Dezi
Junior Member
Posts: 431
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Post by Dezi on Dec 23, 2019 13:58:23 GMT -5
sbuckle1,
I will certainly pray for you and your family (wife and children). We pray for one another because we all love the Lord and his children. He wants all to be saved and part of the same family! I personally believe you are experiencing a strong hold in your life of sin. Satan loves that he can keep you there and keep you believing that you've committed the unpardonable sin! You're family's welfare depends on you. Your children will suffer for your sins if you don't break the cycle and get some deliverance. That is part of the consequences of sin! Please take that step today and break these cycles so your kids can be free! I will certainly pray for your wife too! She needs your leadership in the home so that you don't raise a dysfunctional family like my own. I pray you will see what you need to do. Be the man God created you to be!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 16:04:41 GMT -5
Well, I don't know if I WANT to be, but I HAVE to be. Though the temptation to quit and live profligately is there, I can't be satisfied with that. Well, amen. Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? And that your sins are not imputed to you any longer...? I just have this feeling that the devil has planted something in your mind, a lie, and somehow you've gotten your eyes off Jesus onto yourself and it has discouraged you to the point of almost not caring any more at times. I could be wrong but it does seem like you're in a vicious cycle of self-condemnation which gives strength to sin instead of overcoming it. The devil even accuses you for having the nerve to pray....when coming to the Lord in prayer is exactly what God wants you to do. Condemnation is a killer....the strength of sin is the law....and this is why you are feeling like your sins are bigger than Jesus can handle. It's like your sins and shortcomings are filling your vision instead of Jesus. But rather than being under that self-condemnation, remind yourself and the devil that Jesus died for your sins....they were nailed to the cross and died with Him. He is no longer imputing your sins to you......His righteousness is imputed to you. And IF you sin you have an Advocate with the Father now. So you look at women....well your body is a male animal designed for reproduction and so it is likely going to look. Think you can just pay that no never-mind. If you are staring and entertaining fantasies that's when you need to give your head a shake and put on the brakes. But when you condemn yourself it makes the sin stronger...the strength of sin is the Law....but you are not under the Law but under the grace of our Lord Jesus, and where no Law is there is no transgression being imputed. So instead of condemning yourself for that, just keep asking the Lord to take it out of your heart and life. Don't rely on your own self-effort but seek the Lord for His help and your part is to just be willing to lay it down as HE begins to work in your life in that area. The more attention you pay the sin, the larger it is going to loom and fill your vision, so to speak. If we confess our sins the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us and also CLEANSE us from the unrighteousness....just keep bringing it to Him until you start seeing some changes, then you can thank Him. Thanks be to God that you have given up the dishonest practices at work and looking at the computer......these are things are truly worth rejoicing over brother! Take a time out from condemning yourself for your other issues and just rejoice in that for a bit and encourage yourself in the Lord! Hallelujah! Is anything too hard for our God? NO! We are going from glory to glory, from victory to victory.....I expect we will continue being sanctified more and more until He comes.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 18:23:03 GMT -5
an encouraging song "Before the Throne of God".....
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Post by John on Dec 23, 2019 21:39:45 GMT -5
My parents divorced when I was a teenager. My dad was still in my life and he cared about me. It isn't a dad issue, it's a sin issue. It's that I am completely wrong. You said that even the desire to stop sinning comes from God. I have been praying and hoping for about a year and a half now. I quit the sexual sin that involves the computer if you know what I mean. That sin went quick. The John Piper article regarding Hebrews 10 broke me out of that quick. For a time I had cut way back on food. I altered my driving habits, stopped going out to eat fast food twice a day, confessed that I was lying on reports at work, confessed that I had been using funds against procedures, etc. I had been spending money frivolously but I have cut that out. But any effort on my part to try to quit sin is mostly along the lines of trying to turn over a new leaf, and I fail. My overeating is back and I have gained back a bit of the weight I had lost. Whenever I am out and about, my eyes are glued like magnets to women. It doesn't even take a fraction of a second anymore. My efforts to stop looking at women have made the problem worse. But going back to being sorry - isn't godly sorrow the whole motivation for stopping sin? There's a verse in 2 Corinthians about that. And a message by a pastor I trust says "Look, if you're not sorry for your sin, there's no reason to even talk about repentance". And you cannot even approach God in prayer without a broken and contrite heart and expect Him to hear. I don't have any of this. Sure, I can be sorry about the consequences and with Cain say "My punishment is too much to bear" or wail like Esau after the consequence for the sin has come about. But that doesn't hold any weight with God. My prayers are weak and fake, they don't come from the heart. Imaginary. I am almost 40. I have heard the gospel most of my life. God's patience has a limit. The motivation to quit sin is belief in Jesus. A radical, supernatural trust that is so strong that you won't want to sin. None of this exists in me, perfectly consistent with someone who has blasphemed the Spirit. What do you mean, "perfectly consistent with someone who has blasphemed the Spirit?" I wasn't aware there was a consistent pattern involved with that sin. It sounds like you heard someone teach messages on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and were told things that are not mentioned in the Bible.
Here is my advise. Confess your sins to the Lord. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and save your soul. Tell him all of your struggles. Fight the temptations to sin, and when you do find yourself struggling with your thoughts, ask the Lord to forgive you and help you. Do your best and confess your sins daily. Stop worrying about having blasphemed the Holy Ghost. From what you have said, there is no reason to believe you did that.
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Post by John on Dec 23, 2019 21:48:16 GMT -5
I would also like to ask for prayer for my wife. I hesitated whether to say this because I have no right to do so in my state. My job has an early start time, so I do not get time with my children in the morning. I get a couple hours in the evening before bed, and the weekends, but my wife spends the majority of the time with them. She told me that she doesn't read the Bible or pray for wisdom for raising the children as much as she ought. I don't know what that means as far as is she saved or not, but I am concerned for her as well. I know the hypocrisy that raises on my part, but if I know something is wrong, I don't know what is the bigger sin, to open myself to hypocrisy or keep silent. She knows she ought to be praying for wisdom and reading the Word more. We homeschool the children because we do not want the worldly influence of the schools on them, so she is around them all the time. You clearly come across to me as someone who knows right from wrong. Just go to the Lord with your concerns. One thing I want to mention is you cannot expect perfection overnight. Some changes may come instantly, but others might take time. God just wants you to do your best. You should not go around with no concern over wrong doing, but neither should you feel condemned because you are having struggles.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2019 6:53:33 GMT -5
I would also like to ask for prayer for my wife. I hesitated whether to say this because I have no right to do so in my state. My job has an early start time, so I do not get time with my children in the morning. I get a couple hours in the evening before bed, and the weekends, but my wife spends the majority of the time with them. She told me that she doesn't read the Bible or pray for wisdom for raising the children as much as she ought. I don't know what that means as far as is she saved or not, but I am concerned for her as well. I know the hypocrisy that raises on my part, but if I know something is wrong, I don't know what is the bigger sin, to open myself to hypocrisy or keep silent. She knows she ought to be praying for wisdom and reading the Word more. We homeschool the children because we do not want the worldly influence of the schools on them, so she is around them all the time. You clearly come across to me as someone who knows right from wrong. Just go to the Lord with your concerns. One thing I want to mention is you cannot expect perfection overnight. Some changes may come instantly, but others might take time. God just wants you to do your best. You should not go around with no concern over wrong doing, but neither should you feel condemned because you are having struggles.
I have so many questions and find it hard to deal with these kinds of things in writing. To begin with, has he come to faith in Christ? Was he baptized? Did he receive the Holy Spirit after he believed? What kind of spiritual environment did he grow up in...it might have been Phariseeical or maybe somehow he just misunderstood some things and some wrong ideas got planted. And there are other things that take a little time getting to know someone in person. But it seems that the Lord has helped him to deal with the bigger sins and now has only what the Lord terms in Song of Songs the "little foxes" that need to be caught...I don't see mortal danger in the things that remain and are now troubling him, but the bigger danger is in being under condemnation rather than being under grace as he works out his salvation...that can drive a person to run away from the Lord....it is Tree of Knowledge that drove Adam and Eve to hide from the Lord....Law and condemnation....and can't escape the feeling there might be something underlying that tendency, might be something that needs healing. People have different tendencies, some are too self-assured and don't have enough concern for their sins, while other folks tend to be overly perfectionist and self-condemning. In a funny backhanded way, pride can just as much be at the root of the self-condemning as well....and I say that completely without condemnation....especially since I am one who tends more in that direction and a few times the Lord has had to remind me of His grace. It is no surprise to Jesus that we have these sorts of problems since we are but flesh....and while we were yet sinners He chose us for salvation and died for us anyhow....to glorify Himself and show His great mercy. Not because any of us are worthy and deserving of salvation....might as well settle it right now that we just are not....but only that God thankfully chose to display His mercy in us. Having begun in the spirit and by faith in Christ we are not now going to be made perfect by our own flesh and self-effort.....but rather remain in His grace and keep seeking the LORD to wash and change us by His lovely Spirit, and He will answer our hunger and thirst for righteousness. I do wish this brother well in the Lord and pray that he may be encouraged to remain in the love and kindness and forgiveness of our Saviour.
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Post by John on Dec 24, 2019 14:05:02 GMT -5
You clearly come across to me as someone who knows right from wrong. Just go to the Lord with your concerns. One thing I want to mention is you cannot expect perfection overnight. Some changes may come instantly, but others might take time. God just wants you to do your best. You should not go around with no concern over wrong doing, but neither should you feel condemned because you are having struggles.
I have so many questions and find it hard to deal with these kinds of things in writing. To begin with, has he come to faith in Christ? Was he baptized? Did he receive the Holy Spirit after he believed? What kind of spiritual environment did he grow up in...it might have been Phariseeical or maybe somehow he just misunderstood some things and some wrong ideas got planted. And there are other things that take a little time getting to know someone in person. But it seems that the Lord has helped him to deal with the bigger sins and now has only what the Lord terms in Song of Songs the "little foxes" that need to be caught...I don't see mortal danger in the things that remain and are now troubling him, but the bigger danger is in being under condemnation rather than being under grace as he works out his salvation...that can drive a person to run away from the Lord....it is Tree of Knowledge that drove Adam and Eve to hide from the Lord....Law and condemnation....and can't escape the feeling there might be something underlying that tendency, might be something that needs healing. People have different tendencies, some are too self-assured and don't have enough concern for their sins, while other folks tend to be overly perfectionist and self-condemning. In a funny backhanded way, pride can just as much be at the root of the self-condemning as well....and I say that completely without condemnation....especially since I am one who tends more in that direction and a few times the Lord has had to remind me of His grace. It is no surprise to Jesus that we have these sorts of problems since we are but flesh....and while we were yet sinners He chose us for salvation and died for us anyhow....to glorify Himself and show His great mercy. Not because any of us are worthy and deserving of salvation....might as well settle it right now that we just are not....but only that God thankfully chose to display His mercy in us. Having begun in the spirit and by faith in Christ we are not now going to be made perfect by our own flesh and self-effort.....but rather remain in His grace and keep seeking the LORD to wash and change us by His lovely Spirit, and He will answer our hunger and thirst for righteousness. I do wish this brother well in the Lord and pray that he may be encouraged to remain in the love and kindness and forgiveness of our Saviour. You make a lot of good points. There is nobody that is walking in absolute perfection. If we come to the place where we believe that we are lost because of every evil thought or every struggle with the flesh, we will never get there. On the other hand, if we get to the place where we have no regard for right or wrong, and we continue in sin looking for grace to abound, we will wind up lost. Both are wrong. God looks at our heart, and he knows if we are trusting in Jesus Christ and if we are doing our best.
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777
Senior Member
Teacher
Posts: 1,189
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Post by 777 on Jan 3, 2020 5:56:45 GMT -5
I have so many questions and find it hard to deal with these kinds of things in writing. To begin with, has he come to faith in Christ? Was he baptized? Did he receive the Holy Spirit after he believed? What kind of spiritual environment did he grow up in...it might have been Phariseeical or maybe somehow he just misunderstood some things and some wrong ideas got planted. And there are other things that take a little time getting to know someone in person. But it seems that the Lord has helped him to deal with the bigger sins and now has only what the Lord terms in Song of Songs the "little foxes" that need to be caught...I don't see mortal danger in the things that remain and are now troubling him, but the bigger danger is in being under condemnation rather than being under grace as he works out his salvation...that can drive a person to run away from the Lord....it is Tree of Knowledge that drove Adam and Eve to hide from the Lord....Law and condemnation....and can't escape the feeling there might be something underlying that tendency, might be something that needs healing. People have different tendencies, some are too self-assured and don't have enough concern for their sins, while other folks tend to be overly perfectionist and self-condemning. In a funny backhanded way, pride can just as much be at the root of the self-condemning as well....and I say that completely without condemnation....especially since I am one who tends more in that direction and a few times the Lord has had to remind me of His grace. It is no surprise to Jesus that we have these sorts of problems since we are but flesh....and while we were yet sinners He chose us for salvation and died for us anyhow....to glorify Himself and show His great mercy. Not because any of us are worthy and deserving of salvation....might as well settle it right now that we just are not....but only that God thankfully chose to display His mercy in us. Having begun in the spirit and by faith in Christ we are not now going to be made perfect by our own flesh and self-effort.....but rather remain in His grace and keep seeking the LORD to wash and change us by His lovely Spirit, and He will answer our hunger and thirst for righteousness. I do wish this brother well in the Lord and pray that he may be encouraged to remain in the love and kindness and forgiveness of our Saviour. You make a lot of good points. There is nobody that is walking in absolute perfection. If we come to the place where we believe that we are lost because of every evil thought or every struggle with the flesh, we will never get there. On the other hand, if we get to the place where we have no regard for right or wrong, and we continue in sin looking for grace to abound, we will wind up lost. Both are wrong. God looks at our heart, and he knows if we are trusting in Jesus Christ and if we are doing our best.
That is true. There is a balance. While I do not believe salvation is unconditional, neither do I believe that people are castaways because they slip and say a bad word or have an evil thought pop into their head. We are human, and we will always fail from time to time. That is why we all need God's grace to make it to heaven, but we are warned that if we sin willfully after getting saved, there is no more atonement for those sins. That doesn't mean we can't be forgiven, but it means the original blood covering doesn't apply to those transgressions. We have to confess them to God and seek forgiveness for them to be made clean again.
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Post by John on Jan 3, 2020 7:13:54 GMT -5
You make a lot of good points. There is nobody that is walking in absolute perfection. If we come to the place where we believe that we are lost because of every evil thought or every struggle with the flesh, we will never get there. On the other hand, if we get to the place where we have no regard for right or wrong, and we continue in sin looking for grace to abound, we will wind up lost. Both are wrong. God looks at our heart, and he knows if we are trusting in Jesus Christ and if we are doing our best.
That is true. There is a balance. While I do not believe salvation is unconditional, neither do I believe that people are castaways because they slip and say a bad word or have an evil thought pop into their head. We are human, and we will always fail from time to time. That is why we all need God's grace to make it to heaven, but we are warned that if we sin willfully after getting saved, there is no more atonement for those sins. That doesn't mean we can't be forgiven, but it means the original blood covering doesn't apply to those transgressions. We have to confess them to God and seek forgiveness for them to be made clean again. Amen. I completely agree.
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