renewing a relationship with God?

[brg240]

I am frustrated with myself and everything else. I just feel so separate from God or rather I am so separated from God. I've felt like this for a very long while. I feel so separated from God. Like I said I've felt like this for a long while but i think it was around late 2010/early 2011 that i felt a true disconnection. It was like when a extremely splintered relationship made a clean break. Fall 2010 was when i did a semester a Christian Uni interestingl enough(it did not go well btw.) I don't know if it was from anger or out of fear but i feel like my heart hardened some. During 2011 I felt, well I didn't actually. :/ I mean i felt an absence of God in my life. And it's horrible because I know.

I know God is real, that Jesus is our redeemer. I know that if I want to fill this emptiness it will only come from the Lord. But, the thing is, I don't know how to bridge that gap. I try to read my Bible but it is a struggle. Prayer as well. I don't know how to let go i suppose.

How does one go from a backslidden closed off state into what we are supposed to be as Christians?

I know there have to be Christians that fell off and have come full circle, how did you do this?

If there are any threads on this please tell me. I saw the 'Do you have a personal relationship with God?' thread and I'm going to read it when i get home from church.

If you wouldn't mind please tag me, my memory is extremely short

Ladies have a blessed day

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I know how you feel. I know you are going to get some good answers from some the wise ladies here. But know that Matthew 7:7 says "Ask, seek, knock" is real!
Sometimes the simplest prayers are best. Ask Jesus to come into your heart. Just keep asking and be willing to have Him come in. He will do it! I know, because He did it for me! Study Scriptures that talk about the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will bridge that gap for us! Ask Him to do it in Jesus' Holy Name! Keep asking, day and night. You will be amazed what will happen over time!

 

[LifeafterLHCF]

brg240 Babe the fact that you know this shows your zeal for wanting to be back on. You will have to do some digging as to why you were separated from God in the first place. Once that is done then you will be able to move on. Pray like get on your knees and not that cute little prayer either. Pour everything out. Write in a journal if needed to get the garbage out. Make sure your getting the Word that is doctrine based as much as possible. I'm not going to a church that is local but I am watching a church that is based out of MD that is truly pushing me in my walk.

It will come a point where nothing else matters except pleasing God. You will get to that point if you keep fighting. You must want to with your heart. At times we want both and we can't have it. When I got fired in April I was in the boat. I thought I could still enjoy certain things and believe that me reading a few verses and praying on the way out the door was going to keep me. Not. God had to break me down take my job away and force me to lean on him alone. I had to be shown the error of my ways. I'm blessed to have a job now and I try to make the best of it. I even tried to go back to being the same person but then was told by a co-worker I was not a nice person. That again I felt was God's way of saying you can't go backwards. Now studying the bible daily is a must even if it's before I go to bed. Hitting my knees as soon as I hit the floor is a must. You may need to have someone you are accountable to as well to keep you pushing.

Now the bible theologians will come in soon I hope. I'm more practical how you work now type. Be great honey you have no choice.

 

[loolalooh]

brg240:

Here are some things that come to mind from my own experiences in my relationship with the Lord:

1. Do you have a habitual sin in your life?
Sin is perhaps the number one culprit in severing one's relationship with God and we see this throughout Scripture. If one is in habitual sin, one needs to break from it in order to renew a relationship with God. Habitual sin can range from fornication to lying to acting on emotions (e.g., temper) and more. Ime, when I'm living a life of habitual sin, no amount of reading the Bible or praying will repair my relationship with God until I break from that sin entirely (e.g., confess and repent for good).

2. Do you have a good church home?
Not just any church home, but a good one? Church isn't just for praising and worshiping the Lord. Church is also a place to build a relationship with the Body of Christ and to play your role as part of the Body of Christ (e.g., to use your spiritual gifts). I have found that my broken relationship with the Body of Christ usually coincides with my broken relationship with God (and vise versa). BTW, what happened at the Christian Uni? Was there a rift with other Christians?

3. Do you spend time with God?
This extends beyond reading Scripture and praying. This extends beyond having quiet time for 10 minutes. A few years ago, when I sought to repair my relationship with God, it required me to spend hours in His presence every single day. It also required me to meditate and absorb the Word, and not just "read" the Word. It was difficult for the first few weeks, but the more I persisted, the closer I got to Him, and the more our relationship improved. Perhaps you need to persist through this trying time of reading the Bible and praying. Perhaps (if you're not already doing so) you also need to meditate on the Word and do so for hours on end each day. God likes persistence when we seek Him and He will reward it.

4. Do you guard your heart (Proverbs)?
In order to take one's relationship with God to the next level, one has to guard one's heart from the world. This entails filtering what enters us. It can be music, television, people, activities, etc. To have one foot in the world and one foot with the Lord hampers our relationship with Him. I feel further from God when I'm blasting my hiphop CDs in the car as opposed to my Gospel music. It literally feels like God has vanished.

These are just a handful of possibilities.

 

[sidney]

Wow, I think the advice you have been given so far is awesome. I think that having a desire to want more of him is the first step...you are not alone... We have all been in the same boat. What helped me was to do the things I used to do when my relationship with God was flourishing: that involved spending way more time with him everyday(its the same as the relationships, quick time with family and friends produces disconnection). Staying in the word. Watching/listening to godly programs on tv/radio.... also tuning out the things that hinder. Music and praise is very key... And fellowship with other believers. Also, get involved in the church ministry... It's like it grows you even faster than just attending service. It's really God that draws us to him really...all we have to do is show up to wear He is and He does all the real work. Just meet He will repair you... He's the master carpenter... He's are builder! We are here if you need us or have questions... Or just want to hang out. Praying for you! brg240

 

[Laela]

brg240, you're not alone. As @Loolaloo deftly points out persistence is the key that brings its own rewards. A runner friend once told me he can't not run. That is, his body is so conditioned for running that when he misses a morning of running, his day is out of whack and his body yearns to run....

That's the best way I can explain persistence in the things of God...conditioning. Your day can be out of whack without not so much of a "thought" about God --but we ought not beat ourselves up either. We are experiencing our humanhood; but we just get back on track and KIM. The beauty of all this, is HE IS always there, even when we shift away and there won't be any condemnation from Him, either, when we gather ourselves and regroup. God loves you.. I kknow you know this, just thought I'd say it

Keep this in mind, even in trying times and you'll keep the pace. The battle is not for the swift...

 

[brg240]

AtlantaJJ Laela GoddessMaker loolalooh sidney

ladies they you so much for responding! I'll come back with a reply to what you all wrote in a bit, i just wanted to tell you that I didn't forget and I'm not ignoring what you all wrote. I appreciate it so much. I know it's late, i started to reply on Tuesday but I ended up falling asleep and I've been really busy these past couple days.

But as a partial update I've cut tv/secular music/frivolous internet time (i actually have a block on certain areas on the site)/reading secular books(this is so hard for me). I don't think these things are necessarily wrong or anything but I think that at least for now I need to remove them to focus. These things are so easy for me to escape into. Since Wed. I've started and ended my day with prayer and read my Bible (Jeremiah in the morning and James in the evening). I'm probably going to fast fairly soon but i'm going to read up about fasting first.