yesterday i read how troubles will come to to see if my faith is pure and strong so i told god to let the devil give me all he's got to let my faith be proven pure by fire. i got what i wanted i gladly accepted this sadness and my soul being tired i never once gave up i am happy to prove my faith to be pure knowing god would never let me go. I have been talking to god the whole time saying i refuse to give up that i suspected the devil told god i would give up if i felt sad and tired and god was proving him wrong. I knew i would be revived i just didn't know how or when. then i read your post and knowing how happy god made you refreshed my spirit and soul and i have incredible joy knowing how happy god made you by using me my heart literally leaped with joy I am so glad i didn't give up and that god knew me better than satan. There will be even more troubles coming that will be much worse, this is only a starting point but i will accept this bitter cup The lord is always good and cares for all of us i just know he is going to bless all of you in ways we can never imagine i would even gladly give up my blessings to give to all of you
Morning glory :D
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I hope i am not annoying everyone with telling my experiences But i have grown in the past two days more than a whole month all because everyone prayed for me ,believed in me and encouraged me. I am astonished how my trust in god is growing, and how he speaks to me with just the right words and just the right time. I am sure everyone knows about what i call the dark days as i tend to speak about them a lot, but just in case they are the days or times i feel apart from god and feel like giving up. I was always scared of them because i just knew it was because i didn't have enough faith and i was weak. But now i know those are times of proving how much i love god and how many blows i can take from the devil before i fall. They are when faith is built not broken The lord has taught me to welcome them. I experienced being so very tired and not being able to even think, I could barely even tell god i still knew he could help me and that i would still give my best. I was so tired that i barely had any faith and trust but i knew it was a time of testing and i prayed and prayed but nothing helped. However i refused to give in i finally was reminded by god about a verse in the bible about my faith being tested. i never gave up I was close but i didn't idk why but when i was reminded of that verse i suddenly was strong again, the funny thing is when i was so weak and tired i could barely think i used all my mind power what little i had left thinking of god and i prayed he would bring me alive again. he waited quite a while but i still trusted him. I was hit pretty hard but god knew i wouldn't give up, I was taught how to hold on by all of you. God used everyone to teach me and even though i still have much to learn and develop if it wouldn't bother anyone i would like to keep adding to this thread my spiritual growth two days ago i would not have been able to stand tall in that moment.
Praise God Blain! I'm happy for you and how the past few days have been for you. And please, keep us updated =) It encourages others and I'm sure it will encourage you from feedback/prayers. Keep renewing your mind everyday in the Lord so you keep your mind fresh, remembering all God has said =) I'm praying for you!
"...giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ....give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:5-8 & 10-11. =]
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" Psalms 103:2 =]
"...giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ....give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:5-8 & 10-11. =]
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" Psalms 103:2 =]
I gave it all i had today- or at least almost the past two hours i lied and fell into temptation and did what i wanted instead of what i know god wanted me to do. But i asked for forgiveness and i wasn't upset because i knew god loves me and i love him. I had a moment today when i thought about what could treasure in heaven possibly be? what more could we want than to be in heaven? then i thought maybe it's what our heart desires most, so i looked deep down and i realized what my treasure would be. My treasure would be for god to be so amazingly happy and proud of me like i had been doing his works for thousands of years. I then thought of one of the desire my heart longs for the most here on earth, I want to always not some days have an intense love for him like that of a child who joyfully plays with his caring father, i want to give away everything i have without a single second thought. I want to always see the world and it's people the way god sees them- as beautiful treasures. And always put god first, people second and me last. So i thought of the promise god speaks of how for those who love him and live faithfully for him he will answer their hearts deepest desires. I knew he would give me what my heart longs for but i just had to ask him. Why god? why can we not have that kind of relationship now? i know you want this even more than i do so is it part of your plan or is there something about me that keeps us from achieving it? how long must i wait? i hope it is not something wrong with me like my faith is not strong enough or something. I admit my main issue is my shyness i cannot even look at someone i don't know in the eyes let alone their face idk why and i hate it. is it my weakness that keeps us apart or is their a bigger picture here, all i know is that i will keep moving forward and giving him my best everyday
While we are here in our bodies with our natural senses, we will go through certain things that aren't God's best for us, but that's when we have to keep pressing on. For example, Paul went through maaannnyyy afflictions (2 Cor 11:23-28), but yet said our light afflictions are but for a moment and "worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor 4:17). That's a good outlook to have until we go to be with the Lord 
Although things won't be perfect in this life, we can still have our focus on God and rejoice in him always
Although things won't be perfect in this life, we can still have our focus on God and rejoice in him always ok once again i do not feel god's presence but i will still give him my best, i can still hear what he says to me and my faith and trust in him has not weakened I am going to go and help the church soon, I thought what would jesus do? so even though i slept in more than i wanted i figure if i still keep praising god for allowing me to do my best today it doesn't matter that i cannot serve him as long as i wanted LOL. again i cannot express how much i treasure all of your encouragements and i hope my posting of my spiritual growth can be used to touch the hearts of others so god may work even more in the lives of others.
I am going to go and help the church soon, I thought what would jesus do? so even though i slept in more than i wanted i figure if i still keep praising god for allowing me to do my best today it doesn't matter that i cannot serve him as long as i wanted LOL. again i cannot express how much i treasure all of your encouragements and i hope my posting of my spiritual growth can be used to touch the hearts of others so god may work even more in the lives of others.
ok once again i do not feel god's presence but i will still give him my best, i can still hear what he says to me and my faith and trust in him has not weakened I am going to go and help the church soon, I thought what would jesus do? so even though i slept in more than i wanted i figure if i still keep praising god for allowing me to do my best today it doesn't matter that i cannot serve him as long as i wanted LOL. again i cannot express how much i treasure all of your encouragements and i hope my posting of my spiritual growth can be used to touch the hearts of others so god may work even more in the lives of others.
I am going to go and help the church soon, I thought what would jesus do? so even though i slept in more than i wanted i figure if i still keep praising god for allowing me to do my best today it doesn't matter that i cannot serve him as long as i wanted LOL. again i cannot express how much i treasure all of your encouragements and i hope my posting of my spiritual growth can be used to touch the hearts of others so god may work even more in the lives of others.
i was hit with the worst attempt to crush my faith. you see my best friend does not like the new me, he misses the old me and i go over to his house sometimes but i tend to try to stay away. He always wants me to do these money making plans and it would take me off the path god gave me. i know what future god has set out for me but i have not yet told andrew because he will get very mad. everytime i go over to his house he ries to get me to spend a lot of time with doing his plans and playing world of warcraft. But i don't want anything to do with that game which i never even really like anyways or his money plans. But i do not have the courage to say no, and he will not quit trying to get me to do it. he cannot accept the new me and i think he is trying to get the old me back. i don't want to lose my friend and if i tell him he needs to accept the new me and how i don't want to do his plans then i am afraid i will never be able to have the friendship we had. Anyways here is where the devil gave it all he had, my friend wanted me to come over and was trying to convince me to do the money thing, after we talked i was so emotionally stressed and hurt because i knew if i went over things would be bad and i would not be able to stay on the right path. my soul was shattered i felt the inside of my soul, the emotional stress and pain was worse than when i had cancer and that says a lot. My soul kept screaming to give up on god he will not help me it told me to let go. But i refused to let go i could feel inside me my grip on god it was very tight from fear of losing hope. i prayed to god even though i had lost all of my strength my mind was melted my soul was completly broken. i kept telling myself and god that the lord is stronger he will save me, But thoughts came rushing in saying no you have lost your trust in him your faith is weak. But i constently did my best to push them away i refused to believe them. This is probably what spiritual warfare is i knew it was the devil's doing and my faith was being tested. But i could no longer say to myself ( I am strong) I told god with all i could muster that he is good and even if i break he will save me. I said it but it sounded bitter on my tongue, i finally texted andrew i could not go over something has happened and i cannot talk about it and i needed him to trust me. he texted me back saying no problem my pain and anguish disapeared but i knew it would come back even now it is trying to take me over again but i will not give in god is with me and i accepted this from the start i knew i would be tested and i welcomed it, i told god i would accept the bitter cup to prove my faith wish me luck i feel it may happen again very soon as i am already feeling my soul weaken
Hey man. I went through this for years. You've already proven to be stronger than me, because I did not resist as you are doing. i gave into the temptations. I dunno what to say about what you should do, but I think you are on the right path. Just keep your head up. Doubt is insidious and can cause a great deal of confusion within yourself, but it eventually passes. I empathize with you and will be praying for you.
Thank you i knew there was one about to happen again and i felt god pulling toward my bed to face it. I heard him tell me it was time to deal with some emotions and i thought he was talking about the earlier experience. But i turned off the light and suddenly something released inside me i though of how much my soul and heart and every part of my being wanted to have HIS love for not my love for him.I have always thought of how close i could be to god and how if i had his love we would be so very close and it hurt inside but i repress the pain. I started to cry hard asking him why? why could we not have the relationship i wanted? why does he hold back and is it because i am too weak? i told him how much i wanted his love inside me and it only made me cry more knowing i could not have it. I have done this very same thing before and he did not answer, i have prayed for it many many times but this is one prayer he just doesnt answer and i figure it must be my fault. finally i knew he wanted me to get up, i know i will keep going and move forward but today i am crushed and depressed i cannot keep going today, all day i have been kept away from his presence and i never once lost hope, I still love him with all my might but i just give up today perhaps the devil got the best of me today but i have faith i will be revived. I am so sad and confused after the last experience why can i not have his love?
Yeah, the same with me as ForthAngel said. I gave into temptations before too, even though I knew better. I had some friends who I had to stop hanging out with because all they wanted to do was drugs/drink. They were my best and only friends though. It was hard to let that go. I have learned that we have to prepare our hearts and be committed to resist any temptations that come across our path, to not do evil, and to keep our mind stayed on God. David said “My heart is fixed (or prepared), O God, my heart is fixed : I will sing and give praise” (Psalms 57:7) This is what he wrote when he was hiding in a cave from Saul who wanted to kill him. David’s men tried to get him to kill Saul and seize the throne which was rightfully his, but he didn’t, even though it would have been in self-defense and no one would have blamed him. But he prepared his heart that he wouldn't take the kingdom by killing Saul. Even Saul said “the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed?” (1 Sam 24:18-19). Most people in that situation would probably have killed Saul. But David already settled what he would do so there were no other options. That's commitment It was written about king Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles 12:14 "And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD". Again, it's important to keep fixing our eyes on God so we don't slip into anything else or go against God's will.
You're on the right path! Keep putting God first in your life and resist the devil and he will flee from you!
By the way, it really is blessing me to read your journey in Christ
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name" Hebrews 13:15
It was written about king Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles 12:14 "And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD". Again, it's important to keep fixing our eyes on God so we don't slip into anything else or go against God's will. You're on the right path! Keep putting God first in your life and resist the devil and he will flee from you!
By the way, it really is blessing me to read your journey in Christ
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name" Hebrews 13:15
God does love you and that will never change. It says in 1 John 4:8-10 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. " I know sometimes we don't "feel" God's presence, but we have to believe that God is with us and loves us because he said it in his word. There will probably be many more days without the feeling of the presence of God, but he is there with you. In fact, we can keep ourselves in God's love and build up our faith as it says in Jude 1:20-21: "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." Just keep his words on your mind
Thank you for you encouragement Luckily I did not sin as far as i know but it was still worth it going through all of this because he is worth it and i will go through it again because like david my heart is set on god which is why it hurts so much not be in love with him and having a relationship as close as i want. i suppose it's a good thing that i want his love inside me so much but it's torture not being able to have it. I am sure i wont be sad tomorrow, and i did do god's will all day even when i was crying and asking him why because i knew he wanted me to stop holding it in. Although i am wondering why i felt so far away from him all day, and to keep my eyes on god the whole time was hard but a success. he told me through a song he would be waiting on the other side for me and he would never let me go. and also for me to trust him and to believe that what i see is not what he sees.even now through song he says there is pain in the night but joy in the morning and that he knows that i love him. I promise i am not crazy it is just god has made it where i can understand what he says. even the whole time i was crying he told me to be strong.
once again i woke up with little sleep and felt the tug of the lord. As i predicted I am feeling better. i am still a little shaken from yesterday but i can give god my all today. True enough i cannot feel god's presence but i trust he is here, I cannot help but feel my time of trial is not yet come to en end. But my love for god will never die, i made him a promise that since he won't let go of me i will not let go of him. even now my soul feels weak but perhaps this is to prove to the devil that i will not give in to his demands, that god wants to prove my faith is pure. I know he believes in me so i will continue to go forward with strength
I finally realize what is going on here god made it very clear to me. i have as i have said prayed to be so very close to god and to be the person god wants me to be. i was frustrated because god did not answer my prayer for such a long time, but it was made clear to me that what happened to me yesterday was god answering my prayer, i finally understand that i must face this and i must go through this spiritual pain. The reward for my endurance will be great, a smooth pebble can only be smooth from being washed over wave over wave from the tide. suffering builds character, for now i am in god's peace but i must leave it and face the pain in order to be the person i so deeply desire to be. What started yesterday must be finished, I did not know it during the struggle yesterday but god was and is actually answering my prayer.
Good morning well i am still in a dry season but i get a moment of joy knowing that after this i will find joy in the lord again. I am continuing to pray and read his word, yesterday i was too weak to give him my best. As much as i wanted to i just didn't have it in me, not because my faith and trust was to weak but i was broken inside. even today i am not my usual self but i have enough strength to try my best for him today, I still feel weak inside but i am not willing to give up. The devil tells me that my faith is not pure and i am to weak to keep strong in such a powerful dry season, But i refuse to believe that i know god will save me in just the right moment. I bet the devil told god if i was weakened inside and i went through the worst dry season yet then i would give up and do whatever i wanted. But i am sure god is allowing this to prove to the devil he is wrong, As much as i want to give up and do whatever i cannot, i noticed whenever i am away from my sanctuary where i spend all my time with god( My room) and i watch t.v. for a bit or do something else i feel much better. And i notice this so i go back into prayer and the weak sinking feeling returns which leads me to believe satan really does not want me to give my all for god. i think this is the worst dry season for me yet because it will not go away because i keep resisting it and keeping my eyes on god. But all the encouragement you guys give me uplifts me for a moment and gives me more strength. LOL even now god is telling me to shine for him in this dry season
well i am still in a dry season but i get a moment of joy knowing that after this i will find joy in the lord again. I am continuing to pray and read his word, yesterday i was too weak to give him my best. As much as i wanted to i just didn't have it in me, not because my faith and trust was to weak but i was broken inside. even today i am not my usual self but i have enough strength to try my best for him today, I still feel weak inside but i am not willing to give up. The devil tells me that my faith is not pure and i am to weak to keep strong in such a powerful dry season, But i refuse to believe that i know god will save me in just the right moment. I bet the devil told god if i was weakened inside and i went through the worst dry season yet then i would give up and do whatever i wanted. But i am sure god is allowing this to prove to the devil he is wrong, As much as i want to give up and do whatever i cannot, i noticed whenever i am away from my sanctuary where i spend all my time with god( My room) and i watch t.v. for a bit or do something else i feel much better. And i notice this so i go back into prayer and the weak sinking feeling returns which leads me to believe satan really does not want me to give my all for god. i think this is the worst dry season for me yet because it will not go away because i keep resisting it and keeping my eyes on god. But all the encouragement you guys give me uplifts me for a moment and gives me more strength. LOL even now god is telling me to shine for him in this dry season
well the dry season is gone and praise god but it did change me in a good and bad way. Now i just want to know god so much more i kknow that when i obtain the relationship i so deeply desire with god even in a bad situation I can be like stephen in acts and have the face of an angel. one day even when something like what happened to me i will not worry or doubt god but rejoice that i am worthy to suffer for the lord. Also i have the desire to shine brighter and soar higher for god than any other men, to be set apart from others for his glory but this is where i am worried and confused. why do i desire this? is this for me or for god? and where did this come from? I also am having trouble waiting for the appointed time when i can have the relationship with god i want. I looked at the depth in the love and trust i want for god and i could not find an end. It just keeps going deeper. i really need help understanding this i hope i am wanting these things for god
but it did change me in a good and bad way. Now i just want to know god so much more i kknow that when i obtain the relationship i so deeply desire with god even in a bad situation I can be like stephen in acts and have the face of an angel. one day even when something like what happened to me i will not worry or doubt god but rejoice that i am worthy to suffer for the lord. Also i have the desire to shine brighter and soar higher for god than any other men, to be set apart from others for his glory but this is where i am worried and confused. why do i desire this? is this for me or for god? and where did this come from? I also am having trouble waiting for the appointed time when i can have the relationship with god i want. I looked at the depth in the love and trust i want for god and i could not find an end. It just keeps going deeper. i really need help understanding this i hope i am wanting these things for godI had the joy of waking up around three in the morning to praise god. I woke up excited to read his word and pray to Jesus, one day i will truly know him and like paul in the new testiment I will give up everything especailly my life for him. As i read his word i cannot help but feel at peace and happyness, I pray that I can be in the lords peace and joy all day and that i will grow enormously from reading his word. I cannot seem to stop reading it LOL but it is really amazing how yesterday I felt lost and confused, I felt weak and sad in my faith but i decided to read his word praying for his help with my hand on my bible and when i began to read his word all my worries were gone and my faith was strong again. Now i ask my savior who gave his life but also gave me my hope again what is his will for me today? For now i will keep reading the bible as i am sure his will is going to show it's self soon