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Why isn't God answering my prayers??

copticuser20copticuser20
edited December 1969 in Personal Issues
I have been praying for soo long to stop these 2 sins and I have been praying for strength to read the bible more consistently and to understand His word. I  don't understand it anymore and my sins have been getting worse and worse. Why isn't God answering me? I am seeking for strength and I am seeking it form the bottom of my heart and I need this strength. Please pray for me.

Comments

  • SilentOneSilentOne
    No matter how many times you fall, pick yourself back up and strive harder. The struggle may take months or even years but do not fret and do not fall into despair when you fall. Your God is a gracious and caring God and will save you in due time. He has not forgotten about you. Life is a constant struggle, you must not give up even when all seems lost. A man asked HH Pope Shenouda what he should do, for when he would get up, he would fall. Every single time he got up, he would fall. The Pope responded by correcting his phrase: "Everytime you fall, you get back up."

    In regards to reading and not understanding, I will repeat the words of my FOC: Keep reading anyway. You may have heard the story of the monk with the basket which had a hole in it. This monk went to his FOC and told him that he did not feel or understand anything by reading the Bible. His FOC took him out and gave him a basket made of dirty palm leaves, told him to fill it with water and to return. He walked a few miles to the well to draw the water and returned, but by the time he returned, the basket was empty. His FOC sent him back again, and he returned back empty. Again he was forced on this trip a couple times, and after a few trips the monk told him it was useless to fill the basket with water as it would not hold any. His FOC agreed with him concerning that, but told him to look at the basket and see if anything changed. The monk realized that the inside of the basket was now cleaner than before. Keep reading the Bible. Though you may not understand now, it is truly cleansing you, and you will gain understanding soon enough.

    If I may also share one of my favorite quotes: "Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience." - St. John Climacus

    May the prayers of the Saints who have also struggled and prevailed be with you.
  • mabsootamabsoota
    that's a lovely reply.
    also look at what you can do practically.

    do you sin when you are bored? then volunteer to help old people or get engaged in some useful activity in church.
    do you sin because you are stressed out, or because you hate yourself? try to hang out with encouraging people, and ask the advice of your spiritual father.

    what habits do you have? are they helpful?
    eg. do you get up, wash, then go to the computer for an hour or two? or do you come in from work/school and start looking at the pile of magazines, knowing there is a bad magazine in the pile somewhere?
    try changing your daily routine. eg. get up, read the Bible, then wash, or come in from work, phone a friend, and then check your email while having a coffee in the living room where other people can see you (so you can never look at bad sites if your computer's somewhere everyone can see). spend time helping people and not thinking about your own problems so much.

    what i mean is there are habits that lead to sin, that are not sinful in themselves.
    eg. i am now on the computer, but i should think to myself; 'shall i log on later, after i have studied?' or 'shall i check if my friend is ok who was stressed before i enjoy a nice read or fix dinner?'
    eg. if i am tempted to buy alcohol, i can go to a shop that doesn't sell alcohol. maybe it won't have my favourite food, but i can eat different food in order to avoid being tempted. often when we are tempted repeatedly it's because we need to take more care about what temptations we expose ourselves to.

    don't give up, we all struggle with sin (anyone who thinks they don't is proud!) and sometimes we need to be kind to ourselves and go far away from the source of temptation. may God help you, and pray for me too, a sinner.
  • sherrymikhail04sherrymikhail04
    I remember hearing this from one of our youth meetings: It doesn't matter how many times you fall, all that matters is that you keep picking yourself up and don't fall into despair.

    So simple yet easily said than done!
  • andrew8345andrew8345
    This is cliche but we must walk through the valley before reaching the mountain. Satan always attacks us with full force as we draw nearer to God. Continue and stay steadfast in your Bible readings and prayers. God will give you strength. When He helps you overcome your sins you will realize that the struggle was well worth the reward. Keep your faith. 
  • dzheremi
    I can't remember who said it, but I heard it recently in a sermon: At your judgment, God will never ask you why you fell; He'll ask why you didn't get back up.
  • copticuser20copticuser20
    Thanks guys but I feel like i went backwards so far this Lent. The sins that I started to lay off of got worse. I don't read the Bible as often as I used to. My prayers are getting more memorized and I am getting lazier. I keep on praying for help so that I can change my life this Lent. I really don't like the way I am living at all. I want to change. I want to change badly but I can't do it alone and I don't feel like God is helping me right now.
  • mabsootamabsoota
    would u like us to ask 'did u pray today?' every time we see u online?
    ;)
    seriously, though, as a prayer buddy or family member to check up on you, and submit to their advice (eg. advice to read the Bible). it will be hard to start with, but soon you will be 'spurring one another on to good deeds'.
    as a first assignment, try finding the reference to that verse without using the internet!
    and i hope you have also spoken to your spiritual father. if you can't sleep and you're really low, you may also need to see a doctor.

    may God bless your efforts, so that you say along with the father of the demon-possessed boy, 'i believe, please help my unbelief!'.
    and pray for me too, a sinner.
  • PaulSamirPaulSamir
    these are wonderful ways to fight the good fight, but God has already answered your prayer, just because you dont see the solution that u want, does not mean that God is ignoring your prayers. ur prayers aren't like emails being sent and then ignored or deleted. these sins are like a college course, you dont go up to the teacher and ask for an A+ without even sitting in the class for 5 min.you sit down, give your full attention to the teacher, take the notes, and study. then before you know it you passed the course!  maybe God wants to humble you during this time, or He can be using this time to sculpt u into the man/woman He wants you to be through this. whatever the sin as soon as u ask for victory He says "Amen!, here are todays notes."
  • anba bolaanba bola
    Just to add on to crazy4christ1's great post

    It was related of Amma Sarah that for thirteen years she waged warfare against the demon of fornication.  She never prayed that the warfare should cease but she said, ‘O God, give me strength.’

    St. Anthony says:

    "Whoever has not experienced temptation cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." He even added, "Without temptation, no one can be saved."

    Temptations are like a purifying fire, that help "prune us".
  • lovelyday
    What do you expect God to do? You think one day you are going to wake up and be free of your vices?
    "God helps those who help themselves" your problems are getting worse because you are letting them get the best of you. Sin does not come from God but comes from you.
    Figure out what you expect God to do for you because sitting idle waiting for God to give you some magical power is probably not going to happen. What is the Answer you are looking for?
    Overcoming sin begins with you, maybe you want to change to be closer to God but it is you who needs to change God will not change you. We all have free will and we use it as we chose. You chose not to read the bible and indulge in your vices than tomorrow wake up an chose to read the bible and chose not to indulge.
  • lovelyday
    What do you expect God to do? You think one day you are going to wake up and be free of your vices?
    "God helps those who help themselves" your problems are getting worse because you are letting them get the best of you. Sin does not come from God but comes from you.
    Figure out what you expect God to do for you because sitting idle waiting for God to give you some magical power is probably not going to happen. What is the Answer you are looking for?
    Overcoming sin begins with you, maybe you want to change to be closer to God but it is you who needs to change God will not change you. We all have free will and we use it as we chose. You chose not to read the bible and indulge in your vices than tomorrow wake up and chose to read the bible and chose not to indulge.
  • Qidus_MichaelQidus_Michael
    [quote author=lovelyday link=topic=11124.msg136203#msg136203 date=1303091519]
    What do you expect God to do? You think one day you are going to wake up and be free of your vices?
    "God helps those who help themselves" your problems are getting worse because you are letting them get the best of you. Sin does not come from God but comes from you.
    Figure out what you expect God to do for you because sitting idle waiting for God to give you some magical power is probably not going to happen. What is the Answer you are looking for?
    Overcoming sin begins with you, maybe you want to change to be closer to God but it is you who needs to change God will not change you. We all have free will and we use it as we chose. You chose not to read the bible and indulge in your vices than tomorrow wake up and chose to read the bible and chose not to indulge.

    Amen, God Bless you
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