How do you know God is pleased with you?

I can't turn to church people for answers. they are as christian as the local buddhist temple. But they are masters at playing church.

According to the scriptures, there is only One Man that God is pleased with, that is Christ - "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased."

If you are in Christ than God is pleased with you just as He is pleased with Christ. If you are not in Christ then you remain an enemy of God.

If you are in Christ, then the Spirit of Christ is in you and you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. (Romans 8:9)

If the pleasure of God toward you was based upon your love for other people, then you would be seeking His pleasure according to the works of the law; all the law is summed up in these two commandments - Love God with all that is in you and love your neighbor as yourself.

The righteousness we lack, cannot come by way of the law but only by faith in Christ.

Look to Christ, God is pleased with Him.

How do i know?

He disciplines me more and more all the time.
Makes me realize i'm not the bastard i think i am sometimes.

God Bless,
gregg

If we look to ourselves to find a basis for God's pleasure toward us, we will experience no lasting pleasure from God. God will not allow it.

Look to Christ.

How do you know God is pleased with you?

How saith your conscience?

Do you hate anyone?, is there envy, strife, bitterness etc..?

Have you spoken ill towards your nieghbour in whom we are commanded to love?

These have nothing to do with being in right standing before God, but the question is not about our salvation, the question is how do you know if God is pleased with you?

If your conscience is clear, I'd say He's pretty pleased with you.

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. John 14:20

How do you know?

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me SHALL BE LOVED of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21

For the Father Himself loveth you, BECAUSE ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God. John 16:27

The Lord tells us how to be loved by He and His Father.

Jesus answered and said unto him, IF, IF, IF a man love me, HE WILL, WILL, WILL keep my words: and my Father WILL LOVE HIM, and WE WILL come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14:23

He that hath my commandments, and KEEPETH THEM, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me SHALL BE loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21

knitefall,

Not too clear who you are speaking about. But, I agree. We are not to try to keep the letter of the law. Cannot be done. The Spirit replaced the Law for Believers and now we serve in newness of spirit. We walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. His law has been written in our hearts.
Jer 31:33, Heb 8:10, Heb 10:16

Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; hat we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

The law is alive and will not die, so we had to die so that we could be free to marry another and now walk in newness of life and serve in newness of spirit.

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with Him in baptism into death: THAT like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we ALSO should walk in newness of life.

We not the law are the dying party. This death dissolves our "marriage" obligation to the law leaving us at liberty to contract a new relationship, to be joined to the Risen Lord, for spiritual fruitfulness.

Many expositors say the law died, but that is not what the Word is saying.

Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

With all of that said, I hope you agree that we now have a WALK to walk. In other words, we are to WALK according to the Spirit and not according to the Flesh. It is not automatic, but must be purposeful and cannot be done apart from Christ, without abiding in Him.

Gal 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

And Eph 2:2, Col 3:7, 1 Pet 4:3 and

1 Jn 2:6
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

There is a walk now that we must walk. It is called the Walk of Sanctification. Be ye holy for I am holy.

It's not enough that 25 years ago we walked the aisle and got our ticket punched. Is our faith active and real? How are we today, 25 years later?

Not a popular topic to bring up these days.

According to the scriptures, there is only One Man that God is pleased with, that is Christ - "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased."

If you are in Christ than God is pleased with you just as He is pleased with Christ. If you are not in Christ then you remain an enemy of God.

If you are in Christ, then the Spirit of Christ is in you and you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. (Romans 8:9)

If the pleasure of God toward you was based upon your love for other people, then you would be seeking His pleasure according to the works of the law; all the law is summed up in these two commandments - Love God with all that is in you and love your neighbor as yourself.

The righteousness we lack, cannot come by way of the law but only by faith in Christ.

Look to Christ, God is pleased with Him.

Absolutely right! The scriptures I quoted have to do with the evidence of our love for Him, but Mahoney addresses the exact title of this thread better. "How do you know if God is pleased with you"? Apart from Christ, He is not pleased. He is only pleased with His Son. We must be in Him.

Look to Him continually. The simplicity of Christ.

Hi codek,

I would suggest, by the sweetness of fellowship you have with Him privately.

Mahoney suggested

If the pleasure of God toward you was based upon your love for other people, then you would be seeking His pleasure according to the works of the law; all the law is summed up in these two commandments - Love God with all that is in you and love your neighbor as yourself.

Further, John expounds in detail in his first epistle:

1 John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

1 John 4: 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son [to be] the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

1 John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin [which is] not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

It seems plain that we MUST love one another. This is not a work of the law, but of the grace which changes us from having our own (self-)righteousness, to having the righteousness of Christ. It forces us to relinquish all our reasonings, and concentrate on living THROUGH HIM, having no other agenda than His. I'm speaking to myself here.

John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

KNOWING that God is 'pleased' seems to work on a loop which starts with our obedience to Him, ratified by the continuing supply of His Spirit as we share His life with others.

Philippians 1: '... Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain.

If we are IN HIM, He is pleased with us.

Take some time to study what "IN HIM" means. Here are a few verses to give you a headstart. IN HIM is where you want to be. This is the true work of God in your life.

1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: HEREBY KNOW WE THAT WE ARE IN HIM.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye IN HIM:

Col 2:7 Rooted and built up IN HIM, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Col 2:10 And ye are complete IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power:

1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth IN HIM, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Yep, one is born-again in a minute, but it takes a lifetime to make a Son.

Hi Pilgrim

but it takes a lifetime to make a Son.

Apart from looking at the progression through Jesus' life from babyhood to manhood, ministry and death, where growing maturity is inevitable, and using snapshots from the Old Testament, where under the New Covenant is that hypothesis shown to be true for us?

I'm interested, because it's not how I understand the gift of the Holy Spirit to be.

A son is an heir. We have been adopted into the family of God and have been made sons because of Christ. To be Born-Again is to have the Spirit of the Risen and exalted Christ living inside of us. We now call God "Abba Father". This is our inheritance. Only sons call God Abba Father.

What I mean when I say it "takes a lifetime to make a son", is that it takes a lifetime to bring one to maturity, to yieldness to the Lord. Yes, we are sons when we are born-again. Then comes a lifetime of God's dealings in our lives to mature us and conform us to the image of Christ.

I like this quote by Oliver Peng and I understand exactly what he is saying.

"Sonship is not an instantaneous thing. It takes both time and
travail. Someone said very well, “The conversion of sinners takes a
moment; the construction of saints takes a lifetime.” Sonship requires a
lifetime. A son is not formed miraculously; it takes both time and
tribulation."

The original question was, " How do you know God is pleased with you?"

While I completely and totally agree that all christians are in a "process" of being conformed into the image of Christ, that does not negate the fact that we are already sons. Even Miss ginnyrose is a son because "son", in that context, does not mean a male or a boy, but it means an heir. Like the "firstborn son" we are heirs to our Father's inheritance because we are in Christ. And in Christ, there is neither Jew, nor Greek, nor male, nor female. He is the First Born of the New Creation, and all believers are in Him. That really is what the whole book of Galatians is about.

To be like Him, to be conformed into His image is our inheritance. When we see Him, we shall be like Him. Again, I agree, we are being changed into His image, we are in a process, but we are in that process because we are already sons. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption (when even our fleshly bodies will be glorified) and the Holy Spirit is the earnest, the downpayment of our inheritance. We are already seated with Him in heavenly places. In a sense, we are already home with Him because He lives in us as the ascended victorious Christ. Its done!

So back to the original question, " How do you know God is pleased with you?"

Look to Christ. Look up for our redemption draweth nigh!

There is nothing we can do to please God except this one thing and we will be judged on it alone. Did we believe on the name of the Son of God, Jesus, His only Son. Did we trust in Him for our righteousness. Was our faith, the kind of faith that Abraham had. That was accounted to us for righteousness?

This "belief" is knowing Him, trusting in Him and relying on Him in ALL things, giving Him 100% of our heart.

He will either "know us" or He will say, "I never knew you".

That's it! The question should not be, "Is God pleased with me", because that is thinking of self. The question should be, "How do I please God?" Look to Jesus and only Jesus.

I like this quote by Oliver Peng and I understand exactly what he is saying.

"Sonship is not an instantaneous thing. It takes both time and
travail. Someone said very well, “The conversion of sinners takes a
moment; the construction of saints takes a lifetime.” Sonship requires a
lifetime. A son is not formed miraculously; it takes both time and
tribulation."

He is talking about the experiential process of sanctification. Walking out our walk and learning from God's dealings in our life to be yielded and obedient.

Hi all,

I feel I need to say something, because of all the replies to my question, but, I have to do some research into 'sons of God' in a message I heard some years ago (which I've posted here in the past), which made a great impression on me. I will make bring a short transcript, to discuss further.

Briefly, I am much with Mahoney, but I also understand the charge to become mature. However, I suspect that if anyone suggested to you that your boy children are not really 'sons', simply because they're not grown-up yet, you would laugh out loud. However, no-one would want to 'own' a delinquent son, and certainly would not want to leave him an inheritance, so I do 'get' that aspect also.

Ron, I would suggest that the redemption of the body (the buying back of the body) has already happened. In the great 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians, is there any hint at all, that Paul links the resurrection of the body with FINALLY being 'adopted'? I don't think so. Thus, not only the interpretation of v 23, but also of v 19 doesn't really ring true for me - in the Spirit. To reach maturity, is a lot to do with being renewed in the spirit of our minds, and also, of allowing the Holy Spirit to help us mortify the flesh, but, doesn't Paul speak elsewhere of these in other terms? Those of putting off the old man, and putting on the new man?

Pilgrim, I would be grateful if you would kindly read a post I made this evening in Predestination and Free Will on p7, last. As I was writing it, it seemed appropriate here also, and I think you will see how. (On SI we are requested not to copy whole posts over between threads.) Many thanks.

ginnyrose, I used the verse from 2 Cor 3 in the post I mentioned to Pilgrim. I also mention the mortification of the flesh, but because of the other thread's title, the angle is necessarily different. Please read it if you are interested.

Alive-to-God, my apologies for talking about spiritual maturity and thoughtlessly changing the thrust of this thread, on "How Do I Know That God is Pleased with Me?"

There have been many good replies to your question, which all Believers want to know at some time or other.

I have one last thing to offer to the discussion that just came to my mind. Jesus was talking to the Pharisees and said this to them.

John 5:38-44
And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

I receive not honour from men.

But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

From this I see several things that help me.

If you come to Jesus and His Word Abides in you, you will be perfected in Love, not seeking the honor of man but the honor that only comes from God.

Jesus, once again is trying to lead the Pharisees out of darkness but they will not be led out. He is trying to tell them what God is pleased with. How ironic and tragic, that we can spend our entire lives searching the scriptures, and being honored by men as Dr. Spiritualness who has all the answers and then end up in hell. Let's make sure we don't wake up one day to this irony.

Thanks and again, my apologies.

Blessings in Jesus, Pilgrim

Yes, Micah is a good one, too. All these answers really illustrate that we need the whole counsel of God, not just a part of it.

Hello Pilgrim,

Sorry to take so long to acknowledge your comments to me. I appreciate them.

Jesus, once again is trying to lead the Pharisees out of darkness but they will not be led out. He is trying to tell them what God is pleased with. How ironic and tragic, that we can spend our entire lives searching the scriptures, and being honored by men as Dr. Spiritualness who has all the answers and then end up in hell. Let's make sure we don't wake up one day to this irony.

I hope codek will come back and share if he has been encouraged or confirmed in what was on his mind when he posted the thread. It's been a blessing to fellowship here.

Thank you so much for posting here and spending time to answer my questions.

I'm sorry I've been away as I have a lot on my mind over the last year. I am reading this post right and will post a reply today

Thank you Alive to God

Yes, Micah is a good one, too. All these answers really illustrate that we need the whole counsel of God, not just a part of it

I agree with you. That is precisely why I asked because I couldn't just answer it in one way. This question encompasses so many things.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD.

Hi codek,

Thanks for bringing this thread back, as I couldn't remember where I should post about 'sons of God'. However, your latest post provokes this response from me.

WITHOUT FAITH

'IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD'.

(Heb 11:6)

Romans 1
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

[Habakkuk 2:4
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.]

Christianity is the hardest thing in the world. It is also the most confusing thing.

I don't have faith like Abraham when he was willing to sacrifice Isaac. And personally I think God was being very mean for wanting Abe to have that kind of faith.

It feels like God is messing with our head and wanting us to have faith in impossible situations just for His kicks. I'm sick of living by faith and having nothing happen and basically committing a slow and painful social/financial suicide for His sake. After decades of following Him, He doesn't even tell me why He puts me through all this suffering.

I can take the suffering but I can't take Him not telling me why I suffer. He could've told me what was going to happen like a good parent would but He knew the traps in my life and let them happen and SAID NOTHING ABOUT THEM.

I started this thread because I thought maybe God was mad at me and that is why God never says a word but I follow God way more than other people. It's not that I'm self righteous but I have always sought God and sacrificed for Him(i know this because I bore social/financial consequences for His sake and this is why I'm so hurt and angry)but now I'm older and wiser and I don't feel like suffering anymore.

I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.

I can't stand how messed up the modern church is. (Excuse my language, it is only said to express the level of frustration) The church is so hypocritical and when you say anything, you are shut down and socially outcasted. And I'm saying this because we are dying and if this keeps happening, we are headed straight for Hell. The church is for the pleasure of people, not God(humanism). NO ONE CARES. NO ONE LOVES GOD OR HIS PEOPLE. IT'S SURFACEY.
THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY, NO ACCOUNTABILITY, NO REPENTANCE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY NO LOVE.

For example, everyone is affected by lust, porn, etc but it is never talked about at church. There is a stat that says 50% pastors watch porn but at church the underlying message is that if you suffer from watching porn, you are weak and a loser because supposedly lust is SO EASY TO OVERCOME.

Was it so EASY to overcome for David when he saw Batsheeba? This is a man after God's own heart. NO. Lust is one of the most powerful sin. Yet all we do at church is pretend we're perfect on the outside and yet don't fight this sin. If we even bring up this subject, we are ostracized.

I tell you what. Satan has a good system set up at church. We are perfect on the outside like the Pharisees and we continue to sin because we don't know how to fight sin. It is socially unacceptable to talk about sin. So we all live this life alone and not as a community. So at church, the underlying message is to be more fake. It's just like this world.

Tiger Woods did not mess up by sleeping around with countless women. He messed up because he got CAUGHT. So the rule is do whatever evil you like, just don't get caught but you have to maintain that CLEAN IMAGE. That is key.

Where have I seen this before? hmmmm. oh yeah.... at all the churches I've been to. My best friend said this in college when I was frustrated with the same things as I am now. "There is no difference between chrisitans and non-christians..... none."

I'm sick of standing up for the truth and getting my face bashed in. Losing friends, losing girlfriends, being ostracized. And most of all, I feel abandoned by God. He doesn't say anything. He just says go in there and get your face bashed in or you are going to hell.

I tell you what. Satan has a good system set up at church. We are perfect on the outside like the Pharisees and we continue to sin because we don't know how to fight sin. It is socially unacceptable to talk about sin. So we all live this life alone and not as a community. So at church, the underlying message is to be more fake. It's just like this world.

Or, it's because the whole gospel is not being preached in such a way that the individuals who do actually attend (your) church, can take their rubbish to the cross and leave it there, while true worship is setting them free to do so, on a weekly basis. We ALL need our feet washed.

Does it matter which sins people are struggling with? Probably it does, because although there is a universal spiritual answer, the practical outworking of being dead to sin, looks very different from individual to individual and often there are differences of circumstances which mean no two people in their situations are identical.

It seems to me that your 'righteous' spirit is being 'vexed' by the evil around you. Isn't this something like 'the contradiction of sinners' which Christ endured? (Heb 12:4) Even, when we obey Him, are we not still unprofitable servants?

You said 'we don't know how to fight sin', but the Bible tells us to reckon ourselves dead. I think you have a point, though, that there is a continuous war of attrition against the saints in this generation, which must not overcome us with self-pity.

Weary as we may feel with well-doing, we must see 'well-doing' as a major part of being followers of Christ.

Heb 13:12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of [our] lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

We are all temptable, but this is not in itself a manifestation of sin. Only yielding to temptation is sin. The resisting of temptation may be a very messy business, but not only must we prove to ourselves where our heart is, but also to God, and those who watch to see how we show creation that we are sons of God.

In respect to these matters, I have a small number of verses which have brought me through many battles, not all of which I won at first. They help me to galvanise my mind into an attitude of believing that God believes His word, and will keep it in my experience, if I just hang on to them (Him).

I could share them if you like, but it's more important that you yourself find meaning in being faithful to God's word, and make your own complaints to Him, and let Him speak to you in the ways HE knows will be most help to you.

If you're looking for a pat on the back for doing the right thing, in this life, I'm not sure it's going to come just because you're feeling martyred about it. This IS the trial of our faith, which is more precious than gold. No cross, no crown. (That is, no VICTOR's crown).

Maybe none of this is helpful, and it sounds like I don't have an ounce of sympathy, but, there are some pains we cannot spare one another. They are part of growing, and being, 'in Christ'.

About God's silence, Oswald Chambers had this to say.

AFTER GOD'S SILENCE - WHAT? (11th October)

"When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days in the same place where he was." John 11:6

Has God trusted you with a silence - a silence that is big with meaning? God's silences are His answers. Think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking for a visible answer? God will give you the blessings you ask if you will not go any further without them; but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvellous understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? You will find that God has trusted you in the most intimate way possible, with an absolute silence, not of despair, but of pleasure, because He saw that you could stand a bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, praise Him, He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes. The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God's sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you said - "I asked God to give me bread, and He gave me a stone." He did not, and to-day you find He gave you the bread of life.

A wonderful thing about God's silence is that the contagion of His stillness gets into you and you become perfectly confident - "I know God has heard me." His silence is the proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy - silence.

Codek,

I haven't read anyone else's posts, so I don't know if they have said this, but.....go have it out with God bro. Find a place where you can scream your head off and ask Him every question you have. Get off this website.....honestly, there is not a person on this forum that can help you. Find a place in the woods or go for a drive and just have it out with God.

Thanks Mahoney for the suggestion and it usually does help. But for me, these days, no lasting change occurs. It helps me feel better for that moment especially when I weep but then the next day there is no clear direction, no clear answer, no vision, no nothing really.

And you know what, I guess that's how you feel God's love, when you weep. How else do you feel His Love.

I tried that. I screamed til I lost my voice. I was banging against walls and doing whatever I can.

I weeped and still there was no lasting answer.

I don't know maybe I just need to suffer some more and wait on God's timing. Maybe I'm just suppose to suffer now?

Stop trying to fit in a particular mold. Stop trying to make yourself worthy. Instead, just surrender to His love. Surrender to His sanctifying Spirit. Surrender to His mercy. Surrender to His control. Surrender to His will. Surrender to Christ Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. Surrender out of love, not out of obligation. If love doesn’t compel you to follow Him, then by all means ask God to show you His love for you in Christ Jesus!

Renouncer, I'm with you. That's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to have a relationship with this guy that doesn't seem to say much. And now since I've been hurt so many times, I can't trust Him. I sometimes question if He is even there now. It's really messed up and I'm going crazy.

Everything I do is an act of surrender. When I give something up for Him, I surrender. When I fight for the right things and not the things that will make me popular, I surrender.

This part is really confusing to me.

First off, I want to thank you AliveToGod because you have followed this thread from the beginning. A lot of times, I didn't really respond because I didn't know how and my thoughts changed but thank you brother for taking time out to write these posts and I have read all of them.

It's called hypocrisy. Or, it's because the whole gospel is not being preached in such a way that the individuals who do actually attend (your) church, can take their rubbish to the cross and leave it there, while true worship is setting them free to do so, on a weekly basis. We ALL need our feet washed.

I agree with you but I'm not asking for perfection. I just ask that people TRY TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT. I don't care if you are on drugs, drug dealer, prostitutes or whatever. I just want people TRYING TO SEEK GOD AND GET BETTER. I don't really see that. I don't really have an example of one person like that in my life. Everyone is just struggling to survive in this crazy world.

Maybe none of this is helpful, and it sounds like I don't have an ounce of sympathy, but, there are some pains we cannot spare one another. They are part of growing, and being, 'in Christ'.

Just speak truth brother. Don't sugarcoat anything. If I'm being a whiny loser then just tell me. If I'm being arrogant, then tell me. I like it when people are direct with me.

"The TRUTH shall set you free."

About the silence thing at the end. I'm not quite sure what you are getting at. I will reread and go from there.

all in all, I feel alone, like God is very displeased with me, like He has abandoned me, but it's not really sin, there isn't a particular sin that is causing this I don't think and I prayed about it too.

I just don't know what is going on now.

Hi codek,

Thanks for your reply, and for being open to candid exchanges. I thought Mahoney's simple advice very appropriate. He said better than I in a few lines, what my whole post didn't accomplish!

Regarding the silence from God, I offered those thoughts from OC because you'd said 'I can take the suffering but I can't take Him not telling me why I suffer. He could've told me what was going to happen like a good parent would but He knew the traps in my life and let them happen and SAID NOTHING ABOUT THEM.' Now, I do know what you mean, but I don't think there is NO light at all from scripture on this point. It's about whether you yourself cotton on to what God IS saying, through these experiences.

The longer I live, the more I realise that 'suffering' is commonplace for members of the human race. The reason for this, is the presence of sin. Without sin there would be no corruption, no selfishness, no need, no misery, no death, no disability, no confusion - the list goes on.

The challenge for those of us who know God, is our RESPONSE to situations which damage, torment, provoke, hurt, frighten, rob, violate - and so on - the integrity of our peace, person, family, income, place - and so on.

What we find, sadly, is that we are the same as other people at heart (Matt 15:19, Mark 7:21), unless we have died with Christ. That thought is the import of Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. The word 'affections' there, is not a reference to the nice things we like only, but also to the propensity of the mind of the flesh to respond to adverse situations in a fallen ways: to retaliate, to wish ill, to desire revenge, to entertain self-pity, to justify ourselves or do anything negative to ourselves, contrary to showing forth the glory of God.

This 'glory of God' can be a result of quiet suffering (putting up with, bearing) of naturally occurring situations which arise from interaction with other people (not necessarily Christians), because of which we cannot do things they way we prefer, or, which force us to leave our comfort zone without complaining about it. I'm not talking about bearing frank persecution - I just mean being incommoded daily by other people's needs or preferences, over which we have no control. By these, we are made more like Christ, and in these, we are to rejoice, thank, praise and worship Him, and seek grace to bring Him glory through our overcoming faith.

Again, Oswald Chambers addresses this:

THE TEST OF LOYALTY (December 18th)

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." Romans 8:28

It is only the loyal soul who believes that God engineers circumstances. We take such liberty with our circumstances, we do not believe God engineers them, although we say we do; we treat the things that happen as if they were engineered by men. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, and that is to our Lord. Suddenly God breaks up a particular set of circumstances, and the realization comes that we have been disloyal to Him by not recognizing that He had ordered them; we never saw what He was after, and that particular thing will never be repeated all the days of our life. The test of loyalty always comes just there. If we learn to worship God in the trying circumstances, He will alter them in two seconds when He chooses.

Loyalty to Jesus Christ is the thing that we "stick at" to-day. We will be loyal to work, to service, to anything, but do not ask us to be loyal to Jesus Christ. Many Christians are intensely impatient of talking about loyalty to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more emphatically by Christian workers than by the world. God is made a machine for blessing men, and Jesus Christ is made a Worker among workers.

The idea is not that we do work for God, but that we are so loyal to Him that He can do His work through us - "I reckon on you for extreme service, with no complaining on your part and no explanation on Mine." God wants to use us as He used His own Son.'

Thus he explains, possibly, another aspect of God's silence in your situation.

There's also the prodigal son's situation. I'm not suggesting that the details of his behaviour apply to you, but at a deeper level, he had some things correct, and some things incorrect. Correctly, he had a right to his inheritance, but incorrectly, he thought he knew how to disburse it. It was not until he was sharing pig-food in a that very low-paid job, he was able to crystallise his thoughts by a completely different set of parameters; which when he was longing to be his own boss, he had never considered - that it is, actually, a huge burden to be responsible for oneself, separate from one's father's oversight and provision.

In his story also, when he finally delivered his confession and offer of service, after his father had raced to meet him, his father didn't have anything to say, either. But, we know his father had been delighted by his return, when he instructed the servants to prepare a feast.

Surely this is an even more important revelation to the younger son, who has been through such a rough time, and grown up so much in the process, while he was out of touch?

What he discovered experiencially, was truth about himself AND about his father, and, against his own previous judgement he found himself able to be in agreement with his father about both truths - which are, of course, one.

When I was quite new to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I could not at all understand how God allowed some people to hold certain views, spend their money a certain way, think the way they did about themselves and others, dress the way they did - I was endlessly concerned that they seemed to be in a liberty of conscience that brought to them to the verge of risking their salvation daily! And yet, they were not sinning (as I would now define it).

At the same time, I had no idea about doctrine, or what was in the Bible! But, I realised, slowly, that God was not dealing with them on those points. I was fascinated, and silenced at the same time. And, I could not see that He was extending the same grace to me, and that while they had given Him their hearts, I was not at all sure if I could trust Him with mine (consciously).

Years later, I see the truth that we can never serve the Lord less; only more. I don't mean works, but genuinely giving of more and more of one's life, praise and thanksgiving.

Here might be food for some thought.

Chopping Wood for Father - by Carter Conlon
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=11599