God is Faithful, Good, Loving, and blesses His people!

Hi just wanted to post this thread as there are a few threads on the main page that keep reappearing and that bear some titles which dishonor God's Name and character and even appear as lies from Satan (One suggests that Job died without being restored and Joseph wasn't restored). Can you post how God has blessed you and been faithful to you whether in a trial or otherwise?

God has blessed me with a wife and four children, who love me, and that God uses to refine me into a man of God. LOL!

2 Peter 1:2-4 comes to mind -
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Lloyd

Just to add to the above here are the lyrics from my new favorite song from Matt Redman - Never Once

"Never Once"

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

:)

Brother,

God gave me a new heart that loves him. He is renewing my mind in the Word. He changed me from a failing student into a passing student. He has given me eternal life. And I have given him my life to do with as he pleases, and this brings me great joy and victory!

God has been bringing this scripture to my mind:

"Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set."

- Proverbs 22:28

this proverb speaks to me of the importance of our testimony of Jesus, and the same testimony of the great cloud of witnesses which surround us.

-Travis

Here is an old landmark of God's dealing in my life.

But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. (Revelation 2:20) The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." (Revelation 17:4-5)

A year ago I was drinking from this cup of filth. I was captive in Babylon. I lay here in bed next to my wife writing this right now. A year ago I was laying in bed engaging in sexual immorality as she slept beside me.

I loved sports, movies, tv shows, pop fiction books, I loved so many things that I had played the harlot with. I did not love the Lord Jesus Christ. I loved the world. This is the root. It is spiritual harloty that leads to sexual immorality. First the Holy Spirit convicted me of how I played the harlot with my God. Then the Spirit convicted me of how I really wanted to make God my prostitute to get blessings, and gifts, and eternal life, It was all about what he could give me if I payed him lip service. I was utterly wicked, and I thought I was righteous. I deserved hell, I still do. I had to confess to my wife, I had to confess to God how I was holding the cross of Christ up to contempt, and as a result my witness was scattering instead of gathering.

I had to Repent of my Sins. And as I came to myself, and I saw the filth I was living in, the Pigs were all around me, I said I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN AND EARTH AND I AM NOT WORTHY TO BE CALLED YOUR SON.

The father saw me, a long way off, I was covered in filth. I was covered in my snot and my tears. I was helpless.

AND THIS IS THE GRACE OF GOD.

HE RAN TO ME FELL ON MY NECK AND KISSED ME.

He called me his son. He said that I was his child and that he loved me. He has given me his Spirit so that I will never go back to wallowing in the filth with those Pigs again, because he loves me, and I love him. It is now unthinkable that I would ever go back.

The forgiveness found at the Cross of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming. He is so full of Grace. I would rather die then do that to my God again, my hearts desire, my greatest love, never, ever, ever again. I know that nothing will separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Brothers, you who are in this filth, come to yourselves, Repent and see the filth you are wallowing in, the Father is looking for you, he wants to run out to you and scoop you up in his arms. Please God set the captives free. Oh come out of her my people, come out. Drink from this filthy cup of abomination no longer. There is mercy in My Father's Arms. He love us so much, so, so , much.

My Son has come home. He was lost now he is found. He was dead now he lives. My Son, My Son, has come home.

Blessings sister,

when we see Jesus...

Last night as I lay there the Spirit witnessed to me
the desire of the Lord to come to his people. And he is coming back soon, he is at the very gates. But he is waiting for the full number to be gathered in, for he deserves them all, he bought us with his blood on the cross. But what the Lord worked into my heart was the intense desire to see his beloved and our intense desire to see him.

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me"

- Song of songs 7:10

"so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

- Hebrews 9:28

Love,

Travis

I think the love has to come from the death of Jesus on the Cross. That is the love of God for us who deserve death, but were given life, just as Christ was given life as he rose from the dead.

Jesus died for you. That is the love.

I know codek. I was responding to Jesus is God.

She was saying how all these momentary sufferings are light compared to the eternal weight of glory that awaits us when our Lord returns.

well, actually Codek, that is one thing you can believe about those phonies. If they have a wife and children, then to some extent God has blessed them. Surprisingly God blesses those who never seek for Him at all in some ways. The fact that they are still sucking air is a good sign that God has blessed them. He hasn't repayed them for their iniquity as He could. He is being longsuffereing with them that they might repent of their blasphemies.

I constantly learn about God and myself from my relationships with my wife and kids. When I tell my son, rather impatiently and irratated, that I asked him to clean his room an hour ago and its still a bomb, I think about how God has asked, or worse, commanded me to do something that I haven't done yet. I think of how He deals with me in that situation and then I try and address the situation with my kid in more grace and gentleness, like God dealt with me.

When I think of how Jesus' heart for His church is to be prepared in fine white linens and cleansed by His word I think of how I should be towards my wife, see Ephesians 5.

Codek, my testimony is that I was a party guy, looking for fun with sex and alcohol mostly and drugs to a much lesser extent. I was contantly trying to fulfill myself with what the world had to offer my flesh, and of course, it didn't satisfy.

I met my wife who was a believer. She was different and was that salt and light to me that pointed the way to Jesus. I went to her church a couple of times and heard the word of God spoken and got saved. I had grown up in the Anglican church but it had meant nothing to me. But when I heard the TRUTH I repented and believed in Jesus. He has fulfilled me unlike any other ever! I love Him because He first loved me. It would be enough for the rest of my life without the presence of His Holy Spirit in me, just to know that He died for me. The cross is the most wonderful sight. But He does more! He has indwelt me with His Holy Spirit. He dwells in me, Hallelujah. He is changin me day by day. When I turn aside and look to those old things He chastens me and forgives me and counsels me.

I say He satisfies, and He does but I still am weak in some areas. The desire to drink went away, along with the foul mouth (for the most part). Those areas He changed miraculously. Others I am learning to walk by the (influence of the) Spirit and resist the temptations that still draw me. He is faithful! When I fall and repent He forgives. Its like running in a race and you stumble and fall. While still down on your knees you look up at the judge to see if you are disqualified, "Don't bother getting up, your out". But instead He says, "get up, keep going, you are forgiven, you are washed, You are MINE".

I have gone through times of seeming quietness from the Lord and from the Holy Spirit, but only ever relatively brief. I cry to Him and He hears my prayer and answers me. I can't think of once when it wasn't because sin had marred His face. Even then, if I have repented He hears me and any seeming anger from Him or rejection is a lie fo the devil as there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Codek, you need to be IN Christ Jesus. Repent of your sins and put your faith in Him. Repentence is simply turning from your way to God and His way. Trust in His sacrifice on your behalf.

Lloyd

codek, I know what it's like to have many doubts about God and His love for us. For 22 years I denied His existence or love. I would have thoughts like, "If God exists and cares for us, why doesn't He just tell us with an audible voice or show Himself to us? Or if God created the universe, who created God?" etc.

From 14yrs old to 22 I got involved in gangs, drugs, and violence. I went in and out of jail and prison. At 22yrs old while in prison I had high hopes of getting out and marrying my current girlfriend and settling down with a family. It was not until that time that I started to have serious thoughts and questions such as, "why am I here on this earth? is this all there is to life? parties? sex? money? a family? a career? It all seems like vanity."

At that time there was an inmate who would preach on the prison yard for all to hear. At first I would mock him with my prison buddies. But as time went by I began listening more and more to what he preached and it began to make much sense to me.

I began to realize that I could have been dead a long time ago if it wasn't for the mercy of God. I had literally had bullets fly right by my ears. I had never been stabbed or shot though I came so close to it. I was not doing life in prison though I came so close to that also. And I was not dead yet and in hell though I knew I more than deserved it after all my rebellion against God. My conscience told me there is a loving and merciful God who had not yet given me what I deserved.

Around that time I decided to attend a prison church service. As I walked into the service there was a song playing with the lyrics, "My God is worthy, yes He's worthy, worthy of all of my praise....." At that moment I realized how worthy God really is of my full devotion and obedience. After all that He had done for me in giving me life, health, family, friends, shelter, food, clothing, etc, etc, etc. It was me that was so unworthy of any goodness from Him but He still had so much mercy on me.

At that moment I was overwhelmed and overcome with the thought of the holiness, love and mercy of God. I then broke down in tears and told Him, "God if you will forgive my vileness and rebellion against You I will serve you and obey you from here on out." At that moment I surrendered my life to Him and became born again. At first I thought I could obey God with my own will but soon learned that I couldn't because I was too sinful inside in my heart. And I learned that it was only through the cross and grace of Christ that I could be in right standing with Him, not by any merit or obedience on my part. And I learned that it was only by His grace that I could be transformed and grow spiritually day by day and moment by moment.

So here I am about 14 years later, still learning and growing day by day. He has blessed me with a beatiful wife and two beautiful children, but I am nowhere near being rich or even middle class by American standards. We live in a one bedroom apartment in a ghetto area and I struggle to make ends meet. But God has been gracious in providing our basic needs. Most importantly, and for which I am most grateful, He has given us His own Son as a suffereing substitute for our sins. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

If we want to know whether or not God loves us, we need look no further than that rugged cross where Jesus hung and bled. He offered up Himself on that tree for the vilest and chiefest of sinners such as myself. I want to forever be grateful for that amazing love and grace which He has demonstrated, no matter what my earthly circumstances are. Hope this testimony can be an encouragement in some way. God bless.

Here is a testimony from Pastor Tim Conway, titled, "A Catholic Partier's Testimony"

Link: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=72706213845

QUOTE: "It sounds like the prodigal son testimony. How did you feel the love because that's my problem, I'm not feeling the love. what is it exactly? I'm being serious."

Codek, don't feel like you are the only one. I have suffered the same problem all my life: not feeling the love of God. Growing up in a non-Christian authoritarian household where love was in very short supply made it real hard to ever believe that love was anything more than a word on a page or to be able to relate to being loved. I fully understand where you are coming from. I am only now beginning to believe God loves me at this late stage of my walk and life. Intellectually i know it doesnt make sense, cuz Christ died on the cross for us, but in my heart and soul i just wasnt experiencing it. Keep seeking, keep praying and waiting. It will come like you say, when the time is right.

p.s. i sense there has been some misunderstanding between you and Lkid on this forum but am not sure how to help clear up that misunderstanding...