Repentance-Need Help Warning: I Explain My Trigger

RedMan1972,

Oh my brother I know exactly what you are talking about and I know exactly how you feel, May I ask what devotional you were reading and who it was written by? I'm wondering if the person who wrote that"you would never do that sin again," has ever read any of the apostle Pauls writings, do you remember when He wrote Romans 7:21-25 He talks here about the war against the flesh, remember even though we are saved by God's grace and his Grace alone we still war against the flesh and sometimes the flesh wins. I will tell you right now I am in real trouble if God has not forgiven my terrible thoughts because of my OCD these thoughts are with me everyday, but I beleive the Lord when He tells me that He has forgiven me and that He will walk through this dark valley with me, repentence also means regret as well as turning from our sin, with the Holy Spirits help we can turn away from sin, but as the Apostle Paul wrote we are also still living in the flesh and sometimes our old nature pops up its ugly head and we give into it, It is very arrogant in my opionion to say we will never do a particular sin again for as soon as we say it satan will tempt us with that sin again. Remeber Lamentations 3:22 and 23, God's mercies are new every morning Great is His Faitfulness. Repentence does not mean that we will never sin that particular sin again, because of our sinful nature the flesh nature we probably will sin that sin again however we have an advocate with God (Jesus) and we can confess that sin to him and ask him to help us not to do it again, staying in God's word everyday and obeying his voice will help us to stay out of trouble, but when trouble comes our way we must go before our Father and ask for Help. I hope this helps you and I will be praying for you. BLessings, Jan

Im reading experiencing God by the same authors.

i think what they may have been aiming at is that to repent is to turn away from a sin, you may return to it but you will feel conviction about it that will lead you to continue to strive to not do it. It would be impossible to think that we could repent of a sin and never fall back into it. we are human.

crap I think this might have triggered me a bit. grrr

I hate when that happens!!!!


Q

Red Man,
I am sorry for you struggle. I know when I read something that triggers me to doubt my salvation it is like a punch in the stomach and the fear and anxiety come like a flood! I remember thinking when I became a Christian I really thought I was never going to sin again. When I did i thought i must not be Christian. I just did not understand scripture.I still do not understand allot of it but i realize now i will probably mess up and sin on a daily basis.
1John 1:9 "If we confess our sins,He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness"
I prayed for you dear brother....

Q

HI Redman,
I'm glad Jan pointed you to that scripture where the apostle Paul relates the war of the old nature with the new nature. I thought of the same scripture in relation to your question. There is also another in 1 John 1:8-1 John 2: 1-2 This letter written to Christians by the apostle John . It says in verse 10 of chap. 1 "If we claim we have not been sinning, we are making Him out to be a liar, and His Word is not in us. Then in Chap. 2. he goes on to say: "My Children, I am writing you these things so that you won't sin. But if anyone does sin, we have Jesus the Messiah, our High Priest, who pleads our cause with the Father.

So if we had no tendencies left toward our old sins then there would have been no need for the apostles to write all those letters to the different Christian communities admonishing and encouraging them to keep turning away from their sins and obey God. Furthermore it really isn't the action of the sin that is the problem it's the underlying motives of our hearts which include such things as lust, jealously, greed, selfishness, pride etc. that God is concerned about and none of us has wholly gotten over these things.

Now having said all that I want to ask you to consider whether you really believe deep down that you can undo the work of Christ's cross on your behalf by committing a sin more than one time? Or do you really know that this is just not so?
The only reason I say this is that what's going on here is really not a faulty understanding about your salvation but simply your OCD grabbing onto anything it can in order to expend some of that excess fight or flight chemistry that's misfiring so inappropriately in your brain.
So.. once again you simply have to just let go of the thoughts. They are invalid and deep down you really know this. OCD is trying to have it's way with you and you have fallen into it's trap of obsessing over the spikes, seeking reassurance about them, arguing with them, trying to solve them etc. etc.
I really hate when people say this... but it really applies just here - "Been there, done that.. Been there, done that - yet again, Been there, done that... NOT AGAIN!!... and the more I repeat the cycle the worse the OCD gets. So you and I both have to learn ... Don't go there and don't do that.
Praying for you.
Living under the mercy,
Mitzi