jayce9936

New Member
Dec 19, 2018
4
8
26
Edmonton
✟12,629.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Everyone defines repentance as a change of mind towards sin where you no longer want to do things not pleasing to God. I feel like I just can't achieve this mind frame. On one hand, I feel God has delivered me from a lot of things. I am no longer involved in gang life, I have let go of the intense hatred and bitterness I felt towards some people, it has been 4 months since I last used drugs. On the other, I still struggle with addiction, even though im not using i feel cravings every day, to the point I went out and bought some meth the other day but found the strength to throw it away and not use it. I recently started smoking cigarettes again. I try not to listen to worldly music but its always in my head and I still enjoy it. Lust is a constant temptation and is always on my mind. I try and envision a future without sin but I just can't see it for myself to be honest. It seems so far out of my grasp and every time I try to envision it I see some generic image of a perpetually smiling church-goer and it seems so unlike me. Ive been reading the word daily and going to church weekly but what im looking for is that inward change and everyone says the holy spirit will work the change but its just not happening for me. Any advice would be very appreciated.
 

Sketcher

Born Imperishable
Feb 23, 2004
38,978
9,399
✟377,931.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Republican
Here's what repentance should look like.

1) I get out the bread to make a sandwich.
2) I notice mold on the bread.
3) I have that bread back in the bag immediately, and put the whole back in the trash, due to my disgust for the mold.
4) I now consider the dish I put the bread on, if I got that far, to be dirty, and I don't use it until it has gone through the dishwasher.
5) Making a sandwich is no longer in my plans, unless I have a newer loaf of bread on hand that isn't moldy (which I rarely do - one loaf at a time for me, to avoid this very problem).
6) I consider how the bread was allowed to get so old, and I alter my bread purchasing patterns so that I have it all eaten before the Best By date, and if it is on or near that date, I look at the bread much more carefully before making a sandwich with it.

We should react to sin the same way that I react to moldy bread. It is wrong of me that I fall short of that level of repentance of actual sin. Why don't I get that sin out of my life as fast and as thoroughly as that moldy bread? If not for Jesus, I would have no hope.
 
Upvote 0

JAYPT

Active Member
Nov 30, 2018
281
174
Western
✟19,563.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Widowed
We should react to sin the same way that I react to moldy bread. It is wrong of me that I fall short of that level of repentance of actual sin. Why don't I get that sin out of my life as fast and as thoroughly as that moldy bread? If not for Jesus, I would have no hope.

Because the Holy Spirit is doing a work in you, it takes time, the fact that you are even aware of this is amazing! You're RIGHT! If it was for Jesus, you would have NO HOPE, none of us would! Be calm my brother, there is a work being done in you. There is GRACE when you mess up, but the fact that you recognize that you have messed up and want to be different, MAKES YOU DIFFERENT! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 8484838
Upvote 0

JAYPT

Active Member
Nov 30, 2018
281
174
Western
✟19,563.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Widowed
1) I get out the bread to make a sandwich.
2) I notice mold on the bread.
3) I have that bread back in the bag immediately, and put the whole back in the trash, due to my disgust for the mold.
4) I now consider the dish I put the bread on, if I got that far, to be dirty, and I don't use it until it has gone through the dishwasher.
5) Making a sandwich is no longer in my plans, unless I have a newer loaf of bread on hand that isn't moldy (which I rarely do - one loaf at a time for me, to avoid this very problem).
6) I consider how the bread was allowed to get so old, and I alter my bread purchasing patterns so that I have it all eaten before the Best By date, and if it is on or near that date, I look at the bread much more carefully before making a sandwich with it.

Here's a thought, take your eyes off the bread and fix them on Jesus. ;)
 
  • Agree
Reactions: 8484838
Upvote 0

Sketcher

Born Imperishable
Feb 23, 2004
38,978
9,399
✟377,931.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Republican
Because the Holy Spirit is doing a work in you, it takes time, the fact that you are even aware of this is amazing! You're RIGHT! If it was for Jesus, you would have NO HOPE, none of us would! Be calm my brother, there is a work being done in you. There is GRACE when you mess up, but the fact that you recognize that you have messed up and want to be different, MAKES YOU DIFFERENT! :)

Here's a thought, take your eyes off the bread and fix them on Jesus. ;)
I know this. Just illustrating a Romans 7 moment for me.
 
Upvote 0

JAYPT

Active Member
Nov 30, 2018
281
174
Western
✟19,563.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Widowed
I know this. Just illustrating a Romans 7 moment for me.


See? And your reading your bible! BRAVO my friend! Take care, you are on your way, keeping asking Him to guide you, and He will. Take care! Good night. Give Him time, He will change you. Look at how far you have come already! Dont forget to thank Him for it. :)
 
Upvote 0

Jeshu

Bought by His Blood
Supporter
Mar 25, 2005
15,422
7,571
63
One of the Greatest Places on Earth.
✟600,188.00
Country
Australia
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Everyone defines repentance as a change of mind towards sin where you no longer want to do things not pleasing to God. I feel like I just can't achieve this mind frame. On one hand, I feel God has delivered me from a lot of things. I am no longer involved in gang life, I have let go of the intense hatred and bitterness I felt towards some people, it has been 4 months since I last used drugs. On the other, I still struggle with addiction, even though im not using i feel cravings every day, to the point I went out and bought some meth the other day but found the strength to throw it away and not use it. I recently started smoking cigarettes again. I try not to listen to worldly music but its always in my head and I still enjoy it. Lust is a constant temptation and is always on my mind. I try and envision a future without sin but I just can't see it for myself to be honest. It seems so far out of my grasp and every time I try to envision it I see some generic image of a perpetually smiling church-goer and it seems so unlike me. Ive been reading the word daily and going to church weekly but what im looking for is that inward change and everyone says the holy spirit will work the change but its just not happening for me. Any advice would be very appreciated.


Please don't be frighten off with the process. It is hard being a sinner living by grace. You say you have many sins in your life, i would say haven't we all? Can the imperfect reach the perfect? But we try!:holy:

Eat His grace every day and grow away from wilful sin because you love Him more and more because it is so good to be His child. Commune with Jesus about your sins. Tell Him all. Let His love into those loveless parts you struggle with and see the change over time.

i'm 59 this year and all i can see about life with and in Christ is wow does He gives us a ride for our money. i love Him more than ever and have travelled so far from the sins of the past but still struggle with the sins of the present.

And it is a good struggle. i see my heart as the dirt where in Jesus grows His heavenly gifts. With Him even as sinners we are transformed by him to become ever more loving, gentle, kind, caring, sharing and a praying person.

Jesus is my hero He got me out of some major binds and washed off a lot of sin. i got to know Him through the word. i advise you to learn it well. The better you know the truth, Jesus also followed, the better you can hear what He has to say. The Living Word He dwells in your heart.

Peace.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lost4words
Upvote 0

Sabertooth

Repartee Animal: Quipping the Saints!
Supporter
Jul 25, 2005
10,491
7,061
62
Wisconsin
Visit site
✟952,359.00
Country
United States
Faith
Charismatic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Anthony2019

Pax et bonum!
Supporter
Jan 25, 2019
5,957
10,894
Staffordshire, United Kingdom
✟748,345.00
Country
United Kingdom
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Single
A few years ago I decided to put some new life into my balcony and bought a flowering plant.
Even though the plant had not yet had time to fully grow, I was very proud of it and wanted to let everyone know what I had purchased.
Through caring and nurturing the plant by adding water to it, what started as something beautiful grew into something so amazing that others who came to my home told me how much it had changed. The plant could not do anything on its own but relied entirely on the careful handling of the gardener.
This is an illustration of how I believe God deals with sin in our lives. He has purchased our salvation through Jesus, adopted us into his family, rejoiced with the angels that we have been found, and is tenderly watching over us, nurturing us and caring for us. We cannot do anything on our own, so His life-giving Holy Spirit continues to work in us to work for His glory. We do not change overnight, and maybe it will take us a very long time, but everytime we bear the slightest fruit, the Father rejoices over us.
Trust in God, recognising that he loves as a perfect parent would love their children, slow to chide and swift to bless. Be gentle on yourself and take care of yourself. Speak to your Heavenly Father and let Him draw you nearer to Himself. The closer you get to God, the more you will change and become like Him. You will experience his richest blessings.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

KimmyO

Active Member
Feb 28, 2018
50
47
62
VA
✟20,164.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Well, repent means turn away from, change.
However no one, including Paul from the bible lives without sin, He said in Romans 7:15-20 that he battled with sin. That is why we are to die to selves daily, it's not a one time things. Today is the day of grace.
We are all still tempted, but we know God gives us a way out and the strength to resist temptation and overcome. We are still given choice, and sometimes fail and fall (or run) into temptation. If we always always did right we would need to become robots and God doesn't want that. Pray when you are tempted and walk away without dwelling on the temptation. If you give temptation the time, it will change your mind, and you'll end up spending much time in regret!
I am proud of you in many things! You are delivered from many things! I am proud of you throwing away meth, doing that probably saved your life!
We will never live a sin free life while on earth, there are many temptations and the devil knows yours! Also, the temptation is not sin, Jesus was tempted by the devil, it is giving into it that is the sin.
Listen to music, but really think about what it means from a Christian perspective, your eyes will be opened! When you are tempted, think about it from God's perspective, He loves you. He doesn't want you harming your body, soul or mind. When tempted by lust, remember the vast majority of inappropriate content stars/prostitutes...were molested as little children, and see their hurt behind their actions. Pray for them. Remember, many are moms and are someone's daughter-someone who loves and prays for them or hurt them.
It is best to stay as far away from what tempts you, don't ride the cliff's edge and be surprised if you fall off!
Be real in church and with other Christians, we all need to be real, not fake. That doesn't mean you can't smile and rejoice, but in the midst of this world and it's trials, not as if you've already arrived in Heaven and are perfect.
Praying for you in this! You will grow, and help others w the same things some day! =) Help others even now, it will strengthen you too. Blessings!
 
  • Friendly
Reactions: jayce9936
Upvote 0

heaven1me

New Member
Jan 12, 2019
4
3
43
singapore
✟15,461.00
Country
Singapore
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
The key to that is not to depend on yourself but to look to Jesus.

Let me make some points

1) Non-christians sin and some of them enjoyed it and stayed in sin. They are operating in the flesh because they do not have the Holy Spirit.
2) True born again christians also sin. But they have the Holy Spirit because they are born again christian. They can choose to operate either in the flesh or in the Spirit.
3) True born again christians do not want to sin. Because they have the Holy Spirit (Restrainer) dwelling in them which causes them to move away from sin.

The reason you are feeling bad when you sinned it is because you have the Holy Spirit in you. This will only happen to True born again christians.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: JAYPT
Upvote 0

worshipjunkie

Active Member
Dec 30, 2018
314
321
Springfield
✟27,399.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Others
Everyone defines repentance as a change of mind towards sin where you no longer want to do things not pleasing to God. I feel like I just can't achieve this mind frame. On one hand, I feel God has delivered me from a lot of things. I am no longer involved in gang life, I have let go of the intense hatred and bitterness I felt towards some people, it has been 4 months since I last used drugs. On the other, I still struggle with addiction, even though im not using i feel cravings every day, to the point I went out and bought some meth the other day but found the strength to throw it away and not use it. I recently started smoking cigarettes again. I try not to listen to worldly music but its always in my head and I still enjoy it. Lust is a constant temptation and is always on my mind. I try and envision a future without sin but I just can't see it for myself to be honest. It seems so far out of my grasp and every time I try to envision it I see some generic image of a perpetually smiling church-goer and it seems so unlike me. Ive been reading the word daily and going to church weekly but what im looking for is that inward change and everyone says the holy spirit will work the change but its just not happening for me. Any advice would be very appreciated.

Do you have any support surrounding your recovery? A 12 Step group, a therapist. I think 4 months clean is an accomplishment that you should thank God for- I can't even imagine how hard that is. That you're still struggling with cravings seems less of a issue of sin and much more of the disease of addiction. If we're struggling with mental illness, a lot of the time it's going to affect our spiritual life.

Having said that, the Holy Spirit will work that inward change. But not necessarily on our timetable. It sounds like you have a great sorrow for sin and a detestation for sin, and your actions show you are repentant because you're doing things like stopping using, or stopping listening to music you consider problematic. It sounds like you are looking for that stage to come where you no longer have any desire to sin, where it's no longer a daily struggle for you. In all likelihood as you grow, you will have that be the case more and more. But different things will bother you at different times, and some things may very well be there the rest of your life.

Hang in there!
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

aiki

Regular Member
Feb 16, 2007
10,874
4,348
Winnipeg
✟236,528.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
Everyone defines repentance as a change of mind towards sin where you no longer want to do things not pleasing to God. I feel like I just can't achieve this mind frame.

What is at the bottom of what motivates you to repent of your life without God? Fear of hell? A sense of obligation or guilt? Maybe it's love? I ask because the way you approach repentance and how you feel about it has a great deal to do with how successfully you repent. The motive God tells us is the correct one is love. Love for Christ. When you love him, the repentance to which he calls you won't be a labor, but a joy.

On one hand, I feel God has delivered me from a lot of things. I am no longer involved in gang life, I have let go of the intense hatred and bitterness I felt towards some people, it has been 4 months since I last used drugs. On the other, I still struggle with addiction, even though im not using i feel cravings every day, to the point I went out and bought some meth the other day but found the strength to throw it away and not use it. I recently started smoking cigarettes again. I try not to listen to worldly music but its always in my head and I still enjoy it. Lust is a constant temptation and is always on my mind. I try and envision a future without sin but I just can't see it for myself to be honest. It seems so far out of my grasp and every time I try to envision it I see some generic image of a perpetually smiling church-goer and it seems so unlike me.

Well, one thing that stands out in all that you've written here is the focus you have upon yourself. Can I suggest to you that so long as you're focused upon you, your desires, your feelings, your struggles, the more of you you'll produce? The Bible urges us to "look unto Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2-3) and to "behold the glory of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18) and to meditate upon the revelation of God in Scripture (Psalms 1; Matthew 4:4; Philippians 4:8). The more you are focused upon Christ, the more like him you'll end up being. This is because God has made us to be conformed to our focus. Advertising companies make billions every year on the basis of this fact. The more a thing occupies your thoughts, the greater the likelihood it will shape your thinking, desires and behaviour. This is as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the consumerist culture of North America. Part of the answer, then, to changing who you are involves looking away from yourself to that to which you wish to be conformed. In the case of the Christian person, it is to Christ that God intends they should be conformed (Romans 8:29) and so it is unto him they ought to be constantly looking.

Of course, if you find Christ dull and uninteresting, if he is just some distant, heavenly figure far removed from your life, well, it will be hard to "look unto him" in any consistent way. But if you love him, if you have a strong desire to know him deeply, if you long to fellowship with him as your Saviour, Lord and Friend, all of the things Scripture tells you to do in being conformed to his likeness will be a joy, not an onerous, laborious duty. Turning away from drugs, knocking off the smoking, ditching the lifestyle you once lived centered upon you and your desires can be a delight when doing so leads you into deeper, fuller, more wonderful fellowship with Jesus. If, though, the goal is just to clean yourself up, to follow the rules, to be a "good person," you've missed the whole point of the Christian life. And having missed it, the Christian life becomes a useless and impossible life to live.

Matthew 22:35-38
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and great commandment.

1 John 4:16
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.


Ive been reading the word daily and going to church weekly but what im looking for is that inward change and everyone says the holy spirit will work the change but its just not happening for me. Any advice would be very appreciated.

Every believer has become "a new creature in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17), the Bible says, and in him, they have a spiritual "Promised Land" into which God wants to move them. The Israelites had an actual, physical Promised Land that God had given to them. They had to take it bit by bit, fighting against the inhabitants of the land for possession of it. It was theirs, but God didn't empty the land of enemies. No, the Israelites had to remain very dependent upon God, trusting Him at every turn, living under His authority, in order to possess the land that God had promised to them. The same is true of you as a Christian believer. You've got a spiritual inheritance in Christ that was given to you the moment you were saved. But you must take possession of it bit by bit, walking by faith in God's promises to you and in your new identity in Christ, in humble submission to God living according to His will and way, and in love centering your life around Him. As you do, you will come more and more to enjoy the abundant life in Christ that you have as a born again child of God.

So, do you know who you are in Christ, what your spiritual inheritance is in him? Do you know what it means to be "in Christ"?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: worshipjunkie
Upvote 0

CaspianSails

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2019
579
302
65
Washington DC metro area
✟27,746.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Everyone defines repentance as a change of mind towards sin where you no longer want to do things not pleasing to God. I feel like I j

Greetings. We all seem to have an issue with patience. We want God to do things NOW and immediate. The first question is what is sin? Sin is disobedience to God. Adam sinned by eating the fruit which God specifically told him not to eat. That is pretty simple to figure out. Not all things which are frowned on by society or the church is sin, some is cultural. Sin is rebelling against God, transgressing against His law. Due to Adam's sin we are imputed with sin, born in sin, born in a fallen state. Because one man sinned, sin entered the world and because of that sin and the fact we are now born into sin, death for all mankind. Romans 5:12 Take heart though because 1 John 1:8-10 says "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.…" This was written to believers. We all still contend daily with a fallen nature and what the Bible calls the flesh. It is a lifelong battle described by Paul as not doing what we desire or intend to do, but the evil that we do. We know what we should do and we do it not. So as a believer Paul wrote in Romans 8:1 that Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Jesus taught us to pray with the following - Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. This is also translated as trespasses aka sin. If you ask forgiveness God forgives. A better point is to understand your state with God. In His eyes, if you are a Christian, He sees you in Christ not in sin. You are free of sin and live in a state of redemptive justification, made just as if you had never sinned. It is true the Holy Spirit in you will lead you to all righteousness and that He will convict you of sin, show you your sin and give you the power to overcome that sin. How does that happen. Prayer, Bible Study and the like. We must die daily to our self, aka our flesh, and live for Christ. There is just too much on that subject and my post here is long enough already. It is a lifelong battle to crucify the flesh and live for Christ and to be a blessing to others.
 
Upvote 0