Looking for guidance and help

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone here can help me as I'm not sure where to turn. I'm 25 (male) and I have what appears to be a good life. I have a good job, a house, a great girlfriend and a wonderful family - and I'm grateful for everything I have.

The probem is that I still feel empty. I don't come from a particulaly religious family but through my Grandad and some of my own searching I found God when I was 18. I did pretty well and felt very close to God for a while but recently I feel far far away from Him.

I have made promises I haven't kept and continue to be unable to avoid sin (mainly Lust and Sloth). I'm worried He has seen me break my promises and now decides I'm beyond help and hope. This is getting my very depressed and making me feel worthless.

I have decided to examine my faith and learn from others on how to get closer to God and finally turn my spiritual life around. Can anyone point me to any resourses or writings that can help me to understand God, the Bible and it's teachings?

I am by no means Orthodox and believe that my reltionship with God is a personal one that can be expressed in many ways, but I do try and follow the core teachings of the Bible.

Sorry if this is a bit of long post, but I've never spoken to anyone about how I feel so it's good to get it off my chest infront of people who will understand my concerns.

Many thanks for listening,

Tom

 

[Anti Existance]

Nothing in the universe can make you happy exept love and helping other people.

Because you aren't doing this you are feeling empty and removed from God, any small act of love is great , do those on a continues basis and it should get better.

 

[HumbleBee]

Be of good courage Tom!

Jesus is your answer! Your eagerness for liberty puts you well within His reach! He promises to be with you always, so at any moment, He only a pray away! He and His great love will fill your emptiness! Read your Bible, especially the gospels, this will help you to get to know Christ better! The closer you are to Him, the more empowered you are to resist temptation!

Here is an excellent resource link with interactive Bible studies...

http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/home/

More encouragement for you...

Psalm 40:1-4 I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust...

Psalm 119:9-12 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

John 8:31-36 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Romans 6:12-14 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...

Galatians 5:1, 16-18, 22-25 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage...I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law...But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

2 Timothy 2:19-22 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Hebrews 4:12-16 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 

[espen]

I think I know how you feel. When I was 25 I felt the same way. I had just finished college a few years earlier, I had a great job, good friends, but there was something missing and I felt my life was so empty. I tried to run away from a life I didn't want so I moved to Australia for a year to study, thinking that everything would be better if I just got away from it all. But it didn't get better, so out of dispair I turned to God and asked him for help, and he reached out for me. I found that missing piece I had been looking for.

Some of the texts that helped me are the bible answers at http://bible.com
Besides that the bible itself has given me many answers.

I started understanding that being a christian is a lifestyle, it's something you are everyday, not just on sundays in church. You have to give up some things of your self and start living for God.

 

[TheDerek]

Hey!

First, I want to assure you that no one is beyond saving! No one can do something that would make God stop loving us!

When we feel far from God we need to examine our lives. Are you reading the Bible? Are you Praying? Those are the most important building blocks in our Faith!

A good website to search for scripture is www.Biblegateway.com.

If you ever need anyone to talk to, my PM box is always open!

 

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

Thank you all so much for your replies and advice! It makes me feel like there is hope, and taking one day at a time I'm sure I can make things better.

Anti Existance - I'm trying to move forward with one kind and loving act at a time...baby steps. Thank you.

Humblebee - Your words and quotes have given me strength to remain true to God and live by his word. Thanks.

Espen - It's a relief to know other people have felt the same way as I do now (perhaps it's a mid-twenties crisis!) and that things will get better. I too have felt like running away but I realise now that I need to solve things within myself first. Again, Many thanks.

Ephstruth - Thank you for your kind offer of PM, I'm sure in the future you'll get a message from me! I'm going to pray more (and with more sincerity) and read my Bible much more often.


All of your kind responses have shown me I'm not alone, and that there are ways forward to fix things. It's good to know there are still good people in the world!

 

[Annoula]

as a monk once told me...when everything seems peacefull and happy but you feel empty this is an indication that your soul has not found her way.

maybe you would like to attend a Divine Litourgy in an Orthodox Church.

 

[Johnnz]

You probably need some good teaching to expand your unerstanding of aht it means to be a christian.

I found Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey very stimulating

John
NZ

 

[The-Doctor]

the good thing is God's love is unconditional He doesn't see anyone as "beyond saving" no matter what you do. The parable of the Prodical son springs to mind.

 

[eduyi eweka]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone here can help me as I'm not sure where to turn. I'm 25 (male) and I have what appears to be a good life. I have a good job, a house, a great girlfriend and a wonderful family - and I'm grateful for everything I have.

The probem is that I still feel empty. I don't come from a particulaly religious family but through my Grandad and some of my own searching I found God when I was 18. I did pretty well and felt very close to God for a while but recently I feel far far away from Him.

I have made promises I haven't kept and continue to be unable to avoid sin (mainly Lust and Sloth). I'm worried He has seen me break my promises and now decides I'm beyond help and hope. This is getting my very depressed and making me feel worthless.

I have decided to examine my faith and learn from others on how to get closer to God and finally turn my spiritual life around. Can anyone point me to any resourses or writings that can help me to understand God, the Bible and it's teachings?

I am by no means Orthodox and believe that my reltionship with God is a personal one that can be expressed in many ways, but I do try and follow the core teachings of the Bible.

Sorry if this is a bit of long post, but I've never spoken to anyone about how I feel so it's good to get it off my chest infront of people who will understand my concerns.

Many thanks for listening,

Tom

Dear Brother Tom you need to reach out to others and see the extent to which others are struggling in pain and poverty. You are in your comfort zone and the bible warms that its a woe that are complacent in zion! try and reach out to others

 

[seekingpurity047]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone here can help me as I'm not sure where to turn. I'm 25 (male) and I have what appears to be a good life. I have a good job, a house, a great girlfriend and a wonderful family - and I'm grateful for everything I have.

The probem is that I still feel empty. I don't come from a particulaly religious family but through my Grandad and some of my own searching I found God when I was 18. I did pretty well and felt very close to God for a while but recently I feel far far away from Him.

I have made promises I haven't kept and continue to be unable to avoid sin (mainly Lust and Sloth). I'm worried He has seen me break my promises and now decides I'm beyond help and hope. This is getting my very depressed and making me feel worthless.

I have decided to examine my faith and learn from others on how to get closer to God and finally turn my spiritual life around. Can anyone point me to any resourses or writings that can help me to understand God, the Bible and it's teachings?

I am by no means Orthodox and believe that my reltionship with God is a personal one that can be expressed in many ways, but I do try and follow the core teachings of the Bible.

Sorry if this is a bit of long post, but I've never spoken to anyone about how I feel so it's good to get it off my chest infront of people who will understand my concerns.

Many thanks for listening,

Tom

Hi Tom, thanks for posting.

I have one suggested reading that I would definitely like to recommend to you, and waht is great is that you can get it FREE online . The book is Desiring God by John Piper, it's about pursuing our joy in Christ, it's a great read, though I haven't read the whole thing. You can get it online at www.desiringgod.org

Another thing I'd like to point out is that we should always dwell on the promises of God, like ones such as this: "And we know that to those who love God, all things work for good, for those who are called according to His purpose... What shall we say then? If God is for us (believers), then who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:28, 31)

To the glory of God,

Randy

 

[cassyrode]

Ive heard the crying of your heart. I have seen the searching of your soul. I know how deeply you have desired the truth In pain you have cried out for it. When I see you I am overewhelmed with tears and wish to hold you close to me. Go ahead now, Ask me anything. Anything. I will speak to you if you listen. The words to the next song you hear, the information in the next article you read, The story line of the next movie you watch, The chance utterence of the next person you meet. Or the whisper of the next river. The next ocean. The next breeze that carresses your ear. All these devices are mine. I will come to you if you invite me. I will show you then that I have Always been there...

Always.

 

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

Once more I'm gratefulto you all for your time and comments, they really do mean a lot to me.

Since I first posted here I've done a lot of thinking and now make a real effort to think twice about what I'm doing or saying. This has helped me to be more loving and more faithful to Gods word. Reviewing your advice and getting other people's take on the situation gives me a great deal of strength as I now know I'm not alone in felling how I do. Every day I feel better, and the better I feel the more able I am to continue on like this.

I have also done a bit of reading (but not as much as I would like..boo!) and have started to understand what it means to be a Christian, something I took for granted before.

All your suggestions are wonderful (and inparticular I was thinking about buying the John Piper book so to get it free is a bonus!).

The work you are all doing to help people here is fantastic, thank you once again!