I have had one foot out for over twenty years, I just cant get the other foot out to live the life I want

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Permalink Reply by Carla on July 7, 2015 at 9:44am

Hi Danny,

 

Welcome to AAG.  There is something in all of us as we battle the flesh that keeps us from fully coming to Him.  Some of us are further along in our walk than others, but there will always be something while we are here (on earth) that we struggle with.  We are ALL always learning and growing.  This is a spiritual battle.  We learn in Ephesians 6 that we must put on our armor.  Read verses 10-20. 

 

I wonder about happiness.  Jesus came to set the captives free.  We have peace and joy in Him, but I don’t see anywhere that He came to bring us happiness.  He came to give us good news, sight for the blind and set us free from slavery.

 

Luke 4

16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

 

I wonder if 'peace' is what you're looking for...over happiness.  Happiness is based on our circumstances, and it fluctuates as our circumstances change. Peace is different though...it only comes from God.  Joy is also different because we can have peace and joy in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.  Peace and Joy come because we have been set free from our sin which we were enslaved in.  We are no longer enslaved to do the things that sin dictates.  We know these things hurt us.  We’re also set free now to tell others about this new Freedom that is only found In Christ.  I don’t even want to think about where I would be without Him.

 

Maybe you're looking for Peace and Joy rather than happiness.

 

Psalm 46:10 says 'Be still and know that I am God'

 

the NASB says 'Cease striving...and know that I am God'

By this we know that we can’t attain peace and joy in our own strength.

You're words " I know if I give myself to god things would be way better, and I would finally be happy, But I just can’t get it right."

It's true that when we submit to God's ways things are way better.  We get to submission through repentance.  Repentance is a turning away from sin and a turning towards God and His ways.  True repentance brings about weeping and mourning.  New desires replace those areas which were once occupied by sin.  When we repent, we turn away from all the things we have tried in the past that we know don't work.  Our minds are literally changed in regards to sin.  We now hate the things we once loved.  Sin becomes intolerable and putrid to us.  It’s like magots crawling over us and destroying us and is no longer appealing because we have lived and seen the fruit of it in our lives.  Every time a fly (sin) lands on us and we don’t swat it away it lays eggs and multiplies.  Those eggs hatch into magots and begin to eat away at us.

 

God's ways are pure and good.  Following God is not for the faint of heart though.  It takes courage.  Will you be willing to count the cost? 

 

If you are, then tell God.  Repent from your sin and believe the Gospel.  Jesus suffered, died and resurrected back to life so that you may live.  Accept His sacrifice.  He did everything that needs to be done so that YOU can be reconciled to God, and also empowered to live God’s ways.

 

God created you for a special purpose, and that purpose will ultimately glorify HIM, but it will also be for your good.

You will have trials.  We know this because Jesus tells us that in this world we will have many trials, but HE encourages us with the truth that HE has overcome the world.  So we must learn to rest in Him, abide in Him, trust in Him.  As we do this we will begin to bear fruit….good fruit.  It takes time though.  Through this process we learn patience. 

You also mentioned this “to live the life I want”.  We all have to ask ourselves, ‘Is the life we want, the same as what God wants for us?’  God’s best is what’s best for us.

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Permalink Reply by Danny Ray Torres on July 7, 2015 at 6:09pm

Hi Carla, Thanks for responding, That was awsome, Made me feel better, I understand what your saying about happiness and peace, And it is peace im searching for, I always felt if I live by right and wrong, bad and good, that i was fine, But I always knew I was wrong, I was just kidding myself, Thinking I could do it on my own, for some reason I feel all alone, and of course here I am reaching out, This isnt the first time, and I feel ashamed, but this is the farthest ive come, usually its just praying and doing good for awhile and then  going back to the same oh stuff, I am serious and I can feel the peace just sitting here writing to you, I just need to keep the good feeling going, I just dont know how, and thats where i fall, I just got off work and i plan to continue reading from this site, and everything you shared with me,I need to suround myself with good people, I have no true friends, and just want to give up my old life for a new one, any suggestions how to keep on track and stay focused is greatly apreciated, Thanks again, Danny

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Permalink Reply by Carla on July 7, 2015 at 9:17pm

Hi Danny,

Your comment reminds me of Romans chapter 7:  http://biblehub.com/nlt/romans/7.htm

I think the most important thing for staying on track and focused on God and His ways is always knowing of our need for Him.  Matthew 5 NLT says

3“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,^a

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs"

the NASB says

 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

What does it mean to be 'poor in Spirit'.

To me it means that I am aware that without God I have nothing good in me.  I needed an overhaul in my spirit.  I needed to be made new.  We must become so continually and incredibly aware of our need for a Saviour.  We are sinners in need of a Saviour.  This is not a posture of condemnation...

1"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2And because you belong to him, the power^a of the life-giving Spirit has freed you^b from the power of sin that leads to death. 3The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.^c So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace."

It is however, a posture of humility.

James chapter 4

Drawing Close to God

1What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

4You adulterers!^a Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?^b 6But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud

but favors the humble.”^c

7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor."

In regards to staying on track, I suggest that you find yourself a Christian fellowship group and prayer/accountability partner (the prayer partner should be another man, not a woman), study the bible and participate in church.  Find a church that you can serve in.  This seems to be a natural process which facilitates growth.

Don't trust your feelings, trust God's word over your feelings all the time.  Feelings are good, and relevant, but we can be betrayed by them regularly.  God's Word trumps your feelings! For instance, if you have repented from a particular sin and turned away from it and asked God to give you power over it, you are forgiven.  You may not feel forgiven for various reasons, but you are forgiven.

Psalm 103:8-18

8The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

14for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

15The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

16the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

When you know God's word, read it, study it, pray it, discuss it, it starts to become a part of you.  This is how you hide God's word in your heart, and it can never be taken from you.  As you do this, you will be able to trust God's truth over your feelings, and you will be empowered to live His ways as you grow.  Allow yourself the time you need, it's not an overnight fix.  A fruit tree takes many years to bear sweet edible fruit, just as a Christian needs time to grow.  It's sounds like you are ready now to bear fruit.  Praise God.

Blessings, Carla

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Permalink Reply by Danny Ray Torres on July 7, 2015 at 9:59pm

wow, you are good, I remembered the roman sayings over ten years ago, just couldnt remember where it was in the bible, that is exactly me to the tee. I want to thank you again, you have showed me enough to know this is what I want, i even cried when i read this last message, its like you know exactly what im going threw, and how to help, I will take your advise and find a christian fellowship group, and just keep praying for strength to continue on this path, by now i would have just turned away, but the information you sent me makes me want to continue forward, im going on 3 days strong in the lord, I will continue, it is hard, it feels like im all alone, but i know im not. THANK YOU CARLA

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Permalink Reply by Carla on July 8, 2015 at 8:48am

Praise God.  HE is good all the time.  HE's gotten ahold of you, and HE is faithful to hold on.

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