How do you cope?

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Permalink Reply by journeyman on February 22, 2010 at 10:24am

Dear Ken, You sound very much like I did about three years ago. I was a lost soul. Here I was a I had a great wife a good job (that I could not stand anymore). My world seemed to always be in turmoil. I was going to a "seminar" to improve my life. What I found out was that God was trying to reach me. That he wanted me to have what he always intended for me to have. A loving and wonderful relationship with him. I found myself talking to God about all my "troubles". The first thing God told me was I had to forgive myself for anything I had done or not done. He told me to create a relationship with him I needed to start reading "his word" the Bible. God told me that he had given his son to die on a cross for my sins and the sins of all mankind. That through Jesus we were given a chance for happiness and peace we have never known. I gave my life to God. I prayed this prayer of forgiveness:
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

You have come to a good place.... A place where you can learn to cope. A place where God's love is evident and shared with many. Welcome my Brother.
journeymanhd

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on February 22, 2010 at 12:51pm

Brother Ken,

You have chosen well by turning to God for He tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 “ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I do not know what your situation is, but I can assure you that Jesus is the answer for any and all issues pertaining to life and Godliness.

Jesus said those words to a group of people who where burden by their own inability to find peace and rest apart from Him as they realized their own spiritual bankruptcy.

Your sins have brought you to a point that the burden is too much to carry and now you turned your life back to God and serve him, HALLELUJAH!!! God is pleased with your surrendered heart, but now comes the rebuilding, the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:1-2) the establishing yourself in the truth that will help you be and remain in freedom (John 8:31-32).

2 Corinthians 10
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

You now have to acquire the weapons of our Christian warfare, which you will use to demolish strongholds in your mind that want to keep you enslaved.

Be blessed and a blessing.

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on February 22, 2010 at 3:50pm

Psalm 38
A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

6 I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

9 Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

11 My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.

12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

15 For in You, O LORD, I hope;
You will hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

17 For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will declare my iniquity;
I will be in anguish over my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20 Those also who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

21 Do not forsake me, O LORD;
O my God, be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on February 22, 2010 at 3:53pm

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,[a]
And blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on February 22, 2010 at 4:12pm

Greetings Ken,

Along with the positive guidance you have been given I would like to add the following.

There are four things that I recommend for us to be involved in regularly. These four help to strengthen us when things are going well and help us overcome when things are difficult or God feels far away. These four are 1) Read the Word 2) Prayer 3) Positive Christian Fellowship 4) An Accountability Partner or Group.

1) The Word: When times are tough I like to read Colossians and 1 John. They inspire me, pick me up and help me to see past my current storm, which will pass.
2) Prayer: We need to be in prayer seeking the Lord's presence and comfort, while crying out to Him in our difficult times as well as good times. He tells us to come to the throne of grace in our time of need. The door is open and He is always waiting attentively to meet with us when we come to Him. Remember that part of prayer is silently sitting at His feet listening for what He wants to say or reveal to you. It is not all about talking, but communicating.
3) Positive Christian Fellowship: We are referred to as sheep for a reason in the Bible. We need each other. There are no Lone Ranger Christians. When we feel beat up and down our natural response is to run and hide, which is the worst possible choice at that very time. We need the love, comfort and fellowship of fellow believers that are traveling the same path we are in life. Do not stop at one church if it is not right for you. Seek until you find the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit come over you in the midst of that group.
4) Accountability: We need people close to us that we can share with. These people have to be people that we can trust and open up to. They are not "Yes" people, but ones that will ask the difficult questions and loving challenge us when we are wrong and encourage us when we have victories. One must seek God's guidance as to who one might choose as an accountability partner. One must choose wisely.

Know that the current storm you are going through will pass and you will be stronger for it. That does not lessen the pain, but there is hope even in the middle of the storm, for Jesus can and will calm the storm at the right moment if you are trusting and walking with Him.

Hope this helps.

Lord Bless,
LT

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