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Subject: Where is God in the Midst of my Trials
Date: Nov 06, 2000
November 6
Where is God in the Midst of my Trials?
When darkness engulfs one so completely that hope becomes a tiny flicker of light it becomes almost natural to question the presence of God. Answers you believed all your life suddenly look different in light of your adversity.How can one know that God has not abandoned them? Please join us as we discuss this.
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cwt Hi There Everyone!
cwt Tonight's topic is Where is God in the Midst of my Trials
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cwt How are you tonight?
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cwt Hi Again Sherilyn....
Sherlyn Hi...thanks for greeting
cwt Have you been talking about the topic already?
cwt Do you read me?
Sherlyn I read you, but just got here so I don't know....first time here also
cwt Well let'e open in prayer....Father thank you for this time that we have here together
cwt Guide our conversation...may it be honoring to you and encouraging to one another
cwt Guide us by your Holy Spirit, Amen
Sherlyn Amen
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cwt Welcome kitty!
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cwt We are back tonight to talk more about Where is God in the midst of our trials
cwt Two weeks ago we had a good time encouraging one another as we go through the storms in our lives
cwt so we thought that tonight we would continue that topic
kitty Type HEREHi everyone! I'am going through a tough trial now, it's been ahorrible day for me!
cwt Not good! Do you want to talk about it?
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cwt Welcome Robin!
robin hi everyone
kitty I'm not sure what were God is taking me but the stress financially is to much!
cwt I can identify....we are 'car challenged' at the moment and wondering how it is all going to work out
Sherlyn "car challenged" here also....
kitty I'am trusting Him to deliver me and am trying very hard to use Godly wisdom.
cwt Today I really had to remind myself that God is not surprised by the things we are going through
cwt And He wants me to wait on Him
robin God is always in control, even in circumstances that are difficult, we are to give thanks in all things because He is in them
cwt That is what I had to do today....rejoice even though I didn't feel like it
kitty But after fifteen years of being a widow and single meom I have had enough!
robin good for you cwt!
cwt But reminding myself that God is still God
cwt That is tough kitty
robin that is difficult kitty
cwt How old are your children?
kitty They are now 21 & 24!
cwt They are close to my oldest....23, 20 & 17
Sherlyn mine are only 5 & 9
cwt That is a very expensive time of life! I know!!
cwt I loved it when mine were that age Sherlyn
kitty I need a new job but feel God is directing me into the ministry!
cwt but I am also enjoying the season we are in now
cwt Have you been in ministry before kitty?
Sherlyn sometimes it is difficult working out schedules though....mom's taxi service here
kitty Yes, and feel called to mentor women!
cwt I hear you Sherlyn...but at least you are driving....most of the time I don't even have a car!
cwt That is exciting kitty!
Sherlyn have to have a car....work full-time outside the home
kitty But need to make some decisins in the meantime!
cwt That can be stressful
robin ask the Lord for wisdom
cwt Can we pray for you right now?
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kitty Sometimes I wonder how much we are suppose to handle,. Yes please do!
cwt Lord, thank you for kitty....guide her in the direction you want her to go
robin yes Lord give her the wisdom she needs right now
cwt You have promised to make the rugged places plain before her....please do that in her life as she waits on You
cwt Welcome smilie!
cwt We are just talking about trusting God in the midst of difficult times
cwt and how that works practically when we are going down for the third time!
smilie hello , everyone!!!!!!!!
kitty I lost four of my family in the last three years and have a sister who is terminally ill right now!
cwt That is so hard!
robin wow you are walking through tough times
robin what has the Lord taught you?
cwt We went through a time like that...I got to the point where I hated answering the phone
kitty I have to hang on to Him and trust Him!
cwt And remind yourself often that His grace is truly sufficient!
robin yes, that would be the best response, He is faithful to carry us through
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kitty But I feel at the end of my rope!
cwt It is sort of like the Children of Israel in the wilderness....they could only gather enough manna for one day at a time
cwt in the same way I can only claim God's all sufficient grace for one day at a time
robin are you a part of a Bible believing church Kitty, or a growth group of some sort?
kitty I don't know if I can handle one day right now!
kitty Yes, but I have recently changed churches, but I have found a good group of people!
cwt I have been there....that's when you take an hour at a time.....had to do that when I was walking through a really dark time with a family member on the psych ward
cwt That's good that you have found a good group of people
robin that is so good, we are called to encourage one another and you need that from fellow Christians
cwt they can lift you up in prayer when you feel you just can't anymore
kitty I don't even know what to pray for!
kitty I feel all out of prayers!!!
cwt That's where it helps to just pray through the Psalms...
cwt You know, Lord, You are my rock and my fortress...
robin that is when the Holy spirit intercedes for us, yes, the Psalms are so good to relate to and pray through
cwt Hide me in the shelter of your wings
cwt lift me up with your everlasting arms
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cwt Welcome kehler
kitty My daughter just moved to Toronto, and I miss her terribley!
cwt We are talking about trusting God in the midst of our trials
robin and how the Lord is our refuge and strength, ever present...
kehler OK, I will listen in for a while
cwt How far away is that from you kitty
kitty About 4,000 miles!
cwt Wow!! Where are you?
robin that is a long ways thank the Lord for telephones and airplanes!
kitty I live in Edmonton alberta.
cwt I hear you! I grew up in Calgary
cwt That must be difficult kitty, as a widow to have her move so far away
robin yes that is when you need your Christian friends and the Lord the most
kitty I have had to also cut ties with my family because of all the abuse, I won't let them do that to me or my children any longer!
kitty I just feel so alone!
cwt Isn't it good to know that none of what you are going through is a surprise to God
cwt Even though you feel alone right now, He has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you
kitty Sometimes I feel surprised by God!
robin isnt that the truth! and that He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us through
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kitty That's not what I mean and not sure why we go through so much!
cwt Sorry about the typo....God isn't surprised!
robin but it is comforting that when we get to heaven it won;t be like that
kitty But it feel so long!
cwt Sith all the loss in your life, heaven must be a sweeter place for you
robin yes, it seems long when we focus on the circumstance, but we are called to focus on God
cwt Sorry about my spelling tonight....
cwt That is right robin
kitty But its surviving right now!
cwt I cannot chance my circumstances, but I can choose my focus
robin yes, surviving mode is sometimes necessary, oh I like that cwt!
kitty Trust me I wait on the day the Lord will return.
cwt I am sure!
robin that will be a sweet day
cwt But in the mean time, God doesn't waste our sorrows
kitty Y
kitty Thankyou for your prayers and encouragement!
cwt And just think, He tells us in Corinthians that He comforts us with His comfort so that we in turn can comfort others
robin I must run, this has been great to pop in here, God bless! Keep your eyes on Jesus!
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cwt That helps me to know that He will use what I have gone through to help others going through similar things
cwt How about the rest of you ladies....anyone care to comment?
kitty Boy will I be able to help other! Ha, ha.
cwt Don't you think that in mentoring other women God will redeem the sorrow?
cwt He promises that He will redeem the years that the locusts have eaten
kitty had a dream and then a pastor prophecied over me exactly the dream I had without knowing about the dream recently!
cwt That is powerful!
cwt Guess the Lord is trying to tell you something :)
cwt You know I have been in ministry for over 25 years, and He always uses the tough stuff in my life to minister to other women
kitty But then all these negative thoughts have been coming in man I must have ticked the evil one offf!
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cwt Welcome ivy!
ivy Hi
cwt We are just talking about trusting God in the midst of the trials, and how we need to do that practically
ivy ok
cwt for example being in a place where we can be encouraged by others
cwt praying through the Psalms
cwt Another thing that I have found helpful is having a prayer partner.....someone who I can share the highs and lows with
kitty Thanks for your help please keep me in your prayers, and God bless you all!
cwt I have a walking partner, and boy, have we ever been through thick and thin
cwt We will keep praying for you kitty
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cwt Have you been here before ivy?
ivy once
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cwt Glad to have you back
ivy thanks
cwt Welcome sugarcane!
sugarcane just looking for someone.
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cwt Hi servant?
sugarcane me?
sugarcane i know she comed in here.
sugarcane once,at least.
cwt We were just talking about some practical ways to trust God in the midst of trials
cwt Anyone care to share what has worked in their lives?
ivy One has to remember God sees things so differently than we do.
cwt How do we choose to rejoice in the midst of the storms?
cwt So true!
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ivy It has to be an active choice and we need to trust God to help us with that.
cwt I like what Corrie ten Boom used to say.....I see the underside but He sees the overside!
cwt Welcome Marcy!
ivy Isn't that true.
sugarcane hi marcy.
ivy Hi Marcy
ivy What God allows doesn't make sense to us.
cwt You are so right about it having to be an active choice
Marcy Hi!
ivy He is amazing how He allows us to make our own choices.
cwt And sometimes we make some pretty bad ones
ivy Rejoicing in hard times is sometimes soooo hard.
sugarcane o'dowd?
cwt So true!
ivy It's always easier to see the hard stuff and what is all unfair.
cwt That's true
cwt that's when it is helpful to go back and remind myself about God's attributes
sugarcane i know her.
sugarcane is she okay?
cwt I take it you gals have been in here before?
Marcy We know the same person. I think she's here.
sugarcane i know her.
ivy Bitterness in hard times is often a serries of difficult choices
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cwt exactly
cwt and once that root of bitterness takes root, it really grows
sugarcane we were supposed to meet. she isn't home.
cwt That is why we are supposed to Philippians 4:8 our thoughts
ivy Sometimes it is the hardest thing to stop. We can think we have forgiven but we keep taking it back.
cwt ....whatever is true, pure, right, etc
cwt Yes, we are talking about trusting God in the midst of trials
cwt It is a great place to meet....we can encourage each other
please
cwt But let's stay on topic to everyone can be encouraged
ivy thanks ... that is why I came.... neat topic.
sugarcane thanks. sorry.
sugarcane i'll go now.
cwt Ivy, what you said about dealing with bitterness is so important
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ivy Bitterness is very subtle.
cwt That is why we need to choose what to focus on
cwt We can choose to look at the negative, or look at what God says about our situation
ivy It amazes me how perspective can totally change our outlook.
ivy The same situation can look so different when we are not angry and bitter.
cwt Especially when we remind ourselves to look to the eternal
cwt that makes the stuff we are dealing with here not quite so hard
ivy Ok .... so what about when the situation is soooo incredibly unfair and God does seem far away?
ivy Have any of you had that when God seemed to have abandoned you?
ivy It seems so difficult to see God's hand in those difficult times.
cwt Yes, when you feel like you have had enough
cwt and can't handle one more thing!
ivy You know when kids are getting killed in high schools - and just junk like that ..... I know God can stop those things but He chooses not to.
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cwt That's when I need to remind myself that He truly will use it for good in some way, in His time
cwt Welcome witt!
ivy It goes back to those choices that God allows us to make for good or evil ... and then there are the consequences of those things.
ivy Hi witt
cwt Glad you could join us
ivy Sin seems to affect so many people.
cwt yes, and those choices that are made affect so many people for such a long time
ivy We really don't live as an island to ourselves without affecting others.
ivy Have any of you ever wondered where God is in dark times?
cwt When I am overwhelmed it really does help to remember that I am not alone
ivy I think of a friend who just got divorced .... those poor little kids .... a lifetime of pain and confusion.
cwt He did promise that He would never, no never, forsake us
ivy Isn't that incredible.
cwt Very reassuring in the middle of the storm
ivy I know God is a God of power and love ..... and I sometimes wonder if He wonders why He does allow humans to have our own wills?
ivy We mess up all the time.
cwt So true
cwt How can we encourage one another when we are struggling?
ivy I love that incredible sense of peace of God's presence when we are hurting.
ivy I think it is very helpful to not say we know what they are going through ... but to say we care and that we will pray.
cwt Jesus did say, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives...
ivy And ... then we need to pray ...
cwt THat's very good...because we might not understand what they are going thru
ivy I know sometimes I want to say that but then I am scared I might forget - so sometimes I just pray right then with them.
cwt but we can always pray
cwt We have done that in here already tonight
cwt Does anyone else have a prayer request before we go?
ivy People in pain often feel isolated.
cwt And when we are in pain, we feel like we are the only ones who have ever gone through something similar
cwt That's when I pray that that individual will be aware of God's presence in their lives
cwt and remember that His everlasting arms lift them up
cwt Our time is up...let's close with a word of prayer
cwt Father thank you for the time we have had together tonight
cwt and for the reminder that You are at work in the midst of our lives
cwt Thank You that you Holy Spirit is at work. Remind us of that as we go...
cwt Thanks
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cwt Thanks for joining us everyone...we will be back on Thursday evening...talk to you then!
