Prosperity and Joy

[CoreIssue]

God promises us prosperity and joy.

In the terms of this earthly life, what does these promises mean, if anything?

[CTZonEdit]

The promises are to give us comfort when we need it most.

But personally I am tired of getting pushed under the waves and seeing others pushed under the waves and nothing being changed.

Im tired of being told to spread the good news that no one wants to hear or they just want to shout you down about it.

Lord will you PLEASE come quickly? :(

[CoreIssue]

The promises are to give us comfort when we need it most.

But personally I am tired of getting pushed under the waves and seeing others pushed under the waves and nothing being changed.

Im tired of being told to spread the good news that no one wants to hear or they just want to shout you down about it.

Lord will you PLEASE come quickly? :(
I can so identify with that.

I have spent most my life trying to keep my head above the waves enough to get some gulps of air. I have seen so many fellow Christians die, be hurt physically and be hurt emotionally.

Then, when I look at it all, now, at the age of 55, I see I have grown stronger inside myself from the struggles. I see at every point where I hit that last thread holding me up something happened to change my course in life so that I could go on to the next last thread.

Now, when it looked like all my threads had run out, materially speaking, another came through and I find myself okay for a good number of years to come.

My respected mentor, Dr. Dick St. Marie, from the Emausus Bible college, who did so much to set the beginning of my foundation, spiritually speaking, suffered and died from cancer at a relatively young age. Such a loss to the Christian world.

I cried and asked God why.

Now, I still see the loss within this world. But I see he held true to God until the end. Now he is in a better place and God's promises to reward him for his suffering, here, are eternal.

So, in eternal terms, he suffered the blink of an eye and will be rewarded for enduring it forever.

I hope what I have been through, while trying to hold strong to my faith, will please God and he will give me eternal peace, purpose and meaningfulness in its place. Even though I don't deserve it.

When I look at things, through my flesh, I see my every hurting back and legs, my failures to be all I should have been to those near and dear to me and my total failure to accomplish and be someone in earthly terms.

When I look at things, through my spirit, I see the earthly issues as pathetic meaningless issues, in the true realities of existence, except where eternal consequences are involved. And there I see, sadly, fewer successes than I would hope for. But am happy the few I have will endure forever.

I understand the issues of life are terribly real to me. But I know those few eternal successes are the real meanings of my life.

So, I find myself terribly tired, frustrated at not having more purpose in life, exhausted by struggling against earthly realities that are needful in the short-term, but so meaningless in the long and terribly sad at seeing so many, as you say, sucked down into the depths.

I share your desire fore the Lord to come quickly. Why am I still here? For what purpose? These are questions on my lips way to often.

The Eternal Glorius Promises give me hope. They keep me going. And I am ready to taste them. Ready to rejoice in God not wasting them on me in this life, but reserving them for eternity.

[InTheWind]

I struggle with many things also and sometimes wonder where God is and my faith falters.
But i have also hit bottom enough times where i thought i would not make it but it is at those times that God acted in a way only known to him and made it better.
I think many because of the wide spread teaching of false doctrine about prosperity and health that people forget about the verses where Jesus said, Don`t find it strange that you suffer, I suffered before you suffered. And suffer gladly for Christ, and that we are not part of this world and can expect to be attacked by everything of this world.
Amen brothers and sisters and may God give us all strength and wisdom and peace.:nod: :hug:

[CTZonEdit]

Those are great words of encouragement from you brothers. So much of those feeling I have inside myself.

What I dont understand in the Great Plan is when you are beat down time and time again, it robs the joy of success because you know right around the corner there is another beat down.

So instead of being happy, you fret over what is going to come next and being prepared to withstand it. Lots of worry and wait. Hope yes ... but worry and wait about what is coming.

[Jessie]

I identify with you all.

the poem footprints in the sand has been my life.
and I wonder why??? why me?
but yet my dh says I've lived a blessed life in that aspect.
because God has had to carry me all my life, moreso than most folks.
but yet, its been terribly hard, lonely, miserable.
but there is growth.

It would be nice to go home. ITW, I agree it is good that God has waited for eternity to give us those things. they cant be taken away ever.


I think there is a vast difference between joy and what we call happyness.

we I think are all tired. but on we go. I know in the end we will not regret it.

one thing I've learned is to ask for what I need in a better way.
not that I get it all the time but I've noticed I'm communicating much better .

yes, Lord please PLEASE come soon! and may my childrens names be written in your book of life!

[CoreIssue]

What I dont understand in the Great Plan is when you are beat down time and time again, it robs the joy of success because you know right around the corner there is another beat down.

So instead of being happy, you fret over what is going to come next and being prepared to withstand it. Lots of worry and wait. Hope yes ... but worry and wait about what is coming.
I believe the big reason is that we are at war. We are outnumbered on the battlefied.

God must grant all freewill to allow them to choose their eternal destinies justly. But that means we suffer from their hatred.

God says we will be repaid. But surviving what we will be repaid for is a bug burden. It tires and exhausts us.

And we are our own enemies I believe. We do so much to ourselves in our thinking and lack of patience and endurance that we damage ourselves over and over.

I feel like two people trying to coexist. One part sees the issues correctly and is trying to endure. The other wants satisfaction now and is selfish.

Net result is confusion and exhaustion.

[Jessie]

boy is'nt that the truth!

I was thinking after reading this thread ealier of the phildelphia church in rev.
and we are so few now...