You ever feel like your getting nowhere with your relationship with God? I was doing so well last year but as the time passed on.. I find myself slipping on a ever steady slope..
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Relationship with God
- Thread starter Blien
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Quoth
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I feel your pain, very seriously. One thing I realized is that we as humans react to how we feel based on what we experience. You slam your hand in a car door, and instead of rationalizing it and making an informed response of "I SLAMMED MY HAND IN THE DOOR," something else comes out. Even this afternoon I caught myself reacting to something that I shouldn't have been worried about.
It's in our nature to be rather emotional in our relationship with God. We feel holy, but as time goes on, the light begins to fade until it's nothing but a dying ember. We start to feel cold. What we often forget is that regardless of how we feel, God is still there.
I highly suggest you figure out what it is in your life that is causing you to feel like you're slipping (which in fact makes you slip). Is it an addiction to porn, smoking, or some other thing? Is it an attitude towards someone? Did you start rationalizing those good habits into the garbage bin just to welcome what it is you wanted? I stopped reading my Bible because "it's just a book", and that is a decision I regret every time I try to read it, because the fire in my heart just isn't there anymore.
Some songs that I really relate to:
Home Tonight by Chris Rice
Made to Love You by Tobymac
What if I Stumble? by DC Talk
When God Ran by Benny Hester
Mercy Held Back the Bow by Corey Emerson
Come Thou Fount by Robert Robinson
Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park
All of these songs describe what you and I are going through. We're Prodigal Sons, in a sense, having gone away from the Father to do our own thing. The truth is, I don't know if you'll ever feel close to God again, but I do know that our God is a God capable of forgiving His own murderers. He is capable of restoring even the most horrid of sinners, healing the deepest wounds, and loving the most wretched of swine.
Even if you never feel close to God again, it is my prayer that both you and I can come to a place where we know we're close to Him, and growing closer each day. Love God. That's all you gotta do. We're all a work in progress, and the Lord will make repairs on us as necessary each day.
Separate what you feel from what you know to be true of the God that you serve.
My $0.02.
"The sermon meter has run out. Please deposit another $0.02 to continue."
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Well I got a fulltime Job and became so busy and tired that I forgot to read the Bible everyday. Then it became that I was too tired to pray.. and now its oh i'm struggling with pornography again.. see how its going? Well.. a friend of mine helped me get back into reading the Bible again and so now I'm doing okay on that end. Now I need to start praying again. Last night I told myself, I'm too tired so I'll pray in the morning and I didn't..
What I really want though is the constant feeling of God living inside of me. You hit it deadon when you mentioned we base a lot on our feelings. I really miss the feeling of God being inside of me.
What I really want though is the constant feeling of God living inside of me. You hit it deadon when you mentioned we base a lot on our feelings. I really miss the feeling of God being inside of me.
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- Aug 11, 2004
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A prayer can be as simple as "Thank You, God" as you're going to bed.
I think we often try to make it something difficult.
I think we often try to make it something difficult.
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Q
Quoth
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A prayer can be as simple as "Thank You, God" as you're going to bed.
I think we often try to make it something difficult.
Quoted From Truth.
Live in prayer. Be in the constant mindset that when something happens, your mind goes to prayer over it. I'm not saying you have to pray "Red shirt or green?" every morning, but get into a practice of praying over everything that stands out as something that needs prayer (i.e., an ambulance passing by). That will make it easier to make those longer, more pointed prayers a daily routine.
/preaching to the choir
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HighwayMan
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The problem for me is that I fail to see God's involvement. No, I do not "feel him when I pray", in fact the only thing I feel is dead empty air. If He really is out there than he really likes frustrating people.
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Highway man, I sense that you have yet to call Jesus into your life.. If you REALLY want Him why dont you pray and ask Him to come into your life, confess that your a sinner and need His help. There are laws to everything in the Universe, gravity is one and this is another. If we dont accept Jesus then we're not going to the Kingdom of God. I hope you'll make this decision, it was the best thing I ever did. And I when I said it in a vision I saw him and He placed His hands on me. It was electricity pulsed through me but I couldn't help smiling so wildly. When I accepted Him, no one was touching me. It was GOD.
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HighwayMan
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What makes you think I don't believe in him? I do, but that does not really change anything in terms of what I see. I am not the type of person who will close his eyes and just imagine something being there in order to prove myself right. Not saying that your vision was that, only you know what it is...but I for one have never experienced anything that can be certainly contributed to supernatural occurrences. I might believe in Jesus, I might believe in Buddha, I might believe I'm Superman...but I get no signs or clues one way or the other.
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Highway man I sense that someone is blinding you...as I was blinded too...We've all felt it...Truth is I think we forget that the devil is out there to steal kill and destroy and daily we need the armor of the Lord Jesus. It happens very slow like that doesnt it...right before our eyes without even noticing it...it's the little things...We stop reading our bibles...we stop listenin to christian music...then we harden our hearts so much from God we stop prayin...and then we start questionin our faith...oh God why arent you there? Truth is God isnt goin to come to a party you never invited him to...I think sometimes we believe in this Big God that we turn God into our Servant rather then us being the server...What I mean is...we constantly expect God to give give give...Show show show...but we forget that a relationship no matter what kind goes both ways... we dont pick up our end of the responsbility and when we stop we blame it on God...when really it makes sense...because how can God show up...to a closed door? In the bible it says...seek and find knock and the door will open...if no one is knockin on your door are you goin to open it anyway? No my friend you wont...and I hate to say it...but Jesus wont either... but I can promise you these two things...one is... Jesus misses you greatly...and two...You start knocking and dont give up...this life time journey with Jesus will get easier..He'll keep coming in as long as you let Him...just dont be decieved by the devil because as soon as you decided to let Him in...the devil will quickly try to make you believe other wise...dont give in to the lies...the truth lies inside...listen to your heart...
Blessings
Lindsay
Blessings
Lindsay
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HighwayMan
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I'm sorry but I really don't get any of these metaphors. Are you saying that I don't see/feel anything because there is something wrong with me, or because the devil is doing it? And what could "knocking on the door" mean?
And all this talk about "seeing" Jesus...this is referring to a literal, ghost-like apparition of his physical body, correct?
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À*Travers*Toi
Some Kind of Strange
God will draw near to you as you draw near to Him. Take Him to work with you. It's not long you just leave Him at home and you go to work by yourself. God is always willing, we just have to put extra effort in sometimes. There are things you can do. Be creative. Buy sermons to listen to in your car while you drive to work. Read your bible and pray on your break. Wake up 15 minutes early and start your day off with reading the Word and praying. Perhaps you even need to make sacrifices. If you don't fit God into your daily plan, how can you expect Him to fit you into His over-all plan? God is good and the mercies He gives you are new each day (See Lamentations 3:22,23). Don't let any spirit of old negatively affect your relationship with God in the now. Each day is a new day for you to spend time with the Lord.
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Highway man, I think you need something real basic in terms of the faith.. that's why I didn't message you the usually style of messages and exhortations like Christians do for other Christians. I did this because of one statement you made in your first post. You said "If He really is out there than he really likes frustrating people."... No one who has ever had an encounter with God says this because once He is revealed we know His nature. Now there are 2 things you can do to get this kind of encounter -not some ghostly apperation. First off realizse God is a living person and there are no formulas with Him. He's not some doctrine or theology HE IS a Living Being as real as you and I. If you can hold your hands together or place your hand on your face, that is how real God is. Thats a big mistake people make and it becomes hard to understand when we say things like "knowing the Lord".
So my first suggestion bro, is to do what I mentioned in my first message to you.. if you have done this already with another beliver and what I am talking is nonsense to you then so be it. But GOD always comes when someone prays that - ALWAYS. There is no way you will not see or hear or feel Him. Second, if you ask people who study counterfiet bills how they recognise the real ones from the fake ones this is what they tell you. They study the real bills only. Likewise, if you want to hear God's voice and recognise it from the impostor voices that the Devil speaks you need to study the Bible God's Word. I know the Bible is hard to pickup, especially the first couple of times so this is what I recommend. Everyday visit this bibleonradio.com website an listen to a reading. I have the little mp3 player they sell and now have been listening to it almost every day for about a year now. See you can have the Bible with everywhere you go and listen to it everywhere even when doing the dishes.. now there is always time to listen to the word. I listen to it also when cleaning up the house or digging in the garden or mowing the lawn...
Good Luck!
So my first suggestion bro, is to do what I mentioned in my first message to you.. if you have done this already with another beliver and what I am talking is nonsense to you then so be it. But GOD always comes when someone prays that - ALWAYS. There is no way you will not see or hear or feel Him. Second, if you ask people who study counterfiet bills how they recognise the real ones from the fake ones this is what they tell you. They study the real bills only. Likewise, if you want to hear God's voice and recognise it from the impostor voices that the Devil speaks you need to study the Bible God's Word. I know the Bible is hard to pickup, especially the first couple of times so this is what I recommend. Everyday visit this bibleonradio.com website an listen to a reading. I have the little mp3 player they sell and now have been listening to it almost every day for about a year now. See you can have the Bible with everywhere you go and listen to it everywhere even when doing the dishes.. now there is always time to listen to the word. I listen to it also when cleaning up the house or digging in the garden or mowing the lawn...
Good Luck!
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HighwayMan
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Well, thanks, but I suppose I still fail at comprehending what this is saying. You mean that when I pray, God can come into my room the same way that my brother can?
If that is so, then why has it not happened before? I believe I was praying sincerely. If I am making a mistake then I can not for the life of me figure out what it is. All the things you mentioned about admitting you are a sinner and praying the Lord's prayer - I have done that. It feels nice to be able to do that. But for me it is not any different than writing in your diary or something.
I suppose I'd need some very specific, detailed step-by-step guide of what is the proper way to pray, for if what everyone else is saying is true then I am failing endlessly.
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À*Travers*Toi
Some Kind of Strange
HighwayMan, I will be the first one to tell you that God encounters people in different ways. I take the concept of the body of Christ into consideration when thinking about this. A hand cannot function as a foot and a foot cannot function as a hand. But the two need to work together as part of one body. God talks to and encounters people in different ways as we are all unique. And there may be different ways He talks to just one person. You may be the type of person that falls on the floor and is slain in His Spirit, or you may be the type that just gets this inkling inside of you. God sometimes uses other people to talk to you where you know they had to have heard from Him in the first place to even do so. There are so many different ways. I admit it is hard to figure out how God moves in you sometimes. I'm still figuring out to a great extent how He moves in me. But one thing I've come to realize is that whether or not I feel anything shouldn't determine whether or not I worship and pray to Him to let Him feel me and my heart. I pray that as you invite the presence of God to be with you that you will begin to see and understand how He particularly moves with you.
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JonMiller
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One thing is as I have been a Christian, I have discovered that God has protected me and changed me... there haven't been anything flashy though.
Remembering what He has done for you, and praising are both important, because I find that I forget very very easily.
As far as feelings go, they are very hard to remember, I would recommend something else.
JM
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JonMiller
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I don't think you are failing endlessly (at least, in prayer).
I think that the only time people feel things are when they are close to God, and they need that at that time.
And I am generally a doubter of apparations/etc. Although I believe that they are possible.
What are you praying for, if you don't mind me asking?
Jon Miller
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HighwayMan
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I had another question: What about those who claim to have "felt Christ" like many here are describing, but then (as they say) realized it was all a lie and they have been imagining things? Many atheists speak in detail of spiritual connections to God they were once certain they had, but then relaized they wer deceiving themselves.
So then does this not show that experiences with God are indeed largely fabricated? For if those atheists did indeed feel God once, how is it possible they now think it was fake? Shouldn't an experience with God be something unquestionable, something you can not practically deny?
For example if many people genuinely thought they were shot in the hand by the same gun, but then some of them admitted they imagined it, does this not throw in doubts everyone's claim?
Just asking honest questions I'm trying to understand.
So then does this not show that experiences with God are indeed largely fabricated? For if those atheists did indeed feel God once, how is it possible they now think it was fake? Shouldn't an experience with God be something unquestionable, something you can not practically deny?
For example if many people genuinely thought they were shot in the hand by the same gun, but then some of them admitted they imagined it, does this not throw in doubts everyone's claim?
Just asking honest questions I'm trying to understand.
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