life experiences and God

There gets to be so much talk about devotional topics and the 'oh for a prayer warrior....and other topics' mentality that it really gets my head spinning. I begin asking- the point of the statement is........? Sometimes it seems that as christians we bring these subjects up because we are not engaging in these practices ourselves. So, we bring it up in hopes to gathers others around to say yeah, and AMEN and then the thought is simply left there after a quick participation and our emotions are sedated for a time.

What are some life experiences you have had after devotions that have raised your belief in God to a higher level. Personally, I get tired of hearing the above items- I want to hear people stories of what God has done in their surroundings because it then shows me God is working in the lives of people vs being a paper God of our minds.
I am not talking about emotional stuff-that doesn't do much to raise faith within a heart. I am talking about experiences that become signpost for you as times goes on that God met you here or used to there and you saw God work as a result and it left an impression on you/others as to the testimony of God working.

For me, I struggle right now and it may be that God is doing something around me but I am too blind to see it? One example that I can share that I noticed and I am not sure how this came to pass is my job. I work in data entry accounting type of thing with 5 ladies. They know I don't drink because I hate the taste of alcohol. I can take sips but it usualy don't go bast 4-5 drinks. I usually carry a postive attitude and joke alot to deflect aggrivations. Somewhere in there I find that even the supervisor, if she cusses which catch herself and apologizes. I don't know if this is as a result of me doing something that she has noticed along the lines but this happens in those instances that are small yet I really notice it. I don't know if the fact that I don't make a practice of drinking leads her to think that maybe it is because I probably go to church or something. I tend to wonder if there is a God influence in there or something else.

Please share a story of yours. even a few stories of yours.

John, you raised a question that was raised yesterday at a ladies meeting - 'what special Christmas story do you have to share?' was the question. I had one which I will share. This incident has ministered to me many times since.

As long time posters know in January 1996 our only daughter was called home to glory - this is the backdrop of what follows.

Christmas was coming up again and I started feeling a bit sorry for myself because Regina was no long around to give me anything. She was always so good in giving me appropriate gifts - I loved to see what she would come up with next.

Anyhow...

Our family - my parents and all their off-spring, children and grandchildren - were at their house for Christmas. We exchanged gifts, like usual. I was sitting on the floor by the picture window when my sister Helen gave me a box 15"x12"x2" wrapped in plain white paper. She gave this to me after all the other gifts had been opened and appreciated. She said, "Sandra, this is for you." I looked at it, odd as it was and asked, "For me?" "Yes, for you."

All eyes were upon me as I opened it. There in that box were embroidered quilt blocks people had made for me to be made up into a friendship quilt. I was shocked, surprised, astounded to no end. Then Helen explained. Regina had started this project in celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary but her sickness prevented her from carrying it through it to its completion. Upon her passing, her mother-in-law found it among her belongings and gave it to my sister and told her to go ahead with the project.

A couple days later, I was sitting on the sofa, going through these blocks, looking at them so carefully, being so awed that so many people would do anything like this for me when suddenly I felt such intense love flow over my body, starting at my head and going to my feet.

God, in his wonderful mercy knew I would need a confirmation of HIS love and he worked to prove it to me once again this Christmas season in 1997. Regina, after being laid to rest gave me this wonderful gift - much more appreciated in this context then had it happened if she would have been alive.

Early, on after being told Regina was terminally ill, I had surrendered her to the LORD and knew then He would comfort me when I needed it and He did in ways far beyond my imagination. Today I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when he comforts if will exceed our expectations.

This incident comes back to cheer me many times when I start feeling sorry for my lack of having a daughter. God is good...all the time, yes, even when He afflicts sorrow.

Blessings...

I look forward reading other people's testimonies...

I want to add something else to this posting. Along with this thread have you ever taken the time to go to the "miracles that follow the plow" board? Ever notice how few postings there are in there? THere are alot of prayer requests in there but I don't see alot of follow up except for some saying they are praying for these people. I don't see alot of answered prayers or much in testimonies.

Why is this? Are christians too lazy to post anything in there? Do we just forget? Is God not doing much? What is the answer? Are christian passionless as a result?

Just thinking out loud.

hi, i have seen many miracles in my life and could spend the day writing stories but that is history and in the past.if you have ought against a brother or sister get up off your knees and go straighten it out before you pray or give. how can you have your prayers answered when you are forever talking about and condemning joel osteen or benny hinn on this sight or others. how can you have your prayers answered if you criticize your pastor or someone else in the church.we need to pray for those we criticize and keep our opinions to ourselves for faith worketh by love. i have yet to see anyones critical words change anything going on in the lives of those they are gossiping about.i have seen things changed by prayer. aren't you glad that when you stand before God that you only have to answer for your own failures and blessings?jimp

ummm. yeeeaaaah, so the miracles in your life are all but history and in the past? This means they are irrelevent then?

Sounds as if you have a spur in your system with your last 7 lines. I agree with what you are saying, I just wondered where the inspiration for such things are coming from? Or are they just adding to the lack of God moving in the lives of people?

dear deadn, i was going to opine over 2o3 miracles that happened and the Spirit of the Lord checked me and led me to write what i wrote. it might sound like a lot of hocus pocus but i have been following that voice for years and i feel it is the voice of the rama Word of personal direction for me.jimp i would like to tell about something that happened in len ravenhills life...he was in chicago and the hotel caught on fire and he had to jump from the 6th floor into the snow below and broke his back.. while martha was taking care of him in ireland with him flat on his back in bed, everyone brought to him with cancer was instantly healed and that is how he supported his family for the time in bed. when he was able to get up this annointing left and never came back. i share this to show how sovereign God is and how things just don't always seem to fit our biased beliefs.

Ginnyrose

Thank you for sharing this with us. So often when I am struggling and just really feeling lost the LORD has lead me to read something from another sister or brother in Christ that has just helped me so much. Gods love never leaves us, there are times when we may run from HIM but HE never pushes us away....I can not imagine the pain of loosing a child as you have, but I am so encouraged by your testimony. Knowing how GOD works so wonderfully in our lives even in times of sorrows is such a needed reminder of HIS constant care in my life.

God Bless
mj

Oh, dear Ma'am, the pain and the sting of the great, great loss... It lingers at every remembrance, yet our God breaks through the darkness of pain and despair and shows Himself mighty to comfort us in such times.

And we can be a comfort to one another because we know His supernatural love that comes in the midst of the suffering. We can yet stand up in God's strength and bless the Lord for His goodness to us! And in this way, our loss becomes another's gain; our sorrow turned to another's sweet consolation...

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of ALL COMFORT;

Who comforteth us in ALL our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our CONSOLATION also ABOUNDETH by Christ!" II Corinthians 1:3-5

May God bless you today, a Mother in Israel.
Doug :O)

I have another one.

Several years ago I shared here on SI a situation that concerned my family...in particular my mom. Dad had died and now her anger exploded. She always was troubled with this problem.

Three years ago my SIL left her husband, my brother. This marriage ended in a divorce a couple months ago. This incident about killed mom. We take marriage vows seriously and do not believe marriage is dissoluble except by death. Anyhow, she was grief stricken as we all were.

Today, the anger is gone, absolutely gone. She has become a sweet old lady, one who I enjoy being with. If she were to die now, I would feel comfortable about her destination.

What makes this so remarkable is that the experts say old people do not change. Well! I have news for you - they can and do - mom is 84 YO!

I remind my brother about the scripture that informs us that ALL things work together for good to those who are called according to his purpose. What is tragic is that it took a divorce to bring this about but then who knows what impact this may have otherwise in ways we do not yet imagine? In God's economy no acts go to waste - God will use it somewhere, somehow to bring about glory to Him. It just may take a lot of time for this to happen.

Yes, we saw an answer to a prayer that was a long time a-coming. In fact we had given up! Perhaps this will teach us to be patient with the other prodigals?

Ginnyrose, Thank you for sharing this about your mother. What a precious story. Maybe there is hope yet for my mother. She is 79 - and very crusty!

Actually, in my own faith journey God has used the very things that are not right to draw me to himself. I could provide a long list of these grace-builders: bad sermons, broken relationships, failed ethics among professionals - and certainly my own failures.

Strange - education teaches us how things are supposed to work. But we never learned how to cope when it all fails. I guess we weren't supposed to expect that to happen.

I'm glad that scripture does not gloss over the bad stuff about humanity - but instead shows us how God works through it all - for his glory.

As you say, that can teach us to be patient with prodigals.

Diane

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.

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...

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!

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.

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...

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?

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