Breaking the chains (of sin and darkness)...?

[Bible Highlighter]

What's the best way to combat/approach/deal with/come against and overcome "sin" and darkness? (dark, evil, wicked, or wrong thoughts or thinking) Wrong behaviors/attitudes/perceptions/outlooks...

What's the best way to deal with these things, and how does a person truly change (them)...? Is it by our effort and work or something "we" do, or God? Or, a combination of both? And, how does that work...?

I posted this to someone who was having lustful thoughts, and how we need to just stop wrong thinking before it becomes sin (before it becomes wrong behavior/attitudes/outlooks, or actions) (before it becomes sin)...

I posted this, but it can apply to any kind of wrong thoughts or behavior/actions/attitudes...



I still struggle sometimes, but a lot less than I use to, as I am trying to stay chaste and pure sexually as well... Short and simple...? Just "don't think about it at all" cast those thoughts down and away...

Helps not to be idle a lot, find hobbies for your spare time, keep busy, do other things (like hobbies or activities) that you enjoy in your spare time... Don't let or be around outside influences that would spurn sexual thoughts, like people who like to talk about it, or especially your media that you watch or are exposed to... Eliminate it from your world...

Think back to when you were a child and didn't have any sexual thoughts, if that helps, and try to remember and go back to that again, but as a child of God now...

It won't be easy, especially at the start... Cause most adults are addicted in the brain to thinking sexual thoughts, and you have to break that, and kill off those connections in the brain, which can only be done through complete abstinence from any and all sexual thoughts... And, you may even be bombarded with more sexual thoughts than normal at first, when you first try to kill off those connections in the brain, cause starving them to death, (which is what must be done), anyways starving certain kinds of thoughts to death like if you were to go on a diet and fast from bad foods, that taste good...

Anyhow, like that, you may have more and be more strongly tempted to have even more and stronger thoughts about say, eating a gallon of ice cream, anyways, that temptation will be strong and come on stronger at say, the first week or two of the diet, but only at the beginning, it does get easier, in time, if you stay committed to abstaining, and in time, you won't have those strong cravings for ice cream, hardly at all anymore... It is the same with sexual stuff/thoughts...

You have to starve it to death, and not let it/them in from the outside, into your world... You have to kill that neural connection in the brain...

Pray about it also, but pray not to think about it at all, or for the strength to abstain and not let it be or come into your world anymore...

This is helping me with it... Hope it can help you as well...



The only problem I see with it, is that, it is a lot of "our own" doing...?

How much should be us, and how much God...?

Comments...?

God Bless!

Any good done in a believer's life is ultimately done by God. The way to make sure that it is the Lord really working in you is if you are abiding in the Lord. How can we have the assurance that we know the Lord? 1 John 2:3 says we can have an assurance in knowing the Lord if we find we are keeping His commands. Also, if a believer is holding onto a gospel that makes for an allowance for a sin and still be saved type gospel, then this will pretty much nullify any true good work of God to be done in your life. For God cannot agree with a believer who thinks they can do evil and yet be rewarded by God despite their evil. God is good. God is holy. He will not tolerate rebellion done against Him.

Jesus is the One who gave Himself for us so that He might redeem us from every lawless deed or from iniquity or sin.

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:14).

Jesus is to purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. But you can't believe in Once Saved Always Saved and overcome your sin. It's not possible because it is a belief that encourages sin if not properly explained.


...

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi Neogaia, the psalmist said:

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word" ~Ps 119:9
​

Not too much to argue with there, but the question is, "how"? Fortunately the psalmist, anticipating that question, answers it two verses later:

"Thy word I have TREASURED in my heart that I may not sin against Thee" ~Ps 119:11
​

It's not simply a matter of knowing what God's word says, it's a matter of "treasuring" what it says in your heart, of filling your mind with it (more on that later) and delighting in it .. and in its Divine Author because, as the same psalmist also said:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" ~Ps 37:4 (cf Matthew 6:33)
​

That is an admonition with a promise (our concern being with the admonition portion, of course, and God will fulfill the promise ). Remember that this is not a command to 'delight God' by doing things we think will please Him, rather, it's an admonition to delight ourselves 'in Him', to chase after Him and truly Him 'alone' (rather than the things we think we want, whatever they may be), with the result being that He will give us our heart's desire if we do

When I was a new Christian, young and single (well, sorta young, I was 30), I struggled BIG-TIME with my thought-life (and I got a lot of help with that from Satan ). So much so that I spent much of my day hating all the thoughts that kept coming into the forefront of my mind, wondering if they would ever stop, wondering too, how much longer God was going to put up with needing to forgive me when I lost all those battles with my thoughts by dwelling on them for too long.

What I needed to do was get all the garbage out of my head (that was still in there from years of living in the world from before I became a Christian), and I needed find a way to protect myself from the new things I saw and/or heard throughout the day as well. I needed to "renew my mind" .. Romans 12:2 (which is something we do by 'filling' our minds with the word of God ).

There are many ways that help do that, first and foremost, get to church each week and go to Bible Study as well. Read your Bible each day and talk with the Lord about what you're reading as you go along. Listen to sermon broadcasts during the week to learn new insights about the word of God and to help keep it (and a growing and proper understanding of it) in the forefront of your mind. Here are a few of my favorite theologians and pastors websites where that can be done:

Renewing Your Mind - Dr. R. C. Sproul
Insight for Living - Dr. Chuck Swindoll
Grace to You - Dr. John MacArthur
Let My People Think - Dr. Ravi Zacharias
​

Finally, and most importantly, "treasure" the word in your heart by beginning to commit it to memory! As important as all the things are that I just mentioned above, for me (and I know for many, many others), Scripture Memorization was the key the made the difference. By memorizing His word, you truly do 'fill' your mind with it, the result being that less and less room is left up there for the "garbage" that currently occupies it It also becomes very difficult to sin when the Holy Spirit is able to instantly bring two or three Bible verses to the forefront of your mind that tell you specifically why you shouldn't do what you are being tempted to do (or think). So instead of going through the day struggling to NOT sin (and often losing the battle), you'll end up going through the day struggling TO sin instead (at least that's what it begins to feel like, though some battles with our "old man/self" will still be lost even so, it's just that it gets much, much better/easier to deal with ).

It's not an easy fix as it takes time and effort on your part. BTW, I'm not talking about memorizing the entire Bible, or even entire books of the Bible, rather, Scripture memorization in your case would involve memorizing one or two verses per week, until you've gotten sixty or more of these "topical" verses committed to memory.

If this sounds like something you'd like to try, PM me and I'll tell you how to get started (it's all free BTW).

In the meantime, be sure to handle your thought-life by taking all the sinful thoughts/temptations that come into your mind "captive" to Christ .. 2 Corinthians 10:5, so He can deal with them for you, and if you fail to do so in time, be sure to ask Him for forgiveness immediately, no matter how many times a day you need to, and He will always forgive you .. 1 John 1:9.

Remember too that God provides us with a way of escape from the temptations we face, so be on the lookout for those as well .. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (though with His word memorized, you will often win the battles you are losing now before they even begin ).

God bless you! (Numbers 6:24-26; Jude 24-25)

--David

"Be diligent (study) to present yourself approved to God, as a workman
who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately
(rightly dividing) the word of truth"
2 Tim 2:15​

​

 

[Winken]

In my life, it all changed after I had a really awesome self-deliverance experience.
I was a typical Christian for 25 years. Constantly falling down and getting back up. Repenting. falling. Repenting. Reading self-help books and all.
Immediately following that, the temptations became few and mostly easy to ignore. The occurences of falling down are spread apart and I have ample time to reflect on what really made me fall again. Time after time, it turns out to be the same thing with the same fix. Deliverance.

Sounds like what most Christians go through. Could you define "deliverance" in your specific case?

 

[Winken]

But you can't believe in Once Saved Always Saved and overcome your sin. It's not possible because it is a belief that encourages sin if not properly explained.
...

Could you clarify "if not properly explained?"

 

[Winken]

Hi Neogaia, the psalmist said:

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word" ~Ps 119:9
​

Not too much to argue with there, but the question is, "how"? Fortunately the psalmist, anticipating that question, answers it two verses later:

"Thy word I have TREASURED in my heart that I may not sin against Thee" ~Ps 119:11
​

It's not simply a matter of knowing what God's word says, it's a matter of "treasuring" what it says in your heart, of filling your mind with it (more on that later) and delighting in it .. and in its Divine Author because, as the same Psalmist also said:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" ~Ps 37:4 (cf Matthew 6:33)
​

That is an admonition with a promise (our concern being with the admonition portion, of course, and God will fulfill the promise ). Remember that this is not a command to 'delight God' by doing things we think will please Him, rather, it's an admonition to delight ourselves 'in Him', to chase after Him and truly Him 'alone', with the result being that He will give us our heart's desire

When I was a new Christian, young and single (well, sorta young, I was 30), I struggled BIG-TIME with my thought-life (and I got a lot of help with that from Satan with that ). So much so that I spent much of my day hating all the thoughts that kept coming into forefront of my mind, wondering if they would ever stop, wondering too, how much longer God was going to put up with needing to forgive me when I lost the battle with my thoughts by dwelling on them for too long.

What I needed to do was get all the garbage out of my head (that was still in there from years of living in the world from before I became a Christian), and I needed find a way to protect myself from the new things I saw and/or heard throughout the day as well. I needed to "renew my mind" .. Romans 12:2 (which is something we do by 'filling' our minds with the word of God ).

There are many ways that help do that, first and foremost, get to church each week and go to Bible Study as well. Read your Bible each day and talk with the Lord about what you're reading as you go along. Listen to sermon broadcasts during the week to learn new insights about the word of God and to help keep it (and a growing and proper understanding of it) in the forefront of your mind. Here are a few of my favorite theologians and pastors websites where that can be done:

Renewing Your Mind - Dr. R. C. Sproul
Insight for Living - Dr. Chuck Swindoll
Grace to You - Dr. John MacArthur
Let My People Think - Dr. Ravi Zacharias
​

Finally, and most importantly, "treasure" the word in your heart by beginning to commit it to memory! As important as all the things are that I just mentioned above, for me (and I know for many, many others), Scripture Memorization was the key the made the difference. By memorizing His word, you truly do 'fill' your mind with it, the result being that less and less room is left up there for the "garbage" that currently occupies it It also becomes very difficult to sin when the Holy Spirit is able to instantly bring three Bible verses to the forefront of your mind that tell you specifically why you shouldn't do what you are being tempted to do (or think). So instead of going through the day struggling to NOT sin (and often losing the battle), you'll end up going through the day struggling TO sin instead (at least that's what it begins to feel like, though some battles with our "old man/self" will still be lost even so, it's just gets much, much better ).

It's not an easy fix as it takes time and effort on your part. BTW, I'm not talking about memorizing the entire Bible, or even entire books of the Bible, rather, Scripture memorization in your case would involve memorizing one or two verses per week, until you've gotten sixty or more of these "topical" verses committed to memory.

If this sounds like something you'd like to try, PM me and I'll tell you how to get started (it's all free BTW).

In the meantime, be sure to handle your thought-life by taking all the sinful thoughts/temptations that come into your mind "captive" to Christ .. 2 Corinthians 10:5, so He can deal with them for you, and if you fail to do so in time, be sure to ask Him for forgiveness immediately, no matter how many times a day you need to, and He will always forgive you .. 1 John 1:9.

Remember too that God provides us with a way of escape from the temptations we face, so be on the lookout for those as well .. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (though with His word memorized, you will often win the battles you are losing now before they even begin ).

God bless you! (Numbers 6:24-26; Jude 24-25)

--David

"Be diligent (study) to present yourself approved to God, as a workman
who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately
(rightly dividing) the word of truth"
2 Tim 2:15​

​

Wish I had written it!! Thanks!!

 

[Neogaia777]

Hi Neogaia, the psalmist said:

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word" ~Ps 119:9
​

Not too much to argue with there, but the question is, "how"? Fortunately the psalmist, anticipating that question, answers it two verses later:

"Thy word I have TREASURED in my heart that I may not sin against Thee" ~Ps 119:11
​

It's not simply a matter of knowing what God's word says, it's a matter of "treasuring" what it says in your heart, of filling your mind with it (more on that later) and delighting in it .. and in its Divine Author because, as the same psalmist also said:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" ~Ps 37:4 (cf Matthew 6:33)
​

That is an admonition with a promise (our concern being with the admonition portion, of course, and God will fulfill the promise ). Remember that this is not a command to 'delight God' by doing things we think will please Him, rather, it's an admonition to delight ourselves 'in Him', to chase after Him and truly Him 'alone' (rather than the things we think we want, whatever they may be), with the result being that He will give us our heart's desire if we do

When I was a new Christian, young and single (well, sorta young, I was 30), I struggled BIG-TIME with my thought-life (and I got a lot of help with that from Satan ). So much so that I spent much of my day hating all the thoughts that kept coming into the forefront of my mind, wondering if they would ever stop, wondering too, how much longer God was going to put up with needing to forgive me when I lost all those battles with my thoughts by dwelling on them for too long.

What I needed to do was get all the garbage out of my head (that was still in there from years of living in the world from before I became a Christian), and I needed find a way to protect myself from the new things I saw and/or heard throughout the day as well. I needed to "renew my mind" .. Romans 12:2 (which is something we do by 'filling' our minds with the word of God ).

There are many ways that help do that, first and foremost, get to church each week and go to Bible Study as well. Read your Bible each day and talk with the Lord about what you're reading as you go along. Listen to sermon broadcasts during the week to learn new insights about the word of God and to help keep it (and a growing and proper understanding of it) in the forefront of your mind. Here are a few of my favorite theologians and pastors websites where that can be done:

Renewing Your Mind - Dr. R. C. Sproul
Insight for Living - Dr. Chuck Swindoll
Grace to You - Dr. John MacArthur
Let My People Think - Dr. Ravi Zacharias
​

Finally, and most importantly, "treasure" the word in your heart by beginning to commit it to memory! As important as all the things are that I just mentioned above, for me (and I know for many, many others), Scripture Memorization was the key the made the difference. By memorizing His word, you truly do 'fill' your mind with it, the result being that less and less room is left up there for the "garbage" that currently occupies it It also becomes very difficult to sin when the Holy Spirit is able to instantly bring two or three Bible verses to the forefront of your mind that tell you specifically why you shouldn't do what you are being tempted to do (or think). So instead of going through the day struggling to NOT sin (and often losing the battle), you'll end up going through the day struggling TO sin instead (at least that's what it begins to feel like, though some battles with our "old man/self" will still be lost even so, it's just that it gets much, much better/easier to deal with ).

It's not an easy fix as it takes time and effort on your part. BTW, I'm not talking about memorizing the entire Bible, or even entire books of the Bible, rather, Scripture memorization in your case would involve memorizing one or two verses per week, until you've gotten sixty or more of these "topical" verses committed to memory.

If this sounds like something you'd like to try, PM me and I'll tell you how to get started (it's all free BTW).

In the meantime, be sure to handle your thought-life by taking all the sinful thoughts/temptations that come into your mind "captive" to Christ .. 2 Corinthians 10:5, so He can deal with them for you, and if you fail to do so in time, be sure to ask Him for forgiveness immediately, no matter how many times a day you need to, and He will always forgive you .. 1 John 1:9.

Remember too that God provides us with a way of escape from the temptations we face, so be on the lookout for those as well .. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (though with His word memorized, you will often win the battles you are losing now before they even begin ).

God bless you! (Numbers 6:24-26; Jude 24-25)

--David

"Be diligent (study) to present yourself approved to God, as a workman
who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately
(rightly dividing) the word of truth"
2 Tim 2:15​

​

Yes, that's great...

Thanks very much,

God Bless!

 

[Shempster]

Sounds like what most Christians go through. Could you define "deliverance" in your specific case?

I would rather not.
A simple google search will handle that.
I rarely ever mention this as ridicule often follows. It gets old.

 

[Bigmike424]

What's the best way to combat/approach/deal with/come against and overcome "sin" and darkness? (dark, evil, wicked, or wrong thoughts or thinking) Wrong behaviors/attitudes/perceptions/outlooks...

What's the best way to deal with these things, and how does a person truly change (them)...? Is it by our effort and work or something "we" do, or God? Or, a combination of both? And, how does that work...?

I posted this to someone who was having lustful thoughts, and how we need to just stop wrong thinking before it becomes sin (before it becomes wrong behavior/attitudes/outlooks, or actions) (before it becomes sin)...

I posted this, but it can apply to any kind of wrong thoughts or behavior/actions/attitudes...



I still struggle sometimes, but a lot less than I use to, as I am trying to stay chaste and pure sexually as well... Short and simple...? Just "don't think about it at all" cast those thoughts down and away...

Helps not to be idle a lot, find hobbies for your spare time, keep busy, do other things (like hobbies or activities) that you enjoy in your spare time... Don't let or be around outside influences that would spurn sexual thoughts, like people who like to talk about it, or especially your media that you watch or are exposed to... Eliminate it from your world...

Think back to when you were a child and didn't have any sexual thoughts, if that helps, and try to remember and go back to that again, but as a child of God now...

It won't be easy, especially at the start... Cause most adults are addicted in the brain to thinking sexual thoughts, and you have to break that, and kill off those connections in the brain, which can only be done through complete abstinence from any and all sexual thoughts... And, you may even be bombarded with more sexual thoughts than normal at first, when you first try to kill off those connections in the brain, cause starving them to death, (which is what must be done), anyways starving certain kinds of thoughts to death like if you were to go on a diet and fast from bad foods, that taste good...

Anyhow, like that, you may have more and be more strongly tempted to have even more and stronger thoughts about say, eating a gallon of ice cream, anyways, that temptation will be strong and come on stronger at say, the first week or two of the diet, but only at the beginning, it does get easier, in time, if you stay committed to abstaining, and in time, you won't have those strong cravings for ice cream, hardly at all anymore... It is the same with sexual stuff/thoughts...

You have to starve it to death, and not let it/them in from the outside, into your world... You have to kill that neural connection in the brain...

Pray about it also, but pray not to think about it at all, or for the strength to abstain and not let it be or come into your world anymore...

This is helping me with it... Hope it can help you as well...



The only problem I see with it, is that, it is a lot of "our own" doing...?

How much should be us, and how much God...?

Comments...?

God Bless!

Take more light in your eyes. Jesus teaches us that. I don't believe it's in a hobby or a past time activity, at least not for me!!!!

 

[Journey.In.Grace]

For me, it has always been trusting God; and I mean REALLY trusting God that includes sincere prayers. Some people might not find that helpful but if we can't trust God enough to pull us out of our sins and temptations, then that is not good in my book.

 

[Neogaia777]

For me, it has always been trusting God; and I mean REALLY trusting God that includes sincere prayers. Some people might not find that helpful but if we can't trust God enough to pull us out of our sins and temptations, then that is not good in my book.

I crossed that line recently from non committed total trust, to trusting him more and more near to the point of 100% total committed trust now, and it is helping a lot... I had to wind up homeless on the streets though to get there...

God Bless!

 

[Neogaia777]

Take more light in your eyes. Jesus teaches us that. I don't believe it's in a hobby or a past time activity, at least not for me!!!!

Good Advice...

God Bless!

 

[Gabriel Anton]

What's the best way to combat/approach/deal with/come against and overcome "sin" and darkness? (dark, evil, wicked, or wrong thoughts or thinking) Wrong behaviors/attitudes/perceptions/outlooks...

What's the best way to deal with these things, and how does a person truly change (them)...? Is it by our effort and work or something "we" do, or God? Or, a combination of both? And, how does that work...?

I posted this to someone who was having lustful thoughts, and how we need to just stop wrong thinking before it becomes sin (before it becomes wrong behavior/attitudes/outlooks, or actions) (before it becomes sin)...

I posted this, but it can apply to any kind of wrong thoughts or behavior/actions/attitudes...



I still struggle sometimes, but a lot less than I use to, as I am trying to stay chaste and pure sexually as well... Short and simple...? Just "don't think about it at all" cast those thoughts down and away...

Helps not to be idle a lot, find hobbies for your spare time, keep busy, do other things (like hobbies or activities) that you enjoy in your spare time... Don't let or be around outside influences that would spurn sexual thoughts, like people who like to talk about it, or especially your media that you watch or are exposed to... Eliminate it from your world...

Think back to when you were a child and didn't have any sexual thoughts, if that helps, and try to remember and go back to that again, but as a child of God now...

It won't be easy, especially at the start... Cause most adults are addicted in the brain to thinking sexual thoughts, and you have to break that, and kill off those connections in the brain, which can only be done through complete abstinence from any and all sexual thoughts... And, you may even be bombarded with more sexual thoughts than normal at first, when you first try to kill off those connections in the brain, cause starving them to death, (which is what must be done), anyways starving certain kinds of thoughts to death like if you were to go on a diet and fast from bad foods, that taste good...

Anyhow, like that, you may have more and be more strongly tempted to have even more and stronger thoughts about say, eating a gallon of ice cream, anyways, that temptation will be strong and come on stronger at say, the first week or two of the diet, but only at the beginning, it does get easier, in time, if you stay committed to abstaining, and in time, you won't have those strong cravings for ice cream, hardly at all anymore... It is the same with sexual stuff/thoughts...

You have to starve it to death, and not let it/them in from the outside, into your world... You have to kill that neural connection in the brain...

Pray about it also, but pray not to think about it at all, or for the strength to abstain and not let it be or come into your world anymore...

This is helping me with it... Hope it can help you as well...



The only problem I see with it, is that, it is a lot of "our own" doing...?

How much should be us, and how much God...?

Comments...?

God Bless!

Peace be with you.


Admirable questions.

You should start with this question:

What is sin and darkness?

To find a solution to sin and darkness requires a thorough knowledge of what sin and darkness is.

Meditate and ponder on this question:

What is sin and darkness?

Then write your answers down.


God bless you.

 

[Thisis Thend]

Neo...., Your question embodies your strong desire to be in the will of God. So that by the very question itself, I can see that you 'feel bad' or 'guilty' when you see yourself doing things that are not in the will of God, otherwise, why would you be so very concerned. So know that God is alive and working within you. For you carry the baptism of John - the baptism of repentance. It is not perfection that you seek which he requires, only the struggle to be perfect. But if you want to be even more in His will, then turn to your one true teacher. Turn inward and pray to Christ, to help you in your struggle, whatever it may be. Christ is the only one who can change your thoughts. Ask and you shall receive.

 

[Neogaia777]

Peace be with you.


Admirable questions.

You should start with this question:

What is sin and darkness?

To find a solution to sin and darkness requires a thorough knowledge of what sin and darkness is.

Meditate and ponder on this question:

What is sin and darkness?

Then write your answers down.


God bless you.

in it mildest form "Wrong", In it's worse form "Evil", In it's moderate form "wickedness"... Bad, wrong...

Mistreating disrespecting, not honoring or esteeming others as greater to or equal to yourself... And, by equal as yourself, always treating others how you would want to be treated, regardless of how they treat you... Always treating them anyway, how you yourself want to be treated, regardless of how they treat you... Even if they are not treating you how they want to be treated themselves by you or someone else and are being hypocritical... For example: If you don't want others to be angry with you, "ever" than don't be angry at or toward anyone else "ever", as one example...

The only exception being is when you would want someone to say rebuke or correct you (mildly and gently at first), (increasing in intensity and severity, in steps the more the same bad behavior is repeated), Anyways, The only exception being is when you would want someone to say rebuke or correct you, for bad behavior, when they are displaying it toward you, and you would want them to do the same with you if you did that, and you fully accept that... Then and only then, it might be right to take a stand against wrong, as long as you fully expect and will fully accept someone else taking a stand against you when you are wrong, doing wrong, or are in the wrong, of, course...

Otherwise it wouldn't be just...

God Bless!

 

[Neogaia777]

Neo...., Your question embodies your strong desire to be in the will of God. So that by the very question itself, I can see that you 'feel bad' or 'guilty' when you see yourself doing things that are not in the will of God, otherwise, why would you be so very concerned. So know that God is alive and working within you. For you carry the baptism of John - the baptism of repentance. It is not perfection that you seek which he requires, only the struggle to be perfect. But if you want to be even more in His will, then turn to your one true teacher. Turn inward and pray to Christ, to help you in your struggle, whatever it may be. Christ is the only one who can change your thoughts. Ask and you shall receive.

Thank You very much, I think I needed that, and that reminder... I am very concerned with it, and do feel very bad or guilty when I mess up, but, I do try to always go to him with it first ASAP now, and I wasn't doing that as much, some, but not as much, about say six month's ago, as I am now, and it is helping me...

I am just a very curious and inquisitive soul...

I want and like to know, and I do "delight" in and greatly enjoy the journey getting there though... If I get one thing figured out, I very quickly have to find something else, to be "in the process of", the journey of or to, just to get that joy and delight again...

I like these mental puzzles believe it or not... Don't know what I'd do without them...

Thanks again,

God Bless!

 

[Talihood]

Getting old has helped me avoid such thoughts.

same here.

 

[OzSpen]

Persistence of counter-thought would be my first method. If "lust" is your problem, start a continual thought pattern such as "women are ugly" and loop it. Women would loop "men are ugly". Repeat until women are now ugly in your mind.

That would be for single people. For married people? Good luck since your relationship is basically built on lust.

That would be telling lies to yourself as a counter-thought. Women or men are not ugly.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Could you clarify "if not properly explained?"

An OSAS preacher gives a preach that no sin can separate a believer from God. Everybody claps their hands and cheers and says Amen. The new converted believers who were just visiting this one time could take that to mean that they can sin and still be saved (i.e. that they can treat God's grace as a license to sin). In other words, this preacher did not also preach about how the true believer will not think that they have a license to sin or that they can do evil with the thinking they are saved. This preacher did not say that believers will live a holy life as a part of the OSAS package. He just gave many the impression that they have a license to sin.


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[Bigmike424]

An OSAS preacher gives a preach that no sin can separate a believer from God. Everybody claps their hands and cheers and says Amen. The new converted believers who were just visiting this one time could take that to mean that they can sin and still be saved (i.e. that they can treat God's grace as a license to sin). In other words, this preacher did not also preach about how the true believer will not think that they have a license to sin or that they can do evil with the thinking they are saved. This preacher did not say that believers will live a holy life as a part of the OSAS package. He just gave many the impression that they have a license to sin.


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If a person can think like that after they accepted Christ as the Saviour didn't get saved then. Your wants and desires change when you're born again.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

That would be telling lies to yourself as a counter-thought. Women or men are not ugly.

But in OSAS, it is not all that big of a deal if you lie. Lying will just only cause you chastisement here and or make you lose rewards. But you can lie and still go to Heaven, though. However, the Scriptures say that ALL liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8). The Scriptures also say that Christ will send forth His angels and gather out of HIS KINGDOM all who offend (sin) and or do iniquity (intense sin or lawlessness) and cast them into the furnace of fire (i.e. the Lake of Fire) (Matthew 13:41-42). Jesus says, "He that ... receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." (John 12:48).


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