Showing our weaknesses

[briareos]

I am becoming more aware that those of us who are more mature and grown in the Lord sometimes leave those who look up to us with the sense that we make no mistakes and becuase they make many mistakes that something is wrong with them and they are discouraged.

I think we need to try to show those around us that even though we haved gained firm footing, that we still struggle, we still fall down, we still mess up and we still need help too... so that those who need us do not begin to feel like they could never be like us, or begin to feel ashamed in their failures. We are all broken travelers on the road of grace together who need the merciful hand of God, lets not be too high to show that and let our younger family members know there is nothing wrong with them.

 

[LilLamb219]

I don't think any of us have ever proclaimed to be perfect except through Christ's blood.

 

[briareos]

I agree I am not speaking of anyone or this forum in particular. I just think our silence on the issues of our weaknesses sometimes give the impression that we are far greater than we are and sometimes it helps people to realize that we still need help too. It's bring everyone to the same level, no more walls.

 

[heron]

Okay, you go first.

 

[briareos]

I did... it's in the deeper fellowship forum. Check it out.

 

[briareos]

I struggle with lust, pride and discipline, sometimes I am far too lazy and sometimes I do not read my bible or pray enough and sometimes I have a hard time acknowledging that I am not the greatest person or christian in the room. My flesh hungers for recognition and approval, it is something I constantly struggle with and have to go to God about.

 

[whale8jonah]

I think this is the meaning behind James 5.16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." By confessing our sins we are admitting to others that we need God's forgiveness. We are also showing showing others that they are not alone when they commit similar sins, and so we can all pray for each other to build each other up in the love of Jesus.

Importantly, it also removes the 'grandeur' or supposed perceived hierarchy of Christians. When we say to other people we have sinned, in a way we put our neck on the line, but we are also telling them...I don't care what you think, I only care what God thinks. This is why Heron's suggestion is such a challenge to us.

Here goes.

I failed today when I came home from work and my wife was very keen to share with me something she'd read and prayed about in the Bible...but I wasn't interested - I just wanted my dinner. God knows how she puts up with me

 

[Pal Handy]

I struggle with lust, pride and discipline, sometimes I am far too lazy and sometimes I do not read my bible or pray enough and sometimes I have a hard time acknowledging that I am not the greatest person or christian in the room. My flesh hungers for recognition and approval, it is something I constantly struggle with and have to go to God about.

We all suffer from the same temptations and struggles at one time or
another but we also have a High Priest who knows our weakness
and yet He is there for us when we call on Him for the strength
we need to get up and go on.

I have struggled against my temptations all my life and the only
sure way through them is surrender to Christ daily.

Daily asking for His help and the daily understanding that when
we fail, we RUN back to our savior and High Priest knowing
that He never tires of our need for Him and that it pleases Him
that we would come back time after time to the source of
our salvation, grace, mercy and absolute love, Jesus the Christ.

Absolute surrender is nothing we can do on our own.
It is impossible for a man to crucify or put to death his old nature.
Only God can do it as long as we are willing.

I am willing and so daily I offer myself up and ask God to do in
me what I cannot do in myself.

The end result is that I have confidence that the Lord is able to
do what He has promised to do in my life as I in faith offer myself
to Him in trust that He is the good Father and that His desire
to form in me His character is greater than mine.

I now know after a lifetime of false starts and dead end paths that
I am acceptable to God only because of my faith in Christ alone
for my righteousness before God and never my own righteousness.

I also know that within me there is no hope for acceptance with God
so I must trust Christ completely to do in me His work of salvation.

I know that many will not understand what I am saying for they will
bring up the absurd objections of not trying anymore which
is not what I am saying but rather my efforts are no longer focused
on me overcoming sin in my life but in the surrender of my will
to God by asking Him to give me His strength to do whatever is needed
in my life to change me and cause me to become more Christ like.

God's way is not by might or power but by His Spirit.
When we struggle on our own we fail but with God all things are possible.

I told someone this hearts prayer of giving God permission to do
"whatever is necessary" to bring me in line with His purpose and
plans for my life and they said that I was praying a very "dangerous" prayer.

I guess it is a dangerous thing to surrender your will to someone but
not if that someone is God.....God can be trusted with whatever we
put into His hands.

One way is me struggling to get on the cross and to die, the other way
is God bringing about the crucifixion of my old nature by His
strength and power through the Holy Spirit.

This surrender is all that I can offer to God and has been a blessing
in my life as I know that even though I am not perfect in my flesh,
God sees my heart and will move on my behalf to accomplish His
will in my life.

I hope that none of you think that I am trying to make myself out better
than anyone, in fact I consider myself the least in many ways because
I do know absolutely in my life, how far I am from the Holiness and perfection of God and
it is a very humbling place to be.

I know now that only in Christ can I ever approach God or please Him.

I now see that this place of humility (surrender) is where I always want to be
from now on so that I never lose sight of just how desperately I need
Jesus, my savior, my truest friend and the only true lover of my soul....

 

[insurchoftruth]

Ah... weakness. Ofcourse we are weak! If we were capable to be perfect all the time, we would not need grace! Every human being has inherited the sinful nature in his body from Adam. One of the main reasons the Holy Spirit gives us the anointing which remains in every born again christian, is to help us keep God's commandments and fight the sinful nature in us.

The main point is if we are fighting on a daily basis against sin, and the sinful nature. If we fall, with God's help we get up and continue towards the final goal - heaven.

In fact, if a person thinks that it is possible not to be weak and fall sometimes, he is cut off from grace!

Are we pressing towards perfection, even if we sometimes fall? That is what God is looking for. That is why he said to Peter, that if our brother sins against us many times, and repents, then we should forgive him.

A christian should wory, if sin does not bother him, because if it does not, it is possible that he is not born again at all.

James 3:2, Acts 1:8, Romans 7:14-25, 8:13, Galatians 5:16-24

 

[Johnnz]

Church life can get superficial. In my ministry and preaching I often come across struggling, hurt people who outwardly appear fine, and would say so to a casual "How are you today?" Telling it as it is for us should be commonplace, but often we live behind a veneer. Triumphalist teaching doesn't help either.

John
NZ

 

[aiki]

Sin curses us all, doesn't it? I got into a bit of a tiff with my wonderful wife last night. Mix miscommunication with a bit of pride and, voila, tiff ala mode! God was gracious and helped me see the need to be more open in areas emotionally that are sensitive to me - even when my wife may prod me more forcefully in those areas than I'd like.

I wonder, though, about giving the impression that spiritual maturity doesn't involve a moving away from sin when the older, more mature Christians are making out like they are struggling with sin as though they were just saved. You know what I mean? Yes, no one ever gets completely free of sin while they live on this planet, but Scripture certainly indicates that spiritual maturity includes a lessening of the frequency and strength of sin in one's life. Wouldn't it be more of an encouragement to struggling believers to see that this is so, to see that sin won't always be such a tyrant in their life, by the testimony of older believers in word and deed to the power of God to make them more and more holy and less and less sinful?

I am more encouraged toward a pure, godly life when I see those to whom I look as spiritual mentors conquering sin in their lives and gaining greater and greater freedom from it as they deepen in their walk with the Lord. In contrast, seeing a fellow Christian who, after thirty or forty years of walking with God, is unchanged in their sinful habits is disheartening to say the least!

You know, there is a place for feeling shame and sorrow over our sinful failures. (Ja. 4:8-10) I think God intends that the feelings of shame and the pricking of our conscience that we feel when we do wrong ought not to be blunted. No Christian ought ever to be made to feel comfortable with their sin. Mind you, they shouldn't be made to feel crushed beneath their guilt over it, either. Forgiveness and restoration is always only a confession away! (1 Jn. 1:9)

Its no good carrying on as though sin no longer exists in your life. Doing so would be to make God a liar. (1 Jn. 1:8-10) But perhaps the focus of our encouragement to one another as Christians ought to be the successful conquering of sin, not incessant failure. Just a thought.

Selah.

 

[JRSut1000]

As a side note of caution, I think it matters to whom we share our burdens and confessions. Not everyone is mature enough to handle what we say/share, some will gossip, some will give the wrong advice, and some will just plain out reject us. I think we should definitely share our heart and even struggles with those of whom we have close fellowship (or even anonymous if we so wish to) or trust spiritually.

 

[briareos]

aiki,

Certainly we do have the victory, but I believe the concern I noted is legitimate as well.

 

[Valujira]

Never show weakness infront of evil.
I never show weakness, I wan to be shown as the strongest, so I can say that I can protect my family, and weakness will reduce my ability to protect my family and friends.
So I don't like weakness. I want help weak, but I don't want weakness. I need to be a shield.

 

[Emmy]

Dear briareos. Yes we should show our weaknesses and help each other to overcome them, and dga is right when he says: " when we fall, with God`s help we will get up and continue towards the final goal-- heaven. Love is the key to enter heaven: God is Love and God wants loving children/sons and daughters. We are on Earth to learn to love God with all our Beings, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We start by treating all we know and all we meet, as we would love to be treated: with kindness, encouraging words, forgiving as God has forgiven us, and helping hands, where needed. God sees our selfless love we have for each other, and God will approve and bless us, and give us His Love. Jesus will give us His Love and Joy, and the Holy Spirit will give us His Love, too. Paul tells us in 1) Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 4-8, what love really is. Jesus our Saviour will lead us back to where we came from, and we let love lead us in all we do, or say, or advocate. I say this with love, briareos. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ. P.S. Jesus told us again in Matthew, chapter 22, verses 35-40: " The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. The second is like it: Love our neighbour as ourselves. On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Love is a Christian`s great weapon, Love will overcome all wrongs and help us to become as God wants us to be.

 

[briareos]

Valujira,

Well, there comes a time when you realize that you can't protect them from everything and you realize that your never without your failures and all you can be in life is real, who you are, their is no advantage in being anything else, especially before a God and an enemy that know you better than you know yourself. People need someone real to look up to, and reality is we all fail and need the mighty hand of Jesus.

It is hard for followers to follow you when they don't know who and what you are and if you hide your failures they never will. There is no advantage in acting like something you are not, even if that something is a man without weakness, it doesn't exist.

I have a wife and children and I know that I cannot protect them from everything, but the Lord can and when my power comes to an end and it certainly does... my hope is in him. Part of being married is allowing someone to know your weaknesses and know them all... because she definitely will and you learn to live with that. You can act as strong as you'd like, she knows otherwise but she loves you just the same. Living a life where don't show your weaknesses only works until real life begins. You can't hide your weaknesses from your family, it's not possible, but if your a good father they won't matter.

 

[Valujira]

I talked about show weakness, not about giving love and do good things.
I do good things and I love my neighbors as well and I don't care if he is Jew or Muslim.
I don't show weakness because it's the key for evil to hurt you and your community.
But I give love and accept, and I take care of others.
But I won't help and do good things to evil stuff.
And we are not god! You will never be god, you can not be god, you can't know how god see things and don't try to be like god.
Be good! Be nice to other people! Don't try to be justice just to enter heaven, don't try to do wills of god if you don't like them.
I like to be good, because this is better then evil, I don't do this for god.
And if there is evil, I will vanish him, I will punish him and vaporize him away from my friends family and from all!
And don't show weaknesses in front of evil.
Show weaknesses to your family and friends.
I don't show, I don't have weaknesses, expect from fear mosquito. I hate them, but I don't destroy them, they are not evil even if I fear.

Jesus won't come to you in the street when silly evil humans will attack you and steel your watch.
You will be alone, and you can hurt them and fight them, they are just humans, and they are evil after all.
You can use religious and his glory being told from Bible, to be stronger, when you know that the justice is with you, you are unstoppable!
The religious give faith and you can know that you are right! And do the right thing, even if the humans and government say others.
That's the way to be a peacful prince. Never fear from do justice, even to sacrifice yourself for the other.

 

[briareos]

She was speaking to me.

You definitely have your weaknesses my young friend.

 

[Valujira]

I have very few weaknesses, and I let them flow me, but I not show them, I do not cry in front of people who I don't know.
I have weaknesses, of course, I am not a robot, I just shown myself like, because I can help better and protect better. And I am a good man.
And no, he talked to me.

 

[briareos]

Valujira,

Well Godbless you and goodluck.