I hope this makes sense... Advice please

C

Chocolate_Silk

Well-Known Member
Hello all! I need advice and/or words of encouragement. I wasn't raised in church, I am a christian and I believe I am a spiritual person. I'm finding it difficult to "walk closer" with the lord. Not because I don't want to, it just seems when I commit to prayer every morning and reading my bible regularly it doesn't last longer than a week maybe two and it's almost like I forget and remember months later and try to get back into it. It also seems as though I remember when something is wrong in my life and I need "help". I am really tired of feeling this way :nono:. It feels like I will never feel a "real" connection with him if this pattern continues. I feel much more at peace when I do what I believe is the right thing to do, which is prayer and reading; why does this continue to happen? I almost feel as if I'm being attacked and then become complacent with an unhappy existence (for a lack of better terms) What am I doing wrong!

Something I've decided to do (today) is put a prayer on my bathroom mirror, so it's there when I'm brushing my teeth; therefore, it's a daily reminder.

Has anyone else experienced this?

**I must add I am battling A LOT of "demons" that have been tagging along from my past that seem to linger into my now and are causing much pain and an inability to move positively forward**
 
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I have experienced times when I would struggle to move forward in my word life and prayer. I got to a place where I was sick and tired of being defeated. I began to fast, pray, and commit myself to the Lord with all my being.

One day I was crying out to the Lord to break this thing in my life that keeps holding me back. I cried out to Him and I told God I was not moving until He breaks this thing, I wanted to be free from the strongholds over my life.

I believe that you may have to make it your will to seek Him out. I got my break through by making up in my being to get close to God. I fasted, prayed, prayed in tongues (the Spirit), spoke the word over my life, and just read the word.

Jesus said in the word that some things only come through prayer and fasting. There may be a demonic stronghold over your life that will be broken by the power and anointing of God.

You can start by finding scriptures that speak to you, your situation, and what you need to change. I call it faith confessions. You can put them on paper and declare them over your life. You will began to see that word take root in you and operate in your life.

Hope this helps you.

God Bless
 
Chocolatesilk-Don't be so hard on yourself. You don't need to get down on your knees to pray. You can pray anywhere-in the car, at work, in the shower-anytime. Talk to God just as you would talk to any of your friends. You don't need fancy words. Also, are you reading the bible everyday out of duty and obligation or because that is what God lead you to do? When I used to read the bible going from verse to verse, chapter to chapter I didn't get much out of it. However, when I started focusing on prayer and talking with God throughout the day, He would lead me to certain verses or chapters that He wanted me to read and that is when I started getting revelation out of the word. Before I was just reading for the sake of saying "hey look, I am reading the bible! I am such a good Christian!" I was getting nothing out of it and because I wasn't getting anything out of it, it was short lived.

The bible says that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Today, I couldn't imagine going an entire day without speaking to Him. To me, it would be like waking up in the morning, and walking right passed your husband or a parent without speaking and going off to work and pretending that they weren't even there.

I think putting a verse on your mirror so at least every morning and every night you will think of him is a GREAT idea!! It could be any verse really, but just something that reminds you of His goodness to us-not just in bad times, but His goodness to bless and prosper you, year round.

I believe you will establish a relationship and a connection with God. Why? Because you have a heart that wants to do just that. If it didn't bother you, you wouldn't have posted that this private matter concerned you. You reached out and hopefully through a response to this thread, you will hear God speaking back to you.
 
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Hey hun.....I've been there and know how you feel. The good thing is you recognize what's going on so you can make more of a conscious effort to repair your relationship with God. At least this was my first step. :yep:

Know that I'm praying for you sweetie. :huggle:
 
Thank you ladies for the responses... I guess I'm on the right track with continuing to seek him. It just seems so discouraging at times; I feel like a dog chasing my tail and when I stop I'm in the exact same place I was when I began.

Sashaa08 - When I was reading the bible it wasn't because I felt lead to do it, I think I was doing it because I believed if I made a habit out of it I would want to do it and it become something I enjoyed/loved. Also, people have mentioned that is a start to developing a relationship with God.

Health&Hair28 - You know being tired of being (feeling) defeated is exactly how I feel and I am truly exhausted with feeling this way...

There are just so many battles I'm fighting right now I guess I will just continue to pray and perhaps fast until something breaks through
 
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Shorten your prayer and study life. I'm serious. Saying a sincere and short prayer daily is better than long drawn out prayer sessions that might be draining you and filling you with guilt when you burn out. That's what I'd do. And by the way, just tell Him all that. That would be prayer as well. Please know there is no single prayer formula. Don't allow guilt to set in. We're to be happy and content. :yep:
 
Definitely have had this same experience. As a matter of fact, I purchased a book by Joyce Meyer called Knowing God Intimately. I read a few chapters and put it down b/c I didn't like what she was saying.:nono: She basically said we can all be as close to God as we want to be. That it was up to us. I was seeing God move in some ppl's lives and seeing others be spirit filled and prospering and I thought why not me? I was skeptical about what she:rolleyes: said but I kept seeking God. Like Sashaa said once I started talking to God about any and every thing (in the car, on the toilet:blush:, etc) speaking to him like I would anyone I cared about and was in a relationship with things begin to change. Slowly, almost imperceptibly but change non-the-less. During this time I also learned about another facet of Satan's persona. He is the prince of the air. He sends mind blocking spirits and time robbing distractions to hinder us from spending time in prayer or in the word.:yep: He knows the word of God is alive. It is a paper version of him. So, it's not your imagination.The phone will ring. You may get hungry. Your mind will wander like no other time. My personal favorite is you suddenly get sleepy when you try to read your bible. He wants to keep you from fulfilling your God given destiny even if it means you are allowed to do some good for others along the way. He will concede that much to win the war you know? You keep pressing on:charge:. Joyce was right :perplexed. The things you hear others talk about, they can happen for you too.:spinning: We go on a journey and discover how to remove weights that attempt to block us knowing that we rest a little bit and then move on to the next obstacle. Thing is we grow stronger and are no longer bound by all of the junk that was holding us back before. Hang in there, it is so worth it!
 
Yes, I have been there.

And what helped me overcome a lot of things is realizing that I can't do it on my own. I need God's grace..His word reminds us that it's not by our own might, or power but by His Spirit.

Continue to seek God through prayer and His word, and He will grace you with His strength to overcome.
 
What I've learned is different things work for different people, because your relationship with God is unique and personal -- whatever works for you works for you. Some people are gifted in prayer and love to pray for hours in the Spirit, others talk to God daily in short prayers. Either way, faith is being built. Some people love using aids like remembrance rings, dvds, prayer books, devotionals, etc. Others rely solely on the Bible.

Whatever is in your heart to do to stay connected to God will work for you, but try not let your emotions betray you by thinking you have to "feel" something. The connection is there! Set your mind to not feel guilty or easily offended or discouraged when other Christians are doing their thing. What God has for you is for you because He created YOU in His Image and for His purpose. He loves you.

Sounds to me, though, like you're in a growth spurt and are doing a progress check, which is a blessing to your walk. Amen to that. Staying connected to God is on your heart and I trust you'll know exactly what works best in your walk. You're doing just fine, and to God be the glory for you! :yep:



Chocolate_Silk said:
Hello all! I need advice and/or words of encouragement. I wasn't raised in church, I am a christian and I believe I am a spiritual person. I'm finding it difficult to "walk closer" with the lord. Not because I don't want to, it just seems when I commit to prayer every morning and reading my bible regularly it doesn't last longer than a week maybe two and it's almost like I forget and remember months later and try to get back into it. It also seems as though I remember when something is wrong in my life and I need "help". I am really tired of feeling this way :nono:. It feels like I will never feel a "real" connection with him if this pattern continues. I feel much more at peace when I do what I believe is the right thing to do, which is prayer and reading; why does this continue to happen? I almost feel as if I'm being attacked and then become complacent with an unhappy existence (for a lack of better terms) What am I doing wrong!

Something I've decided to do (today) is put a prayer on my bathroom mirror, so it's there when I'm brushing my teeth; therefore, it's a daily reminder.

Has anyone else experienced this?

**I must add I am battling A LOT of "demons" that have been tagging along from my past that seem to linger into my now and are causing much pain and an inability to move positively forward**
Click to expand...
 
"...We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29

Live up to God's standards. Men will try to set standards for us... the amount of time we should pray and read the Bible, how often we should attend "church" and evangelize, how much money we should give, etc... but the Bible does not tell us how often to do these things. For instance, the bible just simply says "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17) and "study to show thyself approve" (2 Tim. 2:15) and "give cheerfully" (2 Corin. 9:7) and more simple commands. People try to make it too hard and burdensome when the Bible lays out things fairly simple. So don't let man or church members make you feel guilty of any "work of faith". What really matters is living a holy and upright life and not yielding to the temptation of sin.
 
I'm reading a book called "A Praying Life" by Paul Miller. The concepts in this book and his transparency in the difficulties he faces in his prayer life have really spoken to me. I too struggle with prayer and reading and no matter how many people told me its not an "art" and to just speak to God I just didn't comprehend it. I looked up to these Ladies, I wanted to be like these Ladies, and the had lovely prayers and were so eloquent and knew God's words. This frustrated me to no end. I would never pray aloud in groups and felt weird praying aloud at home feeling as though I was talking to myself. But the Lord has helped me through this and has shown me in my heart and through books and other means how he would have me to communicate with him. Open your heart and your mind to hearing how God wants you to relate to him. I pray you are feeling better about things and are finding how God wants to relate to you. He is your friend, your Father, and your God. Let him know as much. Hope this helps.
 
Im starting to see the gifts I have and I'm learning to trust them more.I had to step away from a situation because I was seeing too much and wasn't feeling it was a good thing.Now the situation has come again and I don't know what to do.I don't want to look a fool with people who don't respect me and I know don't even think about God.I know not everyone will be a believer so its a hard choice.
 
I am going to get that book (hopefully) I'll be able to get it this weekend... I know what how you felt with praying aloud I too have that issue. I'm trying to take the advice of simply talking to him like I would talk to a friend...
 
Also, I've been trying not to beat myself up about it anymore and just continuing to pray... I was being told I am too hard on myself :-)
 
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