Do you trust God to guide you and help you?

[sayak83]

No, God did nothing.
Please read what I said to 9-10ths_Penguin above. I explained why this is related to my trusting God.
#12 Trailblazer, Yesterday at 9:05 PM

Ok. Cool.

 

[PureX]

I have to trust in something to keep moving forward when things look bleak. And since trusting in anything not-God tends to be a set-up for abuse, exploitation, and general disaster, I figure why not 'trust in God'? And then keep moving forward? What's the alternative?

 

[Samantha Rinne]

I want to share a story that is related to trusting God. I just found out yesterday that our house is paid off. I did not know when it would be paid off and it is a long sad story why I did not know. I could have found out with a simple phone call to the bank, but I did not want to know, and that is another long story as to why. I am still in disbelief because even though I had projected that it should be paid off at any time I really had no way of knowing since I was not even sure when the loan term was over, since I never even looked at one mortgage statement in the 10 years since we purchased the house. I was simply going on memory of when we took the loan out, and hoping it was a 10 year loan as I remembered.

I know what people reading this are probably thinking, what a way to live, never planning anything, but that is how I live, one day at a time. I do what I have to do in the day I am in and I take care of anything that is time sensitive, but I never think about the future. I trust God will guide me and help me to do what I need to do when I need to do it.

Anyhow, we are now debt free and we own all three of our houses free and clear and we have no other debts, since we have never used credit cards and we have old used cars that are 20 and 34 years old.

I should be happy but I am still in a state of shock because I live according to Murphy’s Law. My husband asked why I did not want to look at the letter from the bank but after I saw the QC Deed, I just stuffed it back in the envelope and told him I will deal with it on Monday, but I will probably put it off till I get the courage.

It is not as if we have no other problems just because we are set financially as there is more to life than material wealth, but I am very grateful for everything we have. It certainly did not come without much perseverance and many struggles so I do not know why I feel I do not deserve it, but I do feel that way.

I posted this in the Religious Debates forum because it is related to my trusting God that this would work out. Even though I had not stayed on top of the situation, I always paid that mortgage and even added a lot of money to the payment last year in hopes of getting it paid off sooner. We have never been late on one mortgage payment in all the years of home ownership, and we have never been late paying any other bills since we never lived beyond our means.

I have a long history of not loving or trusting God, but that has improved over time. One thing that helps me a whole lot is listening to Christian radio all day long, as Christians tend to trust God a lot more than other believers I have seen. Not to knock my own religion, but I really like the strong faith that Christians have and that is why I like to listen to their songs, because they help me realize it is possible to love and trust God and that is in my best interest. Music can be very powerful.

So what does your religion teach about trusting God, or if you are a believer with no religion how do you feel about trusting God? Do you trust God to guide you and help you with things that are difficult for you to manage alone? Do you believe that God will help you or do you believe that you are on your own to manage everything by yourself?

You own three houses? What the hell does a person need more than one house for?

We have one house, which may or may not last past my parents, as they're rich but I'm poor. And a summer cottage, which is split three ways by inheritance because NJ property tax is absurd.

Yes, God has helped me.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Allow me to explain. When I say I trusted in God I meant that whatever happened would have been something I would have been able to handle, even if it had turned out differently, so I would accept whatever was God's will for me even if I did not like it. This gets into fate and predestination, so if it had been predestined that I had remembered wrong and I actually had a 15 year mortgage, there would have been no way for me to change that and I would have to make the necessary adjustments. I was prepared to do that even though I was almost certain the mortgage was a 10 year. Another thing is that since I trusted in God I did not feel a need to control the situation by checking with the bank. I just let things unfold as they did.

... but you kept paying. I don't see the connection, but that's fine. Seems like it makes sense for enough other people to make a thread out of it.

That is true. We always have to rely upon ourselves and other people, I just tend to believe that God works through other people who help us when we really need them. I would probably be dead by now if there were not good people in the world.

Personally, I see phrases like "God works through other people" a bit minimizing and ungrateful toward those other people. "Yeah you helped me, but it was really God behind it, not you."

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Yes, I am debt free and it was a miraculous moment, as even though I knew it was coming, I did not know when.
I ma still in a state of shock when I think about it, because I never believe I can do anything right.

The bar for what constitutes a "miracle" seems to be getting lower and lower.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

You own three houses? What the hell does a person need more than one house for?

Rental income, IIRC.

 

[CG Didymus]

The bar for what constitutes a "miracle" seems to be getting lower and lower.

How about... "It's a miracle! After 50 years, I paid off my student loan! Thank you Jesus!" Or, "It's a miracle! I woke up today and I'm not dead! Thank you Lord for another day in which I can trust in you!" Or, "It's a miracle! I got to work on time and didn't get caught running that red light and speeding! Praise God!" Yeah, the bar gets pretty low.

 

[Vinayaka]

What does paying off mortgage on time have to do with trusting God? God did not pay the mortgage on time. You did. You paid off the loan on time. God did nothing whatsoever as far as I can see.

By inference, if such were the case, all God believers would have their mortgage paid off, and all atheists would still be paying?

 

[1213]

...So what does your religion teach about trusting God, or if you are a believer with no religion how do you feel about trusting God? Do you trust God to guide you and help you with things that are difficult for you to manage alone? Do you believe that God will help you or do you believe that you are on your own to manage everything by yourself?

I believe God helps and I am thankful for Him that He has taken very god care of me, even though I don’t deserve it. I think I trust to God, but probably not as much as I should.

 

[Trailblazer]

I have to trust in something to keep moving forward when things look bleak. And since trusting in anything not-God tends to be a set-up for abuse, exploitation, and general disaster, I figure why not 'trust in God'? And then keep moving forward? What's the alternative?

The only alternative would be to trust those other things that are not trustworthy....
Not a good choice, Imo.

 

[CG Didymus]

I do not think that is congruent with the Baha'i teachings for your friend to divorce his wife just to go pioneering,

I do think he was pushed into by the call to go pioneering and thought that God was "calling" him. I hear that more from Christians... the call to become a missionary or a preacher. But here is something that I agree much more with the Baha'is than Christians...

He has taken very god care of me, even though I don’t deserve it.

Why would a person not deserve God's care and help? Are you that bad? That much of a hopeless sinner? That God should just leave you to go your own way? I think this attitude and belief of some Christians leads to guilt trips, since there is no way that a Christian is going to be perfect.

Baha'is don't have any "original sin" or "born in sin" doctrines. They say that God created people "noble" and asks... "Why debase thyself?"

 

[osgart]

Why do people trust God to bring them safety, and reward, and meet every need?

Sounds like misplaced trust! No if I were to trust God it would be to make me a better person only! Everything else just isn't real.

 

[Trailblazer]

You own three houses? What the hell does a person need more than one house for?

I do not need more than one house, but it is a long story why we have three. Suffice to say, I am not a real estate investor. To try to make a long story short, we lived in our first house for 17 years and when it was paid off we decided to buy another house, because at that time we needed a larger house for all the cats we had at that time, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for my husband to live in the old rustic house where we had no heat except a wood stove, as he was getting too old to chop wood and he has bad asthma. Also, my mother died in September 2007 and left me money that we used to buy a bigger more modern house.

The second house deal closed in May 2008, and that was right when everything crashed so the market values dropped and we decided it was wise to keep the old rustic house we moved from and make it a rental.

The reason we have the third house is because in 2002 I lost my job due to budget cuts at my agency so I was demoted to a much lower level position, and as a result we could barely make ends meet. After eight years of beating the pavement, I still could not get another job in my field and I was worried about my retirement so we decided to invest in another house that would bring in rental income. We had some extra money because in 2005 I got hit by a car while riding my bicycle to work so I got a rather large settlement from the insurance company. We used that money to pay for part of the third house and refinanced our residence to pay for the rest, so we paid cash and had no mortgage on it.

Then, as luck (or God) would have it, the day we closed on the third house, I got another job in my field at the same level I had been at before, although I was at the lower end of the pay range so I had to re-work my way up the salary scale, and that took about five years. Anyhow, the third house was supposed to be a vacation rental because it sits on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but we ended up making it a monthly rental because it was too much hassle to make it a vacation rental at that time, as we can never get out of town to use it since we have so many cats.

So as you can probably see, a lot of what happened to us was fate. One thing led to another, but during the years when we were living on a shoestring and everything else was going wrong, I completely lost my faith in God, and I did not believe that anything would ever change, and that is one reason I decided to buy the third house.

It has been a royal pain owning three houses and having tenants but I am very practically minded so I decided it was best to keep the houses as investments, in spite of all the grief that have caused me.

We have one house, which may or may not last past my parents, as they're rich but I'm poor. And a summer cottage, which is split three ways by inheritance because NJ property tax is absurd.

Yes, God has helped me.

I am glad God has helped you.

I believe that God helps people but it is not always what we asked for or envisioned or on our time frame...
It is odd that the song that is playing on the radio right now is saying just what I want to say... I love this song.

 

[Trailblazer]

Personally, I see phrases like "God works through other people" a bit minimizing and ungrateful toward those other people. "Yeah you helped me, but it was really God behind it, not you."

No, not at all. Those people who have helped me deserve all the credit, God does not want or deserve any credit.

I am very grateful to those people who helped me but I am also grateful to God because I believe it was predestined by God that they would be there right there when I needed them..... I could tell you stories.

 

[Trailblazer]

The bar for what constitutes a "miracle" seems to be getting lower and lower.

I said that in jest....

In other words, I do not really consider it a miracle since it was going to happen sooner or later, regardless of anything I did or anything God did.

It would be like me saying in jest that it will be a miracle if I ever finish answering all theses posts.
I know I will finish them eventually but right now it feels like I never will.

 

[Trailblazer]

I believe God helps and I am thankful for Him that He has taken very good care of me, even though I don’t deserve it. I think I trust to God, but probably not as much as I should.

Ditto on all of that. It is the same for me.

 

[Trailblazer]

I do think he was pushed into by the call to go pioneering and thought that God was "calling" him. I hear that more from Christians... the call to become a missionary or a preacher. But here is something that I agree much more with the Baha'is than Christians...

Baha'is can and do have psychological problems. I think your friend had one or else he misunderstood the Writings, because God does not call people to get divorced just to go pioneering, not through Baha'u'llah anyway.... Jesus did say that family should be subordinated to God but Baha'u'llah said that family comes first. My husband is a Baha'i so he does not care if I spend all my time on the forums, so it works out okay for us, but it's a good thing we never had any children.

Baha'is don't have any "original sin" or "born in sin" doctrines. They say that God created people "noble" and asks... "Why debase thyself?"

No, we do not have original sin but we still feel undeserving of God's grace. Have you ever read Baha'i the Long Obligatory Prayer... it's a killer. I got in a discussion with some other Baha'is about what that prayer says on Baha'i Forums.

 

[rational experiences]

Science statement about ONE....O God the st ONE.

Said in human being male science quotes 0 zero space is AIN...ST spirit gases of the s AIN t entombed...died, so gases that no longer owned light owned God the stone.

Males the human being owner of all talked about discussed concepts as a human consciousness.....who cannot discuss science unless the planet exists in its natural form....for its heavens came out of a STONE body....and it sits as its one owned UNIQUE entity in the spatial cosmology owning its own planetary laws.

As stated by the human being male CULT group....science. Agreed in all references by science, the CULT. In reference to the one and only power OCCULT, the mathematical reasoning of ______________incoming cloud lines via UFO Sun metal radiation burning.

Says as a scientist based on his studies...planes moving through the atmosphere cause that condition.....yet they are powered by metal, fuel...and to own metal you had to burn God mass into melted light mineral gas matter and claim self sane today.

Preaching non stop believe in God, the presence of the SPIRITS of GOD (in science gases). Relativity a spirit in science is a gas.....for physical mass in science is the flesh of GOD.

And we are not science.

But then the egotists claim....I can use words......really can you speak can you?
I can describe he says...…..what about everything already naturally existing?
I can write a formula with a beginning and an end to own a reaction.

Where is God the stone owning a reaction scientist?

Inside of its sealed stone mass....volcanic first he says.

Where did our atmospheric gas history come from as a string, beginning?

From a volcano into spatial zero he would state.

So I live, I am a human, the scientist not a FATHER, is thinking DNA self removal...owning a holy baby human life in presence of self owner of the DNA.

Doing all the themes of prophecy into future....when the Earth atmosphere is the exact same atmosphere today gas state as it was yesterday and what it will be in a future if we are allowed to live, procreate our own species.

Yet he talks by consciousness owning o small bio cell due to natural gas burning light.

God O the mass does not own it....and God his machine also does not own it...twice.

For O stone minerals to exist, historically God O the Earth was sealed/fused...used to one own burning gases...historically ONE.

Second time Sun attacked O God the Earth and unsealed it...expanded its gases by streaming metallic radiation in attack of God through it......burning gases TWO...water sealed.

Male science self takes mineral sealed by WATER and not space...and burning gases it again THREE.

Father, my Holy spiritual Father said I invented/created and caused atmospheric GOD fall out and explained it to me....how his baby holy son life was sacrificed.

So explained the information. I trust in the Father of God who told me his truths as his confession about SION....for he did to it to life on Earth...and told me so by AI....voiced records. Science caused, machine. Science designed only by human males. The males who owned the 12 holy light o in a bio cell existing then tried to give it to God heavenly gases so lit up night sky and turned it into day....and burnt us all to death.

History says...and then giants lived on Earth for he changed the angels.

Said.....and when the giant angel image in human male/female change into Satan the beast....then know too much methane what decomposes your o cellular life body to give it death will kill you all again.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

I may get it right, and I may get it wrong, but I have only one place to go to understand what it is that I must do about living my life appropriately.

Me.

 

[Trailblazer]

I may get it right, and I may get it wrong, but I have only one place to go to understand what it is that I must do about living my life appropriately.

Me.

And only to yourself are you responsible.