Reconciling with God

Sure, I experience noise as well.


"Practical advice"....hmmmmm....


Stay broken and pray continually that He will Speak deeply into every aspect of your being...!


Yah bless you sister and shalom.


*That you may increasingly hear only His Voice.

Edited

Tone said:

Stay broken

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I say this, because it seems as though you are facing the truth about the whole matter. I believe that being broken has much to do with taking an honest look at all the ugliness...that is us.

So, continue to look upon this suffering until this gaze is eclipsed by His Gaze...and you will see His Beauty.


*And having seen that...hell will melt away...

sometimesthewolf said:

I try to place my trust in Christ, and not myself... still trying to figure that out.

I can't fathom how other Christians are so in love with God and living such deeply faithful and joyous lives. I am miserable, depressed, bitter, and wanting so much to change to be this person that God wants me to be, but I am stuck.

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Hi Sometimesthewolf,

First, I really appreciate your absolute honesty and transparency. I am sure others will help you with some of the other points of your post but what I quoted above stood out to me sharply, so I wanted to comment on it.

From what you wrote (and, of course, only going off of that since I don't know anything about you), it appears that you are trying to change yourself and getting frustrated that it's not happening. Therein lies the problem. You cannot change yourself, in that regard. That is the Holy Spirit's job. I suspect that is why you are frustrated. My advice to you would be to completely surrender all of your efforts and yourself to Jesus and stop trying to fix yourself.

Let me ask you this? Have you been born-again? Do you know what it means to be born-again? It's not about reading your bible, praying, or obeying God - those come after that. I ask because many people struggle to understand what “born-again” means or how to achieve it.

Jesus addressed this issue in John 3:1-21 by telling Nicodemus he must be born-again to go to heaven. Nicodemus was confused by Jesus’ statement, thinking he had to re-enter his mother’s womb a second time. In response to Nicodemus’ confusion, Jesus spoke the following words to distinctly differentiate a person’s human birth from the born-again spiritual rebirth mentioned. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:5-7).

Jesus’ use of the phrase “born of water” directly references the human birthing process that occurs through the womb when “flesh gives birth to flesh.” In this birth, a human gives birth to another human. In contrast, Jesus used the phrase “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” to teach Nicodemus that the born-again spiritual birth is not a human achievement but a supernatural work of God’s Spirit giving life to a human spirit.

The number one reason individuals need to be born-again is to redeem them from their sins that otherwise render them spiritually dead and eternally lost. Having fallen short of God’s perfect, holy standards because of sin, people will reap the full measure of God’s wrath unless the Holy Spirit regenerates their dead spirit. This regeneration is what being born-again means and why Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born-again.”

God desires that nobody would perish eternally, but everyone repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, despite His holy nature requiring sinless perfection to enter heaven, and His righteousness demanding all sin be punished, God’s unconditional love for sinners sent Jesus to the cross to make salvation possible for everyone. When Jesus left heaven to be born on the earth, He lived a perfect, sinless life of obedience to His Father, which satisfied all God’s righteous requirements for holy living. When Jesus was on the cross, He took the sins of the entire world upon Himself and suffered the punishment for each one by shedding His blood. This satisfied God’s justice for sins to be punished. All of this was done willingly by Jesus, on behalf of all sinners, so that those who recognize their sinfulness and place their faith in Him for His gracious gift of salvation would be redeemed. Aside from this supernatural, spiritual rebirth by God’s grace through faith, there is no way for a person to be born-again.

When a person accepts Jesus’ gift of grace by faith, several things transpire. First, God immediately sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of them. The Spirit of God renews their dead spirit, making it alive, or reborn. Second, God forgives their sins and cleanses them from all unrighteousness, exchanging their sinfulness for Jesus’ righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8-9; Romans 4:3-11, 22-25; Galatians 2:19-21). Third, God makes them a new creation in Christ. Fourth, God grafts them into His family as His son or daughter. Fifth, God grants them eternal life in heaven with Him when they die.

Once a person is born-again, their heart and mind will begin to transform in various ways. They will become fruitful disciples of Christ with the help of God’s Word and the inner working of the Holy Spirit, as they submit themselves to Jesus. They will also grow spiritually mature throughout their life until Jesus takes them home to heaven. Once in heaven, born-again believers are made perfect forever.

If a person claims to be born-again without any evidence of God’s presence and regeneration in their life, lifestyle, attitude, demeanor, heart, or mind, it indicates they were never spiritually reborn. The Holy Spirit cannot reside within a person without some visible or measurable evidence of His presence. That would be like having the President of the United States move into someone’s home without any modifications made to the property or visible indications of him occupying that residence. It is just not possible or realistic.

So, have you been born-again? Let's start there.

sometimesthewolf said:

I have nothing in common with most Christians, and their self-righteous attitudes.

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Isn't that being a bit 'self-righteous as well?
Your short post contained 'I" 15 times.
Something to consider...

Galatians 2:20 (KJV) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

sometimesthewolf said:

I can't fathom how other Christians are so in love with God and living such deeply faithful and joyous lives. I am miserable, depressed, bitter, and wanting so much to change to be this person that God wants me to be, but I am stuck.

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For years my life was like yours until i discovered that the Spirit of Jesus lives inside of our hearts and we can get to know what He is saying through the Scriptures.

Jesus completely rebuild me. He got rid of my selfish, arrogant, prideful, judgemental, hypocritical and religious ways and rebuild me God and neighbour loving, thankful and joyful Christian. Who understands that what you sow you shall reap. So if i sow good life then i will reap good life back in return, a 30 to 100 fold of what i sown. That is if i crown love for God king of my heart and let Jesus lead me into His kingdom each day a bit more.

So yes begin today. Let Jesus arrest you in your wrongs. Eat grace and let His loving truth fill you to the brim. Build self with the promises of Scripture and only with Jesus as cornerstone of it all.

Putting you faith in His love will bring you hope, so keep doing that keep putting your faith in His love and drop of anything that is not righteous but still dwells inside of you. Keep dropping of bad life so you can be reborn into your good life.

Eating humble pie is but the start of this process. Yet humbleness is essential to hear Christ speak.

So be of good courage. Repent of your bad life and joyful receive back your good life along the way. It took Jesus less than 4 years to rebuild me from being suicidally depressed to being able to walk away from my pit no matter how depressed i am. (i got a depressive illness, so i'm very happy about that.)

Be of good courage.

Jesus can get you out. Follow His truth in your heart and love for God will fill you to the brim.

Peace.

An invitation to The Chosen.

God's Love will not take or will
you to conform to rules or demand
which imprison, enslave, burn or kill you.

God's Love will not pervert what's Good
The Lord loves truthfully Wise and Good.
True Love was, is and always will be Good!

In God's Love you are free to be right!
In His love everything is good proper and kind.
He loves all who love good and true to rule!

His Love is caring, providing, and sharing.
His Love always enjoys and protects good life.
His love rules even when bad life has being in us!

Hear Jesus call - 'Come join up with us all!
Leave whatever ties you down and be free
loving good life with all God's own to be.'

To the rest in your heart God's asks
how long will you tarry in the darkness?
Please leave such bad existence within.

For life must not, no never should, or would, or could,
be forceful, rude, prideful, arrogant, selfish, lustful
or otherwise be untrue to God's loving truth.

Neither should life be hurting or ill,
hungry, oppressed, despised, hated
or otherwise have existence in wrong.

Please hand your Bad Life over to Jesus
Humbly ask for His Good Life back in return
and go love God, self and neighbour with Joy.

The Church knows that Jesus is coming soon
All bad life will be our shameful past then,
so please leave your bad life while you can!

Love

sometimesthewolf said:

There is a barrier between God and I, and much of it has to do with the questions, misconceptions, and doubts in my heart.

I have accepted that I will never know the mysterious workings of God, or why He created this universe, created us.

But I know that the only reason I came to faith, was out of fear of hell, and a desire to hop into the rapture "life raft" to escape the tribulation. To be honest, I'm not sure about the rapture scenario now. So that leaves me with my only incentive to dwell with God being that I don't want to experience eternal sentient torture.

I know damn well I don't belong in Heaven with Christ. I have nothing in common with most Christians, and their self-righteous attitudes.

I tried to follow the formula: read bible, pray, try not to sin, rinse and repeat.

That was a fail.

I try to place my trust in Christ, and not myself... still trying to figure that out.

I can't fathom how other Christians are so in love with God and living such deeply faithful and joyous lives. I am miserable, depressed, bitter, and wanting so much to change to be this person that God wants me to be, but I am stuck.

If I were absolutely honest with myself and God, I think that I desire annihilation above everything else. But that is not one of His options.

I feel like I'm going mad. The idea of eternal life gives me anxiety.

Can anyone relate at all?

Any practical advice?

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anyone who has set their heart to know God can relate my Friend!

God has revealed so much to us in His Word; things like how He works, why He created the universe, and why He created us.

not going to Hell is an awesome benefit to be sure; but you need to focus on what you will go to in order to stay encouraged - the way you avoided entering hell was by entering the Kingdom of God, and now, 'all things that pertain to life and godliness' have been given to you 'through the knowledge' of God:

(2Pe 1:1) Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
(2Pe 1:2) Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
(2Pe 1:3) According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
(2Pe 1:4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

(1Pe 1:3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(1Pe 1:4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
(1Pe 1:5) Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(1Pe 1:6) Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
(1Pe 1:7) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
(1Pe 1:8) Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
(1Pe 1:9) Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

in the natural, when someone passes away and leaves you something in their will, right to posses and title ownership of what they left you is immediately transferred to you according to law - but even though what you inherited is instantly yours, there are things you must do to receive what you've inherited...

(Rom 8:12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
(Rom 8:13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
(Rom 8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(Rom 8:15) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
(Rom 8:16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
(Rom 8:17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
(Rom 8:18) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

think of your Bible as God's letter to you that includes instructions on how to receive what you've already inherited; if you're reading your Bible while expecting to hear from God, you will hear from Him - and the more you know about what He's already said to you in His word, the easier it will be to hear His still, small voice to guide you as you go through each day. the formula is to seek to be led by God; expecting to hear His still, small voice to guide you each day as you 'incline your ear to Him' by studying His Word - it won't be long before you understand why others love him so much as you learn to receive what He's already given to you.

you've probably read the four accounts of Jesus ministry on the earth, so start with Romans - chapters 1-7 interpret the Old Testament, and chapter 8-16 the New Testament; then Hebrews, Ephesians, and the rest of the letters to the churches. begin to practice asking God 'what should I be doing right now?' as often as you can, and be alert for Him to remind you of what He's already said to you in the Bible to confirm what He's saying to you in the moment.

you're already IN the Kingdom of God - focus on His Word and seek to be led by Him each day, and you'll be fine

edited to correct typo; should have been:
but even though what you inherited is instantly yours, there are things you must do to receive what you've inherited...

sometimesthewolf said:

Edited:

I remember why I stopped bothering posting here.

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this might be a clue as to why your relationship with God isn't what you want - we reap what we sow