Waiting
- Thread starter Juk
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Tell me, what makes you think you have no intimacy with God? God is not the one who defers such a thing. He works things in our lives to bring it to be. He knows every single human being can "handle" it...from the merest babe in Christ, to the one who struggles daily with his flesh, to the orneriest carnal man among us. It is what we are created for!
I'm glad you stopped worrying. But the intimacy is still something God desires. That's never going to go away, no more than the grass is green and the sky is blue. It's yours for the taking.God told me a couple of weeks ago through an unrelated song that an intimate relationship with Him is not something that I can handle right now, but do not give up. I am still praying and reading His Word, but I have stopped worrying some. I just wanted to let you guys know. God bless
The song basically said "It's more than you right now, but don't give up". I was thinking to myself then out of nowhere the lyrics to this song caught my attention. I concluded that It was God speaking to me, because I have wanted to have a conversation with Him on a regular basis and it just was not happening. I thought that God was telling me that it is not yet my time. But now I feel guilty because I am playing video games much more now (I still read the Word and pray), and it feels like God is really mad at me, even though I researched it and found that that is one of Satan's lies. I have also been questioning whether I ever had the Holy Spirit in the first place, because I learned that we are not truly saved until we are baptized. That is in the Bible, and Jesus Himself said it in John 3. But when I spent most of my time on the CFS, it felt like I was lacking something. What should I do?
I think (know) that I have no intimacy (or barely any) with God because I do not feel His presence, He does not really speak to me (the last time I understood that He was speaking to me was the time in this post), and the Bible says that baptism is necessary to be saved, or to see the Kingdom of Heaven.
Whether we "feel" God's presence or not, HE SAYS HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US. Feelings lie to us, and the devil depends on people living by that lie.
Baptism is NOT necessary for salvation, otherwise everyone could simply get baptized and save themselves! One is saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross. Baptism by water is a step the Christian makes to identify with Jesus' death burial and resurrection, that we too have died to our sin, been buried with Him and have risen again to His life lived in and through us.
Jesus said, "unless you are born again of water, you will not see the Kingdom of Heaven". Baptism is a step in the process.
Jesus was NOT talking about baptism, nor did He say, "born again of water", as you have misquoted. He was simply comparing natural birth to spiritual birth, that we need both. "Born of water" is one's flesh birth, and "born of the spirit" is the new spiritual birth by faith.
John 3:3-8
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
God told me a couple of weeks ago through an unrelated song that an intimate relationship with Him is not something that I can handle right now, but do not give up. I am still praying and reading His Word, but I have stopped worrying some. I just wanted to let you guys know. God bless
If I may offer an observation...
Over the years many Christians experience periods when they do not 'feel' saved or 'feel' Christian. If you have the discipline to continue to pray, read God's word, fellowship with other believers and meditate (examine your thoughts), even though this can be hard; you will, in God's time, return to the warm assurance of a close relationship with the Lord. Do not depend upon feeling. Depend upon God's assurances and the knowledge that He is faithful, even when we are not.
I just read a really good explanation of how baptism is not necessary for salvation, so thanks for bringing my attention to it. But how do you explain that I cannot feel God's presence, and that He barely talks to me? I usually know when God is speaking because it grabs my attention.
So it is fairly normal that I cannot feel His presence? I also think that my maturity (not spiritual maturity) has something to do with it.
I would not necessarily call it normal. It does happen to many. The important thing is to not despair or think that Jesus has left you. He has promised to never forsake you. He keeps his word. Many times in these cases you do not realize what the Lord is teaching you. You may never know. If you stay diligent in prayer and Bible study, you will receive rewards.
Can you please tell me what God's presence feels like?
God is ALWAYS talking to you, but you are not receiving it. I have walked with Jesus for 52 years now, and I can tell you that I can go days without literally "feeling" His presence---and that is my doing, not His. Neither does it even mean anything about my relationship with God. It is the nature of man to run somewhat hot and cold emotionally. God is always present and always eager to commune with us and to spend time with us! Our relationship with God supersedes emotions.
I have learned that I can enter the presence of God simply by extolling Him, by praising and worshiping Him. He loves that and draws near to those who worship Him. Take the time to sit in His presence in quietude, and begin to simply worship Him. He will come to you. Whether you "feel" anything or not is not important. We are to take it by faith that He is right there, ever close and always right there with you. Feelings are the flesh. His presence is there regardless of your fleshy sensations.
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I always thought that God's presence felt like a friend that was always there. Like someone was always by your side. Does it feel like that to you? Also, what are some examples of worship? I usually see worship as singing songs or like crying on your knees praising God. What else could worship be? Also, what does meditating in His Word mean? Sorry that I am asking so many questions
I always thought that God's presence felt like a friend that was always there. Like someone was always by your side. Does it feel like that to you? Also, what are some examples of worship? I usually see worship as singing songs or like crying on your knees praising God. What else could worship be? Also, what does meditating in His Word mean? Sorry that I am asking so many questions
We don't live by feelings! We live by faith! God is always very present. Our emotions are not trustworthy, and they also lie to us. We have to rise above our feelings and believe the word--the TRUTH. He is our perfect friend!
Worship is indeed singing songs of praise, but it is speaking words of praise, telling God how wonderful He is and why, and how much you desire Him. Meditating on the word is taking a portion of scripture and reading it, sometimes out loud, if that helps get it into you, and then "ruminating" on it---"muttering" to yourself the words, repeating them to yourself to receive all the goodness out of it---like a ruminant would do, which is an animal that shews its cud, extracting every last bit of goodness out of its food before finally swallowing it for good. This takes a commitment to some regular alone time with God...even if it's 5 minutes a day. That's a good place to start.
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Brother Juk, I "feel" or should I say "sense" the presence of God with me all the time!! You know why? Because I think about Him all the time. Have you ever sensed the presence of God when you are in Church service, and all the singing is going on? Usually most people in the Church are thinking about the Lord all at the same time, and as a result you can sense the presence of God! If you set your heart on the things above were Christ sits, and if you know you have been raised with him from the dead, you to will sense the presence of God with you as long you keep your heart set on him! It sounds so easy and it really is. The Lord keeps that person in "perfect" peace whose mind is constantly set on him. When you stop thinking about the Lord that sense goes away. The reason you can sense the presence of God when you are thinking about him is because when you do this you are really are standing in his presence. To stay filled with the Spirit of God to where your joy is full all the time learn to quote scripture. Speaking the Word of God out of your mouth causes faith to raise in your heart to where that is all you want to do. The only way to get the Word in your heart is it first has to be in your mouth. Eventually out of the abundance of your heart the mouth speaks and when it does speak it will be the Word of God which is eternal. Most of the time when I post things here on the forum I don even think about what to say it just comes out of my mouth.I always thought that God's presence felt like a friend that was always there. Like someone was always by your side. Does it feel like that to you? Also, what are some examples of worship? I usually see worship as singing songs or like crying on your knees praising God. What else could worship be? Also, what does meditating in His Word mean? Sorry that I am asking so many questions
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Your singing and praying and your DESIRE to learn IS intimacy with God and this is good. Your on the right track JUK Relationships require cultivations. If you worry about them, they're not going to form properly. There's nothing wrong with playing video games as long as when the Spirit calls for you, you stop then and there are respond. It's all about His timing, not ours. He's going to test your responsiveness to His calling. The more you respond correctly, the more He can entrust you with His presence - a gift. We are a microwave-burrito-type society and think God should be quick about it. He wants us to grow in maturity and it could take 30 years or 3 weeks. You just have to be ready to respond to His prompting and not grieve Him, Eph 4:30.
Thanks, that is some great advice! I go think about God all the time, and usually, when I try to focus on something else, It feels completely useless to do so.