I'm sorry, your call has been disconnected. Please hangup and try again later.

[VerdantTruth]

I feel disconnected from God. From looking around the forum, it seems like people have been blessed with his energy left and right.

I haven't really felt anything of his prescence. I feel alone and stupid each time I pray. It's gotten to the point where I've been begging God to reveal His prescence, and yet I know I shouldn't test him (though I suppose I have tried).

As I said earlier, I have faith issues. I don't know what to do. The more I feel alone, the more my belief suffers, and the more my belief suffers, the more tired I get of my Christian studies and lean back towards looking for other explainations.

Help?

 

[heymikey80]

I feel disconnected from God. From looking around the forum, it seems like people have been blessed with his energy left and right.

No. I'm sorry if I made that impression, for one. It's not that for me.

I struggle for each glimpse of glory. Each moment like it comes with an awareness that I'm not quite comfortable, quite living in the Light.

It's tough. It's not easy. But God's convinced me He's doing something inside me, as well as will do something in the future.

I haven't really felt anything of his prescence. I feel alone and stupid each time I pray. It's gotten to the point where I've been begging God to reveal His prescence, and yet I know I shouldn't test him (though I suppose I have tried).

I think for me it's more that I make myself feel alone and stupid, by expecting God to do something special.

I will tell you, the times He has done things special, they scared me. They were overwhelmingly not what I wanted, but ... they were what I needed. They didn't feel warm -- they felt assuring and terrifying at the same time. Even when they were simple; innocuous. So sometimes I think God is letting Himself be an intellectual or historical exercise in deference to our own inability to handle what He's really like.

As I said earlier, I have faith issues. I don't know what to do. The more I feel alone, the more my belief suffers, and the more my belief suffers, the more tired I get of my Christian studies and lean back towards looking for other explainations.

And I'm sure there are other explanations for many events in life. God's set up those causes as well as the miraculous. He didn't set up this Creation to constantly tell us "I, and no other is a cause." He's made the causes, all.

He doesn't rip open the heavens and come down to us at our call. And so the corruption within us doubts, even when we see all of reality and ... can't really account for it.

 

[TamaraLynne]

(((Big Hugs))) to you both...........bless your hearts.

I am going to tell you that for years I have been in love with Jesus...........but I didn't know something very important. That he abides in us.............he is not far far away. I have many times felt disconnected in the past.......and it is a wonderful feeling to know he is inside of me.

Lets say that you are in your house and you pick up a phone to call Jesus and he is sitting right there......next to you as you are trying to call him.

Your house=you

Read about Jesus...........learn of him.

Jesus loves you so much

Love
Tam

 

[TexasGirl06]

Friends.... The Lord blesses obedience !

Get into His Word....
see what He is asking us to do...

then DO IT !

Start little..... and you will see a love relationship begin to bloom !

God love you....
but, it's all about Him.
Give Him the opportunity to show that to you !

 

[BeLedbyHisSpirit]

Hey bro,

I'll relay something to you I have said to others - "Hang in there!"

Depression will pass, and come again, and go again, and come again, etc. Emptiness is a feeling of isolation, aloneness, out-of-touch with others, or others out-of-touch with ourselves. You know, as has happened before, that a bright day will come again. So just don't fret it as badly as your body wants to. <smile>

I find great, great solace in the following words from God:

Eccl 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to heart.
Eccl 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of countenance the heart is made glad.
Eccl 7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Eccl 7:5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.


I would venture to say that it is because you want God, so much!, that you are so unhappy, feeling empty, while existing on this planet as it is.

Crying out to God does not guarantee a good feeling, or a filling of your heart from the Holy Spirit, as a super feeling. As you grow (and it takes years), you will LEARN of Jesus, and begin to realize ever moreso, that Christ is with you at all times. But these words, this truth, does not necessarily make you feel great. This is because Jesus is learned, hence, EXPERIENCE.

Also, don't forget, that Christ said we are to carry the cross (like He did), if we are going to be followers of His. Essentially, to be made weak so that God's power can be demonstrated.

God's power demonstrated does not always mean, circumstantial deliverance. Don't forget, that the Holiest One of all, Jesus Christ, did not get His request to "have this cup pass over Me", answered in the affirmative. The Father told His Son, "No." Father knows best!

Don't fret yourself over anything. Don't worry. Have no anxiety. God truly is sovereign and engineers your circumstances, in every detail. Many Christians don't really believe this, but both the bible and experience bear it out.

He is forming you into the image of His Son.

I love this one:

Proverbs 16:9 A man's mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.

Notice the conjunctive word "but". It is not "and"! It is "but". Meaning, that men can make all their plans, attempt to go this way or that, BUT... the Lord will direct their steps.

And all other like exhortations such as,

James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that."

I think you will begin to find great comfort in this truth, if you ponder it. To know that God is 100% in control of EVERYTHING, will do amazing things for your soul.

 

[Robskiwarrior]

What I have learnt is feelings mean nothing.

6 years ago, I could feel the Holy Spirit so strong I was like watching the wind. I felt something that birthed a hunger in me, I felt a small bit of the Glory of God.

God took me through a time of change, a time where I can say I did "backslide" or what I thought I did, in my faith. I did things I am no proud of at all, but the Lord was faithful and brought me out the other end. Now I dont feel the same as I did at all - I actually dont feel Him in the same way at all. But I know what I want now, I dont want the fuzzy feeling anymore I want the soul burning Glory of God to enter the room.

I feel empty, but I feel it is right for this time as the Lord is finishing his perperation. The one thing i now know is I have to get Holy, I have to get myself as close to God as I can.

My advice to you, dont listen to your feelings the fact is if you feel on top of the world God is still Glorious and Mercyful! If your in the lowest part of the valley, in the lonleyest part of your life, God is with you! No matter how you feel He is the Lord, He saved you.

Psalm 42:5-6

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My [a] soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon&#8212;from Mount Mizar.

David told His Soul what he knew to over ride how he was feeling. Praise the Lord is all situations even if its the smallest weakest song, Praise the Lord!

This is what I learnt that I had to do. I hope it helps!

 

[VerdantTruth]

Thank you for your advice.

I think God has begun to answer my prayers to increase my understanding. I know I have a long way to go for a sturdy, faithful foundation. One rock at a time, eh?

 

[millerrod]

Live 1Cor13:4-7 in all you do and Gods presense will be felt.

 

[AfterGodsOwnHeart]

I feel disconnected from God. From looking around the forum, it seems like people have been blessed with his energy left and right.

Help?

I know how you feel... In the very beginning of my faith I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding me and loving me. As time has gone one I have begun to feel quite a bit farther from God because I have not been able to feel Him or even hear Him. (Does anyone else hear from God? And if so how do you hear from Him?) But I have taken advice from His word.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
[bible]16 Rejoice Always ; 17 Pray without ceasing ; In everything give thanks ; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.[/bible]

When I am having a bad day, week, month, or year, what I do best is praise the Lord through singing. I put on my favorite praise cd and just go to town praising the Lord. I let everything that he has done for me to come to mind, For example, He chose to save me when he could have cast me into the fire, he woke me up this morning, He gave me my health, He is in control of my life and because of that I have no worries, and He has answered my prayers in one way or another.

All of this I acknowledge that He has done even though at the time I may not feel like I am the worst person on earth and wondering why did he choose me? Even though I may wish I would have died in my sleep, even though my knees are aching with arthritis. And even when I feel like everything in my life is out of control and I am worrying like crazy and mad that things did not work out the way I wanted them to. I always bring myself to praise My Lord AND Savior's Holy Name because I draw closer to the Words of His teaching and He helps me to remember them. Through this God fills me with a Joy so great that people wonder what could possibly be wrong with me because while in their minds and actions the sky is falling I exude Joy and Peace.

Remember to always attribute everything to Him because in even the smallest things He is working to perfect you within Him. And pray at every moment... even for that great parking space that He allowed you to get, or for the opportunity to help another person out.

I hope all my jabberring has help you and others more because it sure has helped me by reminding me of the pure Joy of the Lord.

Always In Prayer ,
Carmen

 

[Virgil the Roman]

I feel disconnected from God. From looking around the forum, it seems like people have been blessed with his energy left and right.

I haven't really felt anything of his prescence. I feel alone and stupid each time I pray. It's gotten to the point where I've been begging God to reveal His prescence, and yet I know I shouldn't test him (though I suppose I have tried).

As I said earlier, I have faith issues. I don't know what to do. The more I feel alone, the more my belief suffers, and the more my belief suffers, the more tired I get of my Christian studies and lean back towards looking for other explainations.

Help?

I had felt that way as well. until recently i had been looking in all the wrong places. I had looked into the catholic church and had a great many doubts about it. I looked up one of the websites a friend gave me concerning catholicism and scripture,and all that backed up the church's teachings. It was like the doubt was lifted up off me,and I felt that the Lord God was truly there in my heart. Pray for God to give you strength, love,and faith. May The Lord Jesus love, give you strength,and compassion, and may you realize that you need not look any further than right beside you. For the Lord is always with yOu!

 

[SUNSTONE]

Personally I totally believe in the power of praying in tongues.
A lot of people don't believe in it, but I do.

I don't know what to say to God, but sometimes I just want to say something, anything.
That's when I pray in tongues.
A lot of times I'll sing in tongues.
Either way it makes me feel a lot better, and often times God will speak to my heart and mind, while praying/worshipping in tongues.

Some examples
- I get nervous going to things like church and bible study. I think it's the enemy or something immature in my thinking that gets me this way.
So I use that time while on my way to pray in tongues. Sometimes I really belt it out loud, from the gut.
And it always makes me feel a lot better, like a king.

- Praying for a problem, such as a healing, or financial problem etc. Doubt will come upon me and try to get me not to pray, or try to get my prayers to come out without any confidence in them.
That's when I pray in tongues.

- Just normal common prayer. Everytime I get down on my knees to just pray, I start off with tongues. When something comes to my mind, I'll say it.Then I'll back to tongues. Then when something else comes to mind, I'll say that as well.
I say what I got to say one time, knowing that God fully understands what I am saying. I don't drag it out, I'm short and to the point.


Tongues can sound like anything really. I have heard myself making sounds with a French accent, with a Japanese sound, Native Indians, etc.
I can make them sound like opera if I wanted to.
It doesn't matter what they sound like, what matters is you're trying to get closer to God.

Before tongues, my prayer life sucked!
"Praying without tongues, is like trying to fight the devil with a water pistol." Pastor Andrew Wormack

 

[apureheart]

Bottom Of The Stairs


I took a walk the other day
to spend some time alone
To reflect on my christian life
and how that I have grown

Recalling from my youth
when feelings ruled my walk
I knew so much back then
and I sure did talk the talk

I had a spiritual thermometer
that I would often check
The pressure I put upon myself
left me an emotional wreck

I was up and down so much
like a spiritual yo-yo
Feelings from the mountaintop
to the valley below

But GOD was ever patient
as He gave me time to grow
He set me apart for a season
so I could His will know

He took away my thermometer
and cut the yo-yo string
He quieted me from endless talk
as I learned to hear silence sing

The quietness of His still small voice
is powerful indeed
As GOD plowed my hardened heart
and planted His blessed seed

I no longer walk by feelings
for feelings come and go
My faith is firmly planted
beside the Spirit's flow

Daily in His presence
despite what feelings say
Knowing in His timing
will come a rainy day

My life a living sacrifice
offered up to GOD in prayer
Before the Upper Room
is the botttom of the stairs


.....peace.