I am back what is next?

[ashleycoe89]

So i guess i will start with where I went. I was raised in a church of god strict household by my grandparents. I was in church all through out my childhood when the doors were open and sometimes when they were not. I moved into my teen years best of my life i went to church had church on my own. then i got it into my head i did not have a testomony i did not know what was out there and boy did i get it for the last 5 years i was of the world and in it. i started smoking drinking and other things that are a little personal.I got married almost 2 years ago and i was staying alot of the same. I went to church 2 almost 3 weeks ago and i had the angel and devil on my sholder one was saying its time to come home. on the other satan was telling me i was to far gone so i went the next sunday wondering if god even wanted me back and i decided to try i prayed the sinners prayer last sunday and made the desison to try again i am afraid i am gonna fail so afraid i feel god has changed parts of my life i deleted things on my phone i am working on my cursing and i changed the music i listened to i still struggle with ciggeretts its so hard and my husband still smokes so even if i do quit its hard i use an e cig right now i work as a black jack dealer and i dont feel like its wrong i just dont know where to go from here i am reading and praying and i am watching preaching on tv trying to get back to where i was and beyond i am trying i just feel like i am gonna fall hard. so back to my org question where do i go from here

 

[ByTheSpirit]

Well first off, Praise God for His faithfulness in calling you home! Remember in the story of the Prodigal son, Jesus said the father was waiting and watching for his child to return home and when he did, the father was overwhelmed with love and joy. Your Heavenly Father rejoices in the same way at your decision to seek His face again.

Next, you can't change yourself so stop trying, let God do what He does. Restore lives! He knows you want to do this and that to show Him you mean business, but you need to understand He is the only One who can do that for you, and He will, just relax and allow Him to work! Tell Him, right now even, how you feel, pour out your heart to Him again, tell Him your fear of failure, tell Him your desire to please Him and then leave it at His feet. Nothing please your Father in Heaven more than a heart that trusts Him to do what it can not. That is the definition of faith, well sorta, but faith is believing and acting on that belief.

As you feel weak or tired or tempted understand God is always with His children and will never allow you to be tempted above what you can bear, NEVER! Call out to Him in your moment of need and even in your moment of joy, don't just relegate God to a person you call on to bail you out, use your times of plenty and calm to prepare you and strengthen you for times of want and wilderness. They will come and we must be ready for them.

Just repent of what you know you must, repent meaning die to them, never resurrect them again, and have faith that the Lord Most High sees you and hears you!

After you position your heart before Him, grab a Bible, pray according to Ephesians 1:17-19: for wisdom and revelation so you may know Him and be enlightened in your heart. Then listen for the Holy Spirit to tell you where to turn to read. If you don't feel led anywhere in particular start in the Gospel of John and just read from the first verse through the entire Gospel. Read slowly, thoughtfully, prayerfully. Put yourself in the story, let Jesus speak to you personally, not at you through the pages of a book. The Words of God are active and alive and they give life to all who hear them, so just go slow and hear God speak to you!

Pray often, pray always! Give thanks in EVERY situation. Read and study your Bible, but seek to know God as you know your loved ones, not as one you read about in a book. You know what I mean? You can know about someone by reading about them (academic knowledge) or you can experience that person and spend time with them and fall in love with them (experiential knowledge). God wants you to experience Him, so expect that He will meet you and touch you. Allow Him too! He wants you to be with Him more than you do! God bless!

 

[Tigger45]

Hi Ashley welcome back to the family of God! You're not alone, we are all prodigals in one way or another and/or one time or another. Walking with the Lord is always a struggle in this life. Our spirit is yearning for God and our flesh yearns for the things of this world. Absolutely stay in the Word every day and talk "with" your heavenly Farther at all times. The third leg to this stool is discipleship. Get in a good church and seek out mature loving christians to help you through this. God bless.

 

[ashleycoe89]

thank you both i apreciate it alot i still have questions for god and for my new paster i go to cape first its a good church and i am geting pluged in i started reading again just struggling with what to read and praying now just letting god change me and beliving that he wont let me fail.

 

[North By Northwest]

I too spent my teenage years in a Church Of God, I was saved and everything. Then I strayed. I stopped going to church and reading the Bible. I was living a worldly life. Then late last year, I felt that God was tugging on my heart and calling me to repentance. I started reading His Word and praying and went back to church. I am so glad I did because now, my relationship with Christ is stronger then ever!

I believe that God has touched your heart and is calling you back too. Don't worry about fixing your bad habits right away. Get back into the Word and pray! Talk with God and ask Him to guide you. Give your life fully to Jesus and he will begin working in you, and that includes breaking your old bad habits, if you let Him. Then find a church with Christians who will be supportive. Finally, tell your husband what God has done for you! You don't need to pester or nag him, but you can tell him of the miracle God is working in your life, and you can invite him to church.

 

[Coton Boy]

Welcome Home!

No matter what you have done, if you sincerely repented and asked God to forgive you, then you are part of the family of God.

And give it time. Jesus meets us where we are, not where the church thinks we should be. He will work on your bad habits with you. Just pray over them and seek Him daily.

 

[ashleycoe89]

thank you i am reading in Galatians right now i never really gave that book of the bible much thought i really have been enjoying it i started getting involved with church and meeting alot of good people

 

[tturt]

Ashley, That's wonderful. You've already gotten some good posts. Just wanted to add - we pray, read The Word, etc but we're going to make mistakes. When we do, we just need to repent and know that Yahweh always forgives us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9 Then we learn from our mistakes and go again in Him and for Him. So we're constantly growing - it's a process. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you - Philippians 4:13.

 

[Alithis]

if i may i would like to add

dont do a hundred things

just do the ONE THING you feel the Lord Jesus wants you to do - just obey him in that first .

you already know what it is

 

[ashleycoe89]

thats kind of hard for me knowing what is the way i was raised telling me somthing is wrong just me telling mysef god wants me to do something and what god wants me to do its hard to know the difference its what i am praying for right now

 

[Alithis]

thats kind of hard for me knowing what is the way i was raised telling me somthing is wrong just me telling mysef god wants me to do something and what god wants me to do its hard to know the difference its what i am praying for right now

just know that the lord Jesus loves you .
and trust him .

often simply trusting him is the one thing he wants us to do first