Please pray for me and my family

[TheAristocrat]

Hi,
For the last ten years I have been striving to change my life and get closer to God. It's been in some ways very succesful, and in others a complete disaster throughout this period. I have rid many bad things from my life and in mind and heart am night and day different even to how I was this time last year, but other aspects of my life have continued to deteriorate. I used to be a very easy going, positive and thoroughly content person. In a way that wasn't dependant of what went on around me. But somehow, through the course of time this has been completely erroded into negativity, fear, failure and outright desolation. I have lost all my friends, my family life is horrible, everything (and I do mean everything) has gone wrong for me, wether it's just daily things or something that I actively try to do, many health issues. It's reached a point where I am totally drained and struggling to mount another offensive. This time is different, this time I don't even have the will to live. I have lost any enjoyment in life, to the point where I barely even talk. For the last month thought long and hard about it, and concluded there is nothing for me in this life. I've prayed for God to take me away, a rediculous thing to do, but circumstances bring out a different perspective. I don't know what more I can give, and I don't even want to continue on anyway. I know that God loves me, and I know it's not his fault things are the way they are, but irrespective of that, thing's are very dire and I have long since past the limit of what I can cope with. I have been a Christian long before all things went so wrong, just so you are more aware of my background in that regard. Thanks for you time, any assistance will be gratefully received.

 

[Coconut]

Brother, have you considered that in all your striving to get closer to God...that all these things 'going wrong' are Gods way of drawing you closer to Him?

The clay prays draw me closer to you Lord, and so the Lord picks up that lump of clay and puts it on the wheel...and that wheel no sooner starts turning, and the clay cries out, thats enough, put me down! ah...when life gets messy, how quickly the clay forgets his prayers have been answered, and whose hands Hes being held closely in...
how different would be our outlook if only we would trust those hands.

God knows what He is doing in your life, and it is not unusual for Him to bring a man to the end of himself so He can accomplish His will with his life. It has been my observation that is exactly what God does with those He chooses. Your conclusions about your life are based upon your own will and understanding, but change your hearts cry and prayer to 'not my will but yours Lord' and wait and see what God will do ...

Martin Luther in his Lectures on Romans says:

"So necessary is patience that no work can be good when patience is lacking, for the world is so perverted and the devil so wicked that he cannot pass a good work by without challenging it, but it is through this challenge that God in His wonderful good judgment tests the good work that pleases Him.

Let us therefore keep the following canonical and practical rule: As long as we are doing good and do not experience as a result of it opposition, hatred, trouble, or harm, so long we have reason to worry that our work has not pleased God as yet, for trial and patience have not been applied as yet, and God has not yet approved it, because He has not yet tested it. For He does not approve what He has not tested before.

But if our work is immediately attacked, then let us be of good cheer and firmly trust that it is well-pleasing to God, that is, believe that it is of God Himself, for what is of God must be crucified in the world. So long as it does not lead to the cross (that is, to shameful suffering), it is not recognized as a work that comes from God, inasmuch as the only begotten Son was not protected against this experience but rather was appointed as an example of it."

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10).

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in great in heaven.” (Matthew 5:12)

"Those who complain and are impatient when they suffer while doing good deeds show that their good deeds are not of God but have been done on the basis of human righteousness, a righteousness in which a man for his own sake does good things because he seeks to be esteemed and to be honoured for it and because he flees and hates being attacked, slandered, and hated on account of it. Thus it is as clear as daylight that he does not do his good deed out of love and humility for God’s sake but that he does it for his own sake and for the sake of his own reputation, from a hidden conceit and love of self.

For he who wants to do good works on the basis of love and humility
for God’s sake will say to himself, when he is praised for it,

“I did not begin it for your sake, dear praise, therefore I shall not complete it for your sake.”

And when he is rebuked, he will say,

“ I did not begin it for your sake, O rebuke, and I shall not stop it for your sake.” He will happily continue what he has begun for the love of God, protected on the right and the left.

Therefore James 1:4 states: “Let patience have its perfect work.” …patience can bring about a perfect work, that is, one that is not infected by any vice nor begun by any desire for glory and in self-love nor left undone in fear of rebuke but carried out all the way in the love of God."

We read in Hebrew 10:36: “For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.”


Blessings

 

[TheAristocrat]

Thankyou for you response, I can take a lot from it. I intend to get back into my prayer life again, and reconnect with God like before. However, I do have one more thing I'd like to ask. There is a particular person that has been very difficult to deal with. It's my sister. Our relationship has always been one-sided, and dependant upon me absorbing whatever she has to dish out. However, almost two and a half years ago she got a new boyfriend. I was wary of him, and chose just to observe closely how things went, to my dismay he was everything I feared. And I have since watched my sister deteriorate, I can barely recognise the person she has become, how badly she treats my family and myself. Last November I overheared her talking to him, they were both running my family and I into the dirt, I don't really want to repeat what was said, but it was incredibly hurtful. I haven't spoken to her about it, and don't really want to as it will achieve nothing. I just kept praying for her for a few months, and ended up spending a lot of time with her, she acted all sweet and friendly to my face. It was hard, because in the back of my mind I was always questioning whether she really meant those things, or if she was just playing up to her boyfriend, who is intensely anti-family and anti-God. Well, I got my answer today, as I overheard her getting stuck into me behind my back again, but this time to my mother. I don't understand the motivation behind these attacks. I have faults, but I'm literally the kind of person that is very careful about what I say, nothing has left my mouth that could be ample ammunition for this. I have always been there for here, taken the verbal and physical onslaught without any retaliation. All that I wanted was for her to be saved, but instead she drifts further away and I am left feeling total grief. The burden is beyond anything I can cope with. I have no idea what to do about it. Will it be sinful for me to distance myself from her and eventually cut myself off from her? My emotions are all over the place, and thus am finding it hard to gain clarity in prayer. I applogise in advance for tacking onto my original post. You've already been very helpful and I appreciate your time.

God bless

 

[HoneyBare]

I would like to share something with you that I've recently shared on another post. It's about a book a counselor is having me read called "The Peace and Joy Principle" by Joe Propri.

It's about being contented in whatever situation you are in. And that God actually has a purpose for what you are going through. You just have to be patient and try to figure out what He is teaching you.

See, I'd been trying to change my circumstances, not seeing that maybe God has a plan in all of it. I'd been dependent on the world to produce the fruit of the Spirit in me. Trying to get them to change the way they do things so I could be content. Like wishing your sister would just be different.

The author uses an illustration of a vase and says the Bible says we are all vessels, containers, and that vessels have an outside that everyone can see, and an inside, of which we are aware, but only God can see. There are so many stresses that affect the inside of us (our vessel), to the point where at one point, we just spill it all out. We haven't learned yet that God has a plan to ensure our contentment.

For example, if someone curses me, I should bless him! (Rom 12:14) If someone does evil to me, I must overcome his evil with good (Rom 12:21), When a fiery trial comes into my life, I must not think it strange, but instead I must rejoice (I Peter 4:12:13). No matter how someone talks to me, my reply must be one that builds up, ministering grace to the hearer (Ephesians 4:29). Instead of thinking so much about myself and how the trial affects me, I must change that self-centered perspective into one which puts serving Christ and others first. It should be a Biblical view, not a self-centered view, or a world view.

It's something that doesn't come naturally for most of us, I'm sure. We have to work at it by renewing or minds, staying in the Word and overcoming that temptation that "is not too much to overcome." I Cor 10:13.

Lastly, he says whenever something comes up against him and he's tempted to put the blame on his circumstances, or blame someone else, he has learned to say, "Wait a minute! My peace and joy doesn't depend upon this!"

I hope this helped a little.

 

[levipattar]

God really wants to help every person He chooses to come out of his/her trials and temptations. I had my own problems way long before. Just as you are struggling I struggled hard too to overcome my problems. Then there was another person who was going through a similar problem and I prayed for that person with the same intensity I used to pray for myself. Then the Lord healed that person and me as well. Here the Lord fulfilled His word in me; Love thy neighbour as THYSELF.
Brother, what I feel is that you have to stop thinking about yourself now. Start serving the Lord. All you need to do is start praying for others earnestly and you will see the Lord taking care of you and your people and your house. I believe this will surely help you.
May the Lord bless you and may His grace be with you to the end of the earth.

 

[Boanerges]

Hi,
For the last ten years I have been striving to change my life and get closer to God. It's been in some ways very succesful, and in others a complete disaster throughout this period. I have rid many bad things from my life and in mind and heart am night and day different even to how I was this time last year, but other aspects of my life have continued to deteriorate. I used to be a very easy going, positive and thoroughly content person. In a way that wasn't dependant of what went on around me. But somehow, through the course of time this has been completely erroded into negativity, fear, failure and outright desolation. I have lost all my friends, my family life is horrible, everything (and I do mean everything) has gone wrong for me, wether it's just daily things or something that I actively try to do, many health issues. It's reached a point where I am totally drained and struggling to mount another offensive. This time is different, this time I don't even have the will to live. I have lost any enjoyment in life, to the point where I barely even talk. For the last month thought long and hard about it, and concluded there is nothing for me in this life. I've prayed for God to take me away, a rediculous thing to do, but circumstances bring out a different perspective. I don't know what more I can give, and I don't even want to continue on anyway. I know that God loves me, and I know it's not his fault things are the way they are, but irrespective of that, thing's are very dire and I have long since past the limit of what I can cope with. I have been a Christian long before all things went so wrong, just so you are more aware of my background in that regard. Thanks for you time, any assistance will be gratefully received.

My friend, what we view as trials, what we view as failure, all these things are often God bringing us to the end of ourselves so that He can use us greatly.
As far as what life has; we are to strive for His will to be done (seek first the kingdom) and along the way we are changed (then He is free to give us the desires of our heart).

Do not be discouraged.

Read the Word of God daily, ask the Holy Spirit (our Teacher) to show you what it means and how to apply it in your life.

Spend time in prayer, talk to God.
Learn to include Him in every aspect of your life. His Holy Spirit is constantly with you wanting to lead, guide, help, comfort. etc so learn to incorporate an awareness of the presence of God in your life.

Spend time in worship. This communion of love will strengthen your heart and draw you closer to God than you can imagine. He is desiring an intimate walk with you, He is ready, He is willing and He is able.

You are in my prayers.
Many blessings in His wonderful Name,
your brother Larry.