Is my behavior the reason?

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Norm640

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Are my personal sins, attitudes, and addictions the reason why God doesn’t answer my prayers, or why I can’t figure out His answers?

I try to be a good person, it’s just that I often don’t care about myself. Does God hate my self-loathing? And how do I “love” myself if I don’t know how?

Will this help me hear God?
 
God loves all of us you included.

Perhaps He does answer but we may not be ready for the answer and He first sends us what we need to receive the answer. My pastor suggested that I try to imagine Jesus with my heart and that helped me.
 
Sends us what we need to receive the answer…hmmm…that is interesting.
 
God hears all prayer. He answers them as He sees fit. It may not be in the way we expect or in a way we understand. Regardless, keep yourself in the grace of God with regular confession and attendance of Mass. Cooperation with grace is a key factor in our salvation. Remember, cooperation with grace does not mean life will be easier… it just means we are working with God rather than against Him.

I will pray for this understanding for you!

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with Thee
Blessed art Thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners.
Now and at the hour of our death,

Amen.
 
i think sometimes he answers our prayers but we arent listening, we are too busy or its not the answer we want therefore we toss the answer aside. maybe we are looking for something radical and dont notice the small clues. maybe the answer is not immediate but long term, maybe its not His will. but never give up, continue to ask in prayer what you need.

with me, God uses a sledge hammer to drive a tack if he wants me to pay attention because he knows me all to well:D
 
Norm640 said:
Are my personal sins, attitudes, and addictions the reason why God doesn’t answer my prayers, or why I can’t figure out His answers?

I try to be a good person, it’s just that I often don’t care about myself. Does God hate my self-loathing? And how do I “love” myself if I don’t know how?

Will this help me hear God?
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I often feel this way…God loves us and is always there for us. I think, for me at least anyway. I’m not very good at listening to his answers, especially if they are ones I don’t really want to hear…

Someone once told me that God doesn’t always answer prayers the way we would expect…if we pray for strength, does he give you strength or a situation where you have to use strength. If you pray for courage, does he give you courage or a situation to use courage. It’s an interesting concept and one which has helped me to realise that actually He s there and He is listening.
 
Norm640 said:
Are my personal sins, attitudes, and addictions the reason why God doesn’t answer my prayers, or why I can’t figure out His answers?

I try to be a good person, it’s just that I often don’t care about myself. Does God hate my self-loathing? And how do I “love” myself if I don’t know how?

Will this help me hear God?
Click to expand...
What do you mean you hate yourself God worked so hard on you. Love yourself but hate your sin and know that God loves you.
 
Norm640 said:
Are my personal sins, attitudes, and addictions the reason why God doesn’t answer my prayers, or why I can’t figure out His answers?

I try to be a good person, it’s just that I often don’t care about myself. Does God hate my self-loathing? And how do I “love” myself if I don’t know how?

Will this help me hear God?
Click to expand...
Well, God doesn’t always answer prayers like we want, or think. Recall that even Jesus when he was in Gethsemani prayed, 3 TIMES that this cup be taken away, didn’t get the answer he was hoping for, and that was GOD asking! In his own way, I guess he did answer, that his will was that Christ suffer and die for us.

Further, again, it does also depend on what we pray for. When we ask for patience, we may be given many obstacles, which would teach us patience!

As to behavior being the reason God doesn’t listen. In some cases, that may actually be the case. For example, couldn’t find the passage, but God listens to the prayers of the proud, say, with a deaf ear.

Recall, also with Job. Job did **NOTHING **wrong! Yet, God had his own reasons and was testing him.

So, it depends on a lot of things.

Also, look at even the lives of the saints. St. Monica had a very wayward son, and she cried many a tear over him. I think she prayed for him for something like 30 years!

Sometimes, what we are asking for is not God’s will, like Christ’s prayer in Gethsemani…one thing. Other times, it’s like a St. Monica where persistence is required. Yet other times, yes, it could be that we are proud or some other factor. God does tend to listen to us more when we are say, not prideful, or asking out of purely selfish reasons. Plus, it can be that God is testing us and is seeing to what degree we love him.
 
Hearing God can be a very difficult thing to do at times. For me the times in my life when it has been hardest to hear what God has to say are those times I have been deep in sinful behavior.

You alluded to this yourself :
Norm640 said:
Are my personal sins, attitudes, and addictions the reason why God doesn’t answer my prayers, or why I can’t figure out His answers?
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If you are stuck in a place that where you are having trouble refraining from a specific sin because of addiction or a long and reinforced habit, continue to pray for help with that. I’ve been there and at times it seemed like there would be no end to it. But God will give us what we need, the trick is that we have to cooperate with the Grace he gives us. We need to make right choices and act according to what His will is.
Norm640 said:
I try to be a good person, it’s just that I often don’t care about myself. Does God hate my self-loathing? And how do I “love” myself if I don’t know how?
Click to expand...
If you are feeling bad about yourself because of your actions, then that could actually be a good sign. Your conscious is working:thumbsup: Perhaps the feeling of remorse is some of that Grace making it to you.

If you are simply feeling hopeless and feel as though life is not worth living, please talk to someone who can help immediately.

I’ll be praying for you. God Bless,

A Compeccator
 
God listens to all prayers but you are saying you dont care about yourself. How come? That is not good and looks like some self hatred. Self hatred puts a barrier between you an God. Once a priest explained to me that God loves us immensely bit he also respects us and God gives a great respect to our free will. When you start cultivating self hatred that is a decision coming from your free will and God is going to respect that because he respects your free will. I am not sure if I am making myself clear but self hatred is like a way of telling God I don’t want your action in my life and because God respects your will, that is going to put a wall between you and his action.

What you on need to do is start working on accepting yourself. God loves you, why then you hate yourself. Start taking care about yourself and loving yourself. That is the first basic step.
 
Years ago there was a popular saying, “God doesn’t make junk.” Everyone is highly valuable to God. It’s easy to look at our failures and think we are useless to God. But, no life is so broken, so messed up that it can’t be made beautiful. Broken lives are not junk to God. He gives us each special gifts that we are to use in building the world and becoming more like Christ. He never stops loving us. We love ourselves when we do the will of God and ask for forgiveness when we fail. Then start over. If only you knew how much He loves you and values you. In His great mercy, He sees the beautiful person He created. He doesn’t see what we did but what we can do. Free yourself of the past, again as they say, “You’re not going there.” Today, find value in YOU.
 
marymary: I don’t know how to love myself. To me it seems like arrogance or pride. I don’t know what it means. I agree with what you said, though…
 
Arrogance and pride is when you think that you are better than others and when you indulge on yourself. Loving yourself means to give yourself the respect and dignity that God gave to each human being. Means respecting your body and accepting your own self the way you are. You are a child of God. You need to start thinking that God loves you and you are his creation so you need to accept yourself. Change the way you view your own self.
 
Well then maybe my definitio of being humble is all messed up.To me that means beating myself up, calling myself worthless and unimportant and trying to always never take credit for anything.
 
:gopray:

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning is now ever shall be world without end
Amen.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen

:signofcross:
 
For an increase in faith:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
**
For an increase in hope:**

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

For an increase in charity:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

:signofcross:
 
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