested in my life.

Last week I got a call about a job in another state. My wife and I have family in that state and have been looking to move there for a while, hoping to find a job first before we move. This job looked promising and had everything I had been hoping for, including being located in the same city as our family, which was a major bonus. They called me and I sent them all of the information they needed and let them know I was very interested in pursuing it and moving as soon as possible. Needless to say, my wife and I were excited about the possibilities and the answer to our prayers.

Yesterday I received an email saying the position had been offered to someone else. I was devastated and also frustrated that I had invested so much time in applying for this position and doing everything I could to stay in touch with them. People tell me that I'm a bit of a pessimist, and I certainly won't deny that, but it's because of situations like this that I'm afraid to get my hopes up about anything. I constantly feel like God teases me by showing me a door and making me think it will lead to something great, only to then slam it and start me back at square one again. At some point I have to wonder if He really cares and if so then why keep taunting me with something I really want only to pull it away at the last minute? It just doesn't make sense.

I read my Bible every day and do what I can to tithe, pray, serve, and keep growing in my faith. It's just frustrating when it seems like God doesn't notice any of that. I see a lot of family and friends who get anything they ask for and never seem to have any major setbacks or problems. Am I missing something? I feel like there must be a prayer or tithe check or something that I'm not doing right that everyone else knows about. I just want God to be happy with me and allow me and my family a chance to take that next step. We're not asking for a lot and it would be a positive thing for all of us, so why turn us down?

 

[Spunkn]

I think sometimes we have to be careful in these situations. You also have to remember, God's ways are higher than our own. Imagine your holding your child's hand on the side of the street. They want to run out into the street to get to the other side, but you know that there are cars coming and they are dangerous.

Sometimes God may prevent us from getting a job, or going somewhere. It looks perfect to us. Everything is lined up, from our perspective everything looks okay. But we don't see the car coming down the road, whatever that may be.

So I do think there are times when God can protect us by closing doors.

We also have to be careful of our mindset. Do we believe God is loving all the time? Even when things don't go our way? When we don't get what we want?

Or do we believe God only approves of us when things go well? God loves you ALL the time and wants the best for you ALL the time. He's not trying to beat you down or tease you, but He also know what's best for you. What's best for you is not always what we want, but what we need.

 

[Hyperstation]

I think sometimes we have to be careful in these situations. You also have to remember, God's ways are higher than our own. Imagine your holding your child's hand on the side of the street. They want to run out into the street to get to the other side, but you know that there are cars coming and they are dangerous.

Sometimes God may prevent us from getting a job, or going somewhere. It looks perfect to us. Everything is lined up, from our perspective everything looks okay. But we don't see the car coming down the road, whatever that may be.

So I do think there are times when God can protect us by closing doors.

We also have to be careful of our mindset. Do we believe God is loving all the time? Even when things don't go our way? When we don't get what we want?

Or do we believe God only approves of us when things go well? God loves you ALL the time and wants the best for you ALL the time. He's not trying to beat you down or tease you, but He also know what's best for you. What's best for you is not always what we want, but what we need.

I understand what you're saying but it still makes me wonder why good doors keep closing. At some point you would think a new one would open or that God would at least explain His reasoning. We hear constantly how He wants to give good things to His children, yet in situations like this it can be hard to really believe that.

 

[ToBeBlessed]

Do you ever have moments when you wonder if you're living the Christian life completely wrong? Lately I feel more like I'm being teased by God or like He's completely disinterested in my life.

Last week I got a call about a job in another state. My wife and I have family in that state and have been looking to move there for a while, hoping to find a job first before we move. This job looked promising and had everything I had been hoping for, including being located in the same city as our family, which was a major bonus. They called me and I sent them all of the information they needed and let them know I was very interested in pursuing it and moving as soon as possible. Needless to say, my wife and I were excited about the possibilities and the answer to our prayers.

Yesterday I received an email saying the position had been offered to someone else. I was devastated and also frustrated that I had invested so much time in applying for this position and doing everything I could to stay in touch with them. People tell me that I'm a bit of a pessimist, and I certainly won't deny that, but it's because of situations like this that I'm afraid to get my hopes up about anything. I constantly feel like God teases me by showing me a door and making me think it will lead to something great, only to then slam it and start me back at square one again. At some point I have to wonder if He really cares and if so then why keep taunting me with something I really want only to pull it away at the last minute? It just doesn't make sense.

I read my Bible every day and do what I can to tithe, pray, serve, and keep growing in my faith. It's just frustrating when it seems like God doesn't notice any of that. I see a lot of family and friends who get anything they ask for and never seem to have any major setbacks or problems. Am I missing something? I feel like there must be a prayer or tithe check or something that I'm not doing right that everyone else knows about. I just want God to be happy with me and allow me and my family a chance to take that next step. We're not asking for a lot and it would be a positive thing for all of us, so why turn us down?

it's a very rough economy lately, you may want to have your resume checked by a few people and make sure it is in tip-top shape.

keep going and keep praying. i think we 'only' hear the good from other christians sometimes. we all have problems.

 

[Hyperstation]

it's a very rough economy lately, you may want to have your resume checked by a few people and make sure it is in tip-top shape.

keep going and keep praying. i think we 'only' hear the good from other christians sometimes. we all have problems.

My resume's up to date and current. I doubt they would have seriously considered me for the position if it were simply a resume or reference problem. My frustration is with being led on toward an amazing opportunity when there was actually no chance of me getting it. I still struggle with trying to understand why things were allowed to go that far instead of a solid "No" upfront.

 

[Quasicentennial]

Job opportunity - a wonderful expression of words but when everyone is fighting for the same boat, not everyone can fit in it. I do feel that this "losing battle" experience of not getting the perfect job that offers bonuses, sick and holiday leave - is something that I am not the only one so I remain doing part-time casual work, 2 different part-time jobs that involves 6 days of the week, leaving not much time for socializing like going to church on Sunday: then again, as I think about those who work at the airport on Sundays, my guilt-consciousness just disappears knowing that Jesus understands our difficult circumstances:.

Jesus remains a positive constant in the equation: F = mc^2
F stands for faith, mc stands for mission of Christ

Wealth and success - is an experience where everyone has automatically received Christ's inheritance and that not one single individual should be left out in the cold, totally homeless or committing a crime. Evidence of our Lord Jesus is future-coming rather than digging up the past as in archaeology:.
It's important to mention Christ to the lost no matter who we work with, even if there are non-Christians who seem uninterested, at least mention your fearless faith in Jesus as a Christian.;'*';.
Rev 21:2

 

[Radagast]

I read my Bible every day and do what I can to tithe, pray, serve, and keep growing in my faith. It's just frustrating when it seems like God doesn't notice any of that.

That's dangerous thinking: "if I follow the rules exactly right, then God has to give me what I want." That's not Christianity; that's Pharisaism.

 

[Hyperstation]

That's dangerous thinking: "if I follow the rules exactly right, then God has to give me what I want." That's not Christianity; that's Pharisaism.

I'm not saying those things are any guarantee, yet we are called to do those things and don't you think God is pleased when we spend time with Him and follow His commandments?

 

[Inkachu]

You're making the mistake of assuming that God is "behind" this job offer that fell through. It gives you a comfortable place to aim your anger; in reality, it's just something that happens, it's life. You need to dust yourself off and continue trusting that God has something else for you.

When I met my husband, he lived in Texas, and I lived in Delaware. He got offered a job here in Delaware, and we took that as a "green light" that God was giving him the OK to move here at last. He packed up everything he owned and moved his entire life here, and guess what? The job never happened, the company kept putting him off until we just gave up and accepted that it was NOT going to happen. Those were some really hard days for us, because he had uprooted his whole life and was now jobless in a state where he had no contacts, no leads, nothing. We could have blamed God and gotten all bitter and just went our own way. But we didn't. We struggled through some very, very dark and stressful months together, but we remained trusting of God, even when we couldn't see what was ahead for us. And about four months later, he landed his current job, which is absolutely amazing and definitely a blessing from God.

Don't look for reasons to be resentful and sulky. When something doesn't work out, accept it, even be thankful for it, because it means God is still working on your behalf, and He'll close certain doors for good reasons. Sometimes it takes a while to see those reasons, but He never "toys" with us.

 

[Inkachu]

I understand what you're saying but it still makes me wonder why good doors keep closing. At some point you would think a new one would open or that God would at least explain His reasoning. We hear constantly how He wants to give good things to His children, yet in situations like this it can be hard to really believe that.

"Good" doors aren't necessarily the "right" doors. If a "good" door closes due to God's intervention (which isn't always the case, sometimes LIFE just happens, you can't always blame things on a person or entity), it's because He's got something else planned, even if you can't see it!

 

[Hyperstation]

I'm glad everything worked out for you and your husband. My issue is that another door never seems to open. That's perhaps why I don't take these setbacks lightly. If God had something better in mind it would be a different story; unfortunately I often end up at a dead end with a lot of closed doors behind me. It's frustrating when you try to do the right thing and get punished for it.

 

[Pal Handy]

Do you ever have moments when you wonder if you're living the Christian life completely wrong? Lately I feel more like I'm being teased by God or like He's completely disinterested in my life.

Last week I got a call about a job in another state. My wife and I have family in that state and have been looking to move there for a while, hoping to find a job first before we move. This job looked promising and had everything I had been hoping for, including being located in the same city as our family, which was a major bonus. They called me and I sent them all of the information they needed and let them know I was very interested in pursuing it and moving as soon as possible. Needless to say, my wife and I were excited about the possibilities and the answer to our prayers.

Yesterday I received an email saying the position had been offered to someone else. I was devastated and also frustrated that I had invested so much time in applying for this position and doing everything I could to stay in touch with them. People tell me that I'm a bit of a pessimist, and I certainly won't deny that, but it's because of situations like this that I'm afraid to get my hopes up about anything. I constantly feel like God teases me by showing me a door and making me think it will lead to something great, only to then slam it and start me back at square one again. At some point I have to wonder if He really cares and if so then why keep taunting me with something I really want only to pull it away at the last minute? It just doesn't make sense.

I read my Bible every day and do what I can to tithe, pray, serve, and keep growing in my faith. It's just frustrating when it seems like God doesn't notice any of that. I see a lot of family and friends who get anything they ask for and never seem to have any major setbacks or problems. Am I missing something? I feel like there must be a prayer or tithe check or something that I'm not doing right that everyone else knows about. I just want God to be happy with me and allow me and my family a chance to take that next step. We're not asking for a lot and it would be a positive thing for all of us, so why turn us down?

God wants us to have faith in Him and know that He loves us and
wants to bless us but when we blame Him for not giving us what WE
THINK is best then we can tie His hands.

The best way to look at this is that God has something better for you.

Believe the best of God.

Stop thinking He is working against you.

How would you feel if everyone in your life treated you as you treat God
as they accused you of being the source of all their problems?:

You are never going to do what you said, you don't love me, if you loved
me you would do this or that, you cannot be trusted, you always play
games with me, why should I trust you when you don't do everything the
way I want and when I want it, why don't you do what pleases me.

Could you imagine?

Put this move back in God's hands and tell Him that you love Him more
than this move and ask Him to forgive you for your false accusations
as you ask God to give you the faith you need to rest in and trust in
Him because He is the one who gave His all for you in Christ.

Have a little faith.

Tell God something good.

Give God some love.

The sooner you see that God wants a relationship with you more
than He wants to be relegated to being your servant or genie, the
sooner your life and walk with God will become all that He wants it to be.

God is good and He is the rewarder of those that seek after Him
with fervor and purpose as God wants a loving relationship that goes
beyond our pathetic and shallow performance based love.

Hope this helps

 

[Hyperstation]

God wants us to have faith in Him and know that He loves us and
wants to bless us but when we blame Him for not giving us what WE
THINK is best then we can tie His hands.

The best way to look at this is that God has something better for you.

Believe the best of God.

Stop thinking He is working against you.

How would you feel if everyone in your life treated you as you treat God
as they accused you of being the source of all their problems?:

You are never going to do what you said, you don't love me, if you loved
me you would do this or that, you cannot be trusted, you alway play
games with me, why should I trust you when you don't do everything the
way I want and instantly.

Could you imagine?

Put this move back in God's hands and tell Him that you love Him more
than this move and ask Him to forgive you for your false accusations
as you ask God to give you the faith you need to rest in and trust in
Him because He is the one who gave His all for you in Christ.

Have a little faith.

Tell God something good.

Give God some love.

The sooner you see that God wants a relationship with you more
than He wants to be relegated to being your servant or genie, the
sooner your life and walk with God will become all that He wants it to be.

God is good and He is the rewarder of those that seek after Him
with fervor and purpose as God wants a loving relationship that goes
beyond our pathetic and shallow performance based love.

Hope this helps

I don't see Him as a genie. However, if we're seeking Him and if He's working on our behalf then shouldn't we eventually see some evidence of that? I always assumed that was the case but maybe I'm totally off base on that.

 

[blankCrossfire]

I'm glad everything worked out for you and your husband. My issue is that another door never seems to open. That's perhaps why I don't take these setbacks lightly. If God had something better in mind it would be a different story; unfortunately I often end up at a dead end with a lot of closed doors behind me. It's frustrating when you try to do the right thing and get punished for it.

I won't ask you about your current situation as it's none of my business but as many others have said, people with this kind of mindset and mentality eventually leave Christianity because they've been sold on lies.

"God will do x,y and z for you, just do ____"

Our good days are still still days where we sin and fall short.
Many times in scripture, we are called to give thanks. There's a time to mourn, it's okay to question and many people in scripture did but they were all reminded just who God was and rejoiced in His name. God's plans are perfect. Continue doing what you've got to do and trust in God no matter what the outcome. Things never go as we plan and many times we wonder why nothing is going as planned. For some this happens more often than others. Seek God through this rough period.

What you see as punishment is not punishment in God's eyes. After all, what are you being punished for if you're doing everything right?

James 1:2
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

[Pal Handy]

I don't see Him as a genie. However, if we're seeking Him and if He's working on our behalf then shouldn't we eventually see some evidence of that? I always assumed that was the case but maybe I'm totally off base on that.

When do you think God should do this? (move you)
Do you want to put Him on your timetable?
Are you humbling yourself before God as you concede that He knows best.
Do you give God praise and love even when things do not go the way you want?

God wants to develope your character and He wants to have a deeper relationship with you and
so God may very well be holding up this move until you get your heart and priorities in order.

If you think that life is just God making you happy, you have missed it.

God calls us to go deeper and to have greater faith and to allow Him
the highest place of love and honor within our hearts so that He can
bring greater blessing into our life.

God is like the ultimate Father to His children and He knows there is
more at stake here than your move.

What do you say to the advice I have already given you?

Can you see your need to change?

 

[Hyperstation]

I won't ask you about your current situation as it's none of my business but as many others have said, people with this kind of mindset and mentality eventually leave Christianity because they've been sold on lies.

"God will do x,y and z for you, just do ____"

Our good days are still still days where we sin and fall short.
Many times in scripture, we are called to give thanks. There's a time to mourn, it's okay to question and many people in scripture did but they were all reminded just who God was and rejoiced in His name. God's plans are perfect. Continue doing what you've got to do and trust in God no matter what the outcome. Things never go as we plan and many times we wonder why nothing is going as planned. For some this happens more often than others. Seek God through this rough period.

What you see as punishment is not punishment in God's eyes. After all, what are you being punished for if you're doing everything right?

James 1:2
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Rest assured I'm staying with Christ. I have no intention of ever leaving the faith. It's more my role and whether or not I really matter that I'm doubting.

When do you think God should do this? (move you)
Do you want to put Him on your timetable?
Are you humbling yourself before God as you concede that He knows best.
Do you give God praise and love even when things do not go the way you want?

God wants to develope your character and He wants to have a deeper relationship with you and
so God may very well be holding up this move until you get your heart and priorities in order.

If you think that life is just God making you happy, you have missed it.

God calls us to go deeper and to have greater faith and to allow Him
the highest place of love and honor within our hearts so that He can
bring greater blessing into our life.

God is like the ultimate Father to His children and He knows there is
more at stake here than your move.

What do you say to the advice I have already given you?

Can you see your need to change?

I can always do better; that's never in question. This was just one of those once-in-a-lifetime chances that you can't help but pray for. I just want a better life for me and my wife. This move would have given us all of that.

 

[Pal Handy]

Rest assured I'm staying with Christ. I have no intention of ever leaving the faith. It's more my role and whether or not I really matter that I'm doubting.



I can always do better; that's never in question. This was just one of those once-in-a-lifetime chances that you can't help but pray for. I just want a better life for me and my wife. This move would have given us all of that.

Let God make the call on whether this is the right job for you.
You cannot possibly know what the future holds in this job.

Perhaps the job is more important than your relationship with God.

God will not allow us to have idols or things that usurp His place of honor
and love within our hearts.

It would be best that you let this job go and appologize to God for
making this job/move more important that Him. (look at your title for your thread)

I have said this same thing three times now, that God must come first
in your heart, and each time you have side stepped the issue.

I have no more advice other than what I have already given you so please reread
what I have said and pray and ask God to reveal His truth to you.

God bless...

 

[Hyperstation]

Let God make the call on whether this is the right job for you.
You cannot possibly know what the future holds in this job.

Perhaps the job is more important than your relationship with God.

God will not allow us to have idols or things that usurp His place of honor
and love within our hearts.

It would be best that you let this job go and appologize to God for
making this job/move more important that Him.

I have said this same thing three times now, that God must come first
in your heart, and each time you have side stepped the issue.

I have no more advive other than whay I have given so please reread
what I have said and pray and ask God to reveal His truth to you.

God bless...

I understand what you said and I never said the job was more important than God. If you read what I originally wrote I spent a lot of time in prayer and fasting over this, so it wasn't like I left God out of the decision. If you've never had a setback then I'm happy for you. I was not so lucky and wanted to see if anyone else here had had a similar experience.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your wisdom with me.

 

[Pal Handy]

I understand what you said and I never said the job was more important than God. If you read what I originally wrote I spent a lot of time in prayer and fasting over this, so it wasn't like I left God out of the decision. If you've never had a setback then I'm happy for you. I was not so lucky and wanted to see if anyone else here had had a similar experience.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your wisdom with me.

I have had more setbacks than you can know...

I struggle to take the advice that I give to you.

I know that what I am saying is true but I am human and make all
and more of the mistakes that all of us make.

I could quote a hundred scriptures to back up my advice as Godly
and Christ based but I think you know that what I am saying is correct.

God is not above putting us through trying situations so that what
is not good and godly can come out and we can improve and grow
into the fulness of Christ and His blessings.

I have been through these kinds of situations and I am now in a
grievious situation where I must practice what I have preached to you.

There comes a time when we must see the darkness of our own hearts and our
false accusations against God and come to terms with placing all
of our hopes, dreams and trust in God as there is no other options left for us.

God will bring you through this but He wants you to cling to and trust
in Him now so that you will know where your blessings come from when He moves in your life.

Ask God to examine your heart and to reveal anything within you that
is not of love and trust in Him and ask Him to give you the strength
to trust in Him when it looks hopeless.

God is building you up so the quicker you come to terms with
your unbelief and mistrust of God, the sooner He can bless you.

God is good and He does love to bless us when we listen to Him
and do it His way as opposed to what we think is best.

Let God be the Lord of this situation, even if it goes in a different
direction and I guarantee that you will not be disappoint in what God
will do in the life of one who trusts in Him...

 

[Kingsdotter]

Hi brethren, suppose you had a child that blamed you for not helping him get high grades in his school exams? It seems you are doing the same thing to God here. Maybe it was something you said or did during your interview that caused you the job. Have you considered that your situation may not be God's fault. That said "When one door closes, a window opens" Have faith.God bless