Brother,

Here is a quote from Thomas Brooks:

"It is not the bee's touching of the flowers that gathers honey, but her abiding for atime upon them and drawying out the sweet. [b]It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most, that will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest, and strongest Christian.[/b]"

Whatever you're doing is definitely NOT working and it hasn't worked.

I say this with love, brother, but you are looking for help in all these other books and articles of other people's testimonies on how they found God when it's YOU who needs to find God. (You do know that you seem to have an addiction to to reading everything BUT the Word of God?)

When you (figuratively speaking) stop running to and fro all over the Internet trying to find Christ and face HIM with who you really are: with your failures, your sins and your faults, I promise you , you will find HIM and you will know that HE loves you. It's like you are trying to find another way in except directly through Christ because you don't want to face HIM with who you are.

Brother, until you STOP and lay down all "your" tools (computer, books, etc) and when you [b]start reading ONLY your Bible[/b]... and look nowhere else and take only God's word for your help, you will find HIM and everything you have need of. Read it slowly and let the Word get into you!

John, the time for all your "if's, and's or but's" are gone, buddy! Either you will let God be God or 10 years from now, you will still be on sermonindex posting these same messages. What will you do, John? Is up to you.

HE'S waiting on you alone to face HIM alone.

Love in Christ,

_________________
Lisa

Hey Lysa

You said:

The Gulf that seperated me frome Christ my Lord.
Was so Vast the Crossing I could never go.
From where I was, to His Domain, It seemed so far,
I cried, Dear Lord, I cannot come to where you are.

He came to me.
He came to me.
When I could not go to where He was, He came to me.
That's why He died on Calvary.
When I could not go to where He was, He came to me.

No matter what the circumstances, Ho loves you.

For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Phil.2:13
May you be lifted up Spiritually not only this Easter Season,but lifted up Spiritually always.
God Bless you,
Nellie

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." - John 27-30

May I suggest listening to some godly songs first before/after reading the bible. Listening/Singing godly songs is 1 way to glorify God and get one closer to God and I find that it helps a lot in my walk with God.

_________________
geraldine

Greetings bible4life. I have a testimony somewhat similar to p42, so take courage. The message of Ten Shekels and a Shirt was very helpful to me. I decided that I was going to come to God and serve God no matter what. It didn't really matter what happened in the end.

In any case, God is more merciful than man. If we return to God with a double heart and secret sin, we never get assurance of a walk with God because God will never come near to us. However, if we come with repentance and sincerity and pleadings, I find that God is a merciful father. Cry out to him now and tell your need. But don't stop tonight. Keep crying day by day, even if in silent cryings, and God will communicate with you.

All the best to you in your searchings.

Bible4life,

I've read many of your posts especially those asking for prayers whether it be for yourself or for others and from my experience with God, I think God wants me to say this to you because somehow I cannot seem to escape not writing this post even though I admit I rather not write it.

You are nibbling around the edges of Christianity, doing 'right things' such as praying for others, listening to sermons etc but this will not bring you to a living relationship with God or to know whether you are saved. To know whether you are saved or not and to experience a relationship with God, you have to focus first and foremost on your walk with God and not doing works such as praying for others, asking people to pray for others etc. Praying for others are all good things but I am afraid that you are going about it in the wrong way.

(I know you like Paul Washer, so I will paraphrase what Paul Washer says here--Bringing others to Christ etc is not as important as my walk with God). I'm sorry, I cannot remember which sermon in which he spoke those words).

You cannot change your feelings eg: why don't you feel love for God etc or feel compassion for certain people--only God can change this in you. But what you can do is read the bible, search for God in the bible. Don't just spend 1 hour or more. Spend more time as far as possible with the word of God, seek God there (instead of all over the place), and as you keep reading His word, He will change you. You will begin to see God, understand Him and understand what path He has for you. When God starts changing you there, then you will know who to pray for, more assurance in your salvation, what you are supposed to do etc and it will be a lifelong process. Then the feeling of compassion, the fruits that people see in you will then spring forth naturally. Don't give up reading/read less the bible just because you can't feel God etc. PERSEVERE in reading the bible no matter how dry or not understanding it in the beginning.

Remember Isaiah 56:3-7
Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say "The Lord will surely exclude me from his people" And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." For this is what the Lord says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lords, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.

_________________
geraldine

Everyones responses i truly thank for them, I am in agreement i need to get in his word more no matter what and get alone with i have been trying to. I have been recognizing the idols in my heart whether they be my friends, internet, television etc. The past week i seemed to grow hard towards God and wondered why and all that came in my mind was that I was given the fruit of my own devices, i desired God above all things so i thought but i stayed on facebook and building my own blog, talking on the phone and watching sports and put God at the end, i have so many idols my heart its pathetic. I just ordered a new testament commentary by John Calvin actually it is a parallel commentary with Calvins commentary and other ones like john gill, martin luther and like 6 others so i am very excited to read the scripture and dig deep into it. And so i really get the message in deep i will read the scripture first then i will go back through the verses with the commentary. Brothers and sisters their is one last prayer request, i for the past 6 to 8 months i have been having doubts when i read the scriptures whether they are true and why the gospel writers are slightly different or say a different thing and i have really tried to not listen to the voice and my doubts but they are just are their and it makes me disbelieve. This never happened to me before, i don't want to doubt at all, while seek the Lord in the scripture please continue to pray that the Lord unhardens my heart. Learn thank you so much.

Are you not acquainted with Ephesians 6?

Verse 16 tells us of the shield of faith with which we are able to quench all the firey darts of the wicked one.

Take care.

_________________
Lisa