Help (1st post)

I found the board thru another members profile (Thanks Kat). I need help. I am so lost. I was raised in a Christian home, and accepted Jesus into my life many years ago. Like many others I have had a life of ups & downs. I have been treated badly and hurt many times. I ended up losing faith & pulling away from the Lord. I came to the conclusion last year that I wasn't getting anywhere in life by not including the Lord in there and that I needed to change some things. I did make a few small changes but not enough to really get the Lord into my life where he belongs. Something has happened in the last few days that has turned my life upside down (not comfortable sharing the specifics). I am doubting myself, doubting the decisions that I am making for my life. My problem is that I don't know how to seek his help for the answers. I know that he hears all in prayer but I don't know how to see/hear his answers. How do I get the help I need from him when I am not sure that I will get the answer and follow the right path? How do I trust enough to put myself in his hands, how do I decide where to go from this point and what to do with my life? Please help.

Ahh I always say I just wish God would send me an e-mail so I know for sure what He's saying! You know He hears you so you know He will answer you, He just doesn't always answer the way we want Him to. The best suggestion I can give you is to set aside some time strictly for you and God. Once you have told Him your needs just spend some time totally quiet, try to let go of the situation and see if you feel peace. That's how I know God is working, I feel this peace and calm in my heart, that He has everything under control. I know it's really hard at first, but just take time for Him everyday and before long you will "feel" His answers. Things will happen in your life and you'll think aha that's what He said. It takes time and patience but it will come. I'm sure some of the other folks here will also have great suggetions. There are folks here that are far wiser spiritually than I am. Just keep listening to that small still voice inside you. Karen

Thanks Karen. I am just so afraid that I won't hear/feel/see the answers he gives me and I will just screw things up more. I did as you suggested yesterday & this morning and all I can do it be patient, and know he is there for me.

Hey Court... Listen, God responds to everyone differently. I pray and I wait. I take things day by day and if I have a major issue that needs a resolution...well, I pray every chance I get for a solution and peace about the solution. I typically know when something is right or wrong by how I feel about it. If I feel no peace...then it's not right for me. It helps to be specific in prayer. VERY specific. So, for instance, if you want peace about a certain thing (say buying a house) then, you pray for God to provide the house at the right time, with unmistakeable peace. Then you know when it's right. Please let us know if there are specifics you want prayers sent out for. I'm praying for you. Lisa

Thanks Lisa. I responded to you in a pm.

Ok, this is a bit difficult, but I will give it a try. God answers every prayer - but not always in the affirmative and not always in the time frame we allow him. Also, I believe that we are made with free-will - free will is a pesky little thing. It allows us to ask for help, but also allows us not to accept or take that help. So if you are asking God to give you the "answer" you might have to go through a long dry period of waiting and praying before you get the answer - many times we are to impatient to wait, make a decision and then blame God if it turns out wrong. So if you are truely seeking God's will for your life then you need to give up your own life to get it. Example - about 10 years ago my husband and I separated. We had many issues to work on, but he did not want to keep the marriage together. I got mad - kicked him out - then got scared - then took him back - then kicked him out. All of this was my "free will". Finally I asked God to give me understanding in what was happening. It was not pretty -I came to see how much I was to blame within this ongoing battle of ours called a marriage. I was broken in my pride and gave my marriage over to God. I quit asking "why" and started praying "please". After about 2 weeks of prayer I saw a change in heart. Not my husbands, but mine. God was working on me - not the cir****tance. Without boring you to death - we were able to bring our marriage back together because I asked God to change me. You might need to ask God to change you too. Sometimes that change can be as small as having the courage to make a change. God is in all the decisions - even our wrong ones. Don't try to presume to know the mind of God or the future he has given you. If you rest in the knowledge that He is in control - you can simply ask for strength throught he dark times and give praise through the great times. Either way - He is God. Free Will - He gave it to us - and he is never wrong, so it must be alright to use it. Just remember to use it for His glory and you won't be wrong either. sally

Thanks Sally. You touched on some things that were in my thoughts and help me to understand a little.

Hi Ms Court!! First of all, I want to say that it is no accident that you are here, on this message board, posting your questions!! God has led you here by divine intervention. Therefore, God has brought you here for a purpose!! You have made the first step, the biggest step and that is giving your life back to him!! Praise God!! So far, everyone has responded with excellent advice and I agree 100% with what has been said. The other suggestions I would add to what has been said are: Get into a church that you are at peace with. I don't know your spiritual background, but how I found my church was that I knew what type I was looking for. My family really didn't have a religous background, actually the opposite. So when I received Jesus into my heart, I began looking at what styles I was comfortable, along with praying about this. I knew I wanted something contemporary, upbeat, lots of music and freedom to worship God! I wanted a place where i could fellowship with people my age and I felt comfortable at. I even knew that I wanted a Pastor that was intelligent, knew the Bible inside out etc... and yet was easy to understand!! I wanted a church of believers who were compassionate but could speak the truth etc.... Guess what, I found it!! This helped me alot!! They also offered classes for people who had the same questions you do!! They taught on these things and where in the bible it spoke about those issues. So If you don't have a church yet, pray for Gods guidance as to where to go. God can bring people into your life to help you if you aren't sure how to hear form God yet. So I would pray for this. The other suggestion I have would be to find some excellent books on these issues. Several Pastors talk about these very issues in small compact booklets. Some excellent authors/pastors are Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Olsteen, Joyce Meyers, Pastor Mac and Lynn Hammond (my pastors)--I know she has written severeal books on prayer and how to heard the Voice of God. Not sure what your background is--but these are what I would recommend if you were to come to my church. There are lots of other authors that are excellent, these are a few of them!! Please keep coming back here and reading and let us know how you are doing, if you need prayer and such, or simply if you need to vent. The bible never said that once you become a Christian, life will be easy. On the contrary, it can be the opposite. However, with Jesus in your life, the end reward far outweighs our trials and struggles on this earth! I hope this helps!! We are all here for you if you need anything!! God Bless!! Hugs, Lucy

Thanks Lucy. That is part of the problem. I don't have a church and at this point I have scheduling issues that are preventing me from finding one. I have two jobs and I work Sunday day shift at my part time job. I have looked at my options and I don't have many, I can't switch schedules with anyone at my job because there isn't another day/time that will work out because of the others schedules, my schedule with my full time job & kids and for the same reason switching jobs wouldn't work. Financially I can't quit the job at this point but hope in the next few months that will change. There is a church I am interested in checking out but they are small and kind of just getting started. They only offer Sunday a.m. services and Tuesday p.m. bible study. My best option at this point is to get to those bible study classes and work on my own daily worship and go from there. It is so frustrating at times because I do want things to happen right away.

Hi Court - you are VERY welcome! You have come to the right place. I cannot tell you the love and support I've found here on the boards (and off of them) since accepting God into my life more than ever. You are quite aware of the things I have been and am going through and for me it was because at one time (shudder to admit it out loud) I hated God and questioned him and felt as if he'd left me alone and discouraged and troubled and I all but banished him from my life. But, some things happened. Some people came into my life, some situations came to their breaking point and I for once said THATS IT God I'm broken, I'm down, I'm hurt, I've made mistakes, I've almost lost my life, friends, family, trust etc and NOW I'm begging for you to come into my life and change me and make things better. But, guess what? He's been here all along the way. You see Court God gives us choices. Sometimes we make the right ones and other times they aren't so great but we learn from those lessons and we TRY to make better choices the next time around. Is it easy? NO, nothing worth having in life is easy its ALL worth fighting for if you want something or realizing you've fought as much as you can and you have to make peace with things and move forward. I too have been raised in a VERY Southern Christian home and I admit getting lost along the way but each day I take it day to day mind you I am finding my way back to the Lord and there are days when I feel like I cannot even muster a smile but I do it anyway. Martina McBride has a WONDERFUL song you MUST here (which I KNOW you have most likely) called Anyway. Please know you are NOT alone and you have me and others that are here for you. As for seeking the answers to questions - lets be honest it won't be easy or simple but you have got to give things to God in a major way. Sometimes we have got to take steps back and see what is really happening. We need to pray every chance we get for guidance and clarity. Its a scary time in your life without even knowing the details and sometimes you've got to pull the wool from your eyes, get rid of the rose colored glasses and see things with fresh perspective. I am here for you no matter what..... Love ya, Kat