Confusion and Uncertainty about If I'm a true Christian.

[Chris M.]

Hello Everyone.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Forgive me for my rambling, my mind is kind of all over the place on this subject. I keep finding myself guessing if I'm saved or not. I do believe in Jesus and have a desire to follow him but I struggle with sexual sin and have been for over 10 years. I have a group of men I talk with about this issue, I currently belong to a church, and I do have some safeguards in place internet filters, but I cant really say that I've made much progress in regards to this sin. I always end up finding a way to fall by other means or even in my mind. Jesus is the furthest thing from my mind during the temptation. I find that I cant go a week without falling into this particular sin. I ask and pray for God to strengthen me in times of temptation but I have had no success. Unfortunately during these temptations(I feel horrible saying this) I want the momentary self gratification more than I want to obey and follow Jesus. I stumble across many verses in the bible that scare me like Hebrews 10;26-27 , john 5;1-15 , and John 8:11. A true Christian does not continually practice sin and yet I realize that I sin every single day(intentionally and unintentionally). Does this mean I'm not saved? I want to be convicted by the holy spirit but I don't always feel convicted. I don't want this to be a part of my life anymore and I'm sick of being confused and uncertain about my walk. How do I rest in and accept grace without using it as an excuse to sin? I don't understand the difference. I know how undeserving I am of his grace

Thank You Everyone for listening

 

[Romans 8]

@Gracia Singh just replied in a similar post with good advice. She said if you want to rid yourself of this sin then pray to God for help and He will remove the addiction. Maybe she can comment here.

I think that very strong addictions can be demonically influenced and deliverance can be required. It sounds like you really want to break free and this is the attitude that can help free you. Ask God to set you free and don't stop praying until you get results. God Bless!

 

[ChicanaRose]

A true Christian does not continually practice sin and yet I realize that I sin every single day(intentionally and unintentionally). Does this mean I'm not saved? I want to be convicted by the holy spirit but I don't always feel convicted. I don't want this to be a part of my life anymore and I'm sick of being confused and uncertain about my walk.

Hi Chris. The fact that you desire to stop sinning shows that you are a true Christian. A counterfeit Christian would not have this desire to cease from sinning.

 

[longwait]

Hello Everyone.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Forgive me for my rambling, my mind is kind of all over the place on this subject. I keep finding myself guessing if I'm saved or not. I do believe in Jesus and have a desire to follow him but I struggle with sexual sin and have been for over 10 years. I have a group of men I talk with about this issue, I currently belong to a church, and I do have some safeguards in place internet filters, but I cant really say that I've made much progress in regards to this sin. I always end up finding a way to fall by other means or even in my mind. Jesus is the furthest thing from my mind during the temptation. I find that I cant go a week without falling into this particular sin. I ask and pray for God to strengthen me in times of temptation but I have had no success. Unfortunately during these temptations(I feel horrible saying this) I want the momentary self gratification more than I want to obey and follow Jesus. I stumble across many verses in the bible that scare me like Hebrews 10;26-27 , john 5;1-15 , and John 8:11. A true Christian does not continually practice sin and yet I realize that I sin every single day(intentionally and unintentionally). Does this mean I'm not saved? I want to be convicted by the holy spirit but I don't always feel convicted. I don't want this to be a part of my life anymore and I'm sick of being confused and uncertain about my walk. How do I rest in and accept grace without using it as an excuse to sin? I don't understand the difference. I know how undeserving I am of his grace

Thank You Everyone for listening

Try fasting for a couple of days (not only from food but also from the internet) and pray the whole day. Just focus on God. Sing songs of praise to Him and read His Word. You can starve your flesh from the world that way. Look for days when you will be home the whole day to fast. (Eventhough I said fast a couple of days, you should not do anything extreme if your health does not permit it)

 

[MariaJLM]

Nobody is sinless and they do not become sinless by becoming Christians. Even Christians sin. However, it's a true Christian that actually cares to struggle against sin, therefore you're a true Christian.

 

[Jeshu]

Brother good to see you looking for support with this. i struggled with sexual sin for many years and it is still a place were i fall sometimes fall into temptation. When i searched out the matter in my heart i found this. In my sexual self i did not love the Lord, neither in my selfishness. I also found that i thought the accuser in my guilty conscience was from God rather than satan and that i was unfaithful to Jesus in many parts of my life and that i needed to be sanctified by the holy Spirit.

To get to the root of the problem it is good to see yourself divided by sin. On the one hand you love Jesus and want to serve Him, but on in other parts of yourself you don't serve Him nor follow Him.

Now the trick is to begin to love Jesus for the grace you receive in your sinful self - see? When you walk with Jesus in your fallen self then you will begin to love Jesus more than your sinful self. The more you love the truth of God the more Jesus will cut the wrong thoughts and motives out of your heart - each day some more.

This will grow love for God, and love for God does not like to do sin! This is how i grew away from my sexual sin. i began to serve and care about Jesus in my sinful self because He loved me while i was still a sinner. He showed me grace! While i had always condemned myself in this and tried to stop being sexual and all kind of other stupid things. For as This love grew because of His grace over my life, i began to hate my sin more and more and i began to repent of it while i was in the mood for doing wrong. It were big battles that were won because of my growing love relationship with the Lord. i didn't want to Hurt Jesus any longer with my unfaithfulness

Wilful sin died out of me and obedience and ability to do right grew back in their place. It is awesome to be saved from a guilty conscience and it is awesome not to be a slave to the flesh all the time. Bring all your unfaithful to God thoughts and desires to Jesus and let Him deal with them! You just keep bringing them to Him! Never stop repenting. However the more you focus on the sin the worse the sin gets, so focus on Jesus dying for your sins because such truths set you free from the will to do wrong.

When you begin to mourn your sexual sin in your sexual self you know you are getting close to Victory but all those parts of you which delight in sin will certainly perish, so repent of them - time and again. The battle can take years it all depends how quickly you grow a deep love relationship with Christ. For the more you love Jesus the stronger against sexual sin you will become.

So be wise - go to Jesus in your sinful self and confess your sins and your sinful desires to Him - crucify yourself beside Him - this is what dying to sin is all about. It is great not to have to live the life of a wilful sinner any more - His loving truth truly sets us free - please be of good courage.

 

[Chris M.]

Hi Chris. The fact that you desire to stop sinning shows that you are a true Christian. A counterfeit Christian would not have this desire to cease from sinning.

Thank you for your response. I have heard that but it seems like my mind wont let me grasp that when I come across verse like the ones I mentioned. These verses affirm the fear I have. God says what he says in the bible. If he says it than its true. Hes holy and wont let sin go unpunished. Hebrews even mentions that if a person falls away its impossible for them to come back Hebrews 6:4-6. Maybe its something that should scare me straight or its his discipline. Maybe that's what I need

 

[anna ~ grace]

Every Christian sins, as all have mentioned. The good news is, you are fighting! Keep fighting, friend. If you desire to fight, and make efforts to fight, that is good. Christ is helping you, whether you sense it, or not.

Grace is meant to fuel our Christian walk; not excuse or whipe away the danger of sin. So, ask Christ for the grace to resist! And to flee to Him when tempted!

 

[Chris M.]

Nobody is sinless and they do not become sinless by becoming Christians. Even Christians sin. However, it's a true Christian that actually cares to struggle against sin, therefore you're a true Christian.

Thank you for your encouragement. I guess what I'm looking for is sanctification. Letting him change me but I don't know how that happens. I just want to see that I've made some measure of progress

 

[Chris M.]

Brother good to see you looking for support with this. i struggled with sexual sin for many years and it is still a place were i fall sometimes fall into temptation. When i searched out the matter in my heart i found this. In my sexual self i did not love the Lord, neither in my selfishness. I also found that i thought the accuser in my guilty conscience was from God rather than satan and that i was unfaithful to Jesus in many parts of my life and that i needed to be sanctified by the holy Spirit.

To get to the root of the problem it is good to see yourself divided by sin. On the one hand you love Jesus and want to serve Him, but on in other parts of yourself you don't serve Him nor follow Him.

Now the trick is to begin to love Jesus for the grace you receive in your sinful self - see? When you walk with Jesus in your fallen self then you will begin to love Jesus more than your sinful self. The more you love the truth of God the more Jesus will cut the wrong thoughts and motives out of your heart - each day some more.

This will grow love for God, and love for God does not like to do sin! This is how i grew away from my sexual sin. i began to serve and care about Jesus in my sinful self because He loved me while i was still a sinner. He showed me grace! While i had always condemned myself in this and tried to stop being sexual and all kind of other stupid things. For as This love grew because of His grace over my life, i began to hate my sin more and more and i began to repent of it while i was in the mood for doing wrong. It were big battles that were won because of my growing love relationship with the Lord. i didn't want to Hurt Jesus any longer with my unfaithfulness

Wilful sin died out of me and obedience and ability to do right grew back in their place. It is awesome to be saved from a guilty conscience and it is awesome not to be a slave to the flesh all the time. Bring all your unfaithful to God thoughts and desires to Jesus and let Him deal with them! You just keep bringing them to Him! Never stop repenting. However the more you focus on the sin the worse the sin gets, so focus on Jesus dying for your sins because such truths set you free from the will to do wrong.

When you begin to mourn your sexual sin in your sexual self you know you are getting close to Victory but all those parts of you which delight in sin will certainly perish, so repent of them - time and again. The battle can take years it all depends how quickly you grow a deep love relationship with Christ. For the more you love Jesus the stronger against sexual sin you will become.

So be wise - go to Jesus in your sinful self and confess your sins and your sinful desires to Him - crucify yourself beside Him - this is what dying to sin is all about. It is great not to have to live the life of a wilful sinner any more - His loving truth truly sets us free - please be of good courage.

Thank you for your message and encouragement. I just really want to be sanctified I guess. but I know that takes time and its hard to see when you've been in the same spot for a while. Your right though. I gotta take the focus off me and keep it on him

 

[Chris M.]

Every Christian sins, as all have mentioned. The good news is, you are fighting! Keep fighting, friend. If you desire to fight, and make efforts to fight, that is good. Christ is helping you, whether you sense it, or not.

Grace is meant to fuel our Christian walk; not excuse or whipe away the danger of sin. So, ask Christ for the grace to resist! And to flee to Him when tempted!

Thank you. I keep forgetting that overall the holy spirit does the work in me. That's hard to grasp

 

[Carl Emerson]

Ask Jesus for a hatred of sin.

Regard the temptation an an enemy not a friend.

Resist the temptation in Jesus name before is becomes sin.

If it comes before you realise what's happening, then ask for early warnings.

Anything you choose to do in the place of God's righteousness and order is idolatry.

Repent of this and ask God to break its power over you.

Nothing above is anything to do with salvation. This is battle activity - you are in His army, you don't want to defect.

Perfect love casts out all fear - this includes the fear of losing salvation. This fear is a lie that denies the promise that He will keep you.

The blood of Jesus is covering your life or it isn't - there is no contest.

Remember the blood over the doorposts?

It saved his chosen, the angel of death passed over. Were they sinless? NO.

While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Thank Him for your salvation, stand up and fight the temptations that want to rob you of God's best.

Again - Ask Jesus to increase your hatred of sin so you see it as an intolerable enemy.

 

[Andrew77]

Hello Everyone.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Forgive me for my rambling, my mind is kind of all over the place on this subject. I keep finding myself guessing if I'm saved or not. I do believe in Jesus and have a desire to follow him but I struggle with sexual sin and have been for over 10 years. I have a group of men I talk with about this issue, I currently belong to a church, and I do have some safeguards in place internet filters, but I cant really say that I've made much progress in regards to this sin. I always end up finding a way to fall by other means or even in my mind. Jesus is the furthest thing from my mind during the temptation. I find that I cant go a week without falling into this particular sin. I ask and pray for God to strengthen me in times of temptation but I have had no success. Unfortunately during these temptations(I feel horrible saying this) I want the momentary self gratification more than I want to obey and follow Jesus. I stumble across many verses in the bible that scare me like Hebrews 10;26-27 , john 5;1-15 , and John 8:11. A true Christian does not continually practice sin and yet I realize that I sin every single day(intentionally and unintentionally). Does this mean I'm not saved? I want to be convicted by the holy spirit but I don't always feel convicted. I don't want this to be a part of my life anymore and I'm sick of being confused and uncertain about my walk. How do I rest in and accept grace without using it as an excuse to sin? I don't understand the difference. I know how undeserving I am of his grace

Thank You Everyone for listening

If you saying that you knowingly, and intentionally, are not doing what you should, and are doing what you know you should not..... then you have not repented. If you have not repented, then no you are not saved.

Luke 6:46

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say" -Jesus Christ​

"But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
​

Is he talking about you? That's bad sign man. Time to man up. Time to straighten the back bone, and start living it out.

But if you are not going to, at least be honest with G-d about it, and say you are not doing this thing, and stop pretending that you are. Be hot, or be cold. But don't be luke warm. Pick which side of the fence you want to be on, and go for it.

 

[LynnSmith]

Thank you for your response. I have heard that but it seems like my mind wont let me grasp that when I come across verse like the ones I mentioned. These verses affirm the fear I have. God says what he says in the bible. If he says it than its true. Hes holy and wont let sin go unpunished. Hebrews even mentions that if a person falls away its impossible for them to come back Hebrews 6:4-6. Maybe its something that should scare me straight or its his discipline. Maybe that's what I need

You haven’t fallen away. You are trying. You are seeking God. You have a desire to totally turn from this.
Someone mentioned fasting and that’s an excellent idea. You need to also be in God’s Word as much as you can. When you can’t be reading it, listen to it. Put You Version or Bible.is on your phone. Fill your mind with Him. If you have an Alexa Amazon device say “play You Version bible skill” and it will ask what you want read. It will read for over an hour.
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’m praying for you.

 

[Carl Emerson]

If you have not repented, then no you are not saved.

This is not correct

I was saved at 13, fell away between 17 and 28 was given a second chance and have been back on the rails for 45 years. The action of Jesus blood is timeless covering all sin past present and future. Your sin is on His body on the cross - now powerless to condemn.

Deal with the sin - it is robbing you of His blessing in this life and rewards in the next.

It has zero to do with salvation - nothing can seperate you from His love including yourself.

Consider this verse

Col 1:12-14

You don't get transferred in and out of His Kingdom every time you sin and repent - It is a once and for all transfer when to are born again. You are permanently adopted into His eternal family.

The fear of Him keeps you from ever loosing this. Read Jer 32:40

 

[Loyce KG]

Hello Everyone.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Forgive me for my rambling, my mind is kind of all over the place on this subject. I keep finding myself guessing if I'm saved or not. I do believe in Jesus and have a desire to follow him but I struggle with sexual sin and have been for over 10 years. I have a group of men I talk with about this issue, I currently belong to a church, and I do have some safeguards in place internet filters, but I cant really say that I've made much progress in regards to this sin. I always end up finding a way to fall by other means or even in my mind. Jesus is the furthest thing from my mind during the temptation. I find that I cant go a week without falling into this particular sin. I ask and pray for God to strengthen me in times of temptation but I have had no success. Unfortunately during these temptations(I feel horrible saying this) I want the momentary self gratification more than I want to obey and follow Jesus. I stumble across many verses in the bible that scare me like Hebrews 10;26-27 , john 5;1-15 , and John 8:11. A true Christian does not continually practice sin and yet I realize that I sin every single day(intentionally and unintentionally). Does this mean I'm not saved? I want to be convicted by the holy spirit but I don't always feel convicted. I don't want this to be a part of my life anymore and I'm sick of being confused and uncertain about my walk. How do I rest in and accept grace without using it as an excuse to sin? I don't understand the difference. I know how undeserving I am of his grace

Thank You Everyone for listening[/QUO
Hey Chris. Part of the reason we don't deal seriously with sin is because we haven't understood what sin is (in depth), what it means to God and how it separates us from Him.
To use these words, sin is;

The dare of God’s justice, the rape of his mercy, the jeer of his patience, the slight of his power, and the contempt of his love. (John Bunyan)

It is to trample upon God's mercy. To say No to His justice, to tread lightly on the blood of Christ and to mock the message of the Cross. One sin brought a curse upon all humanity and creation. To continue in sin is to declare war against God. In Christ we are justified and at peace with God (Romans 5:1). To continue in sin is to subject self as an instrument of unrighteousness.

Sin must be destroyed by the Spirit if we want to live(Romans 8:13).

For most people,it is easy to fall into patterns of exercising their sin rather than KILLING IT!.
How?
-consider your reason for getting rid of sin;is it due to fear and respect for God an the atoning work of Jesus or something else. Christ should be the focus(Hebrews 12:1-4).
-do you 'only' pray after committing the sin or you start to pray when the temptation comes. Am talking about heartfelt prayer from a broken and contrite heart. Do put recognize the monster glaring at you and plead with the Lord to save you?
-are you uncomfortable with fellow believers rebuking you in love? Sometimes a rebuke is what we need. Do you prefer sweet whispers of God's abundant love while neglecting His continuos call for us to walk in holiness?

Let go of all sin that SO EASILY ENTANGLES by looking upto Jesus Christ. Don't catch a glimpse and shift your focus, look and continuously look until He is all you see. Until you start to see yourself in Him. Remember that sin BLOCKS your deeper view of God.
“Pursue peace with all people, and HOLINESS, without which no one will see the Lord:”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:14‬ ‭

Shalom

 

[Kenny'sID]

Unfortunately during these temptations(I feel horrible saying this) I want the momentary self gratification more than I want to obey and follow Jesus.

Sounds like the same thing that happens to all of us regardless the sin.

It's good that you are aware what living in sin can lead to, but I think there are few ways around that for you. First and foremost, keep prying for strength to resist. then be proactive. For me the best way to deal with the problem is, as soon as the thought crosses our mind, put it out of mind and don't dwell on it even for a few seconds. That absolutely, beyond doubt, helped me a lot. Not saying that will make you perfect but you get the picture. See this is the way God put us together to make sure we are "fruitful and multiply" and he did a really good job doing so, so I think he may cut us some slack in that area, but that just my thoughts, and he did after all, set up rules of engagement so...

But, even if you kept on like you are, I hope you're asking forgiveness each time, and if you are sincere, you will be forgiven each time. The thing about that is we start feeling a little ridiculous and have a tough time believing we are sincere if we keep doing it, but I think that is good for us, and may play a role in helping us. Technically, if we keep asking forgiveness, it's not ongoing sin, because once it's forgiven, it's forgotten, but you are sincere enough where you still cannot relax with that fact, you feel you need to do better, and that is a very good sign you are very sincere, something I think means a lot to God

I do think you can get at least some control over it, but in the end, if you keep doing it, forgiveness is your only alternative. It doesn't sound like you are there yet, but once we give up, stop asking forgiveness, figure you're going to have to pay anyway so what's the use, that's where the serious problems begin. Don't give up on yourself and from all I understand about God, he won't give up on you.

If it hasn't been asked, why aren't you married yet.

 

[Kenny'sID]

You don't get transferred in and out of His Kingdom every time you sin and repent - It is a once and for all transfer when to are born again

Wrong.

But since it sounds like the OP knows better, and that is not the topic here, I'll leave it at that.

 

[Kenny'sID]

If you saying that you knowingly, and intentionally, are not doing what you should, and are doing what you know you should not..... then you have not repented. If you have not repented, then no you are not saved.

I think you misunderstand what repentance does. Let me ask you, did repentance stop you from sinning? And if not then aren't you, as well as every Christian in the world, unsaved as well?

 

[Carl Emerson]

Wrong.

But since it sounds like the OP knows better, and that is not the topic here, I'll leave it at that.

Ok got it... we can be born again multipule times ???

That is exactly what Heb 6 says is impossible...