Please help me with my faith....?

Hello Ducky S,

I know how you feel, I too have been there many times and I am still struggling with my faith, however: you know what- God hears your prays and all of your request, just by going to him is an act of faith, so be not dismayed for he is with you.

Luke 9:23 makes it clear that faith is also sometimes hard, painful even: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me- that means go to God daily in pray, by doing this you are forgeting those things which are behind and straining toward what is ahead.

Ducky- what you are gonna have to do is get in the word of God and just begin to mediate on his scripture, because God cannot, could not, would not lie. We have to believe him at his word with all our heart and all our strength and all our being. I am not fully there yet, but I am pushing on Jesus name.

Ducky- here are some scriptures for you to stand on, please repeat the scriptures over and over and over until you get them down in your spirit, so that when negative thoughts come to your head you can speak the word of God on those thoughts

Phillipians 4:19- Ducky When you pray: Say- Father! Thank You that you keep ever promise you make. Your word says that you will supply all my needs according to your riches in Glory, by Christ Jesus. Therefore, I thank you that you will do this thing for me and my family. I ask this in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen.

Hebrews 6:18 it is "impossible for God to Lie"

Luke 1:37 for with God nothing shall be impossible.

John 16:24 "Ask", and Ye shall receive

Luke 11:10 "Knock", and the him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Hebrew 11:6 "SeeK", He is a rewarder of them that deligently seek him.

My God Bless you!

Dearheart,

You are most certainly not alone but I think we've all felt the way you feel sometimes. God IS with you, just look at the response you're receiving. That IS God, sometimes He doesn't appear like a big thunderbolt the way we think He does. We had a GREAT motivational sermon on this just a few weeks ago at church. Click on the link below and choose to listen to the message from Jan 6 & 7, "Experiencing the More you long for". Click on the little speaker symbol in the middle to hear a copy of the sermon. It was sooooooooo good and was directed toward your very question.

God bless and hang in there!

Sorry to hear about your difficulties, although there isn't much we can help without knowing a little more of the details. That being said, are you doing all you can to help yourself? God will help, but he expects each of us to work through our problems and come up with solutions...then we seek confirmation from God. Maybe your answer has already come, that you just need to move on, or get working, or something. God does love us, and He has given us the ability to make choices, and He often wants us to exercise this right. We are blessed, and will continue to be, if we do what He asks.

If you have some details you would like to share, or would like to converse more in private, feel free to email. Good luck.

When Jesus hung on the cross, He quoted Psalm 22, verse 1: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" The rest of verse 1 and verse 2 read: " Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent."

But think of this: when Jesus was on the cross, do you really believe God was far from Him? Many people teach that God turned His back on His Son, but this is so very far from the truth. The truth is that, as Jesus bore the sins of the world, God permited Jesus to suffer, but He NEVER turned away. I know in my heart that the Father watched every moment of Jesus' suffering and suffered in His heart, too.

Read the entirety of Psalm 22; notice what is written at verse 21b when Jesus dies: "You have delivered me."

My point is not that you are suffering because of some sin you committed (although you might be, I don't know -- that's between you and God). My point is this: we suffer because we live in an evil world controlled by the devil. But if we cling to God when we suffer, like a person close to drowning clings to a rock in the middle of a lake, never letting go until we are delivered -- there is great comfort for us.

I went through an incredibly difficult time in August when my youngest daughter was nearly murdered. I clung to Jesus firmly and didn't let go. I read the Bible and prayed constantly, seeking comfort and strength from Him throughout the day. Today, my faith is still strong and my daughter is completely recovered, praise God. It can be so for you, too.

I will pray for you to find such strength. Please send me a message through YA if I can help.

Such is the reason you have to trust yourself not to be let down by faith alone. If you feel like you're talking to a ceiling fan, 9 times out of 10 that's what everyone else would say you're doing (provided they are Athist like myself).

But, if you sit back, take a deep breath, release your feelings of depression and fear and everything else, sit and close your eyes, search for what is wrong, and confront it directly, then you'l have no problem using meditation on a daily basis.

Another thing to try is, if you have like a house pet, sit and pet the dog for a while. Watch a comedy movie or a chick-flick romance movie. Call a friend and pour your heart to them. Ther'e a very limited amount of help you can get from a forum post.

I have had a similar problem. Instead I felt God's presence,but he just wasn't listening.I was pissed,scared,and sad all at the same time.

Look into your relationship,and see if there are things that have been left unforgiven. That was the case for me.

Its a like having a really good friend,and all of a sudden they won't talk to you.Usually someone screwed up and didn't even notice. Its not something you can run away from,its something you have to sit down and really think about .

These words helped me so much,"Maybe...you are not liking your god's form of judgment."

Have you considered counseling?

You make no reference to the sort of problems you are encountering, and as such, you can't get any sollid advice.

If you want feel-good gushy stuff, you can find that in self-help books. You can read the psalms, (ignoring the part about dashing your enemies against the walls and rocks).

If you've got problems, you need to learn how to deal with them. I'm not recommending that you abandon your faith, but as James said, "Faith without works is dead". This means that instead of just praying, you need to DO SOMETHING.

If your life is a shambles, you need to do what you can to pick up the pieces and move.

If this means talking to a counselor, then do so. Find somebody who can help with the problems and DO SOMETHING.

What purpose could God possible have in allowing us to face terrible trials?

First, God allows trials to test our faith. He does not test our faith with the expectation that we will fail. Instead, His intention is for us to learn greater dependence on Him and have increased assurance in His power over the world. Unproven, untried faith is not worth much. How do we know what we can endure in life if our faith has not been tested?

The second reason the Lord allows us to face difficulty is to display His sustaining power for His children. As we've seen before, everyone--Christians and non-Christians--go through painful periods in life. By drawing on God's strength during these times, we can become a powerful testimony to those who do not know Christ.

Third, our trials equip us for effective work on behalf of others. When we go through hardship, we become specifically equipped. Then, we can empathize with and encourage others who may face a similar ordeal. This principle was an important part of the apostle Paul's active ministry. (2 Corinthians 1:4)

Finally, God permits trials in our lives to purify us. Hardships put pressure on us deep down inside. That's where we often try to hide sin, shameful habits, and areas of neglect. The Lord knows these things must be brought to the surface. We must face them openly and honestly if we're to become mature believers.

God has a purpose for every challenge He allows to come your way. Stand firm and allow Him to accomplish His will in your life--by whatever means He deems necessary.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (New American Standard Bible)

This will pass. I know it's hard but try to see the big picture. It sounds like it's time for you to be silent and listen. Really listen. Your deity probably already knows what you need. Just calm down and listen.

Something else that may help is to write a letter to your deity. Sometimes it helps to get things out on paper. Plus--believe it or not--that letter may provide you with hope and strength in the future.

Warmest wishes that you will find the peace and answers you are looking for.

Perhaps sweetie this is the time that your God is carrying you, you may not realize it, but He's there for you. Sometimes when we are at our lowest point and think that we are going to lose faith, this is when our God is sitting right there with us, or carrying us, or holding our hand....we are just too caught up in our Earthly misery to notice. Take a deep breath, think of the reason you are the faith you are, list mentally all those things that are important to you in your faith and life, then thank your God that you have those things. Sometime, when we are low, if we think of what we DO have instead of what we don't have, this will help you see that God hasn't abandoned us. Good luck dear!