why is prayer so difficult?

[existential mabel]

Hello enoob57 not quite sure what you mean by the very first sentence. However I will hazard a guess. I have been born again.

I do find it hard to see a path period whether it is worldly or spiritual.

 

I keep on reading the bible in the hopes that it will one day be just more than words on a page.

 

I guess we need God because of the sin which leads to death. That being the death of the spirit/soul? I mean we all die. no one gets out of the human race alive lets face it.

 

0k you have gotten my curiosity now. When you say, “If God is in y0u He will bear witness that He “IS” there. Can you describe what that l00ks like? For me I can only think that maybe on the rare occasion I experience  peace and sometimes I just plain need peace and no noise. Is this the God is in you moment?

 

as this is a promise of God it is well with our souls to search with all diligence this witness from

within and it will look like this till spiritual maturity begins to take hold

for almost as long as I have been on this planet I have felt a sense of urgency and the futility of the world and its focus on the transient which makes me feel  so lost and to have no purpose. And societies answers at best are one dimensional and at worst  are like death to me..

 

how can God dwell in me whilst I have anxiety and depression?

 

KJV this working out will be alien to the body and the world we are in- but we that have grown in Him

know this to be His Voice and we hear Him...    Love, Steven

yes it is! It is the cross current in life and most people are signed up to the material world (albeit reluctantly as I can see no other way to be). and like me are unable to find any peace as we are at odds with God then.

 

To hear His voice what does this mean to you. What does it sound like? And what does it look like? Or an analogy would be good.

 

Because where God is concerned I am barking at print. When you say we that have grown in Him what does this mean? Are you talking about the fruit of the spirit?

 

God did not place His salvation in the complex but in the simple-> come to Jesus with nothing and ask for Him alone and receive everything

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

Big question I know but if you are once saved are you always saved?     

 

I have gone for the Salvation from the LORD but I reckon I am still waiting for the receive everything bit!

 

 

[FresnoJoe]

12 hours ago, existential mabel said:

how can God dwell in me whilst I have anxiety and depression?

The Master's

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2 (New International Version)

Voice

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. john 14:27 (New International Version)

Love, Your Brother Joe

[Eha]

peace.

i didnt find it, until Father made me new.

yes i did get sometimes peace from Holy Spirit, for some time

but peace that are in you all time and never leaves you again, only, after Father did change me.

depression - its pain you will feel, when Father cleans you.

less trust make more pain.

[Marilyn C]

Hi Mabel,

It`s great to talk with you & thank you for sharing more of your journey with us. I also know that it is hard regarding `parents.` Mine have passed on but I remember that what helped me was to appreciate something of them, & then realise that they are a product of their upbringing & hurts & pains in life. Letting go of expectations has been a great help in my life – whether for parents, or friends, or situations. We have been all damaged & life is damaged.

I`m also glad you understand what I was meaning about the computer/ our mind. Now there is another big folder in the computer that needs to be looked at, I believe. It is called `Man`s Religious System.` Inside this folder are many files that we have collected & many false things that need to be challenged.

We may have come out of man`s religious system but it is another thing to get the system (of their) beliefs out of us. We need to check each one to see whether they are true or not. This is where you are, I believe, & the Lord is taking you aside so you can work through to get a solid foundation in Him.  Ànxiousness & depression` can come because we do not feel secure & our foundational beliefs are not all true & firm.

 

So the first file / belief I would suggest you look at & think about, is the focus the system places on `SELF.` I have noticed over the past 15 – 20 years there has been a great emphasis on the person – my gifting, my ministry, my dreams, etc etc. This I believe is the wrong focus & NOT the way to grow.

God`s word tells us that to grow to maturity we need to learn more of Jesus. (Eph. 4: 13 – 16  &  Col. 3: 1 – 4) We need to learn more of His character & His purposes so that we learn to trust Him more. Then as our understanding & appreciation of Him grows we become more confident in our inner selves & realise that it is not `navel gazing` but `looking, learning of Jesus.`  

 

The Lord may bring other scriptures to your mind regarding this, I used to write these down & also other things, songs, or what people would say, etc & thus would see some truths emerging of what the Lord was helping me to focus on.

 

All the best, Marilyn.

 

 

 

 

 

[faithof04]

Mabel God doesn't expect everyone to be the same have the same level of spirituality the same amount of knowledge. He only wants us to love him . God knows your heart. You have taken the first step into faith. even though you don't understand yet. You have acknowledged the Lord and that pleases him i know. We have all had to begin somewhere with our faith. From your words below God knows your heart and he knows you need peace. The words you have written they are not clutter. Those are words we all lift in prayer for you. when you have a hard time with talking to God get a piece of paper and write a letter to God. God does read letters to . But he definitely understands. Seek him ..yes search for God seek for his knowledge you will find it. You already have begun to seek him because you found all of us who care about you and will help you along the way. you are so far from limited understanding .. your understanding is UNLIMITED. You know what! Just Smile throw your hands up in the air and just yell out " GOD YOU ARE MY STRENGTH" hang in there Mable.  Your not alone. 

for me I need peace and someone once told me that that was prayer. I hope so because I need peace. words just fill my head with clutter.

I just don’t get, “seek Him.” What does this mean? I have limited understanding in so many areas. I tired of pretending that I know things when I don’t and this means that I keep staying stuck.

[existential mabel]

your understanding is UNLIMITED.

many grateful thanks

Edited February 19, 2016 by existential mabel

[existential mabel]

 hello Marilyn

Yes with each life stage no one has instructions and over the more recent years I have done my best to cut my parents some slack.

 

I stay away from religious people for the most part. However I do have a friend who can get religious. And I have told her that I don’t like it when she does the religious thing on me.

 

the Lord is taking you aside so you can work through to get a solid foundation in Him.  Ànxiousness & depression` can come because we do not feel secure & our foundational beliefs are not all true & firm.

 

I wonder if this is why I have an unstoppable desire to go through the bible. When I finish it I start again. I don’t mention this to be anyone special. I just have this driving need to understand and to know God in my personal way. Tired of the well meaning Christians …I certainly know that I need to build a better foundation and so I figured I needed to start over. I think that, hopefully, I will be more grounded and loose the fair weather strength that I have at present.

 

Yes I so get you on the self – the post modern age has well and truly arrived. And everybody is right in their own eyes. And anything goes attitude is riding on the back of it.

 

I had a weird dream last night it has been a long time since I have been able to remember one. I will PM you about it shortly.

 

Thankyou for your helpful post I feel much better for having people to talk to

faithof04 thank you so much for your post

The words you have written they are not clutter. Those are words we all lift in prayer for you. when you have a hard time with talking to God

What a thought!, “your understanding is UNLIMITED.” I can almost get dizzy on the thought of that!

[Marilyn C]

Hi mabel,

That was good to hear your reply & I am understanding you a bit more. Relationships take time, ay. So good also to hear you say that you wanted to `know God in my personal way.`  And that is what God desires for all of us, & as He knows each one then He knows how we learn.

I`ve just read your comments here but read your PM earlier, so didn`t quite understand as per dream. Anyway it might be good to write what you know about God & His purposes & then what do you want to know about Him. That is the big picture, then within that there is His relationship with each of us. We need both - the overall of who & what God is doing & the particular of God with us.

All the best, Marilyn.

 

[existential mabel]

 

Hello Marilyn. Yes it took being around people that didn’t seem to be doing the walk and only the talk. I got that is was all too one dimensional. And also there was and I will use the word, “wickedness” going on in the church.

 

Which left me in a really confused place. And it seems almost as if my soul was affected because even now I have not been able to shake it off fully. A terrible sense of gloom and uneasiness as I am typing this I realise that until I went to this church I never had the gloom and uneasiness it was just plain old fashioned depression and anxiety.

 

I even had prayer for the gloom on many occasions through this church. It will be 2 years this May that I left the church. And that sermon that very morning completely validated where I was emotionally. I swear he was talking to me. He said that he needed to change what he was going to talk about as God had placed it on his heart to talk about something totally different. I almost missed it as I popped out to have a cigarette. As I was in a bit of a state marvellous that I went back in really. I have stopped them but not given them up for 12 months or more. and that seems to work having that attitude.

 

I still have connections with this church albeit loosely I help with a project that is run by the church and other churches that have come together. There are  only 2 people there that are the real deal and yet they are surrounded by all the off beat dynamics.

 

7 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

good to write what you know about God & His purposes & then what do you want to know about Him. That is the big picture, then within that there is His relationship with each of us. We need both - the overall of who & what God is doing & the particular of God with us.

yes this is very good. i have a particular thing with the big picture its the smaller pieces i find very hard to fathom

thanks

 

Edited February 20, 2016 by existential mabel

[Kari]

I hope you will feel more hopeful. I think you have got some good advice but I hope you felt validated and understood. Most importantly I hope you cling to God's promises when things seem dark or overwhelming.