help

[* kittie *]

i need church...

but i haven't been able to go the last 2 weeks, including this one.  i know i woke up late, but i know my brother must have woken up on time, cuz he left a note for me "no church".  he didn't even bother waking me up.  then when i finally did wake up, i went over to his room, and woke up him up, asking if we weren't going to church.  he looked at the clock and cursed...then a few second later, he asked me if i hadn't seen his note yet (which i didin't know about until he told me)

okay, it looks like he cursed cuz he didn't know it was that late.  but he must've known that it was late if he'd already left me a note about "no church".  i don't know if he's just pretending to be upset, cuz last week, he sounded like he didn't care.  i don't know if he even wants to go.

anyways...i'm struggling so much spiritually.  and i don't have any christian friends nearby, so it's harder cuz i'm alone.  i don't even have my mom to give me advice.  

i don't feel like i'm a strong enough christian to overcome all this alone, so i depend on church to help me with my relationship with God.  everytime i miss church, i have a horrible week.  this is the 2nd week, and i'm afraid i'm gonna have a horrible meltdown.  i try to depend on Him, but...i don't understand all this "hearing from God".  everytime i think i do, i think it's me...you understand?

what do you do if you can't go to church regularly?

hearing from God?  how do you know?

any other help...

 

[fieldmouse3]

When I can't sttend church regularly, I make sure to spend extra time in prayer and Bible study. I ask God to help me learn in other ways, since I can't (for whatever reason) learn in church that week. How to hear God is a tough question to answer. I don't exactly know how to explain it, other than to tell you that you just HEAR Him. I know that doesn't help, and it drove me crazy when people used to tell me that, but it's true.

The most important thing, though, is to try and get back to church. Set your own alarm or something...if your brother is your ride, and he doesn't seem to be taking the initiaive to get you guys there, see if there is someone else you can ride with. I'm sure there's someone in your church who would be more than happy to pick you up!

 

[* kittie *]

i barely moved here for school...so i don't know anybody at that church. i wish i were at home...
anyone live in austin?

 

[Blessed-one]

fieldmouse's right. Prayer and reading the scriptures are what get us closer to God (keep in touch) besides from going to church, but you really should try to find a church and settle down.

do you go to college? any on campus fellowship there?

 

[Dewjunkie]

Blue,

I have to miss church sometimes because of my job and rotating schedules. As mouse said, I also try to find another way to get my fill if I do miss church. Coming here is a good fill for me. As is reading and praying. Do look for an on-campus fellowship group, it may be a little akward at first, but they'll all be there for the same reasons you are. You're not the only one going through the "new to college" thing.

I'll pray for you, I've been to college and know the struggles all too well.

 

[endure]

well,
ive never known what it was like to not have a church to go to. my mother always has and still does force me to go to church.
so i cant really say i know alot about your situation.

but i do know one thing, that no matter what he is always with me.
one day i was feeling like i had kinda backslid. i have a very dogmatic commitment to holiness and right living, and if i go a day without reading my bible or praying, then i feel like ive totally messed up and it sometimes it seems gods not near me anymore.
but i dont want to talk about me...
the point is i was feeling this way the other day in my private time with god, i was praying and i was reading, seeking gods face....and it was like....he simply wasnt there.
i felt so alone, and i felt so vain, like nothing i was doing was having any point to it   and i was lonely and almost afraid.
but i read a certain scripture that reminded me of something and i read this scripture along with some others everyday so ill never forget it again.

josh 1.9
be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the lord your god will be with you wherever you go.

dont get discouraged, and dont be afraid, god understands your situation and he will provide a place for you to eat and sleep in him spiritually, hell provide a shelter for you, even in the middle of your darkest valley. he is with you, and hell never leave you, whereever you go. even if its not where he wanted you to go, hell be with you to take care of you.
valleys show us things, and they make us stronger.
maybe this valley will train you to live off your quiet place with god, when you cant make it to church.
sometimes you dont have anyone with you, many times where god is taking you, no one can go with you, but whereever you go, he is with you. and many times he gets us away from everyone else so we can learn to trust in him and rely on him. just you and god, alone in the desert, like john the baptist, thats what it seems like sometimes. but in those places is where you really meet god and experience the real depth of his presence. its when your alone, just you and god. god never shows up in the parades, not really, its only when your alone somewhere, when god has drawn you away from the crowds so you arent distracted. in the bible people met god in wilderness' time after time, those wilderness kind of places do great things for us.

i felt like god wasnt there with me that day, but the scripture proved to me that he was there actually, and i should not get discouraged by not feeling anything, and i should not be afriad of anything, even not being able to make it to church on sunday.
like a man once said to me "god always has a ram in the bushes"
refering to abrahams struggle. hell make a way.

sorry im going so long i just want to say one more thing that really impacted my life, and i beleive it something we all need to realise.

in luke 10.38-42
we read of jesus going into martha's house and martha is very serious about working, serving jesus, probly preparing drinks or food or cleaning the house, trying to do everything right, working very hard at it. but martha's sister mary isnt helping her, but mary is sitting at jesus' feet listening to jesus talk. and martha is like "jesus, tell mary to help me! i have so much to do!"
and jesus says
"martha, you work very hard and very careful that everything is just right, but mary has chosen something better, and that will not be taken from her"

maybe your very careful about your christian walk, you dont want to mess up or fall away, you want to really doit, and your so afraid of falling away or messing up, you have to go to church, you have to do this and do that. you have to live for god right. and those are good things,
but jesus made a good point.
it is more important that you get alone with god and hear from him and experience him like mary, than it is to try to do anything for him like martha.
and you really cant do anything for god if you dont first have a place of prayer and devotion where you can meet with god, sit at his feet and listen to him.
time in gods presence is the most important thing in any christians life. ive learned to make my room a prayer place where i ask him to come meet with me during the day when im home alone, becuase i cant go a day without experiencing his presence, its very dangerous.
anything a christian has ever gotten he got it becuase he got into the presence of god in some way or another.

 

[endure]

HEY! GET ON AIM!
THEN YOU CAN TALK TO MEEE!! HEHE
  
if thats ok

 

[* kittie *]

thanx you all.

thanx endure...
that's really something i needed to hear. i'll hafta copy and paste that onto Word.
yeah...i'm just afraid that i won't be able to know how to experience God without someone directing me. i don't know...it just never works for me. and i get frustrated because of that. like hearing from Him.

like my mom makes it seem so easy, because all my life, i was kinda told by my mom about God's will...
like she told me that God was wanting me to go to bible school. but that was when i was backslidden. but now i'm supposed to be here in austin (my mom said)....but why can't i know for myself? why can't i hear Him for myself? and i don't feel like i'm ready to be on my own, cuz i need that discipling.

mmm...but i'm sorry that i didn't reply sooner. i...fell asleep...
but thanx for everything.

 

[endure]

well,
it starts out small.
no one hears the audible voice of god at first.
you have to grow, the bible says jesus and john the baptist both "waxed strong" in the spirit. you have to excercise and grow up in the lord.
you may seem weak at first but god is faithful and will be with you, and will have mercy on you.
and one thing ive learned is to never look at yourself and think your not growing,
jesus said that a man planted some wheat, and looked but didnt see anything happening. but left and came back and it had grown.
you cant watch wheat grow, you cant watch flowers grow. but if you leave and come back tomorrow, you will see that it has grown and it was growing all along.
stop and look back in your life to 1 year ago.. your not the person you where then.
and one year from now you will be stronger than you are now.
and it doesnt take years even.
im just saying that spiritual growth is rarely apparent during the process, but it is always seen if you stop looking and then look again later.
whether you feel like it or not, when your reading and praying you are growing closer to god. you simply cannot help but grow closer to him.
keep reading your bible, and keep asking god to reveal himself to you. cry out to him as tell him how much you want to hear from him. just pour your heart out to him, whatever you feel like and whatever you want.
and it wont be long, he longs to answer your prayers more than you want to him too.

the point is strength is gained from excercise, you have to grow strong in the lord from much work and seeking, not good works but searching your bible and continually praying, and sometimes that is hardwork in itself, but keep working, and never get discouraged.

i think one of the biggest problems today in christians is not that they lack power or lack anything really, they can be doing a good job and really getting somewhere, but get discouraged, becuase they cant see it happening.
dont get discouraged. you are growing, you just cant see it happening yet.
you will soon be able to hear from god and youll back and understand.

if you need a leader then god will provide one, dont worry.
he is your sheperd, whatever you need he will provide, youll lack no good thing if you need it.

these early years are the most important i think, this is when you must search the bible from cover to cover and pray and pray till you cant anymore. this isnt always fun, but great things are never easy, and you have to many enemies that want to sift you as wheat.
and remember what gideon figured out.
the voice of god wasnt in the lightening, or the earthquake, but it was in the still small voice. if you really want to hear from god you have to get alone with yourself and your bible, somewhere you can study and pray, no commotion or distraction, and say
"holy spirit come....holyspirit teach me how to pray"
i find myself confused in prayer alot, and i say that, and in wait a little bit and peice always comes and he then he gives me ideas and thoughts about what to do now.
the loving heart of god cannot help but run to the crying of his people. he loves you too much to ignore you, god cannot and will never ignore your prayers. when you pray, god is on the move, but you must be still and that know he is god, and trust in him, becuase we only bear fruit in the right season.

 

[* kittie *]

thank you...that really helped a lot.
mmm...pasted that onto Word too. hehe
thank you so much... yeah...that is so true.

 

[endure]

sorry for the typing errors.
 

im glad i could be of some help to you. ill ask for your help later probly.


hey, dont you use aim?

 

[* kittie *]

i rarely use aim. well...sometimes i do. i have class tomorrow, until 7

 

[spirituality]

blueiverson, I understand how oyu feel. Remember thaqt above all, the important thing is faith. Remember that there is a god out there and that he loves you. Remember: when there were only two footprints he carried you. I know it mayy be difficult sometimes to go to church, and I am sure god understands. Try your best to attend church but if you just absolutely cannot then why not have a mini mass at home? You can spend some time reading your bible, maybe log onto christian forums and start a Mass thread (I can halp you with thayt if you would like). When things dont go your way, improvise.

But remember this: GOD LOVES YOU NO MATTER WHAT!

Love, Light
&
God Bless
-spirit