Need help with life

[Johndowling]

ive been trying to figure out what to do with my life I us to be really into business and still kinda want to pursue starting a business one day but I feel like I'm going after money rather then god if I do that. I don't know what god wants to me to do in my life and its really bothering me I 21 about to be 22 and I really need to start moving forward

im also having a hard time figuring out what to do in my spare time I seem to be spending most of it trying to figure out what I said above.

and I know we are supposto live in the spirit and do spiritual things can any one elaborate or give examples of what consist of that.

if I do what I said above can I still be saved? should I find something else? am I going down the wrong road? any and all advice would be more than appreciated

god bless
john

 

[PKFox]

ive been trying to figure out what to do with my life I us to be really into business and still kinda want to pursue starting a business one day but I feel like I'm going after money rather then god if I do that. I don't know what god wants to me to do in my life and its really bothering me I 21 about to be 22 and I really need to start moving forward

im also having a hard time figuring out what to do in my spare time I seem to be spending most of it trying to figure out what I said above.

and I know we are supposto live in the spirit and do spiritual things can any one elaborate or give examples of what consist of that.

if I do what I said above can I still be saved? should I find something else? am I going down the wrong road? any and all advice would be more than appreciated

god bless
john

I think that if you are concerned that business and money will become a god to you, then perhaps you should consider something else. However, you should also pray about it and ask God what He wants you to do. Studying the scriptures may also help, and is a good thing to do in your spare time if you aren't sure what else to do .

I believe that as long as you keep your eyes on Jesus and focus on living for Him, then no matter what you end up doing with your life, even if it's business, you can still be saved. The only way you end up going down the "wrong road" is if you turn your back on God and follow the ways of this world while ignoring the Lord's calling.

God bless.

 

[brinny]

I agree with PKFox. In addition, you may want to consider tuning in to Dave Ramsey, whose advice on financial matters and business as it all relates to Christ, is very wise. He can be found on the internet and some radio stations.

In the meantime, praying for you that God grants you wisdom, discernment and clarity and guides your every thought, word, and deed.

God bless you.

 

[PKFox]

In addition, you may want to consider tuning in to Dave Ramsey, whose advice on financial matters and business as it all relates to Christ, is very wise.

I hadn't thought of that, but Dave Ramsey does have really great advice on how to use your finances for the Lord.

 

[Johndowling]

could u guys explain what It means to live for Christ?

 

[brinny]

could u guys explain what It means to live for Christ?

What is your understanding of it brother?

 

[Johndowling]

to follow his teachings to fight desire to live like he did he said we can not have 2 masters you will love one more then the other you can not serve both god and money he also said that me must deny ourselves and follow after him and that's what im struggling with I don't know what to do I feel lost do you guys follow whats called "the prosperity bible" ? or do you follow traditional biblical principles? if your involved with business how do you put god before money im just wondering

 

[PKFox]

could u guys explain what It means to live for Christ?

Personally, I understand living for Christ as doing your best to follow God and Jesus and live in a way that honors Him. The Bible sums up the commands into "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" and to "Love your neighbor as yourself", or even more simply: Love God and love people. You'll still have ups and downs and will probably screw up (just like the rest of us), but God just wants our best, even if it's imperfect.

to follow his teachings to fight desire to live like he did he said we can not have 2 masters you will love one more then the other you can not serve both god and money he also said that me must deny ourselves and follow after him and that's what im struggling with I don't know what to do I feel lost do you guys follow whats called "the prosperity bible" ? or do you follow traditional biblical principles? if your involved with business how do you put god before money im just wondering

I think when it comes to dealing with business and money, you'd need to focus on how to use that in a way that honors God. I know a few small business owners who use their business to honor God and the work that the do is for Him. One of them even has on their sign something like Working For the Lord or something like that. Another one I know has his business at his house, and so he'd open up his place for church picnics and youth group activities and stuff because he considered all the stuff he had to be God's in the first place and not his own. With that mindset, I think it will be a lot easier to put God before money.
Also, from what I understand of prosperity theology, I personally don't agree with those principles. If I'm right, these principles say that God always blesses His followers with good health and wealth, but that isn't always the case. I think it's more important to store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven than gaining wealth on this earth, which is what God wants us to do anyway.

Hope this helps.

 

[geiroffenberg]

could u guys explain what It means to live for Christ?

remember how christ said that the gentiles seek these things (money things etc) but seek you the kingdom first and all these things will be added unto yuo.

Lets notice that god doesnt say money and things are bad thigns, he actually say they will be added to you.
Alsoe actually seeking the kingdom rather than wasting energy on trying to firgure outu and understand everything with the brain seems to be the right advice here.

 

[friend of]

Colossians 3:23

Ephesians 6:7

Money isn't necessarily evil it's the LOVE of money that is evil. There were many rich men in the bible that had God's favor. There isn't anything wrong with supporting yourself and working hard when you do it in love as though you're working for God. Remember, the more you have, the more you have to share with others.

 

[Johndowling]

thanks guys for the insight PKFox what u said reminds me of when paul spoke about one of the wealthy followers used his house as a church I'm going to keep praying about it and I'm sure god will guide me

 

[jameseb]

I can tell you that God wants us to prosper... money and success are not necessarily bad, particularly if, through your success, you were able to help others. As Christ told us, treat one another as we would wish to be treated... if you hold true to that in your heart, then you will never go wrong, no matter what decision you make.

 

[Hidden In Him]

ive been trying to figure out what to do with my life I us to be really into business and still kinda want to pursue starting a business one day but I feel like I'm going after money rather then god if I do that. I don't know what god wants to me to do in my life and its really bothering me I 21 about to be 22 and I really need to start moving forward

im also having a hard time figuring out what to do in my spare time I seem to be spending most of it trying to figure out what I said above.

and I know we are supposto live in the spirit and do spiritual things can any one elaborate or give examples of what consist of that.

if I do what I said above can I still be saved? should I find something else? am I going down the wrong road? any and all advice would be more than appreciated

god bless
john

I'll catch up to all your responses in a second, John, but first off welcome to the Forum if no one welcomed you.

Actually, your post speaks very well of you, and I'll explain why. For starters, most believers never take the time to really seek God for what their spiritual callings are. As a result most believers never know. Typical tests that have been run reveal that in the average congregation of 100 people, less than 5 of them will clearly know what their calling is.

You are very wisely hearing God closely enough to know that you need to find out before you go forward. And the move to wait before just going off and making money is an incredibly wise one. Let me give you a short teaching on this to make sure you understand the wisdom in what you are doing.

First, read these verses:
Matthew 6:19-34.

Now, the "eye is the light of the body" teaching means this: If you allow your spiritual "sight," i.e. ability to receive revelation and instruction from God, to be clouded over by your pursuit of earthly things, especially money, you will enter spiritual darkness, and ultimately a state of blindness. The analogy was to things like cataracts and glaucoma, which often slowly start to make seeing increasingly complicated for you. Proper translation (the KJV is awful here) would be, "The light of the body is the eye. If your eye is simple (literal Greek translation, and means healthy and unobstructed), your whole body shall be full of light (meaning spiritual light/revelation, because your mind is entirely focused and dedicated each day to seeking HIM first and foremost). But if your eye is bad (i.e. unhealthy and clouding over by giving your mind primarily to other things first and foremost), your whole body shall be full of (spiritual) darkness."

This is the meaning, as is clear from what immediately precedes it and what follows it in the teaching.

The key lesson to learn is what He says in v.33. "But seek first the kingdom of God (i.e. seek to grow in Him first and foremost every day), and all these other things will be added to you." In other words, put Him first, and the money will be there regardless and/or provision to live your life. He will provide. Certainly He will probably direct you to a job or a profession eventually, but leave that open to Him. Maybe experiment with different jobs seeing what you like and don't like.

But in the meantime His voice to you is clear. Find your calling before you waste any years of your life pursuing anything different. Give your time to God in prayer especially right now, saying, "Lord, please reveal to me Your will for my life. Please reveal what you have called me to and created me for. I want to do Your will, not my own."

Then be open to follow your spiritual interests. This will be God's way of telling you and showing you what directions you need to take to find yourself and your calling. If you find an increasing leading to study prophecy, follow it. If you find yourself increasingly interested in something like social work, or helping the elderly, follow it. Teaching ministry, music ministry, an interest in spiritual gifts, fascination with Heaven and Hell or angels, anything... just follow God wherever your interests lies, and you will eventually find your purpose in Him.

Blessing to you, and you are in a much better place with God right now than you may realize. You are 22, and may not waste a single year of the rest of your life doing what you were really called to do.

I may spell check this and reread through the rest of your responses.

God bless,
Hidden

 

[GandalfTheWise]

Earning a living is part of life. The only question is how we're going to do it. I've seen people become workaholics whether working for someone else or starting their own business. I've seen people be beacons for Christ working for others or with their own business. It's the balance we choose that is the main issue.

In my opinion, one of the most important life skills is having the ability to teach yourself new things. Whatever you want to do, this one skill will help empower you. Whether you want to go into business for yourself or work for someone, it will be the difference between being mediocre or ordinary, or being outstanding at what you do.

Among the things I've self-taught myself over the years without a formal teacher or courses: playing guitar (rhythm and lead), piano, and bass guitar (and I spend years as a worship leader and in a Christian band), many computer programming languages, electronic circuit design and microcomputer programming, the material for the first actuary exams, foreign languages (ancient greek and spanish), I now read the Bible in greek, Bayesian statistics, permanent magnet design, more software packages than I can remember, biblical history, and that's off the top of my head. These are all things that have had a profound impact on ministries I've been involved with as well as my professional career and my private life. This is all while working full-time, having a wife (now of 30+ years) and raising 3 kids. Basically, I've made learning a priority in my life. My wife has taught herself quilting and sewing, decorative painting, culinary skills, carpentry, and other things that she enjoys. The bottom line, add a new skill every 3 to 6 months for a few decades and the list really starts adding up.

Something you might want to consider is using your spare time to develop some skill that sounds like fun. It might be more recreational like playing guitar, or a long-term life skill like speaking Spanish, or learning to use Excel for business accounting. In addition to gaining that skill, you will be acquiring practice at self-teaching. The first time you try it, it can be a bit challenging because you might feel at a loss without a teacher to telling you everything to do. However, as you do it more and more, you will find it becomes natural how to proceed to learn new skills. Between the internet, YouTube, a local library, and free courses at local schools, there are many resources. There are many special interest groups that have put together resources for learning new things as well. For example, my foreign language learning took off when I found an online community of language learners who had been successfully teaching themselves multiple languages.

Someday in business for yourself, you are going to have situations where you need to acquire new skills and knowledge rapidly. Being able to do this will be indispensable.

 

[Hidden In Him]

he said we can not have 2 masters you will love one more then the other you can not serve both god and money

Um Hmm... I see you were hearing the exact same texts He was giving me concerning you. You are Hearing, my brother, and that is a very good thing.

 

[Hidden In Him]

Remember how Christ said that the Gentiles seek these things (money things etc) but seek you the kingdom first and all these things will be added unto you. Let's notice that God doesn't say money and things are bad things, He actually says they will be added to you. Also, actually seeking the kingdom rather than wasting energy on trying to figure out and understand everything with the brain seems to be the right advice here.

Hearing.

 

[Hidden In Him]

There were many rich men in the bible that had God's favor.

This is also good. You may very well be called of God to become a financier for the kingdom. This is also a real possibility, though you had best make sure it is of Him or it will completely derail you spiritually. But if you spend time in prayer and all His leadings to you and your interests keep going in the direction of giving yourself to the study of finance and business, then you will know the leadings are from God not yourself. Just spend enough time in prayer until you know beyond all doubt through the inner witness you are receiving in your spirit.

 

[Hidden In Him]

thanks guys for the insight PKFox what u said reminds me of when paul spoke about one of the wealthy followers used his house as a church

This again sounds like your calling may have to do with finance. You wouldn't know a relatively obscure verse and observation like that unless it were the Spirit of the Lord who had shown it to you, and probably for a reason.

 

[Hidden In Him]

Among the things I've self-taught myself over the years without a formal teacher or courses: playing guitar (rhythm and lead), piano, and bass guitar (and I spend years as a worship leader and in a Christian band)... I now read the Bible in Greek... biblical history, and that's off the top of my head

@ GandalfTheWise: You and I sound as if we have much in common. I have zero interest in computer tech, but the rest is straight up my ally, and I am self-taught in nearly everything I do as well, especially theology.

@ John: Gandalf's entire post is helpful, as usual.

I don't mean to take a heavy hand here, and control the thread or dominate over anyone's opinion. You need to seek out wisdom from everyone and listen for what confirms itself to your spirit.

But again, congratulations on where you are at spiritually right now. It sounds as though you are hearing His leading and wanting to make it your priority already.

One last note. I often wondered, had I been called of God to be a financier, I most certainly would have been praying that I rise to the place of receiving spiritual discernment to work the markets in my favor through investing. Very dangerous business without His leading, and many a fleshly man who has probably ended up shipwrecked trying it without God's call on their life to. But I would consider that as a potential option. Would leave you down to pursue Him while still making a great deal of money for the kingdom through a few timely financial decisions.

Test all things, discard the bad and keep the good.

God bless

 

[Johndowling]

I'll catch up to all your responses in a second, John, but first off welcome to the Forum if no one welcomed you.

Actually, your post speaks very well of you, and I'll explain why. For starters, most believers never take the time to really seek God for what their spiritual callings are. As a result most believers never know. Typical tests that have been run reveal that in the average congregation of 100 people, less than 5 of them will clearly know what their calling is.

You are very wisely hearing God closely enough to know that you need to find out before you go forward. And the move to wait before just going off and making money is an incredibly wise one. Let me give you a short teaching on this to make sure you understand the wisdom in what you are doing.

First, read these verses:
Matthew 6:19-34.

Now, the "eye is the light of the body" teaching means this: If you allow your spiritual "sight," i.e. ability to receive revelation and instruction from God, to be clouded over by your pursuit of earthly things, especially money, you will enter spiritual darkness, and ultimately a state of blindness. The analogy was to things like cataracts and glaucoma, which often slowly start to make seeing increasingly complicated for you. Proper translation (the KJV is awful here) would be, "The light of the body is the eye. If your eye is simple (literal Greek translation, and means healthy and unobstructed), your whole body shall be full of light (meaning spiritual light/revelation, because your mind is entirely focused and dedicated each day to seeking HIM first and foremost). But if your eye is bad (i.e. unhealthy and clouding over by giving your mind primarily to other things first and foremost), your whole body shall be full of (spiritual) darkness."

This is the meaning, as is clear from what immediately precedes it and what follows it in the teaching.

The key lesson to learn is what He says in v.33. "But seek first the kingdom of God (i.e. seek to grow in Him first and foremost every day), and all these other things will be added to you." In other words, put Him first, and the money will be there regardless and/or provision to live your life. He will provide. Certainly He will probably direct you to a job or a profession eventually, but leave that open to Him. Maybe experiment with different jobs seeing what you like and don't like.

But in the meantime His voice to you is clear. Find your calling before you waste any years of your life pursuing anything different. Give your time to God in prayer especially right now, saying, "Lord, please reveal to me Your will for my life. Please reveal what you have called me to and created me for. I want to do Your will, not my own."

Then be open to follow your spiritual interests. This will be God's way of telling you and showing you what directions you need to take to find yourself and your calling. If you find an increasing leading to study prophecy, follow it. If you find yourself increasingly interested in something like social work, or helping the elderly, follow it. Teaching ministry, music ministry, an interest in spiritual gifts, fascination with Heaven and Hell or angels, anything... just follow God wherever your interests lies, and you will eventually find your purpose in Him.

Blessing to you, and you are in a much better place with God right now than you may realize. You are 22, and may not waste a single year of the rest of your life doing what you were really called to do.

I may spell check this and reread through the rest of your responses.

God bless,
Hidden

it touches my heart to hear you say that it means a lot and I know exactly what your saying I need to put it in gods hand and I truly want to seek the kingdom of god but what does it mean? is it threw works? how do I seek his
kingdom?