• The General Mental Health Forum is now a Read Only Forum. As we had two large areas making it difficult for many to find, we decided to combine the Mental Health & the Recovery sections of the forum into Mental Health & Recovery as a whole. Physical Health still remains as it's own area within the entire Recovery area.

    If you are having struggles, need support in a particular area that you aren't finding a specific recovery area forum, you may find the General Struggles forum a great place to post. Any any that is related to emotions, self-esteem, insomnia, anger, relationship dynamics due to mental health and recovery and other issues that don't fit better in another forum would be examples of topics that might go there.

    If you have spiritual issues related to a mental health and recovery issue, please use the Recovery Related Spiritual Advice forum. This forum is designed to be like Christian Advice, only for recovery type of issues. Recovery being like a family in many ways, allows us to support one another together. May you be blessed today and each day.

    Kristen.NewCreation and FreeinChrist

  • Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
  • We hope the site problems here are now solved, however, if you still have any issues, please start a ticket in Contact Us

Despair in impasse

jjust19

Newbie
Jun 5, 2013
138
12
QLD, Australia
✟22,836.00
Faith
Protestant
Marital Status
Single
As someone who is trying to be closer with Christ, I've recently realised that I wasn't a Christian due to living in a sinful lifestyle. But even now, I fear that I will never be at that standard that Jesus wants me to be. No matter how hard I try, I always fall into temptation and then sin. Whether it is gluttony, lust, pride, envy or the breaking of one of the commandments, I feel powerless to change myself, and even more helpless when asking God for assistance. This in turn has made me fall into despair and I don't really know how to deal with it.
 

StillSeeking36

Junior Member
Nov 16, 2013
113
21
✟22,848.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
As someone who is trying to be closer with Christ, I've recently realised that I wasn't a Christian due to living in a sinful lifestyle. But even now, I fear that I will never be at that standard that Jesus wants me to be. No matter how hard I try, I always fall into temptation and then sin. Whether it is gluttony, lust, pride, envy or the breaking of one of the commandments, I feel powerless to change myself, and even more helpless when asking God for assistance. This in turn has made me fall into despair and I don't really know how to deal with it.

I've struggled with this too, but here's what I have learned that helped to release me from the chain of guilt and despair. (I have to remind my self of this all of the time, so I thank you for your post because this ministered to me as I wrote it - I needed this today!) Although we should definitely try to be as much like Christ as possible (which is why we are called Christians), we are not justified by works of the law but by faith (Romans 3:28). If our salvation were based on our ability to fulfill the law, most of us wouldn't be going to heaven. Only Jesus has loved a perfect life. That's why Jesus came - to bear our sins for us on the cross. Humans have fallen, and sin is in the world. But death cannot hold Christ. He bore our sins on the cross, and through His blood we are cleansed. We are not worthy, only Christ is worthy, and we are only worthy through Christ. If we try to earn God's love through our own works, then we are really acting as if we we are in control, and we are placing ourselves in the center of our world, instead of Christ. We have no hope of salvation and freedom from bondage without Christ. One of the biggest lies of the devil is that we cannot go back to Christ. That our sins are so bad that He will not love us. He always loves us, and it's our faith in Him that saves us. We can ALWAYS go back. We ask for forgiveness of our sins, every day, and He is faithful to forgive us, wash us clean, through the blood that He shed. It's why Jesus came - to save us through His life, death, and resurrection. We cannot save ourselves through our own works. Seek Christ with all of your heart. Cling to Him. Ask Him for forgiveness. Ask Him to work through you to produce good works. Give control over to Christ and let Him lead you. You do not have to do it alone. He is always there for you, always, and He will always love you. It is one thing to be convicted (to know we have sinned) but it is another thing to feel guilty. Guilt is from the devil. The bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). This means that fear is a spirit that is not from God - it is from the devil. Jesus said that His yoke is easy to bear and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). If we feel overburdened and guilty, it is the devil's burden. God is love (1 John 4:8), and we become better people because we are transformed by His love, not because we are justified by our works. Go to God, ask for forgiveness, and ask Him to break the chain of guilt from your life. He loves you! He does not place you in bondage - that's the devil's trick. God will free you, and love you in a way so that you can't help but share that love.
 
Upvote 0

whitebeaches

Legend
Site Supporter
Jan 13, 2007
76,790
4,596
✟189,790.00
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
we all struggle with sin in our lives at times and that is ok. God is just and forgives us of our sins and God understands and He loves us so much imperfections and all. He doesnt see us like we see us, He sees us as precious and wonderfully made and he loves us unconditionally. He loves you and he understands. praying for you ((( hugs )))
 
Upvote 0