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Message of the Day:- 1 Timothy 6:6-10 - "6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Link - Cult Watch.
Hi Brothers & Sisters, I sincerely need your help on this. How on earth can I make myself truly love God to the extend of putting him on top of my mind and soul, prioritizing him over my family, my friends and my earthly desires all the time.
Haha, I'm gonna go mad because I have been thinking of this hair-splitting question(ok,maybe only to me it is) over and over again to the point I feel so exhausted, mentally drained.
Sometimes I ask myself, "Hey Ivan, how do u fall in love with a girl then? Why don't you try applying the same concept to God?" Then I will reply, "Well, at least I'm able to see and hear her. She's right in front of me! And thats what attracted me!"
You see, this is the problem. I can't feel the presence of God, or to the point that I'm attracted to Him. Hence I couldn't build up my faith for Him which resulting me not having the desire to go to Church, to read up the bible, to get to know Him more. You need the 'x' factor in which I refered as, before you will be driven to have the desire to know more about him.
It's like the illustration I had given above, the 'x' factor of the girl is her looks, the way she speaks etc. Therefore I got the drive to know more about her as these are the things that attracted me.
By knowing how and what God did to bless His people in the bible alone and others' revelation couldn't actually convince my mind or attract me to fall in love with him straight. It's hard, if I do so, I'm actually cheating on myself and in the end I'm the one who is suffering!
I know falling in love in God is something real because of what I have seen so far in churches; their devoted worshippings, their obedience etc And this is why I'm posting these views here in hoping to find a solution out of this, or perhaps some advice or something.(pls dont say the same old things over and over again, which is advising me to pray which I have already done it many times, I need practical ways)
I hope you all know where I'm coming from and I believe that by answering this will definitely help many other christians who is struggling like me.
Again, how to make myself love God, like never before. A real one....... just like how I can fall in love with a girl whom I like alot... Everyone knows how it feels to fall in love with a person whom they really like - yea how to be like that love?
Hi Brothers & Sisters, I sincerely need your help on this. How on earth can I make myself truly love God to the extend of putting him on top of my mind and soul, prioritizing him over my family, my friends and my earthly desires all the time.
Haha, I'm gonna go mad because I have been thinking of this hair-splitting question(ok,maybe only to me it is) over and over again to the point I feel so exhausted, mentally drained.
Sometimes I ask myself, "Hey Ivan, how do u fall in love with a girl then? Why don't you try applying the same concept to God?" Then I will reply, "Well, at least I'm able to see and hear her. She's right in front of me! And thats what attracted me!"
You see, this is the problem. I can't feel the presence of God, or to the point that I'm attracted to Him. Hence I couldn't build up my faith for Him which resulting me not having the desire to go to Church, to read up the bible, to get to know Him more. You need the 'x' factor in which I refered as, before you will be driven to have the desire to know more about him.
It's like the illustration I had given above, the 'x' factor of the girl is her looks, the way she speaks etc. Therefore I got the drive to know more about her as these are the things that attracted me.
By knowing how and what God did to bless His people in the bible alone and others' revelation couldn't actually convince my mind or attract me to fall in love with him straight. It's hard, if I do so, I'm actually cheating on myself and in the end I'm the one who is suffering!
I know falling in love in God is something real because of what I have seen so far in churches; their devoted worshippings, their obedience etc And this is why I'm posting these views here in hoping to find a solution out of this, or perhaps some advice or something.(pls dont say the same old things over and over again, which is advising me to pray which I have already done it many times, I need practical ways)
I hope you all know where I'm coming from and I believe that by answering this will definitely help many other christians who is struggling like me.
Again, how to make myself love God, like never before. A real one....... just like how I can fall in love with a girl whom I like alot... Everyone knows how it feels to fall in love with a person whom they really like - yea how to be like that love?
Perhaps the problem is in thinking that loving God is like loving a girlfriend or boyfriend or spouse? You may like to think over these few verses in John 14
“If you love me, you will obey my commandments. ...The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him....If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. The person who does not love me does not obey my words."
Hi Brothers & Sisters, I sincerely need your help on this. How on earth can I make myself truly love God to the extend of putting him on top of my mind and soul, prioritizing him over my family, my friends and my earthly desires all the time.
Haha, I'm gonna go mad because I have been thinking of this hair-splitting question(ok,maybe only to me it is) over and over again to the point I feel so exhausted, mentally drained.
Sometimes I ask myself, "Hey Ivan, how do u fall in love with a girl then? Why don't you try applying the same concept to God?" Then I will reply, "Well, at least I'm able to see and hear her. She's right in front of me! And thats what attracted me!"
You see, this is the problem. I can't feel the presence of God, or to the point that I'm attracted to Him. Hence I couldn't build up my faith for Him which resulting me not having the desire to go to Church, to read up the bible, to get to know Him more. You need the 'x' factor in which I refered as, before you will be driven to have the desire to know more about him.
It's like the illustration I had given above, the 'x' factor of the girl is her looks, the way she speaks etc. Therefore I got the drive to know more about her as these are the things that attracted me.
By knowing how and what God did to bless His people in the bible alone and others' revelation couldn't actually convince my mind or attract me to fall in love with him straight. It's hard, if I do so, I'm actually cheating on myself and in the end I'm the one who is suffering!
I know falling in love in God is something real because of what I have seen so far in churches; their devoted worshippings, their obedience etc And this is why I'm posting these views here in hoping to find a solution out of this, or perhaps some advice or something.(pls dont say the same old things over and over again, which is advising me to pray which I have already done it many times, I need practical ways)
I hope you all know where I'm coming from and I believe that by answering this will definitely help many other christians who is struggling like me.
Again, how to make myself love God, like never before. A real one....... just like how I can fall in love with a girl whom I like alot... Everyone knows how it feels to fall in love with a person whom they really like - yea how to be like that love?
Hi, don’t worry, you sound quite stressed about how you think is the ‘right’ way to approach God and feel about Him. Faith is the beginning. When you open your heart to Him, a seed of faith is planted. As you progress in your journey of your relationship with Him, you will experience more and grow in your love for Him.
The important thing to remember is to ALWAYS go to Him for everything, whether good or bad news. He will lead the way. It will be a rewarding and amazing journey.
I applaud you for your earnesty in wanting to know more about Him and feeling anxious about loving Him. This is already a seed of faith that you planted.
Please remember to not stray and go to Him and LEAN on Him for all things. Some new Christians start to stray because they start to omit God from their lives. Naturally, they don’t feel God working in their lives too, why would they when they also excluded God from their lives?
Also remember that when you put God before all things (including the choice of job, spouse, etc) all other things will be added onto you. Put God in the centre of your life, and you will lack nothing.
My boyfriend, who's still a relatively baby Christian (about 1 yr old toddler) also said that he couldn't feel God's presence when he first converted. He said he prayed but God did not seem to answer. He could not feel God's presence and worse, as a baby Christian, satan spiritually attacked him to scare him out of Christianity. Thankfully, my family quickly counselled him and told him to stand firm, and I was there to constantly tell him that God is faithful and soon enough, he will see and his relationship with God will progress, though he can see no such progression yet. Now his faith is much stronger and I am about to take on a job that will cause me to have to go to a church with Sat services (my off days for the new job are Fri and Sat ), and he is rich in faith enough to say he will be going to church with me on Sat, and alone on Sunday.
Make sure you join a cell group as it is extremely critical for you to immerse yourself in an environment of Christian fellowship, in this period of your spiritual infancy. Contact the people in your church about cell group. Most, if not all Protestant churches have cell group.
Last edited by childofchrist; 20th May 2008 at 04:03 PM..
Please be assured that it is "normal" that sometimes, you cannot feel God's presence in your life. It happens to the most religious person I know. But true faith will prevail.
However, you must keep faith because God is always there for you. Unfortunately, daily prayers is a must. Prayers is like a chance for you to talk to God one on one.
Try going to a chapel you are comfortable with, sit down and talk to God. Its sound stupid (to non-believers) but it works wonder if you can spend some quiet time with God alone.
You need to seek and find God and one good way is to read the bible. Slowly bit by bit daily. Suggest that you start by reading the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and "forced" yourself to attend church weekly.
I do not know what church you go to but choose one that preaches Word Of God with readings of the scripture. You will hear and learn about God better that way.
The most important factor is still your desire to find God which will motivate you to do the things I mentioned.
I was once like you and I attended church every week (without knowing why) for +10 years before I start searching for Him.....
Once you start, He will lead you the way......Be sincere and humble, ask God for guidance and you will not go wrong. Forget all the hypes....
Once God touches you, you will fall in love with Him madly as you will realised how much He loved you. He is there to guide you on your path to eternal life with Him.
I was once like you, and the frustration of "not being able to feel God's presence" happened to me many many times. There were times I felt his presence through worship and prayer, and there was at least once where I thought I could hear him communicating with me in an abstract way when I did my Bible study.
But now looking back, to be candid, I was stupid to have believed that the supposed godly messages I received in my head were from that of God. It is my own amazing, complex human brain that provided the illusion of an external communicative source. Whether God exists or not, the fact is that "feeling his presence" isn't as important as finding out more about God - And that is definitely through the Bible (For Christians that is), fellowship, as well as prayer.
Oh, and not to forget one more important thing: Faith. To trust in something you can't see. No feelings involved.
I was once like you, and the frustration of "not being able to feel God's presence" happened to me many many times. There were times I felt his presence through worship and prayer, and there was at least once where I thought I could hear him communicating with me in an abstract way when I did my Bible study.
But now looking back, to be candid, I was stupid to have believed that the supposed godly messages I received in my head were from that of God. It is my own amazing, complex human brain that provided the illusion of an external communicative source. Whether God exists or not, the fact is that "feeling his presence" isn't as important as finding out more about God - And that is definitely through the Bible (For Christians that is), fellowship, as well as prayer.
Oh, and not to forget one more important thing: Faith. To trust in something you can't see. No feelings involved.
You are simply confused....at some point of time, you felt God's presence but later claimed it was your mind playing tricks on you.
Perhaps, looking back (sometime from now) candidly, you may realised that it was your mind playing tricks on you again....and you did felt God's presence...
I am not sure why you said no feelings involved......
Sometimes I ask myself, "Hey Ivan, how do u fall in love with a girl then? Why don't you try applying the same concept to God?" Then I will reply, "Well, at least I'm able to see and hear her. She's right in front of me! And thats what attracted me!"
How about thinking out of the box, and ask how does one love his girlfriend who is overseas for a good long time? Or how is it possible for two persons to fall in love over the internet without seeing each other?
Quote:
Originally Posted by deepthought
You see, this is the problem. I can't feel the presence of God, or to the point that I'm attracted to Him. Hence I couldn't build up my faith for Him which resulting me not having the desire to go to Church, to read up the bible, to get to know Him more.
Why do you think that the feeling of the presence of God is the basis of faith? What does Hebrew 11:1 say about faith? Do you agree that faith is the key to feeling the presence of God and not the other way around? And the fact that you are seeking the know-how shows that you are afterall desiring after Him. If not, why bother to raise this topic?
Quote:
Originally Posted by deepthought
You need the 'x' factor in which I referred as, before you will be driven to have the desire to know more about him. It's like the illustration I had given above, the 'x' factor of the girl is her looks, the way she speaks etc. Therefore I got the drive to know more about her as these are the things that attracted me.
Did you notice that you do have to know the girl (i.e. looks, speech etc) before you can have the desire to know her even more. It's the same with God, you have to know something about Him before the desire to know Him in a deeper measure. Otherwise, how could you desire something which you have no knowledge of?
Quote:
Originally Posted by deepthought
By knowing how and what God did to bless His people in the bible alone and others' revelation couldn't actually convince my mind or attract me to fall in love with him straight.
We know Him by reading the Scripture, mediating on His words, hearing the life stories of other believers around us and reading the accounts of saints before us. And faith comes by hearing His words and hearing about Him (Romans 10:17). Do you believe what the Scripture says?
Quote:
Originally Posted by deepthought
I know falling in love in God is something real because of what I have seen so far in churches; their devoted worshippings, their obedience etc
Do you think that God would deprive you of this loving relationship? Would He not fill you with His love if you ask of Him?
Quote:
Originally Posted by deepthought
pls dont say the same old things over and over again, which is advising me to pray which I have already done it many times, I need practical ways
A sincere prayer from the heart is a prayer that God hears. If we couldn't love God, just pray so. The crux is to bring all our weaknesses honestly before Him and let Him work in us. It is not us working upward to God by mustering our own strength in us, but He reaching down to us in spite of our weaknesses and reconciliating us back to Himself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deepthought
Again, how to make myself love God, like never before. A real one....... just like how I can fall in love with a girl whom I like alot... Everyone knows how it feels to fall in love with a person whom they really like - yea how to be like that love?
In a nutshell, it's not something that we can muster within ourselves. We need to depend on God, even to love Him. It is only by looking through the lens of faith, can we touch the divine. And we build up our faith by reading the Scripture and hearing about Him. Then as our faith grows, we will feel and hear Him more.
Hi Brothers & Sisters, I sincerely need your help on this. How on earth can I make myself truly love God to the extend of putting him on top of my mind and soul, prioritizing him over my family, my friends and my earthly desires all the time.
Haha, I'm gonna go mad because I have been thinking of this hair-splitting question(ok,maybe only to me it is) over and over again to the point I feel so exhausted, mentally drained.
Sometimes I ask myself, "Hey Ivan, how do u fall in love with a girl then? Why don't you try applying the same concept to God?" Then I will reply, "Well, at least I'm able to see and hear her. She's right in front of me! And thats what attracted me!"
You see, this is the problem. I can't feel the presence of God, or to the point that I'm attracted to Him. Hence I couldn't build up my faith for Him which resulting me not having the desire to go to Church, to read up the bible, to get to know Him more. You need the 'x' factor in which I refered as, before you will be driven to have the desire to know more about him.
It's like the illustration I had given above, the 'x' factor of the girl is her looks, the way she speaks etc. Therefore I got the drive to know more about her as these are the things that attracted me.
By knowing how and what God did to bless His people in the bible alone and others' revelation couldn't actually convince my mind or attract me to fall in love with him straight. It's hard, if I do so, I'm actually cheating on myself and in the end I'm the one who is suffering!
I know falling in love in God is something real because of what I have seen so far in churches; their devoted worshippings, their obedience etc And this is why I'm posting these views here in hoping to find a solution out of this, or perhaps some advice or something.(pls dont say the same old things over and over again, which is advising me to pray which I have already done it many times, I need practical ways)
I hope you all know where I'm coming from and I believe that by answering this will definitely help many other christians who is struggling like me.
Again, how to make myself love God, like never before. A real one....... just like how I can fall in love with a girl whom I like alot... Everyone knows how it feels to fall in love with a person whom they really like - yea how to be like that love?
Hi
can i ask one question?
Do you believe that God Loves you? or you believe that God is against you (for whatever reason)?
The reason I am asking is
Its relatively easier to really love someone whom you believe that He really loves you.
Its relatively hard to really love someone whom you believe is angry with you and is against you (or for whatever reason make you think it is so).
answer this to yourself truthfully (no need to tell anyone, ok, you may tell God), and hopefully this will help you find the anser you are looking for.
The reason I am asking is
Its relatively easier to really love someone whom you believe that He really loves you.
Its relatively hard to really love someone whom you believe is angry with you and is against you (or for whatever reason make you think it is so).
vince69 don’t have any idea of the power of deception his thoughts are really coming from, as even Satan uses the Truth for his destructive purposes to the church. You are introducing Pseudo-spirituality, because its liken to the PAP being loved by the criminals if they don’t punish offences. It is love rooted in us humans loving this fact, “Going unpunished by a Sovereign for misdeeds.” True biblical love is not founded on the foundation of this kind of grace regardless of much one professes to love God so. Even if it comes in the name of "loving God because He first loved us".
Remember He is truth & He doesn't walk otherwise, all He does is in truth. Your foundation has to be truth if it is in Him. A lie is no workmanship of God. So is false impressions of God's love. My point is your love is based on a false impression & it disqualifies itself in His judgment.
But those who know the Lord, also know that He chastises those whom He loves. By the way, a few have been taken by death in His love. The fullness of it is the kind of love, our earthly temporal perspective cannot fully comprehend...though we may see a little part of it. Besides that the earth is shrouded with fear & doubt by Satan, it really becomes difficult to understand God who is love. He does everything in love, we think He acts like a man. Even when we have good fathers whom we can relate God to, it still falls far short of the Heavenly Father image. Talk about loving God… Sadly we know only so little of Him.
God reveals tiny aspects of Himself in the creation, because He is SO Big. Yet one good deed done by us is worth more than a lifetime of religious activity to Him…to Him. If you love God, you bless Him with your deeds. You may not feel married, but you are, still after thirty years together, love is deeper than feelings. The way I love God is by loving Him in all His aspects, like He is the Truth, so I love the Truth, He is the Light, so I love to be in His light, He is in His people, so I love His people (really it is loving Him), He is the King, so I seek to do things for His glory much like the ancients serve their kings for the glory of their thrones not for themselves, & so on & so forth. I am no expert on loving God, but that’s going to keep you occupied a lot if you walk in it. But watch out for idolatry though…
Last edited by iLife; 15th June 2008 at 06:39 PM..
But those who know the Lord, also know that He chastises those whom He loves. By the way, a few have been taken by death in His love.
I beg to differ that our God chastises us to the point of placing death in His love. I am speaking to those that those born-again, sons and daughters of the Most High.
The word "paideuo" in the bible is unfortunately translated to chastise or chasten. The meaning that is most accurately translated as "child training". As father of a 11-year old son, I do "paideu" my son like taking away his gameboy time, ground him, cane him ......etc. BUT, it never cross my mind to kill him !!!
This is how an earthly normal father, like me will train my child. There is a place in the mental institution for mad fathers that attempt to kill their children.
SO, pls check read and check your bible properly and stop believing your SOURCE to make you believe that GOD will "child training" HIS children with death.
I have searched the bible carefully for years as I was in a very "army-like" church for more than a decade. I encourage you to do likewise and STOP tarnishing HIS NAME.
In HIS Everlasting Love & Grace,
one of HIS beloved son - ProdigalSon
Last edited by ProdigalSon; 18th June 2008 at 12:28 PM..
How to let myself fall in love with God?
Re: How to let myself fall in love with God?
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