Christian for 25 years, looking to share and discuss

[ashe]

Hello all. I've been a Christian for 25 years (I was baptised while in university).

In the last 4 years or so I have been through business and financial difficulties. A business which I had faith that God wanted me to start. When I prayed, doors opened, thus my believe that it was from God. Now I am unsure whether it was due to my persistence or God at all.

I have been the victim of financial embezzlement by my staff, which God did not help in resolving. The business is profitable but has not been able to pay its bank loans since day 1.

I have been trying to be strong and steadfast, and although I admit I have not been praying and reading the bible as often as I should, my strength is ebbing and I have been having doubts, not as to the existence of God but as to his nature. If this business indeed was from God, then he has led me into a trap.

It has reached the point that when I pray with my kids, I feel like a hypocrite and I fear my children relying on a God that seems to be unreliable and whimsical in his ways.

I am starting to think that God enjoys and even requires our suffering. Jesus did say, take up your cross and follow me. If the church would disseminate such a message at least there isn't a dichotomy between what many Christians are going through and the concept of God that the church tries to market to increase its membership count.

 

[devin553344]

Hello all. I've been a Christian for 25 years (I was baptised while in university).

In the last 4 years or so I have been through business and financial difficulties. A business which I had faith that God wanted me to start. When I prayed, doors opened, thus my believe that it was from God. Now I am unsure whether it was due to my persistence or God at all.

I have been the victim of financial embezzlement by my staff, which God did not help in resolving. The business is profitable but has not been able to pay its bank loans since day 1.

I have been trying to be strong and steadfast, and although I admit I have not been praying and reading the bible as often as I should, my strength is ebbing and I have been having doubts, not as to the existence of God but as to his nature. If this business indeed was from God, then he has led me into a trap.

It has reached the point that when I pray with my kids, I feel like a hypocrite and I fear my children relying on a God that seems to be unreliable and whimsical in his ways.

I am starting to think that God enjoys and even requires our suffering. Jesus did say, take up your cross and follow me. If the church would disseminate such a message at least there isn't a dichotomy between what many Christians are going through and the concept of God that the church tries to market to increase its membership count.

Welcome to CF. Sorry to hear about your misfortunes, but I think you will find that is common among Christians. Some are blessed financially while others are not.

 

[friend of]

Hey welcome. Sorry to hear that. Hang in there.

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

Hello all. I've been a Christian for 25 years (I was baptised while in university).

In the last 4 years or so I have been through business and financial difficulties. A business which I had faith that God wanted me to start. When I prayed, doors opened, thus my believe that it was from God. Now I am unsure whether it was due to my persistence or God at all.

I have been the victim of financial embezzlement by my staff, which God did not help in resolving. The business is profitable but has not been able to pay its bank loans since day 1.

I have been trying to be strong and steadfast, and although I admit I have not been praying and reading the bible as often as I should, my strength is ebbing and I have been having doubts, not as to the existence of God but as to his nature. If this business indeed was from God, then he has led me into a trap.

It has reached the point that when I pray with my kids, I feel like a hypocrite and I fear my children relying on a God that seems to be unreliable and whimsical in his ways.

I am starting to think that God enjoys and even requires our suffering. Jesus did say, take up your cross and follow me. If the church would disseminate such a message at least there isn't a dichotomy between what many Christians are going through and the concept of God that the church tries to market to increase its membership count.

Welcome ashe. I've been a Christian for about 50 years. I was baptized as an infant. Sorry to hear that your business is suffering. I'll pray for you.

 

[ashe]

I guess I'm here to gain strength from other Christians going through the same troubles. It's kind of sad that I can't seem to get the strength I need from my prayers and groanings to God, that I have to resort to an online method (no slight to my brothers and sisters in Christ, I think it's a wonderful thing this forum is available to Christians).

I admit freely I should be a more diligent Christian. Then again sometimes I feel we are making too many excuses for our God.

Lately I have just been praying the Lord's prayer, with little strength for more. Then I add, "I'm tired of making excuses for you Lord. If you do exist and really care for us as individuals, then do something or show me a sign."

I understand that Christians are at many levels of financial health. The sticking point for me is I feel like he has led me into a trap in starting this business. Of course, it could have been solely my desire, not his path for me, that my 'feeling' it was from Him was my own delusions. See, I'm trying to make excuses for him again.

Thank you for your support. I look forward to supporting others as best I can.

 

[Rescued One]

I will also pray. I frequently pray for Christians in Indonesia specifically and I pray for Christians around the world.

 

[Rescued One]

I guess I'm here to gain strength from other Christians going through the same troubles. It's kind of sad that I can't seem to get the strength I need from my prayers and groanings to God, that I have to resort to an online method (no slight to my brothers and sisters in Christ, I think it's a wonderful thing this forum is available to Christians).

I admit freely I should be a more diligent Christian. Then again sometimes I feel we are making too many excuses for our God.

Lately I have just been praying the Lord's prayer, with little strength for more. Then I add, "I'm tired of making excuses for you Lord. If you do exist and really care for us as individuals, then do something or show me a sign."

I understand that Christians are at many levels of financial health. The sticking point for me is I feel like he has led me into a trap in starting this business. Of course, it could have been solely my desire, not his path for me, that my 'feeling' it was from Him was my own delusions. See, I'm trying to make excuses for him again.

We've been through some difficult times financially and it was especially hard to understand because so many people around us seemed to be doing okay. But I had to realize that we still had it better than homeless people and many around the world. I'm grateful for the lessons I've learned and my heart breaks when I learn of other people's struggles. God will help you.

I can never blame God for anything bad. I often tell Him how much I need Him.

 

[Oldmantook]

Hello all. I've been a Christian for 25 years (I was baptised while in university).

In the last 4 years or so I have been through business and financial difficulties. A business which I had faith that God wanted me to start. When I prayed, doors opened, thus my believe that it was from God. Now I am unsure whether it was due to my persistence or God at all.

I have been the victim of financial embezzlement by my staff, which God did not help in resolving. The business is profitable but has not been able to pay its bank loans since day 1.

I have been trying to be strong and steadfast, and although I admit I have not been praying and reading the bible as often as I should, my strength is ebbing and I have been having doubts, not as to the existence of God but as to his nature. If this business indeed was from God, then he has led me into a trap.

It has reached the point that when I pray with my kids, I feel like a hypocrite and I fear my children relying on a God that seems to be unreliable and whimsical in his ways.

I am starting to think that God enjoys and even requires our suffering. Jesus did say, take up your cross and follow me. If the church would disseminate such a message at least there isn't a dichotomy between what many Christians are going through and the concept of God that the church tries to market to increase its membership count.

I don't think God enjoys our suffering but suffering has it's purpose in order that we might be able to obtain something better. From Heb 11:
35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,
This passage is instructive as it points to us receiving something better as a result of suffering. Note that these believers refused to be released from torture & imprisonment in order that they might gain an even BETTER RESURRECTION in v.35. The church today does not teach that mindset. The average mindset of the Christian today is to avoid all suffering - instead of embracing it in order to receive a better resurrection. So the germane question is, what is the better resurrection?
Rev 20 - 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

The "better resurrection" in Heb 11 is the "first resurrection" in Rev 20. These two passages describe martyrs for the faith who chose to suffer torture and even beheading for the sake of obtaining a better resurrection that they might reign with Christ for a thousand years. Not all Christians will reign with Christ for a thousand years. So suffering does have an important role to play in the believer's life as our reaction/response to suffering in our life determines whether we will obtain a better resurrection. Hope this brings some perspective and encouragement to the suffering you are presently undergoing in your life.

 

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

God is not our personal vending machine.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[Heavenhome]

Welcome to the forum.
I am sorry for your troubles but it needs to be remembered that the Christian life was never promised to be easy and if Jesus said that we would have troubles, well then we shouldn't be too surprised when they come.

Our blessings and riches are in Christ alone and the fact that no one can snatch us out of His hand.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Welcome to the forums.

God's way kept me poor for many years, but has blessed me greatly in the past few years (now if I can just live long enough to enjoy it).

 

[~Anastasia~]

Hello and welcome to CF.

Prayers for you.

God certainly does not enjoy our suffering. No more than a good parent who loves his children would enjoy seeing them suffer. HOWEVER ... God IS interested in the ultimate good of all persons. Sometimes we may never know the "what if" things had been different. But often people are allowed to see how seeming misfortune in life ends up making them closer to God or teaches them a vital spiritual lesson. What we try to do though is to have faith in God and trust Him that no matter what happens, He will use it for good because He desires people to be saved.

You describe a uniquely difficult situation, because you're blaming God and wondering if He trapped/tricked you. What I know for sure is that He did not guide you into such a situation just so that He could ultimately destroy you for His own amusement. I know because that is NOT the character of God. (It is the character of the enemy, though I'm not saying he had any hand in this ... but it IS very likely he is encouraging you to think this way about God in any way he can reinforce these thoughts.)

I wish I could tell you how to get past this and learn to trust God as He is. I think that's probably different for every person though? It has happened to me at least twice in my life over very big issues (and to be honest, I felt a bit betrayed too because it seemed to me that following God was largely directly responsible for me losing someone most precious to me on one occasion, and at another time I believed God led me directly to a situation that ended up having us nearly starving at the hands of someone responsible in the church). So I felt like I had a lot of reason to be upset with God too. Ultimately it took a lot of "wrestling" with God, and prayer. Me giving up was part of the solution. And learning to forgive in MASSIVE ways as well. It's funny to me how learning to forgive someone in the Church was harder "because they should have known/done better". But ultimately I learned to forgive, and to trust God again.

Then I suppose I was ready (thank God) for Him to lead me into new places in Him that I never would have been able to follow before. All His credit, not me - because the truth is that He continually challenges me and I've learned it's a lifelong struggle, but a sweet one. And I was ready, I suppose, that a cancer diagnosis soon after turned out to be one of the greatest blessings in my life, and a time of great spiritual sweetness. That one I didn't blame God for at all. And now, thank God, I'm finally past that and doing SO much better, and life is very good. But I've learned, I suppose, that all these temporal things in this life, good and seemingly bad, are for a season and that God will use them all for His ultimate purposes of saving us, if we will cooperate with Him (and that cooperating CAN be a struggle, I know! But He will still use it and help us if we will rely on Him). Ultimately our purpose in life is to be changed to be like Jesus - that is part of salvation.

Folks are very fond of quoting Romans 8:28, but it cannot be "divorced" from its context ... at least v.29 ought to always be with it. But better yet, all of Ch 8.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.



God is not concerned with making everything in this life easy and comfortable for us. Many would perish in that kind of life. He is interested in making us like Jesus, so that we can be saved.

I don't know if any of this helps. It's just my own little attempt to help, and the best I know how to say. Forgive me if I'm wrong in sharing any of it. But you have my prayers. God be with you.

 

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

All Christians/saints will reign with Jesus Christ for the 1000 years.

Oy vey...

 

[John 1720]

Hello all. I've been a Christian for 25 years (I was baptised while in university).

In the last 4 years or so I have been through business and financial difficulties. A business which I had faith that God wanted me to start. When I prayed, doors opened, thus my believe that it was from God. Now I am unsure whether it was due to my persistence or God at all.

I have been the victim of financial embezzlement by my staff, which God did not help in resolving. The business is profitable but has not been able to pay its bank loans since day 1.

I have been trying to be strong and steadfast, and although I admit I have not been praying and reading the bible as often as I should, my strength is ebbing and I have been having doubts, not as to the existence of God but as to his nature. If this business indeed was from God, then he has led me into a trap.

It has reached the point that when I pray with my kids, I feel like a hypocrite and I fear my children relying on a God that seems to be unreliable and whimsical in his ways.

I am starting to think that God enjoys and even requires our suffering. Jesus did say, take up your cross and follow me. If the church would disseminate such a message at least there isn't a dichotomy between what many Christians are going through and the concept of God that the church tries to market to increase its membership count.

Hi Ashe,
I am truly sorry for your financial hardship. This world we live in can be very unfair and harsh and when our families also suffer that makes it all the worse. You sound like you need some encouragement for the fight. Hopefully, since I went through financial ruin and that was just the tip of the iceberg, perhaps I can offer you just that. So welcome to CF. I post here from time to time when I am around.
First a little perspective:
1. As long as we see ourselves as a victim we will build resentment and any relationship of trust will become untenable. That is true for trusting people as well as for trusting God (who never gives up on us)
2. Specifically it was sin that did this to you and your family - financial embezzlement by staff. And it is always sin that creates problems in our world. It is our sins that put Christ on the cross and it is sin that causes the corruption that we see all around us. This is destroying the human race, since it is antithetical to the love of God. I think it is crucially important to understand the source of our calamities in order to have a clear perspective on why things are the way they are. We have been redeemed the world will never be. Asking why God allows it to continue goes even deeper but that is for another time and not when we are suffering under the weight of sins damage.
3. When our perspective is clear we realize our only opportunity to overcome whatever onslaught is thrown upon us is through Christ alone. In John 16 Jesus said:
Jesus Christ Has Overcome the World

• 25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

His apostles then proclaimed to Him that they finally understand Him, since He was speaking plainly to them. Jesus, assures them that their understanding is not the same as faith filled love and in fact instead of praising them, for their understanding, He tells them that their fears will drive and overtake each one of them. None of them will see the cross as God sees it and none of them will be able to put their trust in the Lord as He suffers and dies. Jesus knows this yet He will not give up on them for their lack of understanding. He encourages them to be able to know that the Father will be with Him in all His suffering and, just as the Father is with Him in the tribulation of the cross, He is with us in our tribulations as well. In fact He says 'whatever you do to the least of my servants you do unto Me.' So, the takeaway is just as Jesus overcame the tribulation of the cross we too can overcome every tribulation this world throws at us and also rise despite that. Sometimes He takes us from the ash heap. We should never discount our future in Him for He is for us.

• 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

So, He does not promise we will not experience tribulation nor persecution in this world but that He does promise that He shall be in it with us to the end. He has done that despite the onslaught of sins which have undermines the world throughout time, and in every generation. The perseverance of God's love is not that sin doesn't spread its ruin all around us but that our soul will remain upright and pure in Him because it can never ruin the eternal fact that Christ lives in us. And your story of victory in Christ is but one of countless millions as you see your way through the crucible that has you on the ropes.

• Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

I could give you many examples of people trusting on the faithful love of the Savior - through the Bible (perhaps starting with Joseph in Genesis 37) and the witness of many who have endured atrocities for the Name of Christ and will tell you how the Lord brought them through - more importantly, however, is the life that will flourish in the next world - rather than the present one, even though they are certainly most connected. What we do here matters and we can do nothing without Him but achieve great things through Him. I will end by saying I do remember the nights lying awake wondering how to get through my troubles and then meeting others whose troubles were far worse than mine. God is the repairer of the breach and restorer of the harvest from all the locusts have eaten Joel 2:25. I know this because when I was at the end of myself I found the gem of my life was still with me - the love of God. It was all that mattered and all I needed to rebuild myself and my family and that truth is still all that matters in every storm, though He has provided blessing upon blessing on us He is the biggest blessing. I will never again forget this.

Praying for you!
In Christ, John 1720

 

[sunshine100]

Hello and welcome

 

[Froggymom101]

I don't know if God led you to open the business or not, but you are right when you say Jesus told us to pick up our cross and follow. Romans 8:32 God did not spare his only son, but gave him up as a ransom for all. Even Job lost all. Don't lose hope. God is there for you. If he wants to take the business , trust that he will bring good out of the bad.Pray, pray, pray. I will be praying for you too.