Hello~<P> I have a few questions and inquisitions for everyone that has found hope and love and complete happiness and success in giving all of their problems to God to deal with. I would like nothing more than to do this and focus on the Lord for every inspiration that happens in my life, but somehow Satan always shows up to ruin my success. If anyone out there can help me to learn how to surrender all worries and problems to the Lord, it would really give me new hope for everything. It is just so hard to do sometimes when the world can be so distracting and cold, but I know that it is possible, I have seen people so happy and extatic and content in their everyday lives because they have given everything to God. Please send me some words of wisdom~ God Bless

Hello Goodnight, thats a big order your asking. Let me see. Many claim they have given it all to God, yet havent. Some hide behind a facaud, some hide behind their money. Its a rare person that has given their entire life to the Lord, and trust Him in all areas. For me, it has been a lifelong process. The more trials i go thru, the more i have to trust in the Lord. Something breaks along the way, during the stress and sweeting and crying and i find peace and i trust God in another area of my life. Then wammo, another test in another area i wasnt ready for like my recent financial devestation. Been here before, but so much was at stake this time. After 3 years of seperation my wife is ready to come back home and im having to find another place to live, cause i cant afford it here no more and im without a full time job. My savings is gone and now, i have to rely on God for everything. It hasent been much fun, but as i get thru it i find more peace and i trust God more. You may be around people that are prospering and your not, so that is hard to deal with. I have a hard time believing most people are happy in such an unhappy world. Happiness doesnt last cause its from external circumstance. But Joy is internal and from a relationship with the Lord. The greater the relationship, the greater the joy. Im finally finding that this is true. A year ago, i would of told you there is no such thing as joy in this place called hell on earth. If you have a willingness to surrender it all to the Lord, He is faithful to take it from there. It will of course be in His slow God time. Me and God are still wrestling on this issue. You cant have much of a realtionship with anyone including God if ya dont spend time with Him. Get alone with the Lord and talk to Him and cry and then listen. It helps immensly to read the bible some first before you do this. Your moving in the right direction. The enemy can do nothing God wont allow Him to do. The reason usually is to draw us closer to Him. If the enemy is attaking you, then you are sincere about drawing closer to the Lord. Otherwise the enemy would leave ya alone. Take your eyes off of the enemy, the lier and deceiver and put your eyes on Jesus. Its all in His hands weather it feels like it of not. I hope ive encouraged you<BR>Mark

I, too, want to turn it all over and at times I think I have, but it really hasn't happened yet because I still have that "bad feeling" a lot of the time. I worry about finances, I lay awake at night worrying about my 20 year old son who is totally clueless. It's like I'm just waiting for the ax to drop. I do take time alone each day to pray. I know I can't ask God to change everything, but to help things work out as they should. I know during my separation I prayed for the right outcome of our marriage, whether or not it was what I wanted. As it turned out, we reconciled. It is hard, but I know it can't happen overnight. I, too, wish for that total internal peace. All we can do is keep working on our relationship with God.

Lostpup and Janie both give good advice. How often should we be in prayer? The bible says constantly. Life gets so hard. The situation of my wayward wife is the hardest thing that I have ever had to deal with. Harder than the loss of a loved one. I pray that God would comfort you. You are in my thoughts and prayers. We should all pray for one another. I am so sorry for the state of all these relationships. Lord help us all. Grant us comfort, peace and help us recognise your will and then follow it. Thank you God for each person here that is seeking your will.

Greetings~<P> I just want to thank all of you that have written back to me and given me hope. Thankyou Lostpup for sharing your relationship with the Lord with me and the fact that it will not just happen over night. You have helped me to stop focusing on the enemy, and more on my relationship with Jesus. After I have read your replies, I have felt a new sense of hope and happiness. I wish you happiness with your wife and pray that God Bless you in every way.<BR> I also thank you Janie for your inspiration, and for your wonderful prayers Hopefulone. You are truly right, if we pray for eachother, things will turn out so much better!<BR> Thankyou and God Bless you, Goodnight<BR>

I still have a hard time understanding how "active" I have to be (when deciding whether to look for a job or not, etc.) and how much to wait for the Lord. I have to pray for discernment because I don't understand what the Lord wants half the time. From what I do understand, He wants us to trust Him with the big decisions of our lives, He wants us not to worry about things like food and money but to worry about pleasing Him. Most of all He wants us to love others unconditionally and not to judge. (This is a tall order, since we are trained to judge in the "other" world.)<P>It's hard for me to know how much to detach myself from this material world and all its bad news and godless ways. But we weren't born in Heaven so we have to praise God for what we have, help those who have less and live for others, not for ourselves. That's the only way to find that joy. When He said "It is better to give than to receive" Jesus wasn't kidding. It's only when we give of ourselves and give generously that we find joy.<P>Nobody is perfect and one of the people we have to forgive is our self. We have to love our self. We are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We are obliged to get medical help when we need it and to eat properly when we can, and to take care of our bodies in all ways, like Janie says.<P>The Lord is generous and kind. He always gives you more than you ask for but not so much that you turn away again.<P>It is very exciting (not always fun but always exciting) when you begin to notice the Lord in your life. He is so full of sweetness and he sends all sorts of people your way to lift you up when you need it. He allows these trials to strengthen us and to make us pure. Keep trying to trust; it sounds like you are already doing great. <P>

Yes Trying, im struggling with some of those very same issues. Like how hard should i acually try to get a job. Ive put my best foot foward and im hitting brick walls. I know that im not suppose to worry about what i will eat, or wear, or where i live, but i have seeked the Kingdom of God first and acually all these things have been provided for. I do have a lot of peace now compared to the past. But i still have my days when i wonder how hard do i have to try. During the last 3 years or so, the harder i tried the less i gained. Maybe God is doing something different in my life now. Maybe this is the way to learn to fully trust in the Lord. Im still going to look harder for a better job even though last time i did i got frustrated and the first place i applied at 2 months before finally hired me and it was the best job i ever had and pay also. It was for Hewlett Packard and well, i got layed off eventually and my job went to mexico-lol. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Anyway, i do trust that the Lord will finally come thru and its my hope that maybe He will honor me looking harder for another job and give me the job i first applied for 2 months ago, again. Ive learned one thing along the way about the Lord. I cant figure Him out.... 5 years ago i would of compleatly lost it, going what im going thru now. <BR>I pray the Lord draws all of us that are hurting here closer to Him and that He gives us the strenth and wisdom to walk in the direction he has for our lives, and to learn to fully trust in Him eventually. In Jesus name, Amen. Let us be like Abraham who is known for his great faith,yet if you read his life story, you will see he didnt start out with so much and had times of wavering faith. <BR>Mark