Yesterday, I got a rare hit to a forgotten post, “”Now faith” worked FAST” from 7-20-10, and curiosity lead me to read it. It said, in part:
“One of the things I had faith that God would do for me today was something unusual; that a friend (any friend) would contact me today, preferably by phone. And someone DID call”
When I saw that, it inspired me to ask Him to have someone contact me today; I said a call would be nice, but email or IM would be great too. When I got up today, I had an email from a friend who hadn’t responded in a MONTH, saying that she wanted to schedule a call. And then someone I hadn’t chatted with in a while messaged me on the IM. God is amazing!!
Edit 3-28: I had to get rid of some messages on a forum I participate on to make room for new ones, and this caused me to see the names of long-forgotten people who used to message me in years past. I vaguely wondered about what had happened to them, and how or why their messages had stopped coming; yes, I understand how ephemeral online life is, and how anonymous correspondents don’t become lifelong friends, but I’d just never consciously realized how long it had been since I’d heard from any of those people.
And then this morning… you guessed it!! A woman that I’d last heard from 3.5 YEARS ago sent me a message, just to say “hi”!! I sat there looking at the message-alert banner wondering if I was DREAMING. No matter how many miracles God gives me, He still knocks my proverbial socks off.
Do you have any other suggestions on how to discipline your mind. I still read the “activate faith and not fear,” but “sometimes” my mind still resets back to the worry, anxiety etc. I have good days and bad days!! Also, I am trying to hang in there and keep the peace while GOD works in my life, but what do you do while you wait? I’m really bored . .same thing year in and year out…I’ve had to rid of all my friends because they were toxic.
By the way it’s J
Hi J!! All people fall prey to anxiety; God understands. When it happens to me, I say, “Father, please make me calm”; it works every time. I used to be a very anxious person on a regular basis; I asked God to take that from me, and He did. Remember, He is always eager to do more for you!!
I find that watching sermons is very soothing; there are a ton on YouTube.
Being bored and socially isolated isn’t good; that’s not God’s best for your life. Have you tried searching Meetup for a Christian group that does social things, or maybe Bible study? You have a great deal to offer, and it would be prospering where you are… which leads to blessings. 🙂
It’s J Again
I hope you don’t think I’m crazy for saying this. . .I use to go to a Catholic and a Christian church all the time, but I found that evil/the enemy was in the church. In the Catholic Church, people were there to satisfy their own egos. For example: ‘who donated the most money,’ ‘who dressed the best,’ ‘who can get their picture put in the front lobby as “THE BEST,” and many other things were going on! Also, a long time ago . . . when my mother and I were having a hard time, we were put on a “DO NOT” give food card to list because we asked to many times AND WE WERE MEMBERS.! On the day we were going to be baptized a lady that was going to give us a ride to the church never showed up even though she claim she did.! So, my mother and I took the bus to church in our baptismal outfits and made it just in time. At the Christian Church all of the women wanted to date the pastor and the money that we would put in the collection plate went to his $500 pair of shoes (I think they cost more). SO, right now am just trying to build my relationship with GOD one-on-one. I do read a lot and pray to GOD for guidance/direction, ask GOD to show me/teach me the truth and GOD does. I think it’s better that way. . . in the bigger picture; our life span is not that long. There is a saying…“if you want to make GOD laugh tell him what you’re going to be doing tomorrow.” I want to enjoy life, but stay focused on the bigger prize “GOD.” I am not perfect, I am work in progress, I do relapse on GOD’s word sometimes, but I feel that is the only way I can make it in this crazy world or some call it a spiritual school of learning.
In your blog Keeping Your Walls Up, you are so right on something Formerheathen “people do hate you for the favor they see upon you.” They see the glory, but they don’t know your story.!! We all have a story and we are all here today because of GOD’s grace. !!
I do have associates to hang out with from time to time. As far as “friends,” I haven’t meet one who didn’t want to backstab me, belittle me or use me for whatever reason. So, the “friends” I did have, I got rid of them. I’m not playing the victim card and I know people are not perfect, but I just want a good/real friend not many friends. As far as MEN…I want the same thing a real MAN not many men.!
I am going to try your suggestion: “Father, please make me calm;” in the meantime the problem I have is Man’s Time vs. GOD Time and I get anxious, because I want to enjoy the greatness/new life I know GOD has in store for me and rid of this old rundown-tired life. I guess I have to understand that until then GOD will sustain me…just believe, keep the faith, remain calm and carry on.
How funny I found these two verses right after I typed you the long message
Peter 5:6-8
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Hebrews 13:5-6
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
I’m sorry to hear about those bad experiences that you’ve had!! Many other people say the same things that you do about all too many of the people they’ve encountered in church; that’s why I don’t suggest that people go, although there ARE wonderful churches out there… it’s too easy for the wrong kind of church to turn someone away from God.
You are obviously working hard on your relationship with God, and that is what counts with Him; He neither asks for nor expects perfection. Even if you fail 1000 times, His love for you never wavers.
I have unfortunately also experienced evil behavior from people who were supposed to be friends, and I understand being unwilling to endure it again. The one question I’d ask is: What vision has God put in your heart about the excellent life He has waiting for you? Do you see yourself as being alone, with no one closer to you than “associates”? My Romanian friend told me a saying that they have there; “God gives to you, but He does not put it in your basket.” God will bring into your life people that can be true friends, people that can help you get great jobs and all the other things you want, but you have to do your part; you have to risk being mistreated and let people get close enough to you to be able to give you those things.
If you can’t do that right now, don’t worry; God will keep sending you people even if it takes 50 years. God will always have a way to get you to your destiny… eventually. If you want your life to change right now, though, then you have to change what you’re doing. If you’re not ready to change anything right now, you have to settle in for what might be a long wait… and I say that as someone who has already waited 2 excruciating years for the total devastation of my social and emotional life to be reversed, without a single bit of visible progress being made. I make the best of whatever opportunities God presents me with, focus on Him and His Word, and stay in faith. It’s hard sometimes, but I can do it… and I know that you can too. Explosive blessings will come!!
Those verses that you saw with that very specific timing are signs. Take them to heart; they are a message from God to encourage you. Can you imagine a quote about ANXIETY being a coincidence? God has shown you that He is with you; you can be sure that He is eager to bless you with the desires of your heart!! 🙂
Question 1 you asked
What vision has God put in your heart about the excellent life He has waiting for you?
A stronger relationship with GOD being able to understand GOD’s ordered steps and to share my story that GOD’s is real and in HD surround sound. Leave this earth and have made a positive impact that will carry on after my life here by help others like children, animals, students, single mothers etc. A life of joy, a life abundance where I will no longer have to worry about making a dollar out of 50 cents for example. A life of good health, good career, good husband THAT I KNOW GOD has PREDESTINE for me since before I was born. I can on and on…..
Question 2 you asked
Do you see yourself as being alone, with no one closer to you than “associates”?
No, not at all!!!! There are good people out in the world; I just don’t think I have found people I have something in COMMON with, that are on my level. For example, I had one “friend” who wanted to go to clubs ALL the time and sleep around. This is same friend who will take your boyfriend and talk about you behind your back and hang out with you the next day. I was able see through her so I ended it. I don’t judge her…it’s just not my idea of a friendship; she has a lot of growing to do. As far as Men! I admit, I have some trust issues because I’ve seen a lot in life, but when I meet a guy that knows how to break through my wall then I can assume he is the one :o)
You have an excellent vision for your life, especially putting God 1st place!! What would you need to be happy with your current life? I’m buried in Bible study to help me wait; would that work for you? 🙂
I GUESS!? BUT to be honest I’m really not sure.I’ve found with bible study at church or with family; is that they have a stiff conventional way of teaching…and SOMETIMES I leave just as confused as I was before.! A long time ago I asked GOD to help me understand the bible by incorporating/applying bible verses in everyday life. Then I found your blogs for the 1st time….the very 1st I read was “God who close doors.” I like to read your blogs because you bring things back to earth where I can understand the bible verses, but also understand life and why certain things happen. Do you know of any other sites that have the same thing?
I’ve never read any other Christian blogs, but there’s gotta be some others like mine… I just don’t know where.
I do know a little about Bible study, though, and I have a few ideas that might help. I’m on this site
http://www.biblegateway.com/
2 dozen times a day looking stuff up. At the top of the page is the Search box, and to the right of that is the control for which version of the Bible you want to use… and that makes a big difference!!
The most accurate translation in the English language is the New International Version, and that’s where most of my Bible study takes place. However, The Message translation, which is written in a conversational way with the intention of making clear to a modern audience what is going on, is sometimes more useful; if you’re feeling unsure as to what a verse means, try there first. If you want to have a deeper understanding, and get the story behind the story, The Voice is the way to go; here are a couple of examples:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+12%3A28-29&version=VOICE
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+9:16&version=VOICE
And finally, to get line-by-line explanations of what verses mean, try these sites:
http://www.ccel.org/study (use the 2nd Search box under the picture of the Bible)
http://www.enduringword.com/library_commentaries.htm (click the text icon to the right of the name of the book)
And to see really good essays on general Biblical topics:
http://www.gotquestions.org/
Here’s a good example:
http://www.gotquestions.org/curse-fig-tree.html
This will show up as a post in a few days, but in the meantime, let me know what you think. 🙂
Thanks
So far I like ccel.org and gotquestions.org the 1st two did not come up.? Is it still okay to ask you questions from time to time.? \
J
I’m glad you’re liking the sites; are you getting some sort of error for BibleGateway? Are you trying to access it via a mobile device?
It will ALWAYS be ok to ask questions; nothing is more important to me on this bog than helping people get closer to God. Besides, some of my best posts come from replying to you 🙂
I have a post idea…let’s see what you can do with this. Lol
A friend posted this on her FB page.
“This may sound strange, but sometimes I look back at my life and thank God for the times I wasn’t chosen, the times I was overlooked, the times I was rejected, the times I wasn’t good enough, the times I was left in what I thought was last place. You may have times you feel rejected, unworthy, not good enough and left behind, but God saves the best for last. God has set me aside for such a time as this, and if it wasn’t for what I thought were my disappointments, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am today . “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” – Matt 20:16.”
J
It’s an interesting quote, but I’m not getting what the post topic would be from it…?
Have you been able to access the urls on BibleGateway?
I just checked and now I can….the topic would be “saving the best for last.” I know sometimes I feel like life has passed me by, but then I end up being right on time. This lady once told me that when she was young; she was sad because her friends were getting married and moving on for the better with their lives. So, she moved on too and lived her life…GOD blessed her with her husband in her 40’s and when she was getting married all of her friends were getting divorced. That quote if for the people who were looked over, who never was cool enough, passed over by a man/woman. etc. Now look at how GOD can turn a caterpillar into a butterfly. “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” – Matt 20:16.” or And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm Joel 2:25
Well, that’s certainly one of my favorite topics; what new facet of the issue were you hoping to see explored?
1st You need to write a book
2nd In responds to your question: How we compare our self-worth to the society we live in physically and materialistic, and that sometimes we can hinder our blessings/relationship with GOD because of it. God saves the best for last.
I hope this make sense…
We get caught up in our age and where we should be in life. I do…I look at people I know my age and they have the things I desire, but I have to remind myself that GOD has a different plan for me and when its time; GOD will reveal what I have been en route for all these years. At that moment I will fully understand the reason why I went through hardship, the times I was overlooked, the times I was rejected, the times I wasn’t good enough, the times I was left behind AND the times I was blessed, picked and given responsibility. God saves the best for last.
I believe everyone is destined for something bigger, but with our freewill and our society; sometimes we achieve it and sometimes we don’t. We can either allow GOD to turn us into beautiful butterflies or we can stay as caterpillars and die.
Also, I think we must learn how keep our spirit-side separate from our physical-side. To remember what we’re really here for and that’s learning how to find GOD through all the black smoke. There is nothing wrong with wanting material goodies as long as they don’t consume your spirit. GOD does bless us with material goodies, but they really have no substance . . . material goodies wither, rot, rust and become out of style. So, for those people who feel rejected, unworthy, not good enough, left behind in life, not cool enough to remember that God saves the best for last. DON’T it’s all a part of GOD plan
Are U in the U.S.?
Yes, I’m in the US. 🙂
I appreciate the encouragement about wring a book… although I’m not sure that anyone other than you would read it, lol.
Speaking of writing, though: You have so many great ideas that you shouldn’t be burying them in my comments; you should really have your own blog!! It only takes a few minutes to set up, and I’ll be your first subscriber.
You’ve made some excellent points. Although I don’t fully adhere to the “prosperity gospel,” I think I’m a little farther in that direction than you are, so they would not be the basis for a post for me; they could be the basis for a great first post for YOU, though. 🙂
I dont think I will, but thanks.