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I could use some advice - 10/27/2008 2:48:24 PM
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MoparBaby
Posts: 18
Joined: 10/27/2008
Status: offline
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Hello,
My name is Maria. I am the granddaughter of a pastor, my grandmother a devoted Christian and Pastor's wife, recently passed away. She was the woman who taught me everything. She taught me the most important thing in my life. To forgive.
My life I struggled with religion, I had gone to church my whole life, untill i turned 15. I am almost 23. Upon losing my Grandmother, I realized that all those values she was trying to teach me had become lost. I relized my life has been depressing and sad. I haven't gone and done anything with my life, i have not felt as if I could for a few years now. this may all sound crazy, but yesturday sitting in church listening to a stranger to me tell about my Grandmother and how wondrful of a lady she was, i realized it was God who kept her going. I don't know where to start. I want God back in my life, but I don't know where to start. I don't understand religion very well but i do understand that if i can fully accept God that light that is gone in my heart might be relight. Are there any books? Articles, or anything that can help me understand?
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RE: I could use some advice - 10/27/2008 2:55:38 PM
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mvic
Posts: 1795
Joined: 1/17/2008
Status: offline
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Hi Maria,
Welcome to the Forums.
You say: I don't understand religion very well.
And then you add: But I do understand that if I can fully accept God that light that is gone in my heart might be relight.
It seems to me that you are very wise and that you understand very well. Please accept God in your heart. Tell Him how you feel, and tell Him that it hurts. He'll understand and He'll help you. Just trust Him.
Please accept my sincerest condolences on the death of your Grandmother.
I am praying for you.
_____________________________
Visit http://www.holyvisions.co.uk
My Book My Blog
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RE: I could use some advice - 10/27/2008 2:57:19 PM
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small_creation
Posts: 357
Joined: 10/30/2007
From: midwest
Status: offline
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Hi Maria. I can only offer what works best to me...prayer. That's never a wrong starting place.
Did your grandmother have a favorite prayer or bible passage? Maybe to honor her (and to get you thinking about your own walk), it would be good for you to search out something she found of value, and copy that.
j
_____________________________
Pay no mind to me. I'm just a small town hick in fly-over country.
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RE: I could use some advice - 10/27/2008 3:08:46 PM
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SavedByGraceMD
Posts: 910
Joined: 2/13/2008
From: the poconos
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: MoparBaby
Hello,
My name is Maria. I am the granddaughter of a pastor, my grandmother a devoted Christian and Pastor's wife, recently passed away. She was the woman who taught me everything. She taught me the most important thing in my life. To forgive.
My life I struggled with religion, I had gone to church my whole life, untill i turned 15. I am almost 23. Upon losing my Grandmother, I realized that all those values she was trying to teach me had become lost. I relized my life has been depressing and sad. I haven't gone and done anything with my life, i have not felt as if I could for a few years now. this may all sound crazy, but yesturday sitting in church listening to a stranger to me tell about my Grandmother and how wondrful of a lady she was, i realized it was God who kept her going. I don't know where to start. I want God back in my life, but I don't know where to start. I don't understand religion very well but i do understand that if i can fully accept God that light that is gone in my heart might be relight. Are there any books? Articles, or anything that can help me understand?
I would suggest you start on your knees, in prayer that He will show you how to find your way back to Him. He will you know. He has been there the whole time just waiting for you to come back to Him, and He will welcome you back with open arms, and unfailing love.
Hello Maria, and welcome to the forums. I am saddened for your loss. I will pray for you, that you will find His peace in your life, and with the loss you have suffered. I hope you will take solace in the fact that your grandmother is with the Lord, forever in His arms.
I am sure there are plenty of books you could read, and many that you probably will, which may very well help. But, and I don't mean to sound cliche, but there is only one book that really matters. I know you know which one I am talking about. Pick up a bible and read it. It will show you the way.
I would also suggest talking to your grandfather. He is a Pastor, and I am sure he would love to give you the advice you seek. You could be there for him in a time of need, and he can help you find your way.
Just know Maria how very much God loves you.
_____________________________
Isaiah 41:10
"Fear not for I am with you,
Do not be dismayed for I am your God,
I will strengthen you and help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"
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RE: I could use some advice - 10/27/2008 3:24:55 PM
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deermousie
Posts: 1948
Joined: 9/26/2007
Status: online
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God bless you, Maria! What a wonderful heritage you had from your grandmother, and you can be sure she prayed for you a lot in her life.
God saw that all mankind had sinned (fallen away from God's perfect ways) and was lost and was hurting. So He became a man and died in our place to pay for that sin, so He could give us His eternal life in His place. The Great Switch.
So the first step of any person coming to God is saying "Thank You for forgiving my sin and giving me new life." He says we all blew it, and He forgives it and washes us clean and makes us His sons and daughters forver.
Then rejoice that you are His and He is yours! It's your birthday! The second one!  You have been born again and nothing can take you out of God's loving hand.
There are things you can do to feed this new life:
- read your Bible every day! It's food, and a gold mine for you to dig riches out of. Go be rich!
- when you see you did something God said not to do (like hurt someone or something), say, "I sinned. I will turn away from it and will now do the right thing. Thanks for forgiving me, and please help me do it Your way." Then take His hand and walk on, knowing you are forgiven and loved and He's going to help you and teach you.
- pray. That just means talking to God. "Hi, God. I'm feeling pretty good/pretty bad. Please help me. I need ____, please help me. Thanks for Your love and forgiveness. I want to love You, too; please teach me. You are worthy of my love. In Jesus' Name." Or something like that. Ask, praise, and go on knowing you are loved. You might thank Him for giving you such a great grandmother - that was on purpose by God!  (You'll see her again some day, and what stories you'll have to tell her. She is going to be soooo happy! Or maybe she already is; dunno. We'll find out).
- go find a church that teaches the Bible but has no other books that they call authoratative (that's a cult. Avoid!) and join it and get baptized. Or go join your grandmother's old church. Let the pastor teach you, and go to him for help. He'll be thrilled to meet a new Christian, and the church may have special classes for new Christians. Sign up and take them. If an older gal would take you underwing and disciple you, it would be fun and a great blessing to you.
Welcome to God's forever family, Maria! You now have lots of brothers and sisters and they are commanded to love you and each other (some don't get it, but they will). May God bless you as you start the journey of faith; there's are lots of us walking with you. (((Hugs)))
_____________________________
Want to know where a certain word or phrase in the Bible is found? www.biblegateway.com Yay!
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RE: I could use some advice - 10/27/2008 3:33:26 PM
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laura...
Posts: 2921
Joined: 3/1/2005
From: NE Ohio
Status: offline
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quote:
I don't know where to start. I want God back in my life, but I don't know where to start.
The place to start is to confess that you are a sinner and that your sins have separated you from God. From reading your post, it sounds like you already recognize that.
The next step is to believe that Jesus Christ sacrificed his own life to pay for your sins so that you can be reconciled with God.
Then, finally, accept that sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on your behalf and give your life to him.
click here
_____________________________
This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ Jer 6:16
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RE: I could use some advice - 10/27/2008 3:45:22 PM
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frankman
Posts: 207
Joined: 4/12/2005
Status: offline
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Sorry to hear about your grandmother and welcome to the forums. I bet your late grandmother was also a praying grandmother who prayed for all her grandchildren every day. God may now be in the process of calling you back to Him today in answer to your late grandmothers prayers.
You have already made a good start by acknowledging that there is only fun in the pleasures of sin for a season, and then comes depression and sadness. Now the next thing you may do is confess your sins to God, and as your grandmother taught you how to forgive, believe that God will also now forgive you as 1 John 1:9 promises us. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Firmly believe that God has now forgiven your sins and according to John 1:12, your now not just a granddaughter, but a child of God. "Yet to all who receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-."
Please begin by developing a daily prayer and devotional life by studying your Bible. Try to find a good Bible believing Church and good Christian friends to help mentor you. If your looking for a good book to read I would recommend "Peace With God" by Dr. Billy Graham. To simplify things, as the Holy Spirit leads you, basically do the next thing, one step at a time. May God bless you.
_____________________________
"Is not My word like fire,` declares the LORD, `and like a hammer that breaks a rock in peaces?" Jeremiah 23:29
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