Turning away from sinful desires??

[Fiona01]

If you know there is an aspect of sin in your life, sometimes it's black and white - you can go about changing it. For instance, if you feel smoking heavily is a sin, you can pick up the packet and threw the cigarettes into the trash. Or, if you are addicted to gambling, you can join self-help groups and keep your money in safe hands. There are actual steps you can take. BUT, what about desire? It could be anything (such as chasing after money to be rich, sexual sins, a dodgy ambition that isn't God-centred) but I'm talking about something internal, something inside of you that you want - it's not so easy to "throw it out in the trash" when it's something inside your own mind/heart. How do you change things? How can you transfer your own wants/desires and stop them dead in their tracks? I'm just curious to know.

There is one thing in my life I want to change, but it feels like it's been such an "internal" part of me for so long now, I don't know how to throw it out. I ask God to help me remove the issue, but I always come back to wanting to get back into it. That's the old sinful self we all have, I guess, but how to move on??

 

[child0fg0d88]

I will tell you what I did, and give you a little background about me too. I have always had a Christian background from the day I was born. When I moved out at 18, I turned to my own selfish desires while keeping God at the back of my mind, and not at the front of it. The past few months, I knew I was missing God, and I chose to get back in His word and finally make Him my number one priority. This is partially thanks to my girlfriend too, who has helped me fight my temptation, and because of that, I chose to put God first and not me anymore.

I have my own internal struggles still, and one of the things I do is sort of like the WWJD, but I call it the what would Jesus think? Everything, and I mean everything I think, say and do now, I imagine Jesus is there watching me. I've quit swearing, bad mouthing others, judging, I eat healthier, and I quit masturbating, and most men here know how difficult that is, especially for those of us who have indulged in sexual sin.

Another thing I think about when I am really struggling with something is I think about how hard it is to be going through what I'm going through, then I compare it to Jesus' sacrifice. Is my issue harder than being beaten half to death, lashed 40 times by cat tails, having a crown of thorns put on my head, dragging a 125-lb crossbeam 1/4-1/2 a mile, upon arrival being nailed to the cross and left to die, and doing all this while carrying the weight of the worlds sins? I'll never have a struggle that difficult. I know God does not ask us to do anything impossible, even if they are difficult.

As far as the thing that has been a part of you for so long, that you want to change. Once you ask for forgiveness for whatever sin that is, know that you are forgiven, and for you to continue dwelling on something God has forgiven you for is putting yourself above Him.

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things;do not dwell on the past.
I am creating something new. There it is! Do you see it? I have put roads in deserts, streams [a] in thirsty lands.

Leave the past where it belongs, and know God can make all things new, all you have to do is ask. God bless.

 

[Fiona01]

childOfgod - Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, and for being so honest about your own issues.

I do trust in God's perfect forgiveness, and I know when I turn to Him, He hears me, and is about forgiveness and love, not about grudges. It's just when the same issue keeps popping up, time and time again, I worry about how to deal with it. When God knows I recognise it's not a good thing, that's one thing, but I just wish there was a button in my mind to switch this part of my mind off, does that make sense?

Of course there is no magic button, never will be, and I just need to put my thoughts into God's hands.

I like the WWJD phrase, and it's something I want to use more, perhaps it will help.

 

[child0fg0d88]

Fiona,

Oh trust me, I know exactly what you mean. There are things that creep up in the back of your mind that upset you and you just wish they would stop, but your thoughts wander to them anyway. I'm guessing that's what you're referring too

None of us are perfect and we will all struggle. I believe these issues are things God allows in our minds to make us stronger and fight through them though. I used to struggle, and occasionally still do, struggle with jealousy. My GF and I both have a past, neither of which are proud of, and I used to let hers drive me crazy. But we have turned to God and are letting Him govern how we live now, and not ourselves.

I recommend that you continue to pray, and not necessarily for the thoughts to go away, but ask Him to allow you to manage them and use them to your advantage to make you a stronger person and Christian. Struggles and challenges are good for us, even thought they might hurt sometimes, we can turn them into opportunities to become better.

One of the things my girlfriend told me. "Sometimes we just need to let go, and let God."

 

[Fiona01]

Struggles and challenges are good for us, even thought they might hurt sometimes, we can turn them into opportunities to become better.

One of the things my girlfriend told me. "Sometimes we just need to let go, and let God."

This whole passage makes a lot of sense to me. I think you've hit the nail on the head. Sometimes things are a certain way, or you experience something for a reason - to improve your own journey and relationship with God. I like this way of looking at it, it uses all of our experiences to further our challenges as Christians.

 

[JohnMarsten]

maybe my advise will not be to the point but still

For me there are two ways of doing things, doing it on my own or with God. The 'with God' option is both the easiest way to do things and (it can be) the most difficult way

What am I talking about?

You talk about desires, which can be money, sex and what have you. Now personally I think its depressing when you have desires and they are not fulfilled, and the longer they are not fulfilled the more depressing it can get, right? and if even more time passes with nothing at hand one might even think that God has forsaken us. IMHO it is not God who has forsaken us, but we Him.

If we believe in Him and most importantly trust Him and have faith, and believe that He will do what is best for us. Maybe He will make us rich, give us a partner that will meet our standards and sexual desires and stuff.Or He will just do what is best for us, the key here is to rely on HIm and believe that everything is going well and according to His plan.

This is the easiest way, it can get hard, though, when we start complaining. When we feel that we are treated not according to what we feel we deserved. When we start thinking God is delaying the fulfilments of our dream.

Nevertheless I think its the safest way, cause maybe our desires are not the best for us, and God is working to change our hearts. If we, however, start doubting that God will indeed help us and start living our life for ourselves only keeping Him in mind but not more, then our desires might actually kill us.

I know that my advise is nothing knew to a christian but sometimes people forget and follow a different path without noticing...

In the meantime try to focus on the good sides of life, on what you have and be contend with it, you dont know what God has in store for you.

 

[Fiona01]

Thanks very much for your reply, you made some strong points.

I will always try to live my life with God, as you put it. I don't want it any other way. I've travelled down dark roads in my past, without Him, and it was not nice, and it was in fact my down-fall. Only with Him have things been right.

I don't want God to actually fulfil anything, in this case I'm talking about wanting to rid myself of a long-time interest/issue that I feel isn't healthy for my spirituality or life in general. I want this to be REMOVED, not fulfilled, but the paradox is, I would never have gotten in this position in the first place, if I wasn't interested/attracted/curious about this issue. I'm sorry if I am being vague, I just don't want to go into here right here and now, that's all.

I want to feel like I'm set on the right path, and want to remove things that cause obstacle, I have the intention, but I can't neccessarily get rid of my desire.

 

[Quasicentennial]

Belief is a very powerful word and there are many books written by clever authors who have gathered pieces of information and experiences from here and there, just like a magician who would create material objects to deceive the audience by using creative illusional tricks. Supernatural belief is a super-intelligent level that has been robbed from ourselves since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit where the mind-limiting power of sin has prevented mankind to move forward fast enough to achieve the futuristic lifestyle of an environmentally-conscious global community where pollution, crime and poverty would never exist - such a massive and most modern place of community is called the Kingdom Of God, which will land like some massive city-like spacecraft here on Earth where Earth itself will be a brand new planet, once Jesus returns to defeat Satan and be rid of this annoying spiritual disease as we all know called sin. The Word of God is no ordinary book and even if you lose this book, it is always available electronically thanks to the clever invention of the internet, such as Biblegateway.com .:*:. The love and faith of God is so strong, the healing power of Jesus is beyond medical explanation when people can be healed supernaturally, as Pastor Benny Hinn has witnessed many times through his crusades around the world. The Victory of Jesus is ours, not Satan's and there's nothing Satan can do to remove this victory even if all the bibles were burnt out of existence because God knows our future as well as Satan's future.:*:.

 

[Scott1979]

I love the answers already given. Mine will not be as Godly but more down to earth so to speak. You talk of something inside your mind and heart that you would like to have. If your thoughts are taking up with these sinful apsects that you don't like then look for a way to replace them if possible. I am really struggling to deal with sexual sin right now and I have learned that if you can fill your head with different thoughts it does help. What has helped me is to get involved with a lot of hobbies. I kind of intentionally overload my brain with more hobbies than I can handle and it helps me avoid thoughts on the sexual sin I want to get away from. I don't know if this will help in your situation but I thought I would throw it out there. Good luck to you and God Bless you

 

[Patroklos]

It depends what you mean by "desire" or "sinful" desire. Without you being more specific, it's hard to give specific input, you know?

On a general note, I do find it strange whenever Christians speak about desire being bad, as though having ambition is a bad thing. Never understood that.

As a believer, I can understand the part about wanting to follow God, submit to him and all that, but I don't know... it seems sort of inhumane to ask people to have no dreams, desires or hopes. Basically, it's like asking someone to not be human anymore.

That just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[alatir]

If we really knew a quick standard solution for this problem you're describing, we could make millions by selling devotional books

What I see is the problem is that we really have a sinful nature that completely corrupted my sinful desires. It's going to be there until we have been released from the presence of sin when we'll be given our resurrection bodies.

But what is the present help to these desires? Scripture speaks about the role renewing your mind (Rom. 12:2) and fixing our attention to the heavenly things (Col 3:1-4). Basically it means that we have a habit of listening to God's word and let it sink deep into our heart, to sink into our unconscious mind. This way those desires of the flesh are going to have less power over our life and the new creature in Christ in us will be strengthened.

I think it's helpful to distinguish between deep beliefs and surface beliefs. Surface belief is something that you read in the Bible and say "Amen" to. But I really doesn't get hold of you, you're just saying it. But deep beliefs are the basic assumptions of reality by which you live your life. The challenge is to renew these deep beliefs in our heart.

Here is where we need time and also the work the Holy Spirit who really makes those truths of the Bible sink in. You know, those moments when God is powerfully speaking to your soul and you are somehow changed!

It's mysterious and it's so exciting to know that the Lord is doing the work in us. We have to just put ourselves into situations where we have the change to be exposed to the Word of God and His Spirit's voice.

 

[DreamerOfHearts]

There is one thing in my life I want to change, but it feels like it's been such an "internal" part of me for so long now, I don't know how to throw it out. I ask God to help me remove the issue, but I always come back to wanting to get back into it. That's the old sinful self we all have, I guess, but how to move on??

Er, maybe it is not a sinful desire.


No idea, unless you explain what it is. You sound like you have things down very well from your first paragraph, so I am skeptical you are into sin much at all.

 

[ChrisHolland619]

For pretty much my entire life, I have listened to rap music. Very filthy music, very vulgar.

Then, at age 22, I got saved by faith in Christ. I still listened to rap music off and on, being convicted when I did.

See, music has always been an important part of my life, and I LOVED rap music. I loved Lil Wayne, Eminem, Tupac, etc. But I just felt convicted of the Holy Spirit that it was filth, and I was polluting the Spirit with this rubbish.

So, one day, while out on a walk, my iPod (with all of my music on it) just randomly stopped working. I didn't understand why, there was nothing wrong with it. It just bugged out and would not turn on. So, I asked God if He was trying to tell me something. I got grumpy about it. I didn't delete my rap music, for a few days.

Then, one day, I looked at my iPod, tried to turn it on, and it still wouldn't. I was sitting at my computer, and opened up my iTunes library, to see all that music on there as well. So I said to God, "God, if this is what you're trying to tell me, ok, I give up. I will delete this music. You don't want me listening to it, so I give it up to you."

I deleted my ENTIRE iTunes library. Over 3000 songs of pure filth and vulgarity. I felt relieved. I felt that I finally got what God was trying to tell me. Just out of curiosity, I picked up my iPod. Just for giggles, I hit the power button. Guess what?

It flashed on instantly. I was floored. I just praised God.

 

[Fiona01]

ChrisHolland - Thanks for sharing that story! That's great.

Thank you to each and everyone for your replies and advice. I'm just trying to hand this particular issue over to God - trying to push it aside and move on, with His help. I just worry because I failed other times.

It's been great hearing your words though and I can't thank you enough.

 

[Fiona01]

I began this thread a while back now.... I thought I would update...

The Lord is amazing, and so faithful when we turn to Him.

I really prayed about this issue, and now I feel so free of it.... I even surprised myself.

He is so powerful, can do things we can't.

 

[Joy]

I began this thread a while back now.... I thought I would update...

The Lord is amazing, and so faithful when we turn to Him.

I really prayed about this issue, and now I feel so free of it.... I even surprised myself.

He is so powerful, can do things we can't.

That's wonderful Fiona

I am learning again that through the death and resurrection of Jesus we not on receive forgiveness of sins but God's Grace gives us His power to live in freedom, and not be dominated by the sins of the flesh.However this can only happen as we focus on God, and receive his grace and power in our life and this is what transforms our lives.

 

[Johnnz]

Sometimes the desire is wrong. Sometimes our belief about the desire is wrong. Sometimes we need to 'fine tune' a desire to better align it with God's values. Most desires have a divine basis somewhere. This means some sound thinking and good information will be necessary.

Feel free to PM if you want to do any further analysis.

John
NZ