[__ Prayer __] Spiritual warfare? Prayers appreciated

[Christ_empowered]

Yes! Heart of flesh not of stone!

 

[Andrewoder1999]

If God had hardened your heart then you would not be seeking Him. This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 12:1-10 where we read about Paul's thorn in the flesh as Satan trying to buffet him, but look what God tells Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

Right now you are weak in mind and in Spirit walking in the flesh as Satan is playing with your mind making you resistant to pray and bringing doubt and is stealing your joy and happiness. It's up to you to get firm and tell Satan he has to flee in the name of Jesus and that you are not going to take it anymore from Him that you are a child of the most high God, the God of all creation and that you are going to dedicate your life to Christ and pick up your cross and follow Him. You have to surrender all of yourself to God and start having fellowship with Him.

Just something like this, Enough is enough, I want my joy and my peace of mind back as this battle belongs to the Lord who has purchased my life by His very blood on that Calvary Hill who has now given me a new life in Christ no turning back, but pressing forward to the mark of my salvation through Christ that has said, I am more than a conquer through Christ Jesus who is my life and in Him will I only believe.

Don't be afraid to yell at Satan and stand firm in faith that is Christ Jesus. Sometimes it just feels good to yell at Satan when he becomes a thorn in your side as well I know he can be.

Go Andrewoder1999 walk with Jesus, go Andrewoder1999 be filled with the Holy Spirit, go Andrewoder1999 get your joy back, get your praise on get excited for Jesus

Thank you for the encouragement. I will NOT give up seeking Jesus for salvation. It says in Matthew that if you seek you will find knock and the door will be open to you. No giving up. We will be knocking at the door until our mental fists are bleeding and continuing after that.

 

[Christ_empowered]

I’ve been saved for 10 years now. For the longest time I’d literally say a sinners prayer all over again. I thought that it was because God willed such a transformation from my original state…

But now I think that much like you I needed strong security in Christs love for me.

 

[for_his_glory]

Thank you for the encouragement. I will NOT give up seeking Jesus for salvation. It says in Matthew that if you seek you will find knock and the door will be open to you. No giving up. We will be knocking at the door until our mental fists are bleeding and continuing after that.

Knock and that door will be opened unto you as you are invited into the house of the Lord.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Reading the word feels like a chore. I should be praying even when I don’t feel like it. No matter how dry it is. I need to keep pushing.

To be blunt honest as the Bible is but not our culture, you likely need to repent of known sin and ask God and man for forgiveness. Prayer is useless if you are harboring known sin. "If I regard (hold) iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." He is not very interesting in prayers to make you feel better while you insist on keeping your wrong ways. Making us feel better is not his MO. In addition, if you retain the right to do wrong (better word that "sin"), you are on the enemy's turf and he is allowed to make you depressed.

 

[Christ_empowered]

Perhaps a softer approach than Dorothy Mae …

My understanding is that spiritual warfare can be an opportunity for reflection prayer and greater obedience. I’m going through some now and I’ve decided to dig out the Chop Ingram books and apply his recommendations to my life. Basically…

Read Scripture. Pray. Reflect. Repent. Less me more Jesus. To me it seems like an unusually intense period of sanctification which generally involves some degree of pushback anyway.

Hope this helps.

 

[Andrewoder1999]

If God had hardened your heart then you would not be seeking Him. This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 12:1-10 where we read about Paul's thorn in the flesh as Satan trying to buffet him, but look what God tells Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

Right now you are weak in mind and in Spirit walking in the flesh as Satan is playing with your mind making you resistant to pray and bringing doubt and is stealing your joy and happiness. It's up to you to get firm and tell Satan he has to flee in the name of Jesus and that you are not going to take it anymore from Him that you are a child of the most high God, the God of all creation and that you are going to dedicate your life to Christ and pick up your cross and follow Him. You have to surrender all of yourself to God and start having fellowship with Him.

Just something like this, Enough is enough, I want my joy and my peace of mind back as this battle belongs to the Lord who has purchased my life by His very blood on that Calvary Hill who has now given me a new life in Christ no turning back, but pressing forward to the mark of my salvation through Christ that has said, I am more than a conquer through Christ Jesus who is my life and in Him will I only believe.

Don't be afraid to yell at Satan and stand firm in faith that is Christ Jesus. Sometimes it just feels good to yell at Satan when he becomes a thorn in your side as well I know he can be.

Go Andrewoder1999 walk with Jesus, go Andrewoder1999 be filled with the Holy Spirit, go Andrewoder1999 get your joy back, get your praise on get excited for Jesus

You are so right. God hardened pharaohs heart so much that he had no guilt and shame whatsoever in his life. This is clearly not the case with me. I have a lot of guilt and shame for a lot of things I have done in my life. I am 23 yo btw. Gen Z. God has very much planted a seed within this generation to seek Him

 

[for_his_glory]

You are so right. God hardened pharaohs heart so much that he had no guilt and shame whatsoever in his life. This is clearly not the case with me. I have a lot of guilt and shame for a lot of things I have done in my life. I am 23 yo btw. Gen Z. God has very much planted a seed within this generation to seek Him

Whether you are a baby boomer like me being 68 years old or Gen Z as long as you are in Christ and He in you we are all of the seed of Abraham by faith and joint heirs to the promises of God having eternal life with Him. Just keep moving forward my friend.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

[Andrewoder1999]

Whether you are a baby boomer like me being 68 years old or Gen Z as long as you are in Christ and He in you we are all of the seed of Abraham by faith and joint heirs to the promises of God having eternal life with Him. Just keep moving forward my friend.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Amen like I said before I will keep knocking on the door for salvation. Jesus will never break His promise. All in His timing. Not mine.

 

[for_his_glory]

Amen like I said before I will keep knocking on the door for salvation. Jesus will never break His promise. All in His timing. Not mine.

You don't have to keep knocking, but to recognize that door is already opened as Jesus has heard you knocking and has already invited you to come into His house.

Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

 

[Andrewoder1999]

“BEHOLD, THE LORD’S HAND IS NOT SHORTENED, THAT IT CANNOT SAVE; NEITHER HIS EAR HEAVY, THAT IT CANNOT HEAR:” - Isaiah 59:1

 

[Andrewoder1999]

hello I am going to to take a break from christianforums for a while. I will still be seeking Jesus Christ and His promises

 

[Andrewoder1999]

You don't have to keep knocking, but to recognize that door is already opened as Jesus has heard you knocking and has already invited you to come into His house.

Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Amen and amen

 

[GodsGrace]

hello I am going to to take a break from christianforums for a while. I will still be seeking Jesus Christ and His promises

Why do you need to keep seeking Jesus?
What does it mean to find Him?
Why do you think you have not found Him as yet?
What are His promises?

 

[Andrewoder1999]

Why do you need to keep seeking Jesus?
What does it mean to find Him?
Why do you think you have not found Him as yet?
What are His promises?

To be honest i am not born again Christian. I am beginning to see a light. I’m convinced that Jesus Christ is at work chasing after my heart. Here are a few of His promises:
Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.
And him that comes to me I will certainly not cast out.
Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.

 

[for_his_glory]

hello I am going to to take a break from christianforums for a while. I will still be seeking Jesus Christ and His promises

Take some alone time to pray and meditate on His word and also be still and let Him speak to you. Looking forward to you coming back with an awesome testimony

 

[GodsGrace]

To be honest i am not born again Christian. I am beginning to see a light. I’m convinced that Jesus Christ is at work chasing after my heart. Here are a few of His promises:
Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.
And him that comes to me I will certainly not cast out.
Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.

Hi Andrew,
It's so nice to have you on this forum...
I hope you can realize that God's promises are certainly kept for every person that seeks Him.
God reveals Himself to everyone at one time or another. He certainly has revealed Himself to you.
Some reply with a NO and some reply with a YES.

If you're beginning to see the light, it means you have seen the light!
You have seen the love God has for you and you have met His Son, Jesus.
I do believe you're heart has been caught already and God is calling you to His side.
Remember, the bible does not say that God loves...
It states that GOD IS LOVE...we cannot separate God from His love for us.
1 John 4:8

A parable told by Jesus that I really like a lot is the gospel of Luke 15:11-24
The Prodigal Son
Jesus tells a parable to make us understand how loving God is toward us, His creation.


10In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Parable of the Lost Son

11To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons.
12The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.
14About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.
15He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.
16The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!
18I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,
19and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

20“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
21His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.

22“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.
23And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,
24for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’

 

[Dorothy Mae]

“BEHOLD, THE LORD’S HAND IS NOT SHORTENED, THAT IT CANNOT SAVE; NEITHER HIS EAR HEAVY, THAT IT CANNOT HEAR:” - Isaiah 59:1

But your iniquities have separated you from your God;

And your sins have hidden His face from you,

So that He will bnot hear.

Isaiah 59:2

 

[Christ_empowered]

Wow this is getting intense

Blessings follow obedience.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Wow this is getting intense

Blessings follow obedience.

You know Ce, I have been thinking about the verses that say he shall rule them with a rod of iron. That does not sound pleasant. Does he beat them with an iron stick? And there is the slaying them by the sword of this mouth. Ever seen painting of Jesus with a sword sticking out of this mouth? That cannot be comfortable. Talk about cutting your tongue! So what is this depicting?

I think it is the iron hard stand he takes regarding his word and his teaching. He does not compromise. This is very different than how we are in our culture. A good example is the first quoting of Isaiah 59:1. Ah, don't we love reading that God 's hand is not too short to help us in our struggles? Isn't that warm and fuzzy? Doesn't that give us hope? Don't we feel that God will lead us out of our situation?

But what have we done by extracting that verse out of the context? We have hidden from ourselves the instructions as to how he will do so. We want Jesus to lead us out without him pointing out our sin and us repenting, when the verse after tells us WHY we are in the mess we are in. And what happens so often? No rescue comes and we are told to "hand in there and trust God" but do not DO ANYTHING like obey his instructions so he CAN lead you out. The sword of his mouth in the Bible, the Word of God that has power. The rod of iron is the iron hard determination to require us to obey that word before He will grant our request. Why does a man feel dry and separated from God? Well, if there is continual sin in his life, if he has refused the correction of God, that is the reason. And Jesus, ruling as with iron, will not change and be soft and warm and responsive until we do the part he absolutely requires of us.

How many believers are feeling alone and abandoned by God and struggling with problems He does not seem to be solving and all the while refusing to read the what the man ruling with the rod of iron requires of them, let alone doing it?

I know a follower of Christ who says that he has not experienced a dry time or desert or frustration with what God is doing in 40 years, but he says he has learned to obey. That makes all the difference.