Christian Chat

[avant-garde]

@ENKELI @Shaz51 

I've been thinking about Halloween... I had this idea... what if when kids come to our doors we were to give them a small Gideon Bible? Not that they've never come to my door but it was just a thought that came to my head earlier

[ENKELI]

@DownMoreThanUp I love that invitation, it is beautiful.

I was always told Jesus loved me and grew up knowing the love of God. It was my depressed brain that told me I wasn't good enough, I was shameful and not good enough. As a teen I had a friend who once said that when we do something that doesn't please Him, Jesus turns His face away from us. That comes back to haunt me when I am feeling unloved and attacked.

I know she didn't mean it and that was her belief but she had a more negative view of our faith than any of my other Christian friends I've had through my life.

I hate myself because I don't maintain my Bible study or even reading a verse a day. I start off with determination and then end up defeated because I lose motivation and that's when I start with the self loathing. This is a constant struggle for me.

[DownMoreThanUp]

@avant-garde That is such a good idea. This reminds me when i was a teen and we were travel back home on the train after we came back from a Christian gathering and were singing Christian songs together. We were so happy then.

Then suddenly a man who had been sitting a little away from us cam to us with tears in his eyes and he asked if we had a bible for him for he also wanted to find God like we had.My friend gave her her bible without even thinking twice. And a little after he left an old lady came to us telling us how encouraged she had been hearing us witness our faith with such joy and oneness as teens That day turned out to be a very  special day for us.

@ENKELI Yes i know so very well what you mean. That is what i did to myself as well for years, push myself to read, pray and go to Church to please God., yet it never worked and only made me think of myself as a bad Christian.

Yet when Jesus was revealed in me He did not go to work like i had all my believing life. He told me never to heed demand inside my heart, when it cam to serving him, and to never feel bad when i ran short of the mark, but to have faith in His righteousness, rather than demand my own.

Amazing how this changed my life. For instead of feeling bad not being a good Christian, i began to feel thankful Jesus' righteousness was my own anyhow. Over a very short time line, this turned to me beginning to love Jesus, especially in my heart where i had not loved Him before but had thought myself bad, or had loved Him only a very little. The secret to praying without ceasing, is loving Jesus so much,  having such a strong bond of love, that depression cannot rob me away from God's grace any longer.

This is how i stopped an up to  90 a day cigarette addiction when manic, and otherwise around 70 a day, i had never been able to overcome. Though i had tried many times, Heeding Jesus' grace, instead of that accuser in my depressed mind, had me in just 3 months thanking and praising Jesus for His grace and be allowed to know Him in His righteous for me the smoker, without any bad cravings or temper fits, break completely free.(i have never been tempted to smoke tobacco again. All praise to Jesus!)

So yes it as about not heeding guilt and shame but God's grace when we want to 'warm' our hearts with His love. Best never heed the accuser/guilty conscience telling you you are not good enough as Christian, but trust Jesus and His righteousness life, the life He sacrificed also for you.

Be of very good courage faith in Jesus' love and grace is ALL you need to overcome this reluctance in you to serve God. His love is awesome! So much better than feeling bad not being good enough!

Song of Battle.

Burning arrows streak their flame.
a bad attack of guilt and shame.
I open the treasures of my defence,
His ever loving Word my only chance,
of surviving this stormy fiery weather.

"Do, don't, eat, abstain, go or stay."
Is what those graceless attackers say.
Scornfully throwing their hate around.
My wrongdoing sizzling at their sound.
Surrounding me with my sin's misery.

Now one grabs me cruelly by the throat,
my sins has him mock a scornful gloat.
"How can you still trust in God's grace,
When I rub all this dirt in your face?"
He demands in a nasty accuser's tone.

In humble voice I lowly bow my head.
Lord You heard what they just said,
yet who can charge those You elect?
Faith in Your sacrifice makes perfect.
So let Your grace and love do battle.

Instantly His sword streaks its flame.
His word attack my enemies once again.
His graceful loving truth fells them all.
In the merciful fire of His love they fall,
Such a wonderful happy ending for me.

For Jesus is victorious over my sin.
Eternal life our Lord for me did win.
Praises to Him from my heart swells.
For His Spirit of grace in me dwells.
All glory belongs to The Lamb of God!

[ENKELI]

@DownMoreThanUp I was able to quit smoking too thanks to God's grace. My GP put me on a stop smoking medication and within a month I had quit. I stopped the medication and have never smoked since. The desire is gone and I only had a craving once, more like a "I wonder what a ciggie would be like now". 

God is good. God knows me better than I do. We are washed by the blood of Jesus. 
And I love your poetry, it is amazing.

[DownMoreThanUp]

@ENKELI So good to you also got rid of that addiction. Jesus uses all kind of ways to set us free, but the end result is the same - we overcome what bothered us - and love Him for it!

[ENKELI]

@avant-garde that is a great idea! I don't have kids coming to my door, my mum does though so I might suggest it to her 🙂

[DownMoreThanUp]

 @ENKELI @avant-garde @Appleblossom @heartathome @Shaz51 @tyme 

i would like to share a poem i once wrote, and some of you may relate to as well, when it finally began to dawn on me that paranoia bouts lied to me, and only heeding the truth of God could save me from the massive disasters, i met in life overcome by fears.

Fear Holds Fast

Fear grabs hold with iron grip

the evil quick confusion sowing

birthing terrorising conditions

harvesting my faithless heart.

Seeing my doubt and unbelief peaking

hopes and dreams going up in flames

all my goals a catastrophe unfolding

earthquakes shattering my defences.

Feel that loveless grip ramming,

cruel enemies rejoicing victory,

running through my broken gates,

watching the raging fires burning.

A mess in my dwelling place,

hair raising shadows casting,

fears fuelling my insecurities,

shamefully exposing weakness.

My Good life plundering,

those torches of darkness,

are roasting me for dinner,

serving the wicked feasting.

Jesus, my good life, i thirst!

i  forsook your loving truth,

believing those cruel lies,

Please only Your truth rule.

[ENKELI]

@DownMoreThanUp thanks for that, I needed it today. 

Did you get your gate repaired?

It's been raining in the valley, I wanted to repot a couple of plants but not today. After a week of gorgeous weather we get today, wet and miserable. The weather definitely affects my moods, I got myself a SAD lamp last year and it helps when it's really dark and wintry.

 @avant-garde @Appleblossom @heartathome @Shaz51 @tyme  I hope y'all are doing okay, special hugs to avant xo

[Shaz51]

Our lord will never leave us or forsake us ❤️

@DownMoreThanUp , @ENKELI , @avant-garde. @Appleblossom , @heartathome 

[ENKELI]

Amen @Shaz51 🙏