When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy in God?

Source: Solid Joy

How shall we fight for joy?

1. Realize that authentic joy in God is a gift.
2. Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly.
3. Resolve to attack all known sin in your life.
4. Learn the secret of gutsy guilt — how to fight like a justified sinner.
5. Realize that the battle is primarily a fight to see God for who he is.
6. Meditate on the Word of God day and night.
7. Pray earnestly and continually for open heart-eyes and an inclination for God.
8. Learn to preach to yourself rather than listen to yourself.
9. Spend time with God-saturated people who help you see God and fight the fight.
10. Be patient in the night of God’s seeming absence.
11. Get the rest and exercise proper diet that your body was designed by God to have.
12. Make a proper use of God’s revelation in nature.
13. Read great books about God and biographies of great saints.
14. Do the hard and loving thing for the sake of others (witness and mercy).
15. Get a global vision for the cause of Christ and pour yourself out for the unreached.

____________________

  

You make known to me the path of life,

in your presence there is fullness of joy,

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

 

Draw Me Nearer

For your nearness Lord I hunger
For your nearness Lord I wait
Hold me ever closer Father
Such a love I can't escape
 
For your nearness I am hoping
For your nearness Lord I long
Have no need of any other
I have found where I belong
Yes, I have found where I belong
  
So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord
Draw me nearer Lord
  
In your nearness there is healing
What was broken now made whole
Restoration in its fullness
Lasting hope for all who come
  
In your nearness I take shelter
Where you are is where I'm home
I have need of only one thing
To be here before your throne
To be here before you throne
 
And keep me here, keep me here
There's nowhere else I rather be
So keep me here, keep me here
There's nowhere else I rather be
There's nowhere else I rather be

 

- Meredith Andrews -

 

虚空的虚空

在耶路撒冷作王、大卫的儿子、传道者的言语。 

 

传道者说：
虚空的虚空，
虚空的虚空，
凡事都是虚空。 

 

人一切的劳碌，就是他在日光之下的劳碌，
有什麽益处呢？ 

 

一代过去，一代又来，
地却永远长存。 

 

日头出来，日头落下，
急归所出之地。
  

风往南刮，又向北转，不住的旋转，
而且返回转行原道。
  

江河都往海里流，海却不满；
江河从何处流，仍归还何处。
   

万事令人厌烦（或作：万物满有困乏），人不能说尽。
眼看，看不饱；耳听，听不足。
    

已有的事後必再有；已行的事後必再行。
日光之下并无新事。
   

岂有一件事人能指著说这是新的？
那知，在我们以前的世代早已有了。
   

已过的世代，无人记念；
将来的世代，後来的人也不记念。
  

我传道者在耶路撒冷作过以色列的王。
  

我专心用智慧寻求、查究天下所做的一切事，
乃知神叫世人所经练的是极重的劳苦。
  

我见日光之下所做的一切事，
都是虚空，都是捕风。
  

弯曲的，不能变直；
缺少的，不能足数。
  

我心里议论说：我得了大智慧，胜过我以前在耶路撒冷的众人，
而且我心中多经历智慧和知识的事。
   

我又专心察明智慧、狂妄，和愚昧，
乃知这也是捕风。
     

 因为多有智慧，就多有愁烦；
加增知识的，就加增忧伤。

  

传道书 第一章
    

喜欢、害怕、祷告、等待。

喜欢，但这喜欢的感觉却给不了任何的应许。
一直感觉到我们之间的差距，
一直能看到我们之间的距离。

    

 * * *

    

害怕，因为害怕这只是虚假的。

害怕，因为害怕这是私欲诱惑。

害怕，因为害怕这是孤单难耐。
  

害怕，因为害怕自己无能为力。

害怕，因为害怕自己爱莫能助。

害怕，因为害怕没有能力保护。
  

害怕，因为害怕不能成就承诺。

害怕，因为害怕将会历史重演。

害怕，因为害怕将会重蹈覆辙。
  

害怕，因为害怕这是飞鸟和鱼。

害怕，因为害怕这是一场意外。

害怕，因为害怕咱之间的差距。

害怕，因为害怕游回这片海域。

  

* * *

祷告，因为这是我唯一能做的。

祷告，因为这是我喜欢的表示。

  

祷告，因为我的牧人将会聆听。

祷告，因为这是主所给的吩咐。

 * * *

等待，因为不倚靠自己。

等待，因为相信耶和华。

  

等待，因为信主的时机。

等待，只为了再次相遇。

  

  * * *

求主能让你把耶稣基督的佳音像燕子般，
传给你身边的人。

____________________

  

报福音、传喜信的人，他们的脚踪何等佳美。

罗马书 10:15

   

How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian? (Don Whitney)

Source: Andy Naselli's Thoughts on Theology

Extended outline of a book by Don Whitney: How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian?

Chapter 1. Assurance of Salvation–Is It Possible?

• It is possible, indeed normal, for the Christian to experience assurance of salvation.
• It is possible, indeed normal, for a non-Christian to have a false assurance of salvation.

Chapter 2. Having Doubts about Your Salvation

It is possible, indeed normal, for Christians to have occasional doubts about their salvation.

• Doubting assurance is not unbelief.
• The causes of doubt are many.
  • Spiritual immaturity may contribute to doubts about assurance.
  • Sensitivity to sin may cause confusion about assurance.
  • Comparison with other Christians may cloud assurance.
  • Childhood conversion affects the assurance of some.

Chapter 3. The Basis of Assurance

The assurance of salvation rests primarily on the character of God, the works of Jesus Christ, and the truth of God’s promises.

Chapter 4. An Inner Confirmation

• Assurance may be experienced partly through the inner confirmation of the Holy Spirit.
• How does the Holy Spirit give Christians this assurance?
  • He opens our minds to understand the Bible in ways that give us assurance.
  • He guides our thinking about the biblical marks of salvation in our lives.
  • He brings Scripture and its truths to our minds in various ways that assure us.
  • He causes an inner sense of assurance without words.

Chapter 5. Signs of Eternal Life

Assurance may be experienced partly through the presence of the attitudes and actions the Bible says will accompany salvation [1 John].

• Do you share the intimacies of the Christian life with other believers?
• Do you have a deep awareness of your sin against the word and love of God?
• Do you live in conscious obedience to the word of God?
• Do you despise the world and its ways?
• Do you long for the return of Jesus Christ and to be made like him?
• Do you habitually do what is right more and sin less?
• Do you love other Christians sacrificially and want to be with them?
• Do you discern the presence of the Holy Spirit within you?
• Do you enjoy listening to the doctrines the apostles of Jesus taught?
• Do you believe what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ?

Chapter 6. A Spiritual Mind-set

• Only those who are spiritually minded are Christians.
• You are spiritually minded when you think about the things of God spontaneously and without external causes.
• You are spiritually minded when you think about the things of God more than anything else.
• You are spiritually minded when you think about the things of God with more delight and enjoyment than anything else.
• You are not spiritually minded if “God is not in all [your] thoughts.”

Chapter 7. Things That Erode Our Assurance

A true Christian may lose a sense of assurance of salvation because . . .

• he or she refuses to deal with known sin.
• of spiritual laziness.
• of satanic attacks.
• of trials or harsh circumstances.
• of illness or temperament. [Cf. Jon Bloom, "When You’re in a Spiritual Storm, Trust Your Instruments."]
• God seems to withdraw a sense of his presence and blessing.

Chapter 8. Common Problems with Uncertainty

• Those converted as children may experience special difficulties with assurance.
  • Those who remember little else besides following Christ sometimes have doubts that those with adult or dramatic conversions do not.
  • Concrete childhood thinking differs from more abstract adult thinking.
  • An awareness of the Lordship of Christ must expand to cover all the ever-expanding circle of life that comes with maturity.
• Stay-at-home mothers of young children may experience special difficulties with assurance.
• True assurance won’t lead to spiritual carelessness.
• Those worried about the unforgivable sin have not committed it.

Chapter 9. False Assurance of Salvation

• Sources of a false assurance of salvation
  • A public commitment or outward response to the gospel
  • Baptism
  • Involvement with church
  • A strong Christian family heritage
  • An abundance of good deeds
  • An extraordinary experience
  • A dramatic personal or lifestyle change
  • Material blessing and financial security
  • A false understanding of God
  • A false understanding of sin and hell
• Characteristics of the falsely assured
  • They are either unconcerned or angry when warned about false assurance.
  • They are either legalistic or loose with spiritual disciplines and duties.
  • They are either very weak in or very confident of their Bible knowledge.
  • They have either a vicarious Christianity or an overly independent spirit.
  • They may be constantly resisting the truth or never able to come to the truth.

Chapter 10. What to Do If You’re Still Not Sure

• Don’t take for granted that you understand the gospel.
• Think deeply about the gospel.
• Repent of all known sin.
• Submit everything to the Lordship of Christ.
• Meditate much on 1 John.
• Don’t doubt the promises of God.
• Believe as best you can and pray for greater faith.
• Practice the spiritual disciplines.
• If you really love God, take assurance because non-Christians don’t love God passionately.
• If you hate your sin, take assurance because non-Christians don’t hate sin deeply.
• If you’ve never been baptized, present yourself as a candidate in obedience to Christ.
• Don’t neglect the Lord’s Supper.
• Don’t compare earthly fathers to your Heavenly Father.
• Seek godly counsel if the doubts persist.
• Pray for assurance.
• Wait patiently upon God to give you a fuller experience of assurance.

   

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Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith, test yourselves.

Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — 

unless, of course, you fail the test? 

2 Corinthians 13:5