Hello, my name is ken and i live in western Minnesota. I recently went through some very humbling and painful lessons and as a way of coping i turned to god. I am extremely new to Christianity. To be honest i havent found the peace i expected instead i found even more fear. I have come to understand that i am not nearly as good a person as i thought i was. I have many demons i wrestle with. I am looking for someone who could possibly help decipher the bible with me. I read and i sit back unsure of what i read. I keep rereading passages and fail to understand what it means. I am currently fasting and trying to imerse myself in god today. I feel i could hear god this morning and i was goven a task. The first real peace ive felt in a long time. Sorry im rambling. Im glad to have found this forum and i hope to join discussion so i can grow and learn.
Hey All,
Welcome from California Ken. I read your posts. Congratulations on becoming a believer. And welcome to the struggle. Please understand that you are going to sin from time to time. All of us do. Because even though we are new creatures in Jesus, we are still in this sinful flesh. When you allow Jesus into your heart, He will come in, cleanse you of all your sins, and sup (which means abide, or live within you through the Holy Spirit.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
These are pretty straightforward verses. But if you have difficulty understanding them, try to define the words that you don't know. That will go a long way in bettering your understanding.
However they will not solve your struggles. But they reassure you that the Holy Spirit is with you for the long haul of life.
Now, how can you start to sin less?
I become a believer when I was four years old.I am now 66, and have struggled with sin my whole life; well from the time I knew what sin was.
Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
I do not take these words of Jesus lightly. (Way to set the bar low Jesus!) So, as a believer, I have to live up to this standard. But how can I be perfect? I feel defeated before I even start. I have to be honest with myself and admit there is no way I can be perfect. I cannot do it, and it hurts to say it. I love God. I know God loves me. But I cannot do what Jesus tells me to do. So I live in a constant state of asking for repentance, then sinning again. This has been my struggle all my adult life. And it is so frustrating to live this way.
Am I close to feeling like you Ken?
I used to wrestle with being imperfect. How can God use me? Then I found this passage.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
God uses my imperfection, my darkness. God's light shines in our hearts and, if we are walking the walk, gives light and knowledge of God's glory. Our imperfection shows the power is God's, and not ours. That's pretty cool! God left me the way I am so He can shine through my sin, my imperfection.
Then Romans tells me:
Romans 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
We, as imperfect humans, who are believers, reveal the invisible things of God. Our changed lives manifest those invisible things. I have prayed for years and years that God would take away my imperfection. God showed me these verses one day. You know what? I can never be perfect within this "earthen vessel." Now this does not mean I get to sin all I want. I have to resist sin the same as any other believer. I try every day to be perfect. I also ask for forgiveness every day because I need it. So I am not OK being imperfect. But perfect I will never be, in this sinful flesh. And God can still use me for His glory. Again, pretty cool!
My part is the struggle, the fight. If I am struggling, I am trying to get better each day. My hope is that I am sinning less these days.
I have come to accept that I will always be a sinner, saved by grace, through faith, in Jesus. That it is not because of anything I did to be worthy. All of it, grace and faith, came from God because He loves me.
John 6:68-69 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
To Whom else would we go?
So keep struggling.
It means you are in the fight.
Never quit, never give up.
Keep walking.
Satan can knock you down.
But he cannot keep you down.
Don't fall for his biggest lie; that he has the power to keep you down.
He doesn't.
Only you.
Only you have the power to keep you down.
Don't let that bastard (Satan) win.
Repent- ask for forgiveness, make amends where possible, and get back up.
Find that straight and narrow way.
Put on the full armor of God.
And keep walking.
If you want a way to sin less, make yourself more accountable to God.
How?
Pray three times a day. Not some long drawn out prayer, but if it does get that way then so be it. In the morning as soon as you are fully awake, thank God for the new day, and ask Him to lead and guide you throughout the day. Then go on with your morning.
At lunch, give thanks for your food, and specifically confess any sins you committed. "I eas rude to so and so. I got mad and took your name in vain." You get the idea. If you cannot think of any sins, that's OK too, as long as you are being honest. If you have sinned against another person, showing anger for example, you also need to make amends where you can. Apologize for your behavior. (Yeah this the hard part. You won't like it. It is never easy. But you will survive it. Not liking doing this is a great motivator to not do the sin again. Also, when you own your sin, it cannot keep you down. Owning your sin also changes the way others view you. It showe you are honest and trustworthy, even when it's not easy.) Ask God for continued guidance, and get on the rest of your day.
In the evening, before you go to bed, pray again thanking God for the day, and again confess any sins, and plan to make amends.
Why do all of this?
Accountability. If you know you have real consequences, it will change how you conduct your life. If you do this, one day you will get to lunch with no sins to confess. One day you get to bedtime again with no sins to report. Think about how happy you will be that day. You will want to repeat it. And you will. Success will breed more success. You will find yourself sinning less. You may not ever reach a sinless state. But you will sin less. Try it.
Keep walking everybody.
May God bless,
Taz
