I realized a while ago that I have been coasting in my faith, to the point of neglecting my relationship with God. Now, I find that there is more doubt and fear than belief. I think the faith I had before was more what people (family, etc.) gave me, not my own. But I am really struggling to build my own faith, my own relationship with God.

Without that strong foundation at the center of my life, I feel somewhat lost. To fulfill my calling as a firefighter and to serve others, I need Christ at the center of my life, for strength to go beyond what I alone can do... but I'm struggling to find Him.

I would appreciate any advice, personal stories, or scriptures any of you might have... if nothing else, please pray for me.

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God loves you as you would love your own child. But he cannot make you love him back. What If he does exist and you were wrong not to believe...do you want to take that chance? It doesn't have to be so complicated.....some of us are not supposed to be holy'r than thou.....try treating Jesus like he is your best friend...someone you can tell anything too......he will talk to GOD for you...he is the only one that GOD will listen too because he knows how it feels to be human. It doesn't have to be formal....scream, cry if you have to.....but tell him how you feel......Use him to overcome all your fears.....it is your right because you belong to him and him to you. He is your GOD don't let anyone or anything take that from you. I hope you understand what I am trying to say.....Love ya sister...be safe out there.....
Faith is a hard to hold on to with out a relationship with God. It is very important to establish a quiet time with God on a daily basis. This time is is so that you can be the real you and the person that you want to be. I know as a firefighter, that we have busy days and nights. Even when your off some times we still find ourselves at work. However, we must still establish this time for God. I found myself in a similar situation a few months ago. I was tired of going to the church that my wife and I were attending, because it was the same old thing each week. Everything was on a time line. I felt like I was not getting any help to prepare me for the week ahead. After several weeks of praying together with my wife, we visited another church. The message that morning was keeping and following Gods plan for your life. The next Sunday was discussing the difference between Grace and Mercey. After attending these two services, and spending some alone time with God, he has renewed not only my faith but the fire that i had lost to worship him every minute of my life. I am not saying to change churches at all. However, if we trust God and follow his decisions for our life, we will be blessed in ways we can not even imagine. Also it helps us to build our faith and learn to listen to his voice when he speaks. I will be praying for you and may God always watch over and protect you. Also a good web site that I spend alot of time on is, www.thebasementonline.com Matt Pitt is awsome and is doing great things for God!!!
Cassie,

That feeling of being lost is God telling you that you need Him. You need to fill that void with Him. Here is a couple of scriptures for the time being, but get into the word and find a church with open and loving arms. Christian fellowship is what you need right now!

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. (Psalms 118:8)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Will be praying for you sister, "seek and you will find". Stay safe and keep looking up.
Cassie,

Yes, I will pray for you. I would encourage you to read Hebrews 11. Hewbrews 11:1 (NIV) says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". Proverbs 8:17 (NIV) says, "I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me". I also want to share with you, Phillipians 4:13 (NIV), "I can do everything through him who gives me strength".

Bill
Dear Cassie, "We are not doing. We are being done." If God has blessed you with a family that serves as a strong source of love and compassion and proof of His good in your life, how much more can you ask? Thank Him. Accept His gift. Praise His grace. Stay the course. There is no way to "earn" or make yourself deserving of His love. We must be all about hope, not guilt. That entire guilt trip ideology is pure sacrilege. The very basis of Christianity is that His love is everpresent and is there for the taking and only He gets to pick the winners. Father (The Creator), Son (Who lived our joys and pains) and Holy Spirit (Who dwells amoung us) are one and the same serving three specific needs as a single God. Pray to one and you are praying to all. You need no middle man or interpreter. You are His. He is yours. I'll probably hear about this but there are some things I feel called to share. By the way, the fact that your Christian conscience inspired to ask, just might be proof that you didn't need to. Keep The Faith. Peter
Cassie,
Yes, you are in my daily prayers.
I really agree with Mark's comment.
You are in need of Christian Fellowship-right now!
You are hearing God call out to you, as Mark also said.
From personal experience, I can recommend:

Saint James Episcopal Church
5 West Olive Street
Bozeman, MT

They are just great people there-give them a try. Ask for a healing prayer-it works!
Blessings,
<>br /> Joe
I'm having the same struggle so I don't think I can offer much encouragement...I think you've gotten some great replies already though & I will pray for you.
I too have been struggling, as i was deemed the a/v guy when our church went digital, I haven't been able to really pay attention and receive the full message every week. But even though i i have been slacking in the studying and worshiping i remember all the times the skin of my rump should have been roasted, skinned, broke, brusied, or worse yet and the only thing saving me was the lord. remember the lord has givin you all you powers, wether you are good with your hands and manuel labor or you are a computer geek pushin penicls. So any time you start feelin down or blue, stop, look up, and remember the times your rump could have been or should have been roasted, then say thank you to the lord since he was the one that saved you.
Cassie,
I've been a Christian for a long time and let me tell you that you are not alone and that what you are going thru is not unusual. Sometimes thru these very struggles, we do strengthen our relationship with God, because we are truly seeking Him for the right reasons. God tells us in His word that we will find Him when we seek Him with our whole hearts. I know that in the day we live in, with everything pulling us in all directions, we think that it is impossible to do that, but it is not. God is always right there, waiting with open arms. He doesn't move or change, and He will not turn away from us. I recently read a book that is very different, but that gave me a whole new perspective on who God is. It is called "The Shack", and if you can get through the first few chapters, it is an awesome book, that will challenge you to let go of your preconceived ideas and think about God as He is, a loveing caring Father that is there for you. Just keep on keeping on and we will pray for each other.
Cassie please dont feel alone in this problem I to am struggling in my faith and am tring to get back on track. so i will pray for you. and know your are not alone out there!
Cassie, I too have coasted for a while without doing my share of the heavy lifting required for maintenance of my primary relationship with God. I ended up getting in "theological fistfights" with people to polish my rhetorical skills, but just haven't done what I ought. I am struggling with God over my health and my failed marriage. The point of all of this rambling is to say this: At the least, I remember that I am His, and that I struggle with Him, not with my adversary. This is my one encouragement when there is no other. I pray for you. Pray for me.
Cassie,

Although this thread is almost two months old, I am compelled to respond. I lost a Cassie (pt) a little over 10 years ago in an MVA. A beautiful 17 year old, she passed while I was doing compressions and an entire team was working desperately to keep her with us. There are times when it is difficult to understand the Lord's plan. It was one of my biggest PTSD incidents.

Fear not, for the Lord is with you. Sometimes we loose sight of that fact and feel abandoned, but we aren't. We are imperfect by nature, but that's ok with the Lord. It is why Jesus was sent to us. We are not alone and we are forgiven.

My pastor had a great sermon a few years ago that addressed this very issue. The conclusion was that the Lord is beside us and speaking to us, but are we listening? I have found that most often when I am troubled and afraid the answer is "no." If I can manage to quiet my soul (through prayer or reading or conversations with others) I am then able to hear what is being said. The distractions of this world can distract us easily, but He is always there when we are again ready to listen.

My prayers are with you.

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