helentank

I know from recent experience with my health that if you can't turn things over to God and leave them with him, your mind will take you places you don't need to go. I worried myself into anxiety because I didn't put my complete trust in God. Oh, I said I did but my faith just wasn't strong enough to trust him and I kept forgetting that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I now pray all through the day that I will keep my eyes on Him and it works!!!! I love the Lord but I keep relying on myself to handle my problems and I can't do it and neither can anyone else.

I am already thanking God in advance letting him know I not only trust him for an answer but that I am thankful regardless of the answer.

It is both. You have to keep on keeping on. The Holy Spirit will intercede for you when you can't find the right words to pray and being with other Christians will help with the rejoicing part. When I am in "church" I can't help but rejoice. Rejoicing lift you up but more important the Lord loves our praise. In the meantime you may also help others.

I'm going to ride the fence here and say it is a combination of both. I understand that being joyful is an action but it has to come from a feeling within which God will give us if we ask. You have to pray without ceasing. Sometimes we have to play the part and the real joy will come if we concentrate on God and not on our problems. Our love for Jesus will grow and we will be much better people to be around when we rejoice in the Lord and let our joy flow through to others.

He was a truly dedicated disciple for Christ and he wanted others to be also. I don't know if I would say I am hesitant, I'm still learning that I can't do it on my own. Jesus lead by example and that is exactly what Paul did. I would hope my friends and family see Jesus in me and would want to have what I have.

I think that means he calls us to be better than we can be on our own. He wants us to stay focused on him. Yes, I have experienced this many times. We don't always hear him because we are too determined to do things our own way or because Satan is blocking our view. We need to pray without ceasing and be still and hear God. My message from God is his always reminding me that he loves me but wants to see me become more like him (my reason for being here)

If we focus on the past we will never get by our past...... The past is passed!!!! We have to always be looking forward to what Jesus has for us not. Someone just sent me a thought for the day that says, "The will of God will never take you, where the grace of God will not protect you". We have to forgot old wrongs, old hurts, words said in anger to us or things we've said to others. God forgives and we must forgive as he did. There is always something I need to forgive someone for. It's a daily struggle.

I am an expert at living in the past!! I guess I should say I WAS but am no longer. If we keep bringing up our past to ourselves we can never move forward in the grace Christ has offered us and his death on the cross would be in vain. I daily thank God for what lies ahead and strive to truly forget the past. Someone said you shouldn't look back unless you are going there. I had a struggle with forgiving someone. You have to pray for that person and realize they are covered by the same blood you are.

Salvation through Grace is a free gift. Once we accept Christ it is a hard road but we realize we don't have to struggle to observe the old law but have faith in Christ. He is the righteous one. I can't see that as an issue in my church. A certain section of society (that part that doesn't understand that we aren't living under the law) may find it hard to understand Christianity(that Jesus expects us to follow him through faith. There will always be a segment of people who can't grasp that salvation is a free gift.

He was trying to show that you can be the most "religious" person there is but it doesn't mean anything if you don't love the Lord. If you are simply pious, your heart will miss out on what Jesus really wants for you. Looking from another perspective, if your religious background isn't truly "Bible" based you will be lead down the wrong path.

There are people in church who believe they are more important because they have been attending the church for 20 years. They sit in the same spot every Sunday. They give off a signal that they are better than others. There was a time I might have been guilty of this but I ask God every day to help me love all people(especially his church) as we all have to work together for good.

My ice cream preference is chocolate peanut butter but I will eat other kinds. Being a slave to Chirst means we wouldn't make any other choice. When we are slaves to Christ we walk with him all the time, not just on Sunday. Then when we follow our heart with actions of a born again Christian we show our commitment to him. Leaders who serve for any other reason other than a love for Jesus miss the mark and may hamper others while they are doing it.

I can't speak for everyone in my church but it appears people have their own agenda. Jesus is still working on me as I don't do as much as I could. I am trying to love others as Christ did and that is a job in itself. He is refining me everyday as I realize "we" are all covered by the same blood.

WE are human and most have an agenda (yes, even Christians). We sometimes want to make ourselves seem more important than we are. I truly have had a continuing revelation from Jesus about my thoughts and behavior toward others. I try to put myself in their place and ask WWJD. I will be striving to be like him until he comes back but he has begun this good work in me and I will try to do all I can to become like him until the day he returns for me.

I have had some severe struggles as most people had. I never blamed God. I always thought I could do everything in my own power. When I realized that God was all I needed I let him work through my struggles to honor him. I was able to trust him completely to turn my life around as I turned it over to him.