How do you know?

We may have more advice to give, but most think that we are too old to give it.
Hahaha. I doubt that.
I'm going to say this, and I know it sounds twee, but ask God before you even try to fix it yourself. I've learned this through bitter experience. I have always tried to control things and fix things and do everything I possibly can to make things good, and then pray. What I've learned is to pray first, for advice and help before I even attempt to launch into my 'Mrs Fixit' mode. Pray, wait, listen.
Yes. That's one of my problems too. I think I try all of the time to fix it first then pray that what I am doing works. But praying first is probably better:D
 
Hahaha. I doubt that.

Yes. That's one of my problems too. I think I try all of the time to fix it first then pray that what I am doing works. But praying first is probably better:D

I have found that all problems have a solution. The problem is not the fix, but the approach. In other words, you know the WHAT and are looking for the HOW. Imagine that you need to get through a door to enter a rook. You can look for the key, punch out the hasps, kick it in, etc. Ask God for the wisdom to know how to do it. At that point, you finally figure out that the door is unlocked and all you need to do is turn the knob and walk through"

"Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” Kings 3:9 (NRSV).
 
I have found that all problems have a solution. The problem is not the fix, but the approach. In other words, you know the WHAT and are looking for the HOW. Imagine that you need to get through a door to enter a rook. You can look for the key, punch out the hasps, kick it in, etc. Ask God for the wisdom to know how to do it. At that point, you finally figure out that the door is unlocked and all you need to do is turn the knob and walk through"

"Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” Kings 3:9 (NRSV).

Yes:) That makes a lot of sense
 
Lots of questions.

1.
God always searches the heart of believers. He know what we will do before we think about what we will do. So then, He tests us not to know what we will do but to humble us so that we will depend upon Him and not ourselves.
Consider Jere. 17:10------Romans 8:27 and Hebrews 4:13.

2.
We/you should never stop in faith.

Tests are not always pleasant experiences; however the testing of our faith is part of the Christian walk, and it produces good fruit such as patience/perseverance as seen in James 1:3.

3.
God will always say....."Keep going/work harder".
Consider Exodus 16:4.
"Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."

God gave them the food, but if the people did not go out and PICK IT UP, they would have starved to death.

Joshua 21:43...…..
"Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there."

God gave the people the Promised land.....BUT they had to possess the land.

Now think about Amos 4:12.........….
"Prepare to meet they God".

It is my opinion that life itself is preparation to meet God.
Hi Major.
The Last sentence here really jumped out to me. Seriously , I’m not very good with posting scripture, but I was just thinking on how life before Christ is miserable, but we just can’t put our finger on why we are never satisfied for long. Even when we think we know what we want, it turns out it’s not enough...King Solomon had it all and even that was all in vain.
Which brought me to your final sentence. Life really has proved to me that life is just a preparation to meet God. And thanks for the scriptures to confirm it.
Sorry I can’t add to the OP questions, hopefully the Lord will diresct you to something. Blessings
 
Hi Major.
The Last sentence here really jumped out to me. Seriously , I’m not very good with posting scripture, but I was just thinking on how life before Christ is miserable, but we just can’t put our finger on why we are never satisfied for long. Even when we think we know what we want, it turns out it’s not enough...King Solomon had it all and even that was all in vain.
Which brought me to your final sentence. Life really has proved to me that life is just a preparation to meet God. And thanks for the scriptures to confirm it.
Sorry I can’t add to the OP questions, hopefully the Lord will diresct you to something. Blessings

Thank you for the response. The key to all of this is that we all live forever somewhere. The soul/spirit of man goes on eternally but the choice of where is left up to us by God.

Of course, "Context" is the key to understanding the Scriptures. Amos 4:12 was written to the Nation of Israel.

The words......Prepare to meet thy God" was said in preparation for judgment, face to face, final to them.

Up to this point in history, all the judgments which had been sent unto Israel were but heralds, forerunners of the judgment to come.

God, Himself, was not in them but He passed no sentence upon Israel. They were medicinal, and corrective but they were not His final sentence. Now, having tried all ways of recovering them in vain, God summons them before His tribunal.

But although the judgment of the ten tribes, as a whole, was final, to individuals there was place for repentance. God never, in this life, bids people or individuals "prepare to meet Him," without a purpose of good to those who do prepare to receive His sentence aright.

He saith not then, "come and hear your doom," but "prepare to meet thy God." That has in it a pause for hope in it, to be bidden to "prepare;" yet more, that He whom they were to prepare to meet, was "their God." It must have recurred full often to the mind of the ten tribes during their unrestored captivity of above seven centuries before the Coming of our Lord; a period as long as the whole existence of Rome from its foundation to its decay.

Now having said that we also know that the things in the Old Test. were given to us as an example so that through them we could learn.

Romans 15:4...…...
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope."

So then, by that we can see that we are blessed with a "Temporary Human Existence" so that while living it we would have the ability to prepare our souls and spirit to meet God and live with Him ETERNALLY.

How is that possible????

By believing upon and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ who is in fact God in the flesh as the payment for our sins. SIN can not stand in the presance so we must be cleansed by the blood of God which is ONLY found in God who was Jesus Christ.
 
How can you tell when God is testing you vs when it's you just making faulty decisions? When do you know it's time to stop vs push harder?
So I find myself in a situation where I have tried my best, I have done all I can do. But how do I know for sure that I should stop in faith knowing God will work it out? How do I know that God is not saying..keep working harder? Understand what I mean? Are there bible verses on this? How when do we know when to stop? I am someone who likes to be in control of everything. So I dont know how to not try to control things.
Let go let God.
If you cannot let go, then don't hang on.

Fear, the lack of faith, or the lack of loving what you know is true, will have you hanging onto your 'self'. Your self desperately wants to be a some-body, which it identifies with the body. If you let go of wanting to be a some-body, you will end up being a no-body , which is who you really are _ a Being, a spirit of God. When you are a no-body, Truth precedes all your thoughts and actions - doing God's will, because you love it. You cannot go wrong.

Matthew 20:16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
The humble and meek (no-bodies) are the last in this world, but will be the first in God's Kingdom.
 
Thats a cool way of looking at it Peter.
Yes many people just automatically look to the surface, the flesh. They aren't seeing the spirit inside. That's where we draw our strength from, not actually anything physical.

As Christians we make up the body of Christ, which is always more than just one person acting alone. This whole self-reliance thing and independence can get out of hand. I think its important to take responsibility, but also knowing that we can't do EVERYthing on our own, and we can't always control what others do or don't do.
 
How can you tell when God is testing you vs when it's you just making faulty decisions? When do you know it's time to stop vs push harder?
God is a refiners fire, he lets us go through situations that test our faith, things like this can either make us stronger or make us fall. The test from God is only given when you are likely to pass it. Its unusual when God lets a person go through things that make them fall. At the end of the day, we are all tested everyday, to be fit to serve God in heaven for eternity.
 
Back
Top