Here's my story....

So....where do we begin? Here's my story....

I wasn't raised in a Christian home. My dad wasn't by any means and my mom wasn't because of him. At 10 years of age they divorced. Oh well on my part. My Papaw on my dad's side told him as long as she took care of us boys, my brother and I, she could live in the house as long as she wanted. My Papaw owned the land the house was on. After a couple of years my mom started dating. Nothing wrong with that. The man she chose was a die hard Christian. After a while she wanted my brother and I to go to church with them. That wasn't my thing. Needless to say I was kicked out at the ripe old age of 14 because I "didn't follow their rules". Her arguement was "my house my rules" mine was "Its Papaw's house and you don't pay the bills." She didn't. Papaw paid everything other than a home phone that I never used. At 14 years old on November 14 1998 I moved in with my Papaw. On the 15th he told my mom to GTFO. She moved away with my brother.

Honestly, I'm over this now. Here's where it gets into God and the such. I didn't believe. For a long time. At least 20 years as I'm only 28 now. You could say most of my life. Back in Feb. 2012 I went to a men's home for my drinking that I have been doing since I was 20. I drank every night 7 days a week. It was Christ based. I balked and fought the whole way there but settled for it for 30 days instead of 60 days in jail. Not a hard choice. At the home I found God. I met a lot men there that had had their lives truly changed thru the power of Jesus Christ. I wanted to be one of those men.

After 7 months from being there I struggle with the whole God thing. I do see His works in my day to day life, but if anything goes wrong like it does in life for anyone, I can't see the point of giving God the glory. It seems He wants the praise for the good things but if something goes wrong He throws his hands up saying "Not my fault". Why is that?

I'm not posting this to troll or go against God. I want people here to help me and reaffirm my faith. To let me know that the changes I want in my life are the right things. How am I to know? What if I'm doing this all wrong and I just don't know it. While I was at the home and praying 6-7 hours per day I felt like I could hear God speaking to me. Now that I'm back to my hometown and I honestly don't pray like I did and I feel lost. I guess I could get back to that but life takes over. I have a job and bills to worry about. I can't devote most of my day to prayer. I guess I could but child support would want to know where the money is. ATS is full of great people and I know someone has gone thru this and can give me advice on how to handle this.

I believe that God has a plan and predestined plan for every single person in this life. He doesn't simply through his hands up when things go bad, and you should not expect only good things to come just because you pray to him, that is not how it works. He knows everything that is going to happen to you before they happen. He is omniscient, all knowing. The reason things go bad in your life is so that you may learn from them. Only God knows why he does the things he does to us, and we will find out once we die and go to heaven. Every person is placed on this world by God to fulfill their mission, to live for and glorify God. Do not be discouraged when bad things happen to you, for God knows exactly what he is doing. He does not make mistakes. Keep up with your faith! Start going to church and taking their classes to learn exactly what the word of God means and what he spoke through his son Jesus.

Might I add, that God does not require constant prayer to him. He already knows what you are going to pray to him and ask of him before you even do. Pray when others need assistance, and pray for yourself when you need assistance. And by assistance I do not mean "help me win the lottery" or "help me get this girl." Pray for the salvation of others and yourself, for no one is perfect. We live a life of constant sin that needs forgiving. This is why many pray once a day usually at night.

reply to post by Greenx06


No I don't pray for those things. I did the whole pray to get a girl thing. I got what I wanted. It was a complete disaster. At least I can learn from it I guess.

My whole thing is why? I've asked my mom, ex girlfriend, even the preacher of the church I used to go to. I ask why and I get shut out like I'm the bad guy. I'm not perfect by any means but to have a preacher blow you off is very dishearting.

Originally posted by Greenx06
He doesn't simply through his hands up when things go bad, and you should not expect only good things to come just because you pray to him, that is not how it works.

That's not what he's saying. He's asking why you give credit to god for all of your redemptive qualities and accomplishments yet he is not to blame for "failures" or things you do not like about your life.

I do not have a fair answer to this but I just wanted to clarify his question since it seemed you misunderstood it a bit.

God once told Norvel Hayes the church is sadly lacking because we do not worship Him enough.

That would be a real good place to start...

I suspect that He loves you and miss's you VERY much.

OUR NEED TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP HIM

In the Bible, when people wanted to hear God's Voice directly, they spent hours (sometimes days) on their faces before God worshiping and praising Him. Sometimes, but not always, they fasted. Reverend Hayes takes you through scripture and reveals that the proper atmosphere in which God speaks and moves is one of BIBLICAL praise and worship. Acts 13:1-2 states, "Now there were in the church that was in Antioch certain prophets and teachers...as they ministered (praise and worship) to the Lord, and fasted, THE HOLY GHOST SAID, 'Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work where unto I have called them.' "

Now notice, they did three things: They came together with other believers. They praised God. They fasted. And what happened? God SPOKE to them. In Matthew 16:21-28 a woman comes to Jesus and wants her sick daughter healed. Jesus ignores her and refuses to talk to her. Then she comes to Him again, and it says "Then came she AND WORSHIPED Him, saying, Lord, help me" and Jesus delivers her daughter.

Praise and worship is the Biblically proper way to approach God. Psalms 100:4 tells us how to approach God: Have thanksgiving in your heart, and praise, express your thanks to Him, and bless His Holy Name. The reason? Because His Mercy endures FOREVER!

God told Norvel Hayes the church is sadly lacking. We do not worship Him enough. You have to get alone in the privacy of your home and get on your knees and just worship Jesus, telling Him how much you love Him and appreciate Him. So I did. And after a few weeks, suddenly, God began to speak. The first time God spoke to me He warned me a person's life was in danger. I thought I was just hearing voices, so I ignored it. Later, the very person God had mentioned almost died. I repented and vowed to believe and obey when He speaks.

After a while, Jesus began to appear to me. He would just walk in my room like an ordinary person and sit and talk to me. This happened every day at 6 PM on the dot. I would often tell a Christian woman at my work place what He said. She would always says, "Oh, that's Romans Chapter 8" or "That's Timothy the 2nd chapter," or "That's John Chapter 7." I told the Lord, "What is she talking about?" He told me to look in my Bible. The Bible is separated into books, each book has a title, each chapter and verse has a number. Hence, John 3:16 is John (the Gospel) the third chapter, the 16th verse: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoseover believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I looked it up. He was right.

The very next day 6 PM came and no Lord. I waited till 6:05 and began to wonder. At 06:07 I began to pray. God spoke to me and said, "You have no need I appear to you. You now know all I ever did say and ever will say is what the Bible says. The Bible is My Holy Word. It is YOUR responsibility to read the Bible and find out what it says."

To this day, if I have a vision or appearance, and IT DOESN'T AGREE WITH THE BIBLE, I reject it. Period. God stays in line with the Holy Word. Jesus Himself said the scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35, Matthew 5:18.) If you want God to speak to you, read your Bible. The Bible IS God talking to you. And yes, stick with the 1611 King James version. Spend time in praise and worship so you can discern what the Bible is saying.

Testimonies - Bud

Norvel Hayes Video on Worship
Worship Unleashing the Supernatural Power of God in Your Life
Worship - Unleashing the Supernatural Power of God
How to Become a Wise Man in Gods Eyes Worship Him

The answer is that you pray for the forgiveness of your sins and the sins of others. Why you ask? Well because this is what God has instructed us to do through his son Jesus. It is not enough to simply say you are with God. You must live to glorify him. Simply, we pray because we were instructed to by God through Jesus. And to truly practice Christianity in its text, you follow the word of God blindly, for if you put your trust in him, he will give you salvation for eternity in heaven.

reply to post by Cuervo


Well, I guess the answer is he is to credit for "failures" But what are failures in our eyes are not failures in Gods eyes, for he does everything for a reason. So, for in his plan it calls for you to for example go through a really hard hard break up, well that is actually a success to God because he planned for that to happen for he wishes you to learn, which in time, you will learn to appreciate and except everything that happens to you, and it doesnt appear to be a "failure" in your eyes any more.

reply to post by Murgatroid


So where do I start? I love to read. Been reading ATS for years. Read books since I can remember. The Bible leaves me baffeled. Do I start at the beginning or do I go straight to the gospel? Or the end? The Bible is a lot of books right? So I can just start anywhere I want?

Originally posted by Greenx06
reply to post by Cuervo

 

go through a really hard hard break up, well that is actually a success to God because he planned for that to happen for he wishes you to learn, which in time, you will learn to appreciate and except everything that happens to you

So... I ask for something from God, yes a woman who was suppose to be a Christian, she lies and cheats on me non stop. God thought this was a good idea? This is a blessing? If it taught me anything its not to trust women. Nothing else.

Just to add the home I was at taught us to pray in tongues. They said it was how the Holy Spirit prayed thru you when we/I didn't know what to pray about.

reply to post by 03Smoker


Great question. I too just recently started reading the bible. I started with the gospel according to John. This is one of the longest, if not, the longest gospels regarding the life of Jesus, the son of God. It is important to really come to know and love Jesus for he was gods mortal presence on earth, the first and only time he has done so until the promised second coming. Then I would read Genesis. Now, Genesis is quite lengthy and hard to follow at times due to long explanations of lineage, but it is important to know how God created the universe and the earth and mankind. After I read Genesis, I read the gospel of according to Matthew. John, Luke, Mathew and Mark are all accounts of Jesus life and contain many of Jesus' word, which is also the word of God, for he is Gods mortal form on Earth. This is where I am at currently. I would suggest picking up a Study Bible, for they put the verses in easy to understand explanation in sections below the actual text. I also suggest you get in to Church ASAP! Start following along with the readings and take some bible study classes to help further understand. Take great length into finding a church that you really like. There is no specific church that God says you must go to. Being not raised Christian benefits you actually because you are free to explore any church you like and have not been associated with a particular congregation since youth like many followers today. Try to join a congregation that really takes the word of the bible as literal as possible. This is important, at least to me, because these are the teachings of Christ and God, along with the word of Christ and God, therefore, they should be taken as literally as possible, no crazy interpretations or anything. Just simply what is written, is what I believe. This is my advice to you, I really hope that it can help you to grow your faith stronger. Oh, and do not be shy! There are so many people involved with various churches who will love you and help you as much as possible in growing your faith stronger!

reply to post by 03Smoker


I couldnt tell you Gods reasoning for why he did it. Wish I could but only he knows. Perhaps he meant to show you that, hey, just because a girl is supposedly "Christian" that claiming the title does not mean she is pure. For there are many who claim to be christian, though they live there life filled with sin. Thus bringing this process for you to learn what a true Christian is, so that, when ready, you may seek these qualities out in another woman and know what to truly look for. Who knows? Only God does, simple as that.

reply to post by 03Smoker


I have never heard that before. There are always things to pray about. One you should pray about every single time is asking for the forgiveness of your sins, because no one is free of sin, we are constantly sinning, meaning we need to praying and asking for forgiveness of that. Also, the prayer for others. Even for people who may not be Christian, even people whom do you harm whether physically, emotionally, etc. You pray for their salvation, that they may except Jesus into their lives, so that they too can be saved.

reply to post by Greenx06


I agree. There are plenty of things to pray about. But when you pray for hours on end, of gets redundant. After 15-30 minutes you honestly run out of things to ask for. This is where people get lost on me. Why keep praying if there's nothing to pray for?

I worry this is where I lose people. I pray for everything. Everything man thinks I should. It leads me to nothing. Why keep on?

reply to post by 03Smoker


Praying for things hours on end, although great! Seems excessive. The lord knows and understands that you must live life also to provide for yourself and your family or family in the future. You must, overall, live to glorify him him yes, but this does not require constant prayer to him. I think you may have been fed some misinformation during your stay at the home. Pray for however long it takes for you to pray for what you need to, if this takes hours and hours, then, well, great! The reward is eternal life in the presence of God when we die, and also living a good and humble life here on earth. I understand, I really do because I am in the midst of my own struggle as well, how frustrating it is to not see direct results for the good work, good practice, and good faith we do for our lord, but we will be rewarded in the end. And when you really sit down and think, we are being rewarded right now. Gods way of doing things is he doesnt give us what we want, but what we need. What we need is the ability to spread the word of God, for it is our mission through him, and to live peaceful, humble lives helping one another in the best way possible.

Originally posted by 03Smoker
So where do I start? I love to read. Been reading ATS for years. Read books since I can remember. The Bible leaves me baffeled. Do I start at the beginning or do I go straight to the gospel? Or the end? The Bible is a lot of books right? So I can just start anywhere I want?

I recommend that you find a good teacher locally.

That can be VERY hard to do although, contact me if you need help with that.

In the mean time here is some of the best teaching materials you will ever find anywhere:



How to Grow in God
www.daveroberson.org...

Transformation of the Soul
www.daveroberson.org...

There are things you can do to strengthen yourself. First, don’t stop praying in tongues as you go about your daily business. As you do so, you are praying God’s perfect will for your life and everything that Christ is in you and has for you. Second, spend much time in private worship. God is calling you into His Presence, for that is the only place you will find fullness of joy–His joy–which will be your strength. And, finally, learn the process of assimilation that causes the meditation of His Word.

Entering into times of assimilating the Word of God fills and occupies your mind with what God is saying instead of what the devil is saying and doing. Give your mind over to the truth that helps you defeat the enemy; focus on bathing your mind in God’s Word and let His Word fortify your emotions with His strength.

But remember this: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God–not by your preconceived ideas of what the Word says. Faith doesn’t come through your victories, nor does it come through your defeats. It only comes one way: by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Trust me when I say that I wouldn’t hesitate to fill up my mind with the Bible. I wouldn’t wait one second!

The truth is, one of the greatest things you can ever do is to assist the Holy Spirit, your Teacher, in assimilation–by offering your soul on the altar of God’s Word. When you learn to offer your soul on the altar of God’s Word for assimilation, your soul will work for you instead of against you, and a “day-and-night” kind of meditation will begin to take place that will astound you. People will begin to ask you, “How did you learn the things you know about the Word?”

To this end, I recommend that you start by reading the book of First John fifty times. If you will read this little book once a day, it will only take you fifty days to accomplish your goal. Then one day you’ll glorify God that the truths of First John are the thoughts that are planted in your mind instead of the ones the devil is trying to put there!

I want to stress this point one more time: You can strengthen yourself and maintain your victory over a defeated devil by praying in tongues, spending time in private worship, and filling your mind with God’s Word. So don’t wait on anyone else to begin his preparation, and don’t wait to understand all the reasons why you should do it. Just begin by reading the book of First John fifty times. This is the way you prepare yourself for assimilation.

This book of the Bible is worthy of so much more than a quick scanning or the selecting of a verse out of context to favor one’s debate. This is 105 years of wisdom recorded in five chapters.

People have asked me, “Should I play the whole Bible all the way through?” You can do that, but I recommend that you focus on one book at a time. Listen to a small book of four to six chapters, such as First John, Galatians, Ephesians, or Colossians.

Assimilate the Word - A Key to Victory
profiles.google.com...

The Walk of the Spirit-The Walk of Power
www.daveroberson.org...

Dave Roberson Series (MP3's)
www.daveroberson.org...

Dave Roberson - Crippled Boy Gets Healed By the Power Of God
www.youtube.com...

BTW don't forget the links in the previous post by Norvel Hayes.

reply to post by 03Smoker


You are referring to the pendulum type experience that everyone goes through. Nothing escapes this effect that shows up individually, nationally and globally. This is the cycle of nature. All points of joy are followed by times of trial and testing. God develops your faith by first showing you a truth, followed by a time of testing what is learned. The comforter (Holy Spirit) will always step in to show you truth. For every truth that is shown, you will experience that truth first hand by way of trials. God's work on your faith is a matter of cutting away pride. This is the flaming sword mentioned in Genesis 3 that protects the tree of life.

The Tree of Life is based on four baptisms: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. Spirit is the final baptism.

Answer this question: Why do you face trials in life? Simple. What you fail to master will master you. Each time God shows you a weakness within yourself, life is mastering you. The thing that masters you will keep appearing until you master that thing. God gives you the ability and tools. It's up to you to face your Goliath in life. All you need is a sling and a stone. Noting fancy when you are stepping out in the name of the Lord. David is the archetype for this. David also struggled with sin in his life. We are all in this situation. In the end, David was found to be a man after God's own heart. In the middle, he was tempted and failed many times. It's a process. You can follow the swing of the pendulum in the lives of all Bible characters.

This is a sure sign that God is developing your faith. It's never a reason to doubt this fact. Life is all about suffering. Suffering is the meaning of life.

If you smoke, you get cancer. Why? You took a reward that was not meant to be taken. Taking makes us a thief and we suffer the debt. How do you overcome this? Instead of smoking, you need can suffer the work of developing health. Go to the gym and put the cigarettes in the trash. Will you receive the reward of more life for doing so? Yes. This is because suffering on purpose creates reward. This is the secret to living life well and mastering what would otherwise master you. Suffer forward instead of suffering as a result.

For more, see the link in my signature. I explain the five baptisms there.

Life is full of peaks and valleys, ebbs and flows. Whatever one believes isn't going to change that. But you can change your attitude toward it. Stop expecting the worst from life, and start expecting the best for and from yourself. Share your life experiences with others who may be going through similar circumstances, and can benefit from your insight.

You will find that when you genuinely reach out to help others, you start getting answers to your own questions. But bitterness, and introversion, will lock you in a prison of your own making.

I don't believe in the Christian, or any other God. But I would ask you one question. If the God you believe in allowed you to go through life with little in the way of trials and experiences to work your way through, what kind of a God would that be?

reply to post by 03Smoker

I drank every night 7 days a week. It was Christ based. I balked and fought the whole way there but settled for it for 30 days instead of 60 days in jail. Not a hard choice. At the home I found God. I met a lot men there that had had their lives truly changed thru the power of Jesus Christ. I wanted to be one of those men.

You had a tough life, both Parents were not there for you, on top of that you had drinking problem. Its easy to rely on this "god" illusion because its is not going to reject you. You wanted to change your lifestyle but could not by yourself, so you gave up on yourself and decided to take the easy road.

I do see His works in my day to day life, but if anything goes wrong like it does in life for anyone, I can't see the point of giving God the glory. It seems He wants the praise for the good things but if something goes wrong He throws his hands up saying "Not my fault". Why is that?

You kinda seem to be getting it, You see "his" work because you want to see it. Its coincidence or just natural, which is proven by the things that go wrong.

I want people here to help me and reaffirm my faith. To let me know that the changes I want in my life are the right things. How am I to know? What if I'm doing this all wrong and I just don't know it. While I was at the home and praying 6-7 hours per day I felt like I could hear God speaking to me.

Trouble in your life without anyone to comfort you for so many years have brought to a stage where you need this "god" to live you life, Like many you are relying on this illusion too much.

Now that I'm back to my hometown and I honestly don't pray like I did and I feel lost

Addiction is hard to get rid of.