In Need of Guidance

[IbTee]

Dear Members,


I have been a lurker since 2010 or so.  When I first came upon the site it was because I felt the need to be "a part of" something.  The knowledge I have gained has been immeasureable.  However, the big wave of life has taken over at this time and that deep urge to join a church is back. 


Knowing that I am a sinning machine, I am not confident that I have taken the right course and feel shaky going before the Father in prayer.  I have remained confident that it is all "God's will", but wonder if I am missing a step.


Since June 2014 I have been diagnosed with breast cancer, completed surgery, completed radiation, continue chemo (until Sept.) and will be taking hormonal therapy for five years.  In Feb. my husband coded in the ER and had to go to a nursing home on a vent.  Last week he coded again.  He is responsive, but has an EF <5.  He is end-stage CHF.  My life has changed and I am anxious about what it will be.  All I do know is that I want God in my life.  To top off everything I continue to fight the urge to smoke again ( how crazy is that? [size=78%]).  [/size]


Any advice is welcomed.


IbTee

[lilitalienboi16]

Dear Members,


I have been a lurker since 2010 or so.  When I first came upon the site it was because I felt the need to be "a part of" something.  The knowledge I have gained has been immeasureable.  However, the big wave of life has taken over at this time and that deep urge to join a church is back. 


Knowing that I am a sinning machine, I am not confident that I have taken the right course and feel shaky going before the Father in prayer.  I have remained confident that it is all "God's will", but wonder if I am missing a step.


Since June 2014 I have been diagnosed with breast cancer, completed surgery, completed radiation, continue chemo (until Sept.) and will be taking hormonal therapy for five years.  In Feb. my husband coded in the ER and had to go to a nursing home on a vent.  Last week he coded again.  He is responsive, but has an EF <5.  He is end-stage CHF.  My life has changed and I am anxious about what it will be.  All I do know is that I want God in my life.  To top off everything I continue to fight the urge to smoke again ( how crazy is that? [size=78%]).  [/size]


Any advice is welcomed.


IbTee

Hi IbTee,

Welcome back! I'm sorry to hear it is under such difficult circumstances. I want to encourage you to draw close to God even if you know your consciouse is not completely clear.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Hearken to the words of King Solomon under the inspiration of God!

1 Kings 8:46-53

46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:
52 That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee.
53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.

What is God's answer?

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Repent! He is faithful. Let your conscience be purged by the blood of Christ.

Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

My advice is repent and throw yourself at God's mercy. Humble yourself before the Lord and He will uplift you.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time.

Remember that it is through my tribulation we enter into the kingdom of heaven. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Hold onto Him with everything you've got, He is the only thing worth holding onto in this life. There is nothing greater or worth more of your attention than Him.

1 Peter 4:12-13
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Lastly, be of good cheer for Christ is with us even unto the ends of the world and He has overcome the world.

I will keep you in my prayers.

God bless,
Alex

[Gina]

I will pray for you.  Smoking is a very hard thing to give up.  I don't advocate smoking, but under the circumstances, I don't think it's that crazy. 

(Doctors who are charged with giving people life and give them radiation and chemo instead is what is crazy.  And remember, there was a time when doctors prescribed cigarettes to people.)

There are lots of people who have smoked and gone on to live very long and healthy lives.  You need to consider the stress you've been under and what you may be eating.  Do you eat healthy?  Have you always juiced leafy greens and parsley and other herbs and avoided lots of sugary, processed foods?

I have used fresh/dried sage to curb my own cigarette cravings and calm me down, but I have yet to quit smoking entirely.

I have also used fresh/dried margoram and oregano and chamomile to calm me down.

Try that.  Let's ask and believe that God will breathe new life into you.

I'll pray for your husband too.

[IbTee]

Lilitalienboi16,
Thanks so much.

1 Peter 4:12-13 really struck me.  Thank you.

[IbTee]

Gina,
Thanks for the tips.  I will certainly be giving them a try.
IbTee

[Gina]

Good. 

Eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away. 

Also, get yourself some fresh fava beans too, if you have a market near you, and put them in your green smoothies with some apples to sweeten it. 

Fresh fava beans regenerate your hormones and really work to recharge your adrenals. 

All these fresh greens and fresh fava beans put in a leafy green smoothie with plenty of water will work to regenerate your adrenals. 

You're tapped out.  Tap back in.  

Do a little walking every few days.  Just a little - like 15 minutes.  Or just gently bounce around a little and gently move your arms around.  That gets your lymphatic fluid moving and that's really good.

Some have really had good results from plain warm water enemas -- I have never done that myself but I hear a lot of people love it. 

Stay off the caffeine and sugar mostly.  If you want energy, drink lots of water and breathe deep and move a little.   If you want to warm up, drink warmed water with a little lemon juice like tea.

God bless you and yours.

[Rhys 🕊]

The following is helpful to me from Ray about church

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,1304.msg11349.html#msg11349

Dear Mr. Smith,

I've gone to an A/G or Interdenominational church all of my life.  The health and wealth gospel sounded so good when I didn't need it...it tickled my ears and gave me a real secure feeling for the future in case I ever needed health or help out of money problems.  A lot of things happened in 2005 that changed my life forever.  My dad had a stroke at 69 and became completely demented and is now in a nursing home.  My mom almost died because of it (she had a severe case of pancreatitis and is now a diabetic).  Both of them, like me, quoted the Word, "tithed" and so on, but it didn't work like "they" promised.

I've always been grounded in the Word (my parents are from Germany and were always on-fire Pentecostals).  Then the "faith" message diluted their "fire" and we've been in no-man's land ever since.  We still love the Lord, but are so angry about 20 years of being led astray and led down a dead-end road.  Our faith has suffered because bitterness is now attached to it.

Thank you so much for your web-site.  I've needed someone else to agree with my "heretic" conclusions about the current day church.  My question to you is what to do about finding a church. I'd quit going if it weren't for my young children (4).  But I just can't stomach to the tithing preaching anymore.  I feel all it is is a way for an unambiticious person to make a living off of the rest of us who actually work for a living.  I actually have to leave the sanctuary when the "tithing" sermon comes.

I don't want to forsake the fellowship with other believers.  Any suggestions?  Also, do you think I'd have any luck bringing the info on your web-site to the attention of my pastor?  I doubt it...they always have their "pat" theological answers, aimed to stump the "laymen."

Yours truly,

Ruth


Dear Ruth:
No, you will not have success in converting your pastor.  Neither would I have success at such an impossible task.  People ask me about "where to go to church" almost on a daily basis. They know that their church and all other churches that they know of, do not teach the truth (worse: they teach lies and heresy).  And so they think that maybe I know of a church a few blocks from where their from or a few miles from their home that does teach all of the truths of God.  Sorry, there is not such thing that I am aware of.

If there were churches scattered through BABYLON THE GREAT WHORE, then there would be no need for God to admonish those whom He is choosing, to "COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE" (Rev. 18:4).  Are we to just come out of her spiritually, but remain good social friends with them on a weekly basis?

Church is not now and never was, a physical building to congregate in to worship God.  Could all the hundreds of thousands of Israelites congregate inside the tiny little tabernacle in the wilderness?  Could ALL JUDEA congregate in the tiny Temple in Jeruslem every sabbath?  The synagogues became corrupted and the churches today are corrupted. So where do you want to go?  If you want fellowship why not foin a social club and keep the false religion out of your fellowship.

Jesus taught us that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth, not in this mountain or in Jerusalem, or in a building, or another other "place" that is corrupted.  I can't tell people what to do. If "christian fellowship" means more to them than "godly worship," then I guess they just  have to keep looking.

Being a follower of Jesus Christ was never designed to be a "feel good religion" as many christian churches promise if you join their particular tents on living a worldly life for Jesus.  I trully never miss, "CHURCH"!  I "go to church" every time I open my Bible."
God be with you,
Ray

[repottinger]

Welcome to the forum, Ib Tee. I guess that I was also a "lurker" for a number of years, since I read but never posted, but I don't think I ever associated that term with myself! I'm so sorry to read about the severe problems that you and your husband are facing; I guess about the only thing I can try to add to the excellent comments already posted is that you and your husband (as well as everyone else, for that matter) are exactly where God wants you to be, and that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18, AKJV).
I'll be sure to pray for you and your husband as you deal with such crushing  difficulties.
Your brother in Christ,
Randy

[repottinger]

And thank you for the excellent verses, Alex, and such thought-provoking comments from Ray, Rhys (which I don't believe I had ever read before)!
Randy