need advice...

If you practice sin you aren't repentant. If you aren't repentant....
You understand the three criteria for being saved?
If you choose the sin over being repentant you are putting the sin first instead of God.

I posted this on one of your previous threads but I am most happy to tell you again.
Accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior/loving Jesus with all your heart.
Repenting of your sins/asking for forgiveness.
Turning from your sins.
I think I said this better the other time but I hope you understand. Jesus will help you if you make a concerted effort to turn from your sins and repent/ask forgiveness.
God bless you in your path toward him.

Here is my original post to you:
So you haven't told Jesus how much you love him and asked for forgiveness of your sins and repented? That's all it takes to be born again. What are you waiting for? A personal invitation? If so I invite you to ask Jesus to come into your heart and live there forever.
Welcome to the love of Jesus Larry Lifelong. Hope to see you around bro!

BTW, there is always hope Never give up fighting for your salvation. As long as you are in a sinful life you are Satans victim and you must fight for your salvation. It is a fight for your life and it is incessant.

Only God knows who is truly saved. We are damaged goods and in a vessel that is corrupt from birth tempting us always to sin and some people are more resistant to sinning than others it doesn't mean that they are more saved and the others less saved or not saved at all. One can only look at the fruit and confession of the person who they are attempting to ascertain are saved or not and then realize that we cannot be 100% sure at that.
Paul himself struggled with sinning as did most of the people in the Bible that knew God all their lives. Did God save David or not and did him committing adultery and responsible for the murder of a man to get his wife damn him forever? No. We all sin but most don't realize that some sins are so small we don't realize them while others are bigger and we can make them as critical till we compare ourselves to mass murders and rapists and the most evil of men then we realize if God can save them then saving us is almost too easy and forgiving us of future sins throughout our lives is also rather easy to do if we come to him in faith.

Its not a magic wand and you are saved. You have to take those steps and work at freeing yourself with Gods help daily. You have to fight daily against the sins that plague you. You have to turn around from your previous life. Not just one day but daily.
If you were reprobate you wouldn't be seeking God.

Lifelong_sinner said:

tell me, do you have assurance of your own salvation?? If so, how??

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I believe God's word and trust in him and at times when my life should be in turmoil I've felt a peace that passes understanding come upon me.

this may help some too, if i was asked why would i want to be a christian, my response would be so that i dont goto hell. That doesnt sound like a true christian answer.

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That is IMO a partial answer and not usually the best one but many try and not mention what we are "saved" from and "saved" to. We are saved from a lifetime living separated from God to a lifetime with God and those who desired to be with him forever. Most "good" people want to live in a world without evil even though truthfully most still want to do some evil (sin). You can either live forever without sin (in heaven) or live forever with sin (hell).

also, what i find myself thinking the last couple of years in particular, is that if im not saved, and cant seem to get saved, why am i struggling to not sin then?? Why not accept that im going to hell and just live it up here and now?
Both of those answers i think show and prove im a reprobate. Im not saved, and im not of the elect.

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You need to read the Bible a lot more and study what the writers of the New Testament says about being saved and the passion that they put in their words over and over, their desire is for us to be with them in heaven forever. If your desire is to be with all those who are saved and desire everyone to be saved then it is rather likely you ARE saved because most who aren't saved don't want everyone to desire to be saved.
The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God, it also attests to the glory and majesty of God. It attests to the fact that God himself came down from heaven and lowered himself to become a man so that he could live with us and fellowship with us and truly show us through his death on the cross as a blameless man how much he loves us and wants us to be with him. If you don't get those feelings about the love of God.... keep reading the Bible and sooner or later it will grow on you and your faith will increase to the point that you no longer doubt your salvation.

If anyone believes that they cannot be saved because of their sin, I would ask them what they believe Jesus died for. He died for sinners. Any victory we have over sin is not the result of our struggle and our fight, it is His fight, it is His victory. We do not fight our sin so that we can obtain victory, the victory is the Lords victory, and because He offers His victory to us, if we accept it, we fight our sin because we already have victory. The Christian life is a struggle, but we rest in Christ, knowing that He is our advocate with the Father. So, if their is anyone who calls themselves a Christian and does not know if they are saved, just know that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

@Lifelong_sinner you are saved by putting your assurance in Jesus Christ. Ravi Zacharias has nothing to do with it.

Lifelong_sinner said:

so with the current news and comments from other preachers concerning ravi zacharias here lately, im gonna ask a question about him, but using it to reference myself. do you think ravi was saved and made it to Heaven??

the reason i am asking this is because i have a willful habitual sexual sin myself, and if ravi did make it to Heaven, then that could mean that there is hope for me too.

now for the plot twist...im waiting to here how many will say instead, that it is wrong to question ghetting to Heaven while unrepentant and instead of looking for assurance, i should be more concerned about acyually stopping the willful sinning everyday.

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People are saved by faith. Ravi is a sinner just the same as my "saintly grandmother" was a sinner.
Our only salvation is accepting forgiveness through Christ.

Lifelong_sinner said:

so with the current news and comments from other preachers concerning ravi zacharias here lately, im gonna ask a question about him, but using it to reference myself. do you think ravi was saved and made it to Heaven??

the reason i am asking this is because i have a willful habitual sexual sin myself, and if ravi did make it to Heaven, then that could mean that there is hope for me too.

now for the plot twist...im waiting to here how many will say instead, that it is wrong to question ghetting to Heaven while unrepentant and instead of looking for assurance, i should be more concerned about acyually stopping the willful sinning everyday.

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We don't know the spiritual relationship Ravi had with God in the short space of time he spent moments before his death. Ravi could be saved when you examine this situation from the perspective of the Thief On The Cross next to Jesus at the crucifixion.

To be saved: Believe on Jesus Christ(the one who is God). Have faith and trust in Lord Jesus to save you.

You can trust the gospel which is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day.
@Lifelong_sinner

Lifelong_sinner said:

so with the current news and comments from other preachers concerning ravi zacharias here lately, im gonna ask a question about him, but using it to reference myself. do you think ravi was saved and made it to Heaven??

the reason i am asking this is because i have a willful habitual sexual sin myself, and if ravi did make it to Heaven, then that could mean that there is hope for me too.

now for the plot twist...im waiting to here how many will say instead, that it is wrong to question ghetting to Heaven while unrepentant and instead of looking for assurance, i should be more concerned about acyually stopping the willful sinning everyday.

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Well I guess the question is.....do you love your sin more than your Heavenly Father? If you say you love him more, do you feel hypocritical?
When I answered these questions honestly, I was faced with the decision. I chose my Father over sexual sin. Be blessed.

Lifelong_sinner said:

so with the current news and comments from other preachers concerning ravi zacharias here lately, im gonna ask a question about him, but using it to reference myself. do you think ravi was saved and made it to Heaven??

the reason i am asking this is because i have a willful habitual sexual sin myself, and if ravi did make it to Heaven, then that could mean that there is hope for me too.

now for the plot twist...im waiting to here how many will say instead, that it is wrong to question ghetting to Heaven while unrepentant and instead of looking for assurance, i should be more concerned about acyually stopping the willful sinning everyday.

Click to expand...

Cont....You can not do this with your own power rather with the power of the Holy Spirit, The flesh is weak.