I feel worthless, tired, weak, unloved, the list goes on.
I don't know what to do any more. I feel like my sins are dragging me farther and farther away from God. I struggle with inappropriate content and masturbation, and I am ashamed of my weakness. Every night I rededicate my life to God, promising Him, and myself, that I will stop, but then comes tomorrow, and I break my promise by watching inappropriate content and masturbating. Am I not trying hard enough? Is it even possible for me to stop? Is there something so fundementaly rong with me that I am not acceptable to God, because I pray to Him and I ask Him to help me to break these chains, but it doesn't happen. Am I even worth it to God? I just don't know.
First thing you do is to break the cycle of guilt. Guilt will compound your sinning. Guilt turns a believer into a chain sinner. Like someone who is a chain smoker.
The key to breaking the guilt cycle is to keep getting yourself back to being filled with the Spirit after you slip into sin. This demands faith in God's Word.
"But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His
Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and
the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge/ admit to/confess
our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all wrongdoing." 1 John 1:7-9
To "confess" does not mean to openly confess our sins to other believers. The Greek word is a term used to cite a case in a courtroom before a judge. It means to state your sin factually by acknowledging it to God.
Man can not cleanse you of your sins, nor purify you from all the other unknown sins you were committing while the Holy Spirit was grieved inside you. The Holy Spirit becomes grieved when we sin because He wants to be one with you to lead you into all truth that you will need in your lifetime to fully mature in Christ! He wants to see you glorifying Jesus!
You think you got it bad? The congregations in Ephesus and Corinth make you look like a piker. Some of them were frequenting pagan temples to fornicate with temple prostitutes. They thought no more of doing so than we think about eating a hamburger. In those temples they could choose a male prostitute, a female prostitute, a child prostitute... even animals that they kept in the temples for this purpose.
If they could learn to overcome their guilt and to grow in Christ? You can too.
You need to keep short accounts when you sin. When you sin? Name it to God (its no one else's business!) and then pray that He continue to lead you into discovering the truths that you will need, so that God's grace will overcome your weakness with a strength that you can not possess in your natural strength. Its one way God gives evidence to a believer how the power of grace is really working in them! Be patient! For He is most likely dealing with your demons. Not just you. God requires knowledge of His Word for the Holy Spirit to claim His domain of your soul!
And He has said to me, “My grace produces contentment
/sufficiency, for the power is perfected by means of helplessness/weakness.” 2 Cor 12:9a
No matter how many times you may fail? You probably will. Name it to God.
He wants to rescue you from the demons taunting and mocking you. You must pray to be led to find sound teachings of God's Word to guard yourself with.
If you keep resisting the devil by defiantly taking in more and more Bible teaching? Even while you may slip and fail? In due time God's grace will show you what you can not know naturally.
If you must? Keep on resisting by naming your sins. Refuse the guilt for what God says He will forgive and cleanse you from EVERY TIME! It says that He is just and faithful! He will keep on forgiving as long as you do not deny you sinned. Name to God and seeking out sound doctrinal teaching. When God keeps working in you? If you keep trusting God's Word to forgive your sins you confess to God? As God grace becomes more and more at work in you? The devil at some point will have to flee!
Keep resisting the devil who will tell you that you are a worthless piece of garbage...Defy the demons by naming your sins IMMEDIATELY!
Get right back under the control of the Spirit so you can be led, a step at a time, into His deliverance that God wants to UNIQUELY show you. For, deliverance is not achieved by some spiritual "form letter" system that some will recommend you. The Spirit, as long as you keep naming and acknowledging your sin to God - not to men! Man is a trap designed by the devil to keep you compounding your feelings of guilt! Guilt is also sin. Guilt is a denial of the blood of Christ's power to cleanse from any sin! Dare to not feel guilt as you name to God your sins.
Deal with your sin as a detail of understanding that you have a fallen nature.. Watch God move. Move a little bit at a time. Keep resisting by trusting in 1 John 1:9!
Some here will try to butcher 1 John 1:9. I have seen it done. I hope they do not see this thread as to not become a food fight.
If we acknowledge/ admit to/confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wrong doing."
Keep resisting by believing what God's Word says!