Ginnyrose

I like the sound of this testimony. You don't have to go into deep details but was it she becoming a christian that set her free or was it prayer that set her free in God's timing?


In my struggle to find God working in and around me I want to share something I thought about some 15 years ago that can still happen these days. I used to go door to door on Halloween night and give tracts to people. If I had the chance to would engage them with the gospel. This particular ocasion I was with my cousin, she was 15. We came to one house and when the guy found we were christians he began to break down crying and talk about some of the bad things he had done. We offered to pray with him and asked him if he wanted to get his heart right with God right and he said yes. Both my cousin and I were blown away by this experience. I use it as a marker in which GOd worked in a circumstance.
One other instance- we came to a house in which about 10 people were playing poker. When the lady at the door answered she thought it was cute what we were doing so she told us to come in and give everybody a tract. We did that and explained the gospel of Jesus to them all. I don't know what happened to any of them after that.

These days I want to see God working in my own personal life but I have some issues within me I have to lay down. Having said that I want to see God working in others lives to help me cross my bridge.

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John

QUOTE:
"You don't have to go into deep details but was it she becoming a christian that set her free or was it prayer that set her free in God's timing?"


My mom was a PK. She heard the gospel from day one. She claimed to have accepted the Lord as Savior as a young woman. BUT she was an angry woman. We do not know why. Not only was she angry, she also had a critical, fault finding spirit. This vexed us to no end.

To answer your question all I can say is that it was the LORD's doing and He used a tragedy like her baby's divorce. My brother was much loved by her, being the only boy...so you can see why his marriage failure broke her up.

Mom was prayed for by her husband for any years. Me? yes, I prayed for her, too, but quit because I felt it was useless - saw no results. Sound familiar? I'll bet most folks can relate...

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Sandra Miller

QUOTE:
"These days I want to see God working in my own personal life but I have some issues within me I have to lay down. Having said that I want to see God working in others lives to help me cross my bridge."

As I study the WORD I observed the prophets were ordinary people like us. We read of their walk with the LORD and we can see one thing - this kind of walk is available to all who are available. It is up to us. They said "Yes, LORD" when He called. I see a need in my own life to live a submitted life to His will. To accomplish this I will ask the LORD to teach me to recognize His voice when He speaks. You have to ask Him everyday to teach you, but the process will include many failures, but you are learning IF you are willing to repent and be truly sorry and pick yourself up and keep on. It is so simple - if you are teachable.

God bless you, John, and I wish you the best in your walk with the LORD.

EDIT: let me share one small area of learning to submit to Him and listen to His voice. When I go shopping, I will ask the LORD to direct my purchases. Too many times I have made unwise purchases that filled me with disgust. BUT when you take the LORD shopping with you, you have a wise advisor by your side - one so smart, oh so smart! And you will end up so pleased! If you are lusting for an item and feel in your spirit you should not get it you better not buy it! If you persist the disgust you feel will be greater then the satisfaction it could ever give you! I promise!

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Sandra Miller

My dad passed away as a bitter man from a heart attack. He lived in the past all the time and when my parents got a divorced it deepened. My brother and I went with mom and he said we both would go to hell because we sided with a divorcee. He was a combination of Lutheran, Catholic and Jehovah witness. Whenever we had a discussion over the bible and I disagreed with something he said biblically I would show him in the bible a passage to which he got angry.

For me right now one of the things My heart seeks is a 2 fold thing. Is God real and if he is I want to God in a personal way of communion and not some lucy rabbits for of an 'if it is meant to be it will happen' type of thing. I am also seeking to understand various cultural issues and how to respond to them or answer them in a biblical approach. Among this issue would be everything surrounding homosexuality, transgenderism, women's issue (since I took that class), and the counter culture- of which I used to reach out to when I was younger and hung out at concerts. Yet to do any of this and have meaning it has Got to be God otherwise I have no hope to offer anyone and I can end up becoming religious while having no power to do anything.

Having said all that I like to know how God is working, personally , in the lives of people beyond doubt. I find many people tend to use their God experience as one in evangelism yet God is there even without personal evangelism. He is there to guide, the mend fences and do it in supernatural ways. This is what society wants but doesn't realize it. Religion doesn't really offer this because it just knows tradition duties.

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John

John, as I read your heart felt cry, I can relate and I would guess there are others on this forum who are dealing with this issue. We get weary of life, it appears the devil is winning and we see so little evidence of God at work. But the reality is that at times we may not notice it until after the fact that He indeed was working quietly but we were too blinded to recognize it.

For me as I look about there is much to make one feel like running to the mountains to get away from people and live like a hermit. But God does not want us to be hermits, so where do I find my delight in life that gives meaning? I find it in Bible reading,expecting the Holy Spirit to illuminate the word; meditating on what was read looking to see what this teaches me about God. In this exercise of studying the WORD I experience real joy and delight - and this occurs independent of external circumstances.

My testimony...

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Sandra Miller

hi, two weeks ago , i heard this testimony from a dear brother from india at the weekly word for word bible study.he said that his mother was out of fuel and could not cook inside.his dad ; a pastor in india, said to to pour water in the stove and that God would give them a fire. they cooked with water as fuel for two weeks,till they had enough money to buy fuel.i have 8 children and one was greatly harmed by a divorse that his mother and i had together...he went from an advanced honors student to a rebel with c and ds...he went off into drugs and other stupid behavior.he shacked up with a beautiful girl but could not pass a drug test to get a good job.after a few years of tears and prayer,God appeared to him while on the toilet and told him to take some steps to get his life straghtened out.number 1 was to be saved... number 2 was to quit lying to everyone about his life...#3 was to cold turkey the drugs...#4 was to marry his girlfriend(they now had 2 daughters)etc.he has done these things and is doing very well in denver where he and his family live.jimp

Jimp
This is an example of Hannakah it seems.
This son you speak of,it seems he must have hit bottom you think? Does he acknowledge all of these events as God speaking to him?

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John

hi, he realy had not hit any bottom. his life was a lie but his wife worked and earned good money and he worked at low end jobs. they lived a pretty good life and their children were exemplory.God just soveriegnly moved as an answer to prayer.jimp

All of our life experiences amount to experience with God, it is hard to see, the scriptures dont always support or validate what we go through.

It is a compilation of both biblical messaging along with what is experienced, both the good, bad, and the ugly. I can speak for myself, I have been through some aweful experiences, and I have found that it takes time to fully equate, understand and SEE what it means to accept this way of God like the word says we are too.

In dying to urself, u begin to understand that it will not happen the way in which I think or expect , God will not answer my prayer to the beat of my tune, but he will answer as necessary.

We will all learn what the word is trying to tell us about Himself and life, they are one in the same. But, God wants us to enjoy His life, and this comes through a rearranging and a death of ones own values, views, concepts, and preconceptions.

Our goal is to meet God Himself, not all of the benefits that comes with God. As I am experiencing, His benefits are also arranged in the form of deep sorrow and pain as well as joy of a new child or a great job. The goal is Christ, and He will allow the benefits to bcome xtra, but it is always Himself first!

Love you all and Merry Christmas as we celebrate a coming new year in Christ