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gaylon
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Posted: Thu Apr 19th, 2007 02:21 am |
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Lately I have especially appreciated when I read descriptions of how men and women have fully yielded to God, accepted His grace through Jesus, and felt His healing, joy, and presence in their soul. And, I've read Mike's description of his process in his book, several times.
I have felt God's love sometimes. But, if I have ever felt His healing and forgiveness in my soul, I have not recognized it. I have brief moments of being able to yield, to some extent, and have felt brief moments of His acceptance, but not necessarily forgiveness. Maybe I'm still hanging on to the sin, but if so, I don't know how to release it.
If anyone is willing to share in this thread their experience with yielding to God, and feeling his joy and forgiveness, and can describe the process they went through to get there, it would be much appreciated..
--- Gaylon V.
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geeky_student
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Posted: Thu Apr 19th, 2007 02:37 am |
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Hi gaylon,
I am not sure about what you relaly meant.. did you want to ask us how we felt? and pehaps if u experienced the same... yeah?
if so...
first, i would like to remind you that we should not "feel", we should think. the enemy doesnt want us to think, but rather feel. Superstitions are very dangerous, remember Gideon?
Yielding to God is important, we ask Christ to disciple us and we yield our life to Him--He has total control. If He says no then no.
Sometimes, I think "oh maybe the consequence wouldnt be so good if i tell the truth..." quite the opposite. When you lie, you dig yourself a hole, more lies, more lies, more cover up, and the Holy Spirit convicts you and gives you that uncomfortable feeling---which is good, so the next time temptation comes, He reminds us of how it was. believers do not enjoy sin, let it not be our nature!
Trust in God, His will will not take you where His grace is not present.
I hope that helps.
God bless!
God is with us! Let us LISTEN to Him and OBEY Him!
I will keep praying for you
Keep clean!
____________________
For God, for her, for my parents, for own good.
tip: when tempted, think of God, think of that special someone you love. 
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gaylon
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Posted: Thu Apr 19th, 2007 02:47 am |
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Thanks. Every reply is a grace to me, and touches my heart...
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truthseeker
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Posted: Thu Apr 19th, 2007 04:03 am |
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Hi Gaylon,
While we do not want to be swayed by transient feelings/emotions, I think that there is a level of spiritual connectedness that may describe what you seek, but it is phenominally difficult to describe. When I was 15, my parents separated, the divorce being finalized about a year and a half later. I was angry and self-righteous, smugly declining to attend my father's remarriage a month later. Ironically, the next day, My pastor was preaching about the woman at the well. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my unforgiveness. In tears, I acknowledged to God my need to forgive them, and my utter inability to feel forgiving. I sensed His quiet assurance that if I would trustingly obey, that he would bring my heart/feelings along in due time. The next day, I called my father and stepmother and did just that, and, as His Word promises, I received my first lesson in obedience bringing joy.
A few years down the road, having slipped in to an ongoing sin in college, I found that our marriage brought reconciliation with the Lord for which words definitely fail.
As I described in detail a while back in another thread, choosing the obedience of not withholding myself has brought immense joy.
I guess the principal that I would say I have learned is that obedience is a choice, often made in direct opposition to my feelings, but in due time, faithfully pursued, results in joy and peace that does truly pass understanding. All of this, I guess, to admit that I do not really know how it works, just that it does. I pray that you too, as you walk in obedience, experience deep and fulfilling communion with the Lord.
One other thought... to quote from a favorite song...
"Praise the Lord. He can work through those who praise Him. Praise the Lord. ... For the chains that seem to bind you serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him." When circumstances have seemed to be against me, or when it is simply a dry spell, I have found that if I will get my eyes off myself and on to God's character, His blessings, His gift of salvation, that my attitude is changed. The joy of the Lord truly is my strength.
TruthSeeker
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love&hate
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Posted: Thu Apr 19th, 2007 04:54 am |
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There are two issues here:
Fully Yielding
and
Feeling or Acknowledging His Forgivness and Healing.
How many individuals have fully yielded their will over to God? I dunno. I know i have not. For me the biggest battle in life is giving God more controll rather than choosing self. The more i yield the more victory i have over spiritual battles including porn and m. You would think that i would just give Him 100% and have a much more abundant life, but rather i still tend to make alot of my own selfish choices and then turn to God and try and clean up my life when things go downhill to much.
As far as feeling God's forgivness and healing.... well this a different matter. As geeky_student put it you can't always trust your feelings. There are times that you will feel close or at least closer to God. Other times you won't feel Him at all. Has he forgotten about you? Nope. We are emotional beings and it is good to feel God draw nearer sometimes. We just can't base our faith on emotions but rather Gods word.
I am beginning to heal right now from P and M. I don't necessairly feel the "healing process" rather i just enjoy my time away from lust. It is like i have just been released from prison and i can make my own choices, i am not in prison. It does feel good to make a good choice like go to church, bible study or spend some time readings God's word and thinking.... if i was still in my cycle i would have no time for this.
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gaylon
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Posted: Thu Apr 19th, 2007 05:27 pm |
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truthseeker wrote: Hi Gaylon,
.... obedience is a choice, often made in direct opposition to my feelings, but in due time, faithfully pursued, results in joy and peace that does truly pass understanding. All of this, I guess, to admit that I do not really know how it works, just that it does. I pray that you too, as you walk in obedience, experience deep and fulfilling communion with the Lord.
One other thought... to quote from a favorite song...
"Praise the Lord. He can work through those who praise Him. Praise the Lord. ... For the chains that seem to bind you serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him." When circumstances have seemed to be against me, or when it is simply a dry spell, I have found that if I will get my eyes off myself and on to God's character, His blessings, His gift of salvation, that my attitude is changed. The joy of the Lord truly is my strength.
TruthSeeker
Thanks to both... I have lately tended to resist what I can't prove, and this is one of those things where the proof comes after the action... I actually have known these things, but seem to be blinded to them -- oddly enough more since I've really been working at "recovery", than before. I think I have been believing Satan's lies about myself and about God, and that oppression has almost completely overcome me on many occasions in the last year and a half. Time for me to gather the strength and make the choice to fully turn to God, rather than waiting for him to "make me", which would be Satan's way of doing things. Again, thank you...
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guitarist63
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Posted: Thu Apr 19th, 2007 10:37 pm |
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I want to experience God's love as you have, Gaylon, in a powerful, physical blessing but maybe that might not happen. That won't change my desire to worship and praise Him. I believe God's presence with me (and with all here) does not have to be experienced physically for us to be touched, transformed, moved by God. I am reminded of a child asking for sweets from its parent. If the parent answers every request for the sweets with what the child wants then the treat becomes so commonplace that it could hardly be called one. Then the child takes the gift for granted, perhaps. So I think that God touches us physically, or otherwise in a very special way - maybe once or twice perhaps, in our lives, as a foretaste of the heavenly blessings ahead. We mustn't lose sight of the promise of His blessings. I look forward to anything that God will do - anything's possible.
Last edited on Sat Mar 22nd, 2008 03:46 pm by guitarist63
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gaylon
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Posted: Fri Apr 20th, 2007 12:00 am |
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guitarist63 wrote: ...I am reminded of a child asking for sweets from its parent. If the parent answers every request for the sweets with what the child wants then the treat becomes so commonplace that it could hardly be called one. Then the child takes the gift for granted, perhaps.... Thanks for that analogy... I guess I have been childish in my demands on God, instead of having the "faith as a child" that trusts without guile...
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guitarist63
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Posted: Fri Apr 20th, 2007 12:43 am |
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Gaylon, I don't want you to feel that the analogy was intended for you personally. I am not very good at making myself clear sometimes. I did address you at the beginning of the message, in answer to your starting this thread and also because you had shared the powerful experience of God's love that happened to you fifteen years ago. I don't want you to feel that you're in any way being compared to the child demanding the treats! Sorry, that wasn't very helpful of me.
Last edited on Sat Mar 22nd, 2008 03:47 pm by guitarist63
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gaylon
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Posted: Fri Apr 20th, 2007 03:47 am |
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guitarist63 wrote: Gaylon, I don't want you to feel that the analogy was intended for you personally... I didn't feel that way at all. I've recognized this trait of retarded emotional development in myself, especially since I started going to counseling for porn addiction. Even my counselor pointed out that it's often a side-effect of sexual abuse in children. You were very thoughtful and kind in your comments, and I appreciated it...
--- Gaylon V.
Last edited on Fri Apr 20th, 2007 04:29 am by gaylon
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guitarist63
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Posted: Fri Apr 20th, 2007 08:36 pm |
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Last edited on Sat Mar 22nd, 2008 03:48 pm by guitarist63
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