Please lift me

Brothers and sisters,

I've wandered from the Lord for a while, and then the last couple of weeks really felt my heart being stirred by the Holy Spirit. I've been seeking, reading the Word, praying etc, but then I find myself continually slipping again.

It doesn't sound like much, but it's wearing me down. Please pray.

Thank you.

Brother,

It sounds like much to this hearing. There is pull and drag from this present state of things that is difficult to describe or maybe even put ones finger on. If I may say so, we will have to fight for our spritual lives ... The fight is prayer.

There is a great deal of help in this little book, have been reading it over and over slowly. It is a great challenge and also full of great encouragement.

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=22319]A Call to Prayer[/url] ~ J.C. Ryle

[i]Have you forgotten that it is not natural to any one to pray? "The carnal mind is enmity against God." The desire of man's heart is to get far away from God, and have nothing to do with him. His feeling towards him is not love, but fear. Why then should a man pray when he has no real sense of sin, no real feeling of spiritual wants, no thorough belief in unseen things, no desire after holiness and heaven? Of all these things the vast majority of men know and feel nothing. The multitude walk in the broad way. I cannot forget this. Therefore I say boldly, I believe that few pray.

Now what is the cause of most backslidings? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of private prayer. Of course the secret history of falls will not be known till the last day. I can only give my opinion as a minister of Christ and a student of the heart. That opinion is, I repeat distinctly, that backsliding generally first begins with neglect of private prayer.

Bibles read without prayer; sermons heard without prayer; marriages contracted without prayer; journeys undertaken without prayer; residences chosen without prayer; friendships formed without prayer; the daily act of private prayer itself hurried over, or gone through without heart: these are the kind of downward steps by which many a Christian descends to a condition of spiritual palsy, or reaches the point where God allows him to have a tremendous fall. This is the process which forms the lingering Lots, the unstable Samsons, the wife-idolizing Solomons, the inconsistent Asas, the pliable Jehoshaphats, the over-careful Marthas, of whom so many are to be found in the church of Christ. Often the simple history of such cases is this: they became careless about private prayer.[/i]

Encouragement ...

[i]There are wonderful examples in Scripture of the power of prayer. Nothing seems to be too great, too hard, or too difficult for prayer to do. It has obtained things that seemed impossible and out of reach. It has won victories over fire, air, earth, and water. Prayer opened the Red Sea. Prayer brought water from the rock and bread from heaven. Prayer made the sun stand still. Prayer brought fire from the sky on Elijah's sacrifice. Prayer turned the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Prayer overthrew the army of Sennacherib. Well might Mary Queen of Scots say, "I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of ten thousand men." Prayer has healed the sick. Prayer has raised the dead. Prayer has procured the conversion of souls. "The child of many prayers," said an old Christian to Augustine's mother, "shall never perish." Prayer, pains, and faith can do anything. Nothing seems impossible when a man has the spirit of adoption. "Let me alone," is the remarkable saying of God to Moses when Moses was about to intercede for the children of Israel - the Chaldee version has, "Leave off praying" - (Exod. 32:10). So long as Abraham asked mercy for Sodom, the Lord went on giving. He never ceased to give till Abraham ceased to pray. Think of this. Is not this encouragement?
[/i]

Brother, who among us has not experienced this very thing? The subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) distractions of the world and the tendency of our own hearts to wander. How many times have we even been drawn after from the Lord by the very blessings that He gives us? I am reminded of the admonition in Scripture to fight the good fight of faith. Many times it is as if we fight against our own selves. Why are our hearts so quickly drawn away from the absolute delight of living in His Presence?

As you already know, the stirring that you feel is the wooing of the Spirit, for you to draw near to Jesus. I went through a period of time where I had drifted a bit and began to feel this stirring as well. I would read my Bible and pray and I felt nothing. I became so discouraged, believing I would never regain that precious place of delighting in His Presence and the temptation was to quit seeking it. As I shared this with a dear sister, she said these words to me – “Danielle, it doesn’t matter what you feel. You just have to go to Him. Even if you don’t feel anything, just go to Him and say “Lord, here I am – reporting for nearness.” It reminds me of the title of a recent thread here on SI – Where else could we go? Really brother – where else could we go? We have tasted something so heavenly we will never be satisfied with anything less.

Oh brother, my heart goes out to you. And I pray that you will call to remembrance the joy of fellowship with Christ and that your heart will be stirred and will burn with a passionate zeal to pursue Him relentlessly.

For where else could we go?

Danielle

Praying.

Praying here also. Please read Psalm 121.

In Christ,

Ron

Psalm 77:1-20
To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of Asaph.
I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. [2] In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. [3] I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. [4] Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. [5] I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. [6] I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. [7] Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? [8] Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? [9] Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. [10] And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. [11] I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. [12] I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. [13] Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? [14] Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. [15] Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. [16] The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled. [17] The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. [18] The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. [19] Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. [20] Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Will continue to pray and remember the 'Works' of the Lord.

adamdawkins wrote:
Brothers and sisters,

I've wandered from the Lord for a while, and then the last couple of weeks really felt my heart being stirred by the Holy Spirit. I've been seeking, reading the Word, praying etc, but then I find myself continually slipping again.

It doesn't sound like much, but it's wearing me down. Please pray.

Dear brother in Christ Jesus,

I can relate to you in your case, i recently come back to fellowship with The Lord Christ Jesus through other believer like here in SI. i believe there is little revival happening in my heart, God only gives us what we can take at the time. I have read your post a while ago and have been praying along with my other personal request to God and guideance of His abundant wisdom to find encouragement to persue and press on my hunger for his grace and love.just want to share some little thing happened to me the other morning my husband ends up braking a small vase i have by mocking around with the children, i got upset i felt this vessel is like me others hurts me that they didn't even meant it. But God shows me through this i am a vessel that belongs to Him and he can put me back heals me, every fragmented parts of me He will heal it until i am whole again for His glory. He will put pieces by pieces of my life in passion and zealing of the Holy Spirit. It may take time but having assurance He will enable me to hold on in His grace. I hope this gives you a little bit of encouragement in some ways.
Be bless stay in fellowship, remember we are like a new born baby can't be fed to much will end up choking.

Thank you.

:-) :-D oh what a joy God can bring even in our backslidding state or got lost along the way of our little walk in life He is able to show us the way for He is the only Way for us to make it and along the lost course we taking at the time we got shown the truth about ourselves, as long we are willing to accept the truth. Because He is he Truth He is the reality of our existance, Only Him who died on the cross able to show us the way,the truth, and the life with out condemnation. And on that cross we come to exchange our dying life to abundant life eternally. John 14:6