An encouragement to anyone feeling that their life is hopeless.

[carlos123]

Thanks for your encouragement Natalie! Much appreciated.

It's always a bit risky to share such things so openly but I am encouraged by how the Lord can use that to help others through me.

I am almost dreading going back to school next month. I am afraid all the schoolwork will distract me from God.

I think you will be fine Natalie. Just the fact that you are concerned about that is a good indication to me that you will be fine as you learn to keep your eyes on God despite your schoolwork.

Have you ever thought about becoming a full-time missionary? Sounds like it would be right up your alley.

Certainly I have thought of that but in reality I have come to realize that we ARE missionaries right where we are all the time to anyone and everyone we come in contact with.

More than a missionary though I wish I could just find a few Christians to link up with whose hearts are fully surrendered to God. Such persons seem so hard to find.

Most are not willing to risk their church involvement and their Christian friends to do what God wants done if there is ever a conflict between their church and friends and God.

Carlos

[NeedYouLord]

Carlos, I've been reading several of your posts and have been touched to the core of my being...There just isn't enough paper on the roll to blow my nose and wipe my eyes because I want the same thing you do!!! And Have Walked In It Too!!! Believe Me When I Say...The Truth Is: Christ in us The Hope of Glory!!! My my...And sometimes it's just plain hard being patient!!!

I just don't know where to start...You have told my story...and I think right now where you are...where I practically was or rather almost was...anyway the first time in my life I was totally alone-and I have been there more than once too (sometimes with people all around)...it was and is the best place I could ever be!!! It was the best place I could have ever been...I was with God... That is going to be the way I handle it from now on...See there writing and responding to your posts have answered a prayer for me...I was just astounded to see it happen to you too...(On another thread when your tummy was hurting and you were inquiring about getting healing for yourself...I too went through a time (a season) where He made me reach out to others...Hahaha...Our God Is Good...He Does Love His Children and Does Take Care of Us...Every Time!!! Oh my...

You know The Kingdom of God is exactly opposite of this world and how it operates...Yep I'm one of them that just upsets "church as usual" because I was touched and filled and endued and everything else...because I went after Him with everything in me and got changed!!! I'm not the same!!! And I don't understand why God has to lead us into places sometimes that we don't understand yet...I turned my church upside down at one time...filled with the power of God...People being healed all over the place...devils being cast out...I'm not kidding...just like The Bible Says...I have been rewarded openly when I went to My Father In Secret...In The Secret Place...I spent bunches and bunches of hours there...Now I'm walking in the desire of my heart...the desire that started 20 plus years ago...that God put in me in the first place...Have you ever heard of not knowing how to do something and The Holy Ghost Leading and Guiding and Showing You Just How To Do It...Has He Ever Planted The Idea That You Could Be Used Like Arthur Blessit...Smith Wigglesworth...Like Moses? Just Google some Generals of The Faith...

I Know There Is A Reason That We Start To Get Frustrated-it's like we are birthing something out of our spirit...We Outgrow Where We Are...Just Like Being Born ...We Get Too Big For Our Mama's Womb...We Have To Grow...We Fuss It's Too Uncomfortable Here!!! I've got to break out!!! I'm not talking literally exactly...but how did some of the Mighty Men and Women of God get started? Uuummm...I think you sound alot like some of them...I think I sound alot like them too...I just read a story of one of them-he was the same way!!! The Church Just Wouldn't Grow and he was!!! He explained it like this...God was not going to put new wine in old wineskins...We have The New Wine!!! I know I do...You don't know how I've cried for friends to come alongside...One day I went to the chat room and there wasn't anybody there...I just started talking and all of a sudden there were people talking (typing) to me...That helped me so much that day...

There has been alot happened with me too, there is no way I could explain every little thing...but My Heart Is For Those That Are In Darkness-For Them To Be Drawn To His Light And Be Changed, Set Free and Walking In His Will...Where Grace and Mercy Follow Them!!!That We May Be Mightily Indwelled For His Glory...Earlier when I was reading the other topic-trying to remember-hahaha-which one-well anyway-it just came all over me to say: I'm having tummy trouble too...Want to pray? I just want to pray that God's Will Be Done In Our Lives...You know there is no gender in The Spirit...so please don't take any of this personally...This is just a sister In Christ praying for some of the likenesses that we have...To Be Indwelled Mightily With The Fire!!! That Will Change People!!! Oh my...Wow...Can you feel that...ok anyway-I do...See He is leading me and has been leading me to a particular place in my city...and I've been preparing for quite a while...so guess what-as soon as the weather cools off or before...Like if He were to say to me...Get ready and go this weekend...I would go...but I know that is where I'm to be to be used...Hope this makes sense...Well...I guess I could type forever and fix my sentences forever too...but I'm going to pray now...

Father...We Are In Awe of You...We Kneel At Your Throne of Grace...Knowing That You Are Creator of Heaven and Earth...That With You All Things Are Possible!!! Your Children Are Crying Out To You...Lead Us To The Light of Your Son...Show Us His Ways...Put In Us The Desires of His Heart...Help Us See Through His Eyes What He Sees...Oh my...Enable Us and Endue Us With Your Power...Give Us The Desires of Our Hearts-As We Once Again Walk In The Pages of The Bible...For You Are The Same: Yesterday, Today and Forever...In The Name of Jesus...I Pray

[carlos123]

Amen to what you prayed and everything you said sis! AMEN!

May the Lord fill you through and through with His magnificent and wondrous Presence in the secret place today and always. May He shine through your life and open the eyes of those around you to see Him.

Carlos

[JTC]

Hi Carlos,

Yes I also feel hopeless. In the loss department you do have me beat, but not by much. But I can really relate to what you said. One thing is God has also been laying it on me that we need to do more than we do to obey Him. I'm not so sure how important women covering their heads in church really is. But when I was a kid all women wore at least a hanky on the head, and men never wore anything at all on their heads. It was nice, and I liked it. Such a little thing, but it showed a respect for God. And perhaps as folks lost respect for God in the little things, the large ones were soon to follow. So I agree, if we can do some little things to show respect for God, maybe in time big ones will follow.

I once read another of your posts. I'm new here and I don't think I responded. This time I did. I feel similar to you. I think since I lack almost all the things the world has, God is telling me things His people need to know. And like you, I am not being received well. Maybe it will change.

John

[carlos123]

I once read another of your posts. I'm new here and I don't think I responded. This time I did. I feel similar to you. I think since I lack almost all the things the world has, God is telling me things His people need to know. And like you, I am not being received well. Maybe it will change.

Hi John. Thanks so much for your encouragement and for sharing your thoughts.

If there is ever going to be a change it will be through people like us speaking up to every Christian we know and sharing what God lays on our heart. Not settling for the status quo. Not being intimidated or afraid to step on religious toes. Questioning long standing traditional beliefs. Seeking God for truth as opposed to looking to man for that truth.

Don't let the fact that you are new here keep you from ever sharing what is on your heart John. What God whispers in your ear..shout it from the housetops! All along keeping a humble heart to admit and embrace correction when and if God brings that to us through others.

Carlos

[LoveGodForever]

Your post reminds me of this story I read a while back: http://raptureready.com/soap/stephens5.html

He really did let go of all physical possessions to follow Jesus, I understand what you mean about not wanting to work just to make money, but to have a life doing all you can for him.

Sometimes I become really frustrated that I don't have much money and can't see a way out of where I live or how to make a better life for myself, but then I read something like this and it puts me right back in my place.

I'd rather be spiritually stronger than well off and have an easy life, because I know it's good for my spirit. Your circumstances may look like you don't have much, but in the spirit you have everything! Thank you for writing this

[carlos123]

A very moving story LoveGodForever (don't know what else to call you)!

You know...despite not having much of anything at all materially speaking I feel richer than 99% of people I meet due to the overwhelming greatness of what I do have. Relationship with the Living God!

I say that sincerely and am not just making that up.

The other day I was glancing through People magazine (it had been laying on the table I was at and having nothing else to look at while eating something I glanced through some of the stories) and read about all kinds of actors who had been on reality shows and what they had ultimately ended up doing in life.

Businesses started here and there. Marriages and kids and all kinds of things. None of which I have (well...except for the business part but my business...web development when I can get the work...is nothing like that of the actors I was reading about at least in terms of the amount of money made).

For a bit I started to get depressed at the thought that I was missing out on life by not having devoted myself to what they devoted themselves to. Success in this world.

Not that working hard and being successful in business is not consistent with relationship to God mind you. It is perfectly possible to do both.

But for me...in my circumstances I only have relationship with God at this point in my life.

And when I started to think of what I did have, GOD, my heart got back on track to being content with the riches that I have in Him.

Knowing Him is not just an intellectual thing for me. I know Him. Know Him in my head and in my heart. I experience Him emotionally. Lots (I think I am going to start a thread on experiencing God emotionally actually) and my experience of His love and of His constant dealings with me are what keep me going in life.

True riches lie squarely in relationship with Him. Not in having and possessing this world's goods or whatever else people tend to value in the natural.

Jesus came, in part, that we might have life and have it abundantly. That abundance is NOT material possessions as some might think. God is not someone you add to your life to make it better.

Following God will always involve suffering. To one degree or another. We are not of this world and the world hates God. Our lives, if they are being lived as they ought to be lived, will highlight and bring to light the sin in people's lives. Their rebellion to God. That will cause us to be hated as they hated Jesus.

The abundant life that is to be found in Jesus is to be found in true relationship to God. I can't say I understand it as well as I ought but for me the abundant life lies in experiencing times of refreshing from the Presence of the Lord. From knowing that I am the apple of His eye. From having real purpose and meaning to be found in the doing of His will and in living a life of faith. Expressing my gifts for the benefit of others.

Abundant life for me lies in being emotionally fulfilled in Him. Full to the brim at times. In a way that no wife, no one, and nothing on this Earth can ever give me.

It lies in knowing that whatever happens in this life...however tough it may at times be...there is a place reserved in heaven for me where I will be with the Lord forever and will receive a glorified body. Whatever I experience in this life...it won't last long. It's temporary. It will pass.

Eternity will go on forever.

From God's perspective and from the perspective of what really counts I, alongside every single Christian, are infinitely better off, than those who do not know God and have no hope even in this life.

Carlos