The Christian life is hard

[Ani Tefillah]

3 hours ago, Renskedejonge said:

This is weird. You never had a relationship with Him? What kind of church did you go to? I had to Google what a CCTV is. You feel like that?

He died for you and He lives in you. Oh wait did you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit?

I remember now a preacher who said there was zero change in his life until he got that.

I felt like a new woman after I got baptized in The Holy Spirit with the speaking in new tongues as a sign, and I got so much love to Abba Father, The Lord and to my neighbors! 😊 

[Ani Tefillah]

26 minutes ago, Thewhitedove said:

When I'm praying about a situation, I present my desired outcome to God and then say 'but Thy will be done'. I go about my business in the meantime. I don't wait for things to poof into existence and dont tend to pray for material things.

What I have been asking God for, is a spiritual lift that I can't deny. A revelation, a change of heart, to feel His presence, to feel connected to Him. For something to change in my spirit in a way that I know him in my inner being and not just through head knowledge. I've read the Scriptures so much but I started wondering if I've fallen in love with a character in a book rather than the eternal, living God. Jesus sounds so great in the Gospels and its so cool to see him foreshadowed in the Old Testament and to hear Luke, Paul, Peter and John's accounts. But is Jesus real TO ME? No. That's the truth. He is a theory that I believe in, like gravity or photosynthesis, but it doesn't move me. 

It seems that you need a life changing encounter with The Lord, and I believe that it only can happen if one wholeheartedly repent, get saved and born again and baptized into The Lord (full immerse) and in The Holy Spirit with the speaking in new tongues as a sign, cause I know that one can't feel The Lord's presence without His Holy Spirit. ☺️ 

[FJK]

24 minutes ago, Thewhitedove said:

When I'm praying about a situation, I present my desired outcome to God and then say 'but Thy will be done'. I go about my business in the meantime. I don't wait for things to poof into existence and dont tend to pray for material things.

What I have been asking God for, is a spiritual lift that I can't deny. A revelation, a change of heart, to feel His presence, to feel connected to Him. For something to change in my spirit in a way that I know him in my inner being and not just through head knowledge. I've read the Scriptures so much but I started wondering if I've fallen in love with a character in a book rather than the eternal, living God. Jesus sounds so great in the Gospels and its so cool to see him foreshadowed in the Old Testament and to hear Luke, Paul, Peter and John's accounts. But is Jesus real TO ME? No. That's the truth. He is a theory that I believe in, like gravity or photosynthesis, but it doesn't move me. 

Instead of asking God  to do something for you, try asking what you can do for Him instead, and how to remove those barriers that separate you from him.

We shouldn't see God our servant but as our Master, our owner, that we should faithfully serve to the fullest extent we can.  Ask him how to change yourself to become a better servant and how he wants you do it.

You will get results, answers, but you are the one that must do the work, no one else can do it for you.

Do all things as unto the Lord, your life changes when you do.

[RdJ]

1 hour ago, Thewhitedove said:

When I'm praying about a situation, I present my desired outcome to God and then say 'but Thy will be done'. 

Why? If you ask: Lord change my heart and you don't even know if He wants to do that, that's not praying in faith. There should be no doubt that He wants to help you. He's your Dad. Even your own dad who is not perfect would say yes of course.

Edited February 11, 2024 by Renskedejonge

[Michael37]

1 hour ago, Thewhitedove said:

Not that I know of.

The Israelites had to spend 40 years in the desert.

There are spiritual lessons in Scripture that speak of these four experiences.

[Starise]

The thought had crossed my mind that I wonder how many unbelievers are unaware they are following Satan. They 'think' they are doing what they want to do, which can be true, however what they want to do is suggested by you know who and they fall for those suggestions.

[FJK]

3 hours ago, Starise said:

The thought had crossed my mind that I wonder how many unbelievers are unaware they are following Satan. They 'think' they are doing what they want to do, which can be true, however what they want to do is suggested by you know who and they fall for those suggestions.

There's only two sides and you're either on one or you're on the other, God's side being a choice and Satan's being the default.

[Sharky and George]

John Piper preaches a lot on the Sovereignty and Providence of God in suffering - a hard Christian life.

Piper calls it a sweet and bitter providence - God is in complete control and the enemy is on a leash because of the cross. It helps to remember that in hard times.

On youtube or spotify there is a band called the Joy Eternal and they did a collection of songs that help us with this.

Search for: "the joy eternal sweet and bitter providence" and go to one with the ship on the front. Its special :) 

[farouk]

On 2/11/2024 at 5:03 PM, Thewhitedove said:

'Thy will be done'. 

@Thewhitedove A great prayer.............

[Rockson]

On 2/11/2024 at 4:39 AM, Thewhitedove said:

And I don't even have it hard!

I believe that I am saved because I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that he is Lord. I believe the Bible is true, but my heart had barely changed. I am still the same bitter, resentful, unforgiving, anxious person as before. My heart is hard.

God has blessed me with an amazing life, great husband (unsaved but doesn't make things hard for me), 3 beautiful children, a great job,good health, talents. I have it all, but I've no peace. I've no joy. My life as a Christian feels cold and empty. I don't have a church which doesn't help, but I'm working on that.

So cognitively,intellectually, I know that Jesus is the only waY, but there is no emotion attached to it. It feels almost like a ball and chain around my neck; I know the truth and can't unknow it so Im stuck with it. That's how it feels. Everything feels like a cliché.

'It's not about emotions'. OK, maybe but why do we have them, and it feels like a dry, depressing experience to chug along like a robot. This has been my default lately. 

'You need to give thanks and worship'. OK, but when I do, nothing genuine comes out. It leaves me even colder.

'Ask God to change your heart'. I've been doing that for years. I'm still hard inside.

'Repent' I have done, several times.

'Get deliverence' i have prayed so many prayers to close any demonic doors and on the outside, my life is squeaky clean. The inside is still decrepit.

'Talk to an elder'. I spoke to my old pastor who told me to just focus on Jesus. Jesus seems far away from me. 

'Spend more time in the Word'. I read a little every day and it's all I can stomach. 

To be honest, it all feels like something from Alice in Wonderland. One riddle after the other, one hoop to jump through after another. People keep saying how it's not works based, how Jesus did the work and that the Holy Spirit changes us.

He hasn't changed me much. All I do is wrestle and wrestle and wrestle with my inner being, all the time. I am EXHAUSTED.  I have been thinking about just walking away and living my life as I want. I desperately seek God's face and have been doing so since I got saved, and it's a constant radio silence. 

As I've said before, my earthly father is so loving and makes such an effort to tell me he loves me and show me he cares about me. He didn't just write me a book when I was born and go off and then tell me to look read it to get to know him, and then watch me on CCTV. And if I constantly cried out on the CCTV for him to get in touch in a way that felt real to me, that I could feel and understand, my biological father would do what I asked.

'Prayer isn't about getting what you want, it's about a relationship with God'. What relationship!!!!???? I feel.like I'm always getting scraps that just keep me going through each day and I have to try to talk myself into staying faithful.

I want to walk away. How can I spread the Gospel or share the good news when I feel so depleted. I've been a Christian for 5 years and am still on milk. Raising my kids Christian feels like a burden, not a privilege. I feel so ill equipped. 

I am SICK, SICK, SICK of all of the platitudes. Will someone just be honest with me and stop pulling out the 'trust God' tropes. I believe in Him, but I don't know Him. I keep asking and asking g to know Him and it all seems to be on me and I can't figure it out. I'm crying as I write this as I'm just so depleted. I'm sorry, but I need something supernatural from Him. 

 

Who are you, God? Who am I to you? Why won't you reach out to me, into my heart? Change me? I'm so empty. 

Of course I won't be the most popular person on the board to tell you this and don't believe you will accept this but consider it at least from a different perspective but sorry I don't buy all your row out of discontent and nor should you be taken seriously. You're basically, like many do that get offended get mad at God putting him up against the wall claiming to all how you did this or you did that.....and God didn't come on through! Sorry not buying it. It's similar to a parent telling their offspring to do the dishes and they come back and they didn't do a good enough job for there's food marks still all over the plates and the kid says, " YA BUT IT WASHED THEM!"  The parent will usually respond, "Yes but not good enough! Go back and do them again until you get it right!" 

I don't mean to offend the writer of the post but the problem with it notice what it does. It puts the blame on God that he created a system by which we can attain victory but they claim it doesn't work. IT DOES WORK however. Years ago I was where the writer of it is. I thought or CLAIMED it was doing everything right too but of course I whitewashed things that I know I truly wasn't. I went back to the drawing board and YES kept doing inventory.....and I did and still do achieve basic victory of things by his gracious power that he's always willing to release. There's only one we're to conclude is true and that is God himself. When he says, "Come unto me all you which labor and are heavy laden and I'll give you rest" then that's exactly what he means and one CAN take that to the bank!

The poster probably despises me for saying these things but I'm not saying anything here that I haven't said to myself and I'm perhaps the best friend they've got in the world to tell them these things. Of course a great many people aren't willing to give up their offence. I trust and hope this poster won't be one of them.