what are you feeling right now? (24)

[Unqualified]

I feel as though life just isn’t fun. Happy. Or exciting. I tend to think God doesn’t like the idea of me having any fun. Instead it’s like life is an endless therapy session where you never know when the therapist (God) is in. But that’s only about 25% of the experience. 50% is like, obnoxious adults being your parents for you (without your consent) and they never listen to or care about you. The other 25% is being ignored and lonely and asking why!

God wants you to have fun in spite of your trials. Have joy in trials’ and pleasure in afflictions’.. ……….
how ya doing young person? Jesus loves you. I know it’s hard fitting into this world, it hurts, it’s work. But what else you going to do? How would you make yourself happy? Let me give ya a big ole grandpa hug.

 

[Beslowtoanger]

After reading you post. Something must be fuel it’s coming back. I feel if it doesn’t seem right to you that you could take those thoughts captive and be free of them. 2Cor 10:3-5 . They are only thoughts and don’t define who you are in Christ. Fight them. Take them captive.

This is excellent advice and for anyone dealing with mental torment, anxiety, catastrophising, intrusive thinking should listen to these words.

I actively practice taking thoughts captive, by speaking with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to take them away, I then spend a short time repeating my love for Jesus and envisage him on the cross…..the thoughts pass through and have no clarity. I do this for anything that is on the cusp of opposing God and ask all thoughts are rinsed from my mind. Like Unqualified, I now have total control.

It takes practice, but it also takes a lot of faith.

 

[Corgipup_12]

I don’t understand how to cross the gap between being unhappy to being joyful.
Maybe there is something wrong with my brain. I don’t know. I think someone else should give me reason to be happy. But no one does

 

[Unqualified]

Force yourself.

 

[Corgipup_12]

I’m in a lot of pain and don’t know where it’s coming from. It’s so bad I wish I could curl up next to somebody else and just go to sleep.

 

[StuartB]

I feel like giving up on everything. Life is just one disappointment after another. I'm now of the mindset "Don't expect anything good ot happen, because you won't be disappointed when nothing happens. I hate life, and that I had no choice in coming here.

 

[Corgipup_12]

Totally relatable. This life is one thing after another. Advice given to hang in there try harder do better tough it out be smarter try something different- all seems to fail. There’s probably nothing I could explain or advise that will help. But if you want someone who can be there at least, you can look up Betterhelp.com and (if you can afford it) sign up for therapy.

 

[Unqualified]

I feel hopeless. It makes me sad.

 

[Corgipup_12]

Read Joel chapter 2. People are hopeless when they aren’t turning to God with a rended heart. I can’t emphasize this verse enough.

 

[Unqualified]

2Cor 1:4
Rom 15:4

The day of the lord sounds like I should avoid it and the deliverance sounds hopeful. That will get me through for awhile thanks!

 

[StuartB]

Read Joel chapter 2. People are hopeless when they aren’t turning to God with a rended heart. I can’t emphasize this verse enough.

What about those who have been let down by God?

 

[StillGods]

Feeling exhausted and alone.

sorry you're feeling like that

 

[StillGods]

What about those who have been let down by God?

that's a good question to ask.
it is usually people that have let us down, well for me it is anyway and it feels like people/Christians let me down over and over again. and then i think well God could have stopped it or changed things so i didnt have to deal with what i'm dealing with.
However i dont know why bad things happen but the Bible says God is good so it can't be God even though it feels like it is sometimes.
i have yelled at God about this though and gotten out all my feelings about that... and He is still there so i appreciate that He is still there even though i vented. it is normal to blame God though, it is human, and He is big enough to handle that. He says 'come let us reason together' we are allowed to have those times with God where we do let Him know how we feel - that He has let us down. i think its really important to have that conversation and tell God, to be honest about it.
i have prayed many prayers that haven't been answered in the way i wanted them to be. someone in my life was killed. I've been laid off from jobs twice, had to give up jobs twice due to injuries on the job and currently unemployed looking for work yet again. I was in a spiritually abusive environment which ended with me losing God for 10 years and having 10 years of torment because of it. was that stuff God letting me down? I don't think so now. we live in a fallen, broken by sin world.
in many ways looking back God is the only one who hasn't let me down. the only One who has stood by me and been there the whole time, even when I thought He wasn't He was.

 

[StuartB]

that's a good question to ask.
it is usually people that have let us down, well for me it is anyway and it feels like people/Christians let me down over and over again. and then i think well God could have stopped it or changed things so i didnt have to deal with what i'm dealing with.
However i dont know why bad things happen but the Bible says God is good so it can't be God even though it feels like it is sometimes.
i have yelled at God about this though and gotten out all my feelings about that... and He is still there so i appreciate that He is still there even though i vented. it is normal to blame God though, it is human, and He is big enough to handle that. He says 'come let us reason together' we are allowed to have those times with God where we do let Him know how we feel - that He has let us down. i think its really important to have that conversation and tell God, to be honest about it.
i have prayed many prayers that haven't been answered in the way i wanted them to be. someone in my life was killed. I've been laid off from jobs twice, had to give up jobs twice due to injuries on the job and currently unemployed looking for work yet again. I was in a spiritually abusive environment which ended with me losing God for 10 years and having 10 years of torment because of it. was that stuff God letting me down? I don't think so now. we live in a fallen, broken by sin world.
in many ways looking back God is the only one who hasn't let me down. the only One who has stood by me and been there the whole time, even when I thought He wasn't He was.

The problem I find is prayer. Apparently, God doesn't answer prayers of sinners, yet we're all sinners. Also, God's will. What exactly is God's will?

 

[StillGods]

PRAYER
You're right we are all sinners, Jesus righteousness is the reason we can have conversations with God, if we believe in Him then Jesus righteousness covers us so God hears us even though we are sinners because of Jesus.

Beyond that i think...and its only my thoughts so may not be right... that as long as we're doing our best to live in a way that pleases God (and none of us are perfect) but at least if we're trying and talking about stuff with God, saying sorry when we mess up etc then God does hear us when we pray.

However, if we've got sin in our life that God has said 'hey you shouldn't be doing that its going to harm you now and long term' and we don't do anything about it then when we pray He's going to be waiting until we sort that sin out because He has already answered us.

It doesn't mean having to be perfect but as long as we're trying to sort it out. It's only when we're blatantly refusing to sort out the stuff that God is talking to us about that it kinda gets silent from God. But then once we've done something to try and work on that sin (and hopefully sorted it out) then we can move on to the next prayer and so on, but if we're not listening to Him on that why would He answer something else we're praying for? why would He if we're not listening to something He has already said for our good.

Also we're not God and cant see the overall picture of our lives so God does answer us but its not always what we think the answer should be and because we're not God we just kinda have to deal with those times He doesn't answer in the way we think He should.


GOD'S WILL
God's will for our lives i reckon is mostly that we get to know Him, and for our lives to bring Him Glory.


I don't think we necessarily have one specific detailed plan that God has worked out as His will for our lives, but it's more that we get to walk with Him through life and see what He is doing and get on board with that and get involved in doing what He is already doing.

The Bible does talk about specific things that are pleasing to God and His will so if you want to please God with specific things He does mention looking after orphans and widows in their distress - this is very pleasing to God He even calls it perfect religion so could do that and then you can be sure you are doing God's will.

I do think His good pleasing and perfect will is something we work out as we go along.

Ultimately our 'job' i guess you could call it, it is to bring Glory to Him, so whatever we choose to do is ok as long as it brings Him Glory. eg. do you want to be a Librarian, then do Library studies and work hard at that so that you can be the best Librarian for His Glory. Then you can purchase books for the Library that are more in line with Godly things than not where possible. This will bring Glory to God. Or being an artist, paint things that depict the compassion and mercy of God so that others may find Him. This will bring Glory to God. Being an honest Business Owner, paying a fair wage to your workers not ripping them off, this brings Glory to God. Choosing to watch TV or books that are God honoring rather than rubbish is bringing Glory to God.

The Bible says whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it is seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness then it's His Will.

sorry this was such a long post. i tend to go on a bit. hope there's something helpful in there.

 

[StuartB]

PRAYER
You're right we are all sinners, Jesus righteousness is the reason we can have conversations with God, if we believe in Him then Jesus righteousness covers us so God hears us even though we are sinners because of Jesus.

Beyond that i think...and its only my thoughts so may not be right... that as long as we're doing our best to live in a way that pleases God (and none of us are perfect) but at least if we're trying and talking about stuff with God, saying sorry when we mess up etc then God does hear us when we pray.

However, if we've got sin in our life that God has said 'hey you shouldn't be doing that its going to harm you now and long term' and we don't do anything about it then when we pray He's going to be waiting until we sort that sin out because He has already answered us.

It doesn't mean having to be perfect but as long as we're trying to sort it out. It's only when we're blatantly refusing to sort out the stuff that God is talking to us about that it kinda gets silent from God. But then once we've done something to try and work on that sin (and hopefully sorted it out) then we can move on to the next prayer and so on, but if we're not listening to Him on that why would He answer something else we're praying for? why would He if we're not listening to something He has already said for our good.

Also we're not God and cant see the overall picture of our lives so God does answer us but its not always what we think the answer should be and because we're not God we just kinda have to deal with those times He doesn't answer in the way we think He should.


GOD'S WILL
God's will for our lives i reckon is mostly that we get to know Him, and for our lives to bring Him Glory.


I don't think we necessarily have one specific detailed plan that God has worked out as His will for our lives, but it's more that we get to walk with Him through life and see what He is doing and get on board with that and get involved in doing what He is already doing.

The Bible does talk about specific things that are pleasing to God and His will so if you want to please God with specific things He does mention looking after orphans and widows in their distress - this is very pleasing to God He even calls it perfect religion so could do that and then you can be sure you are doing God's will.

I do think His good pleasing and perfect will is something we work out as we go along.

Ultimately our 'job' i guess you could call it, it is to bring Glory to Him, so whatever we choose to do is ok as long as it brings Him Glory. eg. do you want to be a Librarian, then do Library studies and work hard at that so that you can be the best Librarian for His Glory. Then you can purchase books for the Library that are more in line with Godly things than not where possible. This will bring Glory to God. Or being an artist, paint things that depict the compassion and mercy of God so that others may find Him. This will bring Glory to God. Being an honest Business Owner, paying a fair wage to your workers not ripping them off, this brings Glory to God. Choosing to watch TV or books that are God honoring rather than rubbish is bringing Glory to God.

The Bible says whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it is seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness then it's His Will.

sorry this was such a long post. i tend to go on a bit. hope there's something helpful in there.

Great post mate. I feel religion has done more to harm my trust and love for God than anything else.

As you can probably tell by my avatar I believe in praying for other people. My worry is that my sin will prevent God from saving those I pray for.

 

[StillGods]

Great post mate. I feel religion has done more to harm my trust and love for God than anything else.

As you can probably tell by my avatar I believe in praying for other people. My worry is that my sin will prevent God from saving those I pray for.

sorry religion has done that, it has a lot to answer for.

It's great you believe in praying for other people. praying for salvation is a tricky one because people have a choice as to whether they choose to accept what Jesus has done for them or not.
So we can pray, and it is wonderful to pray for people to be saved and i do believe this makes a difference, but ultimately the person we are praying for has the final say in their response to Jesus.
God bless you

 

[StuartB]

I don't fully believe in the free will part. If humans are given free will in a distorted world where the truth seems crazy or just a story, it would mean Jesus is not the saviour of the whole world, only the potential saviour, and that God's plan was very weak.

I believe we'll have our eyes, heart and mind opened at th death of the body. I'm a hopeful universalist. Eternal punishment for finite sin can't be seen as justice.

 

[StillGods]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about it, and it's ok if we disagree on the free will thing, it does tend to have people believing differently about it.

Personally to me it seems like right from the start God gave people choice e.g. the tree that He told Adam and Eve not to eat of... but they chose to anyway etc. My personal belief with Jesus on the Cross I believe He died for the sin of everyone, but it is up to each person to respond on whether they accept (or not) that gift from God of salvation and forgiveness from sin that the Cross made possible.

People have called me Arminian because i believe that way. I believe many people when they hear the gospel, the Good News of it, they do choose to go with it and believe and accept the salvation offered to them in Jesus, but I also believe there are times God intervenes, and opens the eyes, heart and mind of people in this lifetime on earth too so they can see who He really is and be saved and it is simply because He is God and He can do that and so sometimes He does which is kinda Calvinist to believe that so i don't know which category I am in - a bit of both maybe. Does He intervene with everyone? it doesn't seem so because eternal separation from God ie. Hell is a thing in the Bible eg. the example in the Bible of the Rich man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31.

God is Just but He is also merciful. The Bible says He is willing that none should perish and that He delays His return so that as many as possible can be saved.

Your statement "Eternal punishment for finite sin can't be seen as justice." i will need to think about that. it doesn't seem like it is justice but maybe it is. if someone has the way of salvation there and throws it back in the face of God when it cost the life of His Son then maybe it is justice? I'm not sure. It is a high price to pay for sure. i need to think about that.

I love the idea of Universalism a lot, just personally at the moment it is not something i believe, but i don't mind having different viewpoints from people, we're entitled to our own thoughts on things that's cool. A hopeful Universalist - i like that

There is so much i don't understand, i agree it will be interesting when we do have our eyes, heart and mind opened at the death of the body yes i think that will happen in ways we don't realise now in our finite limitations i agree.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

 

[StuartB]

I find Romans 11:32 very interesting "For God has consigned everyone to disobedience so that he may have mercy on all"

The Bible is such a difficult book to unlock. It seems to contradict itself. Perhaps the passages that eternal damnation are for those who are under the OT Law and the God of the OT. And the verses about salvation are for those who are under grace in Christ.

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