JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q1. Beginning Again - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q1. (11:32) Have you ever begun something in response to God's urging and then stopped? Did God want you to stop? Is it time now to renew your obedience and begin again? (Don't take this question lightly. Sometimes circumstances prevent us from doing what we once felt God wanted us to do. However, he is able to redirect you into his will for you now. Seek him diligently to learn his will.)

I felt God called me to do Bible College and I got alot of information then because of work commitments haven't gone through with it.Also because of finances.I need to go to God in prayer over this

For awhile I was led to design and teach Bible studies in my church. Then I felt led to attend graduate school and the Bible teaching stopped except for occasional substitute teaching. I have taken a break from graduate school and had been studying the Book of Ruth and planning to base a study from it. However, I am having trouble getting motivated. Should this be God's will, I am seeking the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Q1. (11:32) Have you ever begun something in response to God's urging and then stopped? Did God want you to stop? Is it time now to renew your obedience and begin again? (Don't take this question lightly. Sometimes circumstances prevent us from doing what we once felt God wanted us to do. However, he is able to redirect you into his will for you now. Seek him diligently to learn his will.)

A few years ago during lent I decided to get up each morning and rather than give up something for the 40 days I would say a rosary each morning. I was very dilligent and continued the practice long after lent was finished. Then earlier this year I went on a vacation and since then I have only said my rosary a few times. For some reason I am having trouble commiting to this practice again. I know that God did not want me to stop. Like most things in life once you break the cycle it is sometimes hard to get started again. Well, it is now time for me to start again and hopefully talking about it here will give me the push that I need.

I believe I began an evangelical outreach, but did not follow through.
I do not believe God wanted me to stop.
Given the leading of the Holy Spirit , I would renew my obedience.

Pastor Ralph, on Aug 23 2004, 08:35 PM, said:

(11:32) Have you ever begun something in response to God's urging and then stopped? Did God want you to stop? Is it time now to renew your obedience and begin again?

Yes, I have had urging from the Holy Spirit to do things and then stopped. I first see the vision, then get the motivation to do the research, then the desire to go forward, but sometimes it’s been on my timing. . . so when that is the case God does stop me. . .
When God stops me, I put the inspired thought on the self, and wait until I hear His voice to move forward again. It’s all about His timing and not mine.

i currently have been given direction from God.. and although at the moment it is not the right timing.. i know i still need to prepare myself.. which is to keep on moving in that direction until the right time when God says now is the time to go..

many times i have wanted to stop.. or opposition has come into my thinking to try and move me away from where i know i am to be.. so i then have to go back to what i know God has said to me.. and continue with what He has asked me to do and where i was already heading..

this is when we need to be continually listening to the quiet voice of God, leaning on the Holy Spirit, and devouring the word..

circumstances may prevent us from doing what we once felt God wanted us to do.. but if we keep the goal as where God has us to go to then no matter what we come up against and face.. we can overcome the detours and keep going towards the goal God has for us..

i'm soooo glad He is in charge of my life and sees the bigger picture!

Q1. (11:32) Have you ever begun something in response to God's urging and then stopped? Did God want you to stop? Is it time now to renew your obedience and begin again? (Don't take this question lightly. Sometimes circumstances prevent us from doing what we once felt God wanted us to do. However, he is able to redirect you into his will for you now. Seek him diligently to learn his will.)
When a teenager, I received God's call to go in missions for Him, so prepared myself to go as a medical missionary. After completing my nursing training, I turned away and married. After three children and attempts to work in our church, I still felt guilty.
To make a long story short, I talked with a wonderful woman who led me to realize I was sinning by being presumptious enough to think my standards were higher than God's, since I knew He had forgiven myself but could not forgive myself! I asked for, and received forgiveness for this sin also--and the guilt was gone!
Since then, my husband and I have gone in missions to several countries for various lengths of time--mostly two to three years at a time. He has blessed us tremendously. Now in our eighties, I pray He will use my writing for His work, and feel His blessing on this.

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1.) Family devotions. We started and have stopped and it has been placed on my heart several times to begin them again. But I have always allowed the busyness of the day to over rule this time. Tonight we will have them.

God called me when I was a young man. For 13 years I studied and proved the words of God but the fellowship I was with did not seem to me to be demonstrating the fruits that God said they should show.

So I left and instead of continuing alone, if need be, my walk with God; I stagnated. I didn't go completely away I still believed but I did not exercise that belief properly.

Abrams’ call seems to parallel my situation. He stopped in Haran perhaps he also stagnated or at least ceased growing. I know I did.

God called me again 25 years later I wonder how long Abram stayed in Haran?

Raymond

Although I didn't view my drinking as at all a problem at the time, the Lord knows me better than I know myself and He obviously saw things differently. The day I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, He called me with a very specific message -- "What you are doing is displeasing to God. If you want to follow me you must quit drinking." It wasn't a burning bush (but could just as well have been given the overwhelming nature of the experience) and it wasn't an audible message. But it was unmistakable and distinct. I was obedient to His call and have continued to be for three years now.

I pray every morning to be lead by the Holy Spirit to follow His will. I also pray for the strength to be obedient to His call. I know under my own strength I would never be as obedient as Abraham. If I did follow at first, I'm quite sure I would fall away eventually.

What I wonder, especially those of you who've fallen away, what form did God's call take for you? How did you recognize it as God's call? If you have fallen away, can you be sure that God didn't at that time call you to a period of rest to wait on His timing for you to resume?

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That is interesting TimS. It makes me think deeper about my own situation. Given what happened to the fellowship I referred to, it might well be that God set me aside to keep me from what happened later.

I feel that I should have used that time better to Grow in Grace and Knowledge. I didn't but the experiences of that part of my life certainly were good training for what not to do later.

My initial calling was something in my spirit if you will. You know how Christ said that His sheep would hear His voice. Well it was like that. I recognized His voice in the things I was learning. It was exciting and fruitful. It was only when I took my eyes off Him and started to look at others around me that I became disillusioned. Hmmm, a lesson in itself don't you think?

Raymond

Pastor Ralph, on Aug 23 2004, 08:35 PM, said:

I have, but did not stop. I completed the task against all the odds, to move forward but by the time I finnished, so was my body, rendering me not able to do that which God lead me through, in order to move on in a career. Depression over this sometimes tries to creep in my mind and take over, but I hold on to God and remain in Him, and have a good cry once in a while. God comforts me & will completely heal my body when He's ready . And ahhhh, having a firm foundation in My Lord I believe is the reason behind the turn my body took. And that is A OKAY with me, for being in one accord with My Lord is all I wish to do. People come that need help with that which The Lord has provided me an education for, and is a wonderful opprotunity for me to Promote God and give my testimony, as I help in that which help was hard to find in times of need for me. And really, the only plan that I myself had for even asking God what I was going to do before He reminded me of a thought when I was 10 years old, was to give back. For in life, in times of need, God caused people to come from nowhere and help me, and when He reminded me of the thought when I was 10. I knew that was it, that is what I would give back to society, along with what ever else I can In The Name Of Jesus.

On another note. God has prompted me to write, and so as for part of my education, I learned to write. All glory be to God, the very first paper I wrote in my very first writing class in college, I submitted to a Poetry contest not long ago; 9 years after I wrote the original paper, and about 3 weeks ago. The Selection Committee loved it. They said it was an Excellent Poem and are publishing it in book. Wow. The results came in yesterday The whole way this came about is completely directed and guided by God, All The Way. I prayed to God right before the Teacher said "start writing" for what to say on the topic. It came from soul, and now is being published. The title is "Light" and The Glory Is Gods. Hallelujah!!! Amen!

I have been called from God since 1988 to be outside of abortion clinics (whether local or when I'm traveling) to help women when they feel that they have no other choice. I and others reach out to them to demonstrate that there is help and support for them when they feel alone. Sometimes a woman is pressured by a boyfriend, husband, or friends and think they can't make it by themself.
In the last few months I have been unable to find a regular sidewalk counseling partner to fulfill this urging inside of me to be there as much as I would like. I don't know what this means in relation to God's calling in my life. I am doing ministry on the internet, both this and post abortion ministry. I don't know if God is redirecting my life or what this all means.

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I have indeed...
Just like Abram I have allowed familial concerns cause me not to be consistent in my spiritual life. But I know that regardless to the distractions or even my own plans God is able to fulfill his purpose for my life. I am so thankful for this study!

Yes, we all have begun something in reponse to God urging and then stopped for whatever reason. I started a youth ministry in our congregation and it was a small turn out in the beginning. It got where at times there was only me. I pray that God redirect me about this ministry, or maybe there is a need but for someone else to carry the torch. I am going to pray for God's direction. Pray is powerful so all that reads this join in prayer with me.

From the time I first accepted the Lord, He has been patiently teaching me to trust Him in all areas of my life. It has often not been easy for me to do so for many reasons that I won't share. I have recently come to realize that each time he has asked me to release something to him, I would think I had done so, only to take it back and worry it to death. I know now I have blocked his working in my life, and, sadly, other people's lives as well. I never would have thought of myself as controlling, but God has shown me that I am. What God has called me to do is to surrender all of my life to Him in every area and to willingly give Him all I hold dear. I have been praying for my children and grandchildren for a long time and God had given me so many promises that he would save them. It has taken a lot of patients on God's part to make me realize that I was "giving" them to him with one hand and grabbing them back with the other, and that I was doing this in many areas of my life with many issues. God would say " give it up" and I would say "Yes Lord, but maybe I should just do this one thing..." It has been in the last year that God took me on a walk through all that he had told me he would do in my life, and for the past several months he has been speaking to me about Abraham and how he simply believed God would fullfil all He had promised. I begin to understand that God wanted me for his own completely, and that means trusting him and accepting his great love for me. The first thing he asked me to do was to give him my family and to quite carrying them as a burden. He knows I love them; He loves them more, and if I would truly give them to him without reservation,as Abraham did with Issac, he would be faithful in all his promises. I know that God has truly called me on a great adventure. I know he loves me and has called me according to his purpose. I have already seen such wonderful changes in my family. But most of all, I am in love all over again with the Lord. This morning the scripture in my church's service was Genisis 12:1-9 The Lord said to Abraham " leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." Coincidence? Not very likely. God has had a call on my life for many years to put all my trust in him and to truly allow him to be husband to me. I have, like Abraham, had many starts and stops. But God is faithful, strong, and loving. Be of good courage, all of you. He will fullfill every promise he has made concerning you. Trust him.

[SIZE=7][COLOR=blue]God has delt with me to start a womens ministry and I have not done that. And it breaks my heart but I just cant seem to get things going After this lession I am going to do better

I’m sure that I’ve begun something in response to God’s urging and then stopped. I began many years ago when very young, accepting Christ as my Savior, and then I stopped. I continued a few more years in church and learning my Bible, but at a certain age I stopped. That’s hard to say and believe me I’m sorry to have to say it. I know that God did not want me to stop and I have renewed my obedience and began again. I wasn’t prevented from doing what God wanted me to do, I just didn’t do it. I can admit in truth that all through my young adult years I had faith. I don’t believe I ever lost my faith in God. I believed He was with me, although I wasn’t obedient. But there came a time when enough is enough and I knew it. Much more important than where I was, God was concerned with who I was and whom I trusted. I believe God saw the same thing in Abram. He saw faith. It may have been a meager faith, but it was real faith. If we are honest with ourselves, that is just about where most of us are. In our best moments, faith is vibrant and vital, but in moments of testing, it is weak and wanting. Sometimes circumstances can prevent us from doing what we feel God wants us to do. I believe that many Christians seem to feel that God’s way is the way of the bizarre and unusual. They do not expect God to lead them in a normal, predictable fashion. We need to understand that very often the way that God would have us to go is the most sensible way that we would have chosen anyhow. It is only when God wants us to depart from the expected that we look for guidance that is spectacular or unusual.

Q1. (11:32) Have you ever begun something in response to God's urging and then stopped? Did God want you to stop? Is it time now to renew your obedience and begin again? (Don't take this question lightly. Sometimes circumstances prevent us from doing what we once felt God wanted us to do. However, he is able to redirect you into his will for you now. Seek him diligently to learn his will.)

Though I would love it right now to be called to do almost anything except what I am doing I am already engaged in doing that which I was called. I am also though standing and watching as storms brew in the Gulf and in the gulfs of many to whom I minister while praying that we can keep our eyes on Jesus and not on the storms.