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What does it take???


Keith

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I don't know how many of you have read the thread I started on the Fellowship Board regarding my long absence and the reasons for it. But I would like to continue the discussion - even if I did do most of the talking! I want to encourage those who might be struggling to keep up their faith or finding the time to spend in the Word and with the Lord. I can already see a few eyes rolling and hear a few groans, but I really believe that if you will spend a little time considering this thread, you will receive from God.

I'll start off by saying that I'm not even close to having this down. I believe we all struggle, to some extent, to keep our relationship with Jesus alive and intimate. I do. But during my time away from the boards (please read the thread in the link above to see what happened) I had a life-changing experience with God and I fully believe that it's available to every one of us who choose to receive it.

What does it take to walk intimately with God? To be so filled with real joy and real peace and contentment? What does it take to know fully that God is with you at all times? What does it take to be passionate about Jesus? What does it take to run the race and not get stuck in a spiritual rut? Simply put, Jesus told the disciples that staying connected is the key, in John 15. It's the key to growing and bearing fruit! Not just surviving, but to thrive! Please, keep reading. In a moment this thread changes from what you've heard many times to something you may not have heard or may not have heard quite this way.

John 15:4-5 says, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Staying connected to Jesus. Everything we do today requires staying connected. E-mails, cell phones, conversations, being available

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I don't know how many of you have read the thread I started on the Fellowship Board regarding my long absence and the reasons for it. But I would like to continue the discussion - even if I did do most of the talking! I want to encourage those who might be struggling to keep up their faith or finding the time to spend in the Word and with the Lord. I can already see a few eyes rolling and hear a few groans, but I really believe that if you will spend a little time considering this thread, you will receive from God.

I'll start off by saying that I'm not even close to having this down. I believe we all struggle, to some extent, to keep our relationship with Jesus alive and intimate. I do. But during my time away from the boards (please read the thread in the link above to see what happened) I had a life-changing experience with God and I fully believe that it's available to every one of us who choose to receive it.

What does it take to walk intimately with God? To be so filled with real joy and real peace and contentment? What does it take to know fully that God is with you at all times? What does it take to be passionate about Jesus? What does it take to run the race and not get stuck in a spiritual rut? Simply put, Jesus told the disciples that staying connected is the key, in John 15. It's the key to growing and bearing fruit! Not just surviving, but to thrive! Please, keep reading. In a moment this thread changes from what you've heard many times to something you may not have heard or may not have heard quite this way.

John 15:4-5 says, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Staying connected to Jesus. Everything we do today requires staying connected. E-mails, cell phones, conversations, being available

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I too appreciate what you've written.. The bit about being connected is great! I've been going to churchs for a while now..and found that even tho I've stated that I'm a Christian...displayed the claim with fruit... I found that the real relationship with Jesus, was to be more then just in my head or academically speaking.. but in my heart is where I need <ed> Jesus most! That connection you speak of.. yes..I agree whole heartedly <with my heart also> that we do need it.. I will say that without my heart included, even tho my intentions were the best.. it wasn't a compleate connection to the Master Electricition<?> I found myself feeling a lack as if I needed to prove something to someone..myself..others, I do not know. However I wish to say Thank you for reminding me to keep on..keeping on..

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Interestingly enough, I have been getting a word lately about the body of Christ. Felix's post got me to thinking about it....

Romans 12

3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to hisfaith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Not only do we need to stay connected to the head (Jesus) who controlls it all, we also need to stay connected with the rest of the body! A lot of people think that they can be an island...but fellowship is important. God created us all with unique talents so that where one of his servants cannot do the job, the other can. I beleive that staying connected with Jesus really connects us more with those who are also connected to Jesus...because Jesus is kind of like the main server computer, connecting all the computers. We are all connected through him...so if our relationship with Jesus improves, so will our connection with our brothers and sisters.

And in turn if our connection with our brothers and sisters in Christ imporves, just think of all the good that can be done when we all work together as one body, glorifying Christ :thumbsup:

Thank you for the post Keith, it was very insightful :thumbsup:

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I myself am so "disconnected" right now that I even have trouble making myself read the Word. I am no longer attending church services, and my prayers seem to go no further than my ceiling.

I agree about staying connected, but what do you do when everything that used to help you feel that way no longer seem to work? About the only fellowship I receive any more comes from my visits here. Even here I bypass the more "visited" threads because they seem to be filled with nothing but contention.

I've cut myself off from family and friends, brothers and sisters and now that cancer is eating into my relationship with the Lord. I'm not trying to be obtuse here, I just really don't from the bottom of my heart know how to find my way back.

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bump :taped:

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I myself am so "disconnected" right now that I even have trouble making myself read the Word. I am no longer attending church services, and my prayers seem to go no further than my ceiling.

I agree about staying connected, but what do you do when everything that used to help you feel that way no longer seem to work? About the only fellowship I receive any more comes from my visits here. Even here I bypass the more "visited" threads because they seem to be filled with nothing but contention.

I've cut myself off from family and friends, brothers and sisters and now that cancer is eating into my relationship with the Lord. I'm not trying to be obtuse here, I just really don't from the bottom of my heart know how to find my way back.

Silent prayer, Jesus promises us that He will never leave us or forsake us, even unto the end. He has not forsaken you, even though you cannot feel Him just now.

Being connected to the Saviour is not something we can always feel with our emotions. The Bible tells us that there is nothing more deceitful than the heart of man. So our feelings are not reliable guides to the state of our relationship with Jesus.

The only reliable guides are the Holy Spirit and the Bible. When Jesus destroyed who I was in order to make me into who He designed me to be, with all the potential inherent in me, I felt much as you describe. I retreated into the Wilderness, and MADE myself read my Bible. And the place I started was in Psalms.

King David was described as a friend of Abba, as a man after Abba's own heart. Yet this same man suffered from severe depression (witness some of his Psalms, he describes himself and his feelings, and it's clear he's not happy!), was an adulterer, a murderer, doubted Abba, and yet also soared on wings of eagles to the highest pinnacles of joy in the Lord.

Bask in the Psalms, it is the Psalms of David, and his depth, breadth, and height of human emotion that gives us prayer language for the best there is within us, but it also give us prayer language for the worst that is within us. Even Jesus Himself cried out in the prayer language of the Psalms, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" Psalms 22:1, Matthew 27:46 as He hung dying on the cross.

I was so raw, and in such need of Him, and the comfort of the Psalms, that I couldn't stand to read any other part of the Bible. I just immersed myself in the Psalms. One a day, sitting on my porch, drinking a hot drink, or a cold drink, depending on the weather. And as the Psalms penetrated my heart, I would pray. It took months. It's not a quick fix, but it's a permanent, wonderful, fix to the foundation of my relationship with Him.

Clio

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I also have found that when I cannot pray all I need to do is get the Psalms out and pray through one of them. Soon The Lord reveals himself as I use the Word for a prayer guide. As said before, nothing is a quick fix but the Lord rewards every step that we take in opening the door to fellowship with our Lord. I also went through a wilderness time but the Lord is quick to share himself as we begin afresh with him.

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Thanks to all who replied. :( Staying connected isn't always easy. It takes discipline (a dreaded word for a society addicted to ease and comfort) and desire.

I myself am so "disconnected" right now that I even have trouble making myself read the Word. I am no longer attending church services, and my prayers seem to go no further than my ceiling.

I agree about staying connected, but what do you do when everything that used to help you feel that way no longer seem to work? About the only fellowship I receive any more comes from my visits here. Even here I bypass the more "visited" threads because they seem to be filled with nothing but contention.

I've cut myself off from family and friends, brothers and sisters and now that cancer is eating into my relationship with the Lord. I'm not trying to be obtuse here, I just really don't from the bottom of my heart know how to find my way back.

Hi Becky!

I'm sorry to hear things are so difficult right now. I'd say, "Call me," but I have been without my cell phone for over a month now. To be honest, I'm enjoying it because I'm not a phone person anyway. But, I'll get another one when I feel like it again.

Can I make a sincere, loving suggestion? Try not to go by your feelings. There are times when feelings will be there, and those times are wonderful! But, much of the time, those feelings may not be there. It doesn't mean God has left you, abandoned you or stopped listening to you though. Not even close! Your prayers and your praises are listened to attentively! Those tears are not cried without notice! I don't have the answers as to how and why God does what He does or even when He chooses to do it. But know for a fact that God is at work in you and for you. In my case, as I said in another post, He was waiting for me to give Him every bit of myself.

Something that is very important in staying connected with God is worship. He longs for it and desires it. Sing your own songs to Him! Sing the Psalms back to Him! Worship Him in word, song, deed and thought.

I read a story about a woman whose house was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, except for a couple of inner walls. When she walked through what was once her home, she was in what used to be the kitchen and saw a scripture verse still taped to the wall where she had placed it days ago. "For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith be content." And on the bathroom wall was another, "Oh give thanks unto the Lord for He is good!"

Scripture says that God is infinitely loving and passionate about us. Psalm 103:13 says, "As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those that fear Him." Isaiah 66:13 says, "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." He is your Parent and you are His child. Run to Him the way a little child would run to her parents if she got hurt. In the same way that little girl's parents would scoop their daughter up and comfort her, God is wanting to do that with you!

I don't want to make light of what you said and make it seem like any of this should be easy. Your pain is real and I understand that. I don't know all of what's going on with your family, but I do know what it is to separate yourself from them. I understand the loneliness and the anger and the feelings of being forgotten and trampled on. I can only tell you what I did. I got so tired of it all - and tired of being tired. I thought about what I really wanted out of life. I mean what I really wanted! I thought about everything from material things to a career and vacations and money and all of that. I was totally honest with myself (and God) and allowed myself to indulge in my wants and desires for a several minutes. Then the question came to me, "Do I want these things more than I want God and what He wants for me?" I looked very seriously and honestly at that question. I didn't have to think long because I had gotten to the point where all of those things were laughable compared to how much I really wanted a close, intimate, personal relationship with Him. They all paled in comparison to my desire to please Him and make Him proud of me. Right then and there, I threw up my hands and laughed at myself because I realized the enemy had been using discouragement on me and the way out of it was clear and available! To describe what came next would be similar to saying that I bolted into Jesus's arms and we fell to the floor, in each other's arms, laughing and set free!

I may not have a phone right now, Becky, but my PM's still work. Write anytime ok?

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::: Bump for Becky:::

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