Not Catching Fire

[JDarr]

I've been in a holding pattern with my walk for way too long and every time I try to get after God, Satan throws something in my way to distract me. I know church and and the Word will keep me fired up, but does anyone have any other suggestions for keeping faith and pursuing God when you fell like nothing good is happening in your life no matter what you? It's getting frustrating and I need something to get me motivated when the walk gets so tough I want to just throw the anchor and sit. :pray:
JD

[PapaHog]

I will pray for you.

I know I have the same problems and know I should be walking closer to God. It seems to come easier to some than it does for me. I know that prayer is the answer for me. God the Holy Spirit will convict the heart to be more involved with Jesus if I only ask. That is my only secret. That is my only hope.

[letsfish]

Definitely prayer... but not just a prayer for help to connect with God. Make it a part of your life, like taking a shower every morning. Pray for those with needs, your own needs, Praise and rejoice with Him. Sometimes prayer will seem dry almost a rote routine, but persevere remember you are talking with God he hears you! Those dry periods will come and go and be overshadowed by the sweet times with Him.
Keep up your time in the Word. Those too, will have some days that are ho-hum in comparison to the days you feel you are mining a treasure of spiritual richness.
Keep hanging in there!

[Grantspastor]

General William Boothe the founder of the Salvation Army said "the tendency of fire is to go out...therefore tend the flames of the fire on the altar of your heart"


Everyone experiences lows as well as highs. Even Paul in Acts 27 said "we gave up all hope". The good news is we are renewable. A few simple things will help. Spend some time reading the Bible...particularly Romans 8. "The encouragment from Scripture" is real. Ask the lord to touch you. He says "anyone who comes to me will never be turned away". Strategically spend some prayerful time with the Lord. "They that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength". It also really helps to be in Church/fellowship with other believers. I'll pray for you

Dave

[fishnhuntnfool]

Yeah, what they all said! But I would also advise you to get involved with an accountability partner and / or a small group. Church on Sunday is great, but you need to be fed all week long and if you're struggling to do that through reading the Word and other various Bible studies, then you need the accountability that small groups and accountability partners can provide. I used to have an accountability partner that would email each day and ask what I learned through my reading and if I didn't have anything to say he would give me a little for it. It was encouraging and I did grow. Now I'm back to my old lazy self and am looking for more accountability again through the men at the church I attend.

[fishonksm]

I've been in a holding pattern with my walk for way too long and every time I try to get after God, Satan throws something in my way to distract me. JD

....and Satan wouldn't have it any other way.

The more that Satan can do to distract you form worshiping God the less he has to deal with you, but the more you're in the word and on your knees Satan has to work over time to keep you distracted. He is not Omni present as God so he has to redirect his demons to keep up the battle lines when Gods children begin to pray.

Continue to read the word of God start with the Psalms or Proverbs and pray without ceasing. For the battle is not with flesh and blood but with sprits and can only be fought thru Prayer and fasting.:thisbig:

[rimrock]

I know church and and the Word will keep me fired up, but does anyone have any other suggestions for keeping faith and pursuing God when you fell like nothing good is happening in your life no matter what you? JD

Yes, there is another suggestion. If reading the Word and prayer are a struggle than telling you to do more of that will not likely be of much help. At this point you don’t need more Law (even though the Law of God is good), you need more Grace.

There is one simple thing which has had positive results for others in our congregation and a practice I frequently do which doesn’t take much time at all. Simply on a piece of paper write down as many things you love about Jesus. Even if its just one thing, that’s great! Keep it simple there is no guilt or needing to come up with “x” things; Jesus is not concerned with such things as that. The fewer and more personal is always better. But it is important to write it down.

Keep that paper with you and from time-to-time read it or just reflect on those thing(s) you love about Jesus. You see that’s Grace and not more Law for you now. If you want as something else comes to mind, write that down to and likewise you’re free not to come up with more...more is not the point, thinking about Jesus and how He feels about you is the point. Allow yourself to be led by God either way. The more and more you think about the goodness of Jesus the more He will remind you of the joy of your salvation. The world, the forces of darkness and our sin will work to rob you of your joy; they always do. But the more you focus on the Grace Jesus offers you the more that voice will ring in your mind’s ear. I guarantee it!

For me I carry just one thought in a note everyday with me on a piece of paper, “God has made me His son in Christ, there is no longer for me any more guilt or shame or burden or need - you did it all Lord. Thank you Jesus.”

It makes me smile. :)

God’s Grace be upon you JD.

[Dan Grbavac]

Keep it simple. If you need help, ask God. If you don't, thank God.

[eddie haskel]

As a few others have shared, read your Bible "daily"....no excuses. How on earth can people expect to understand what it takes to forge an understanding, of the bountiful life our Farther has in store for us, if we don't read His word :passout:

Another thing you might try is to serve. You can get involved in a whole host of activities, that help those in need. The by-product of such, will provide answers to a lot of what perplexes you. I know, firsthand, as one of the things I do is go to Seattle at night, and help the homeless on the street. Fact is, tomorrow night I go again. I'll be tired and cold when I get home in the early AM, but man......does the Lord reveal His bounty in doing such :thisbig:

[JDarr]

Guys, I never thought I'd use the internet for something like this! I want to quote all of you because there is so much good advice. I feel more encouraged right now than I have in a long time. I never thought about how many people are out there struggling with the same things as me or have struggled with the same things. It's even more impressive coming from fishermen. I see so many of you out on the rivers and have never thought that the guy in the tail out or trolling along next to me could be the guy who helped me get closer to God. Reality check.......

My day will be brighter tomorrow:D
Thanks

JD

[FishinGrl22]

I know I am extremely late on this thread, and please forgive me for that, but I really feel led to say something.

I was and still sort of am in that same spot of, the fire dimming and loosing faith. Especially with my health situations right now. I had to stop looking at things and seeing Satan and his ways of tearing me down, and I started too look for what God was doing. God does something every day for you, big or small it doesn't matter. Search for those things during the day, and I am sure that will start giving you some realization that no matter what you are going through, no matter how hard Satan wants to pull you away, GOD is always there, and he always does something. After you see what God has done for you that day, write it down, keep track of them, and then praise God for them.

This might not have been of any help, but really felt like I needed to share it. God bless you... and your many fishing outings :)

Jan

[CGRFish]

Get the book called "The Shack". It teaches about God's unfailing love, no matter how we mess up. It will help you to realize that God is with you, every moment, every day, and he loves you wildly! When you realize God's love for you, and thank him for it daily (prayer), the power of the holy spirit cannot help but to build inside you.

[PapaHog]

The Shack is the best book I have ever read. It let me understand the things I did not understand and I am sure it will help you.

I will send you a copy if you want. It can be found on Amazon for $8.99.

[Cliff D.]

The Shack, excellent read.

[JDarr]

The Shack, excellent read.

Who's the author? I've found more than one book by that title.

JD

[CGRFish]

The author is William Young, from near Portland. if you got to theshackbook.com, you can learn more about it.

[fishlipper]

Here is what I do and it keeps me focused. Get a bible reading plan (one of the in a year type). Read the daily plan, and pick one verse that speaks to your heart. (I know this sounds like it might be tough, but even in the old testament, stuff will jump out at ya). Buy yourself a notebook and use the pattern below for journaling on that one verse that speaks to your heart. Try the S.O.A.P. method. This should take about 30-40 minutes a day. I know it sounds like a lot, but in the big picture it is very little.
Plan on about 15 minutes to read the daily scripture verses. Then follow the steps below.

S- Scripture-Write the scripute that speaks to your heart out (This will help you remember it throughout the day) (5 minutes)

O- Observation- Write something down about why or what spoke to you in the verse. (5 minutes)

A- Application - Write about how you can apply this verse to your life. (5 minutes)

P-Prayer - Write out a prayer to God about how he can change you through this verse ( or something along those lines) (10 minutes)

I know this sounds like a lot, but you will be amazed at how much more focused your day will be. It is not about how much you read a day, but how much you actually take with you out of the reading. I hate writing, but I have found that this is an absolutely awesome tool to grow your relationship with Christ. The cool thing about it is you can go back and see what things satan was tempting you with in the past weeks, and you can hopefully see some growth patterns in your life. It is very easy to forget what happened yesterday if you know what I mean.

Last thing, don't get frustrated if you miss a day, and don't beat yourself up on the yearly reading plan. Much better just to read the day you are on, and go back if you have time. You will still get plenty out of it and you won't quit all together.

I hope this helps.

[Deeman]

I just saw this so I am a little late to the party but I hope this helps. Read Job 38 and put yourself in the story. Then look at the lives of Abraham, Joseph, Elijah, Gideon, David (in particular), and look at Pauls life. All of these and more were major parts of Gods plan, that is why we know of them today. Everyone of them had continual obstacles and frustrations placed in their way. Heb 11 tells us of the heroes of faith and what they did. The secret to overcoming lifes obstacles is to really study the lives of those who went before us, and by that study come to terms with the fact that as Christians we are by definition right where God wants us to be. God is not surprised or shocked by anything we do, he has known us from before the world began. I struggled with this for a long time, every time I would start to get busy something would come up to derail my walk. I still struggle with it. "But now" (Rom 3-21,22) I can rest in the will of God for my life and know that when obstacles appear that they are there for my education and learning and when I stumble I KNOW that my God will pick me up ,set my path straight, and get me ready to face it again by faith in him (Rom 3-25). satan will set the roadblocks but with Gods strength when you push a little on them even the largest and most solid looking of them will crumble at your feet. With each roadblock demolished you are strengthened and more prepared to face the next. As we move ever closer to God we are climbing a staircase built on the rubble of satans roadblocks. God Bless. Don