Questions, Answers, and Comments

Getting discouraged is only human.  Seeing as God created us humans, he understands this perfectly.  There were
some great Godly people who still became discouraged from time to time…   For instance, did you know that the
great prophet Elijah became so discouraged at one point in time that he plopped down in the woods and prayed for
God to just let him die?  Talk about discouragement!  But God did not give up on Elijah, he instead helped him
through this rough spot and got him on his feet again.  You can read about this in 1 Kings the 19th chapter…  You
see, Elijah felt he was all alone yet God let him know that He still had work for Elijah to do and that he was not alone
at all, but there were still some 7000 righteous folks left in Israel.

Now I don’t know the reasons for your discouragement, and don’t need to.  That is a matter that can be left between
you and the Lord.  God will still answer prayers in times of discouragement, even if it is the very act of trying to live a
godly life that we are discouraged with (as it was with Elijah).  The Bible however, doesn’t teach that God hears ALL
prayers… there were two things about Elijah that made God interested in listening to his cries,and these are two
things that we must also have today if we expect God to hear and answer our prayers.

Number 1:  We must believe that God hears us and believe that He is able to perform those things that we ask of
Him.  (within reason of course, we realize that God won’t give us a million dollars whenever we want because such
things aren’t important to God)  Listen to the words of James in his epistle:James 1:5-8  5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without
reproach, and it will be given to him.   6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is
like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.   7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive
anything from the Lord;   8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.In short, if we ask God to do something for us, we better believe that He actually can do it!  If we don’t, then God
knows this, He sees us as being of wishy-washy faith and therefore does not give us what we ask…  Cammie, when
you pray to God for encouragement, do you truly believe He can give it to you?Number 2:  Elijah not only believed that God would hear him when he called out, but he was also a Godly man to
start with!  Cammie, if you have never done those things that God’s word reveals we must do in order to become a Christian,
then the line of communication has not been opened…  It is a widely taught thing these days that an alien sinner (one
who has never become a Christian) can still pray to God (i.e. the sinner’s prayer) however God never taught such a
thing through the inspired writers who penned the books of the Bible.The writers do reveal a simple plan that must be followed if one wishes to be a child of God.

I am not interested in making any sort of money or to gain anything for myself by telling you these things, I simply
know that you are soul who readily admits you need God’s help and therefore I want you to know exactly what you
need to do to get that help!   I ask you to read the information in these links and to prayerfully consider whether you
have done what the Bible (not men) instructs us to do in order to become a Christian.

Link 1: What is a Christian?Link 2: What must I do to be saved?Cammie, please feel free to talk to us further about any problems or questions you might have, I certainly don’t claim
to have all the answers, but I firmly believe that the Bible will lead us safely through all trials in this life!We will pray for you as well as the friend you mentioned in your inquiry.In His service,

Justin Murdock for the Garrett’s Creek Church of Christ.