-
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.
How do you rid yourself of temptation?
- Thread starter Shadowprophet
- Start date
Nature abhors a vacuum. So if you leave vacuums in your mental, emotional, and spiritual life, you can be sure that Satan and his evil spirits will try to fill those vacuums. If you are preoccupied with (1) prayer, (2) the study of God's Word, (3) worship, (4) ministering to others, and (5) focusing on the needs of others, you will have neither time nor energy for evil deeds. Also, birds of a feather flock together, so if you have friends and people who are pulling you into the world, find spiritual Christian friends who love God and Christ, and are busy serving. The Kingdom of God should be your first priority, which means bringing souls to Christ and helping them to grow.
Upvote
0
stuart lawrence
Well-Known Member
It is true some on the internet believe they have reached a state of sinless perfection. Thankfully I have never heard such a thing from any minister or christian outside of it.
It is not a case of with my view nothing much will be achieved. Rather honesty and humility are preferable. God doesn't want people proclaiming to others they have reached a state they have not reached. The Pharisees of Jesus day were guilty of that. They crushed the people with their demands, demands they had not themselves attained to in their own lives. I was raised I a church where that attitude was prevelant, it was awful, and crushed many.
Upvote
0
AllanV
Newbie
When I interacted with Christians, especially some strong willed pastors they seemed to try to place a curse on me that dragged me back into my self. After arriving home from a meeting one time my wife said that my whole conversation had become defeatist and in a continual state of loss of confidence.
I believe what has happened to you is similar. A whole series of events produced a situation that took a decade to shake off and recover from, prayer didn't work, the life had been taken out of me.
I had let my guard down and full armor of God.
In my self there is no way available to be sinless and perfect. The pattern of mind can not be found.
People are able to get into my mind and mess me up.
At 26 in a supernatural experience my mind was opened up to know that God exists. God is immediately making everything appear all the time. We actually live and move in God. What is seen is God's covering.
My mind was shown a comparison to the mind of an immortal and how my own mind did not measure up and how it missed the mark, so to speak. The realization occurred of exactly what Jesus had achieved. And it was shown in my mind and also a little beyond and deeper than it.
To Know God as he requests one must know where God is. God is in a mind a little deeper and just beyond the mind that is usually thought from. The place that the human mind thinks from falls short and is encumbered with attachments on the personality from a life time of often bad (evil) experience, but sometimes good.
Is the mind in the head only or is there some remote connection between individuals.
The mind that Jesus thinks from can supernaturally be revealed because it is active all the time.
But the old mind has to be let go.
You are indicating that you are carrying some damage from life experience in a church.
Upvote
0
stuart lawrence
Well-Known Member
Absolutely, I was damaged as a child. When I was ten I moved with my parents to a different church. At first I thought I had arrived as it were. The minister was well known, the church believed in the gifts of the spirit for today and was the biggest protestant church our side of London.
I responded to an altar call and became a Christian.
The stalwarts of the church gave the appearance of being sinless, perfect in the flesh on Sundays. They dressed immaculately, the women with expensive hats. After the service I received Godly handshakes, a Godly smile, and the relevant scripture verse if it was felt neccessary. I actually thought the married couples must spend no more than a minute having sex as they would consider it an impure, disdainful act and one only done to produce children. I became heavy, discouraged, worn out with my faliure to live a perfectly sinless life as I believed the church folk did. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I be perfectly pure and sinless as they appeared to be. The sin in my life grew stronger, I became consumed by lust. I felt dirty, rotten and useless. If only I had at that age read Paul's letters I would have known why what was happening to me happened, but I hadn't.
Eventually I left the church, not being prepared to live a life of hypocrisy by turning up at church each week and acting as the stalwarts of the church acted, while knowing on the inside I was full of everything unclean.
Fortunately for me, a few years later God brought me to see the truth of grace. Once I knew that, the sin started to lessen in me.
A woman on another website said the two denominations that find it hardest to accept biblical grace are pentecostals and Catholics. It wouldn't surprise me if the op was raised in one of those churches. He is in exactly the same place I once was.
However you try and juggle it, from reading your posts it comes across as:
You get what you earn, you get what you deserve from God. Strive hard to obey and you can become sinless as I am
The phariseeical mindset is as alive and well today as it was 2,000 years ago. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of those, as I once was who allow themselves in naivety to believe that message, and become crushed by it.
If we love our neighbour we do not pretend to be something we are not and crush him. That is not love, but seeking the praise and admiration of man
Last edited:
Upvote
0
stuart lawrence
Well-Known Member
Only one person who has lived on earth I a body of flesh was sinless- Christ. To put oneself as equal to Christ in this regard is delusional at best.
The idea any human can perfectly without slip obey the entire law of God 24/7 and therefore be perfectly sinless is not an idea to be seriously considered.
If in your view that means i am holding others back sobeit.
I see it as showing love to others by not trying to crush them with impossible demands.
John tells us if we claim to be without sin the truth is not in us. You can manipulate, juggle those words to say anything you want to if you wish, people do it all the time. But they remain the truth.
If a person claims to be without sin they are deceived and the truth is not in them
Last edited:
Upvote
0
How do you rid yourself of temptation? Jesus gave us a wonderful answer, give up your selfishness and start being loving and caring. In Matthew 22: 35-40: Jesus says: " The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second is like it, love your neighbour as yourself."
Verse 40 tells us: on these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. God is Love and God wants loving sons and daughters. In Matthew 7: 7-10: we are told: ask and you shall receive, ask God for Love and Joy, then thank God and share all love and joy with your neighbour. ( neighbour is all we know and all we meet, friends and not friends) Keep asking God for love and joy, then thank God and share all love and joy with your neighbour. Can you imagine how wonderful your days will be? Love is very catching, and you will find that people will treat you as you treat people. It might take a day or two to get used to this change, but the outcome will be amazing. Each day will be a joy, and we will gradually change into the men and women which God wants us to be.
The Bible tells us: " Repent and be Born Again," we stop being selfish and be loving and caring, kind and always friendly. God will notice our loving efforts, and God will Bless us. We might stumble or forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us, and carry on being loving and caring. Why not give it a try? it will be well worth it.
Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.
Verse 40 tells us: on these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. God is Love and God wants loving sons and daughters. In Matthew 7: 7-10: we are told: ask and you shall receive, ask God for Love and Joy, then thank God and share all love and joy with your neighbour. ( neighbour is all we know and all we meet, friends and not friends) Keep asking God for love and joy, then thank God and share all love and joy with your neighbour. Can you imagine how wonderful your days will be? Love is very catching, and you will find that people will treat you as you treat people. It might take a day or two to get used to this change, but the outcome will be amazing. Each day will be a joy, and we will gradually change into the men and women which God wants us to be.
The Bible tells us: " Repent and be Born Again," we stop being selfish and be loving and caring, kind and always friendly. God will notice our loving efforts, and God will Bless us. We might stumble or forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us, and carry on being loving and caring. Why not give it a try? it will be well worth it.
Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.
Upvote
0
- Apr 1, 2016
- 1,345
- 389
- 53
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Male
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Libertarian
I may be able to help, but it would need to be a private conversation, and it might involve questions that require personal answers. I'd prefer not to message you privately without your permission. If you'd care to talk, message me. I'm even willing to chat on the phone if you like.
Upvote
0
DLB
New Member
Sin leads to death so if one transcends death and lives forever sin has been defeated.
Jesus said if we eat and drink his flesh and blood we will not die.
Joh 6, 48 "I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die."
Therefore, if we as believer's are still dying it is because we haven't truly participated in Holy communion. We still die because we continue to decieve ourselves about the depth and authenticity of our relationship with Christ.
We do not diet on the flesh of Jesus, that is the Word. Rather, we live by the word of man and the milk of preachers for a life time and then die as mortals. Believing his logos and rhema word transforms the mortal to immortal.
Living off of the Word of God is a violent clash within a man's own life. You can not serve two master's. Either you destroy the natural man and the sin that has infected it or you extinguish the leading of the Holy Spirit that generates life.
Jesus said if we eat and drink his flesh and blood we will not die.
Joh 6, 48 "I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die."
Therefore, if we as believer's are still dying it is because we haven't truly participated in Holy communion. We still die because we continue to decieve ourselves about the depth and authenticity of our relationship with Christ.
We do not diet on the flesh of Jesus, that is the Word. Rather, we live by the word of man and the milk of preachers for a life time and then die as mortals. Believing his logos and rhema word transforms the mortal to immortal.
Living off of the Word of God is a violent clash within a man's own life. You can not serve two master's. Either you destroy the natural man and the sin that has infected it or you extinguish the leading of the Holy Spirit that generates life.
Upvote
0
stuart lawrence
Well-Known Member
I think I have a better understanding of that than you do.
Paul continuously states the christian has a righteousness before God apart from observing the law/ works of the law rom3:19-22, rom10:4, gal2:21 etc
Sin is transgression of the law 1john 3:4
Therefore if you observe the law you do not sin, when you fail to observe the law you commit sin
If the christian has a rightousness before God apart from the law/ apart from observing the law. They must have a righteousness before God irrespective of sin in their life. The christians rightstanding before God does not hinge on their sin.
If you disagree, you must fail to understand Paul's message of grace
Upvote
0
AllanV
Newbie
At the age of 5 or 6 my mother sent me to a Sunday school and the next week I refused to go. My dad gave me a belting and then my mother backed off and there was no more church for me. I did not know what Christianity was about.
At 26 an unsearched for supernatural experience opened my mind to knowing that God actually is true. There was a complete release from all my past and also a healed back injury.
Some Issues had developed with my mother and there was then some compassion toward her.
I welcomed a closer relationship and she seemed to then actively try to wreak my marriage. She obviously had some pay back arranged. It is complicated and a long story.
When I did go into Churches as an observer only because there was some naivety on my part it was difficult not to come out without some damage.
I eventually stayed away and 14 years later work had slowed down in my business which was welcome because self employment is difficult at the best of times.
I began a fast for health reasons. It was meant to be a few days but the bible was opened up and a Christian radio station turned on. There was a recording morning and night that caught my attention and it was one of Derek Princes' series. I had never heard of him before that.
The whole focus was on scriptures and prayer three times a day. A decision was made to sell off the plant and machinery of my small business as well.
As the days went on my mind was swinging between memories of the association with friends, family etc and these tended to interfere with a deepening sense of purity. The thoughts that came into my mind about my own life were pushed out with some verbally renounced. Every time I caught my mind drifting back there had to be an immediate refocus on scriptures. But the mind must not be allowed to intellectualize on scriptures either. Simple scriptures meditated on and then spoken out in full belief.
I was fit and although fasting I went with my family on a tramp once a week with a local tramping club.
There was an ebb and flow of my mental state and in the third week it lead to an attack in my mind of demons that were attempting to take over my weakened will. It was frightening because I didn't have the strength in my self to resist. Own personality with all faults is just like any addiction. I desperately prayed and it backed off. The next evening during a prayer I broke inwardly very deeply realizing my own inadequacy and pushed away from the aspects that were obvious on the inside.
Something very quite and gentle settled over me and every thing of my own self was gone. Some days later it was realized this was only hidden.
I went down stairs and it seemed as though something fell away from around my heart and an exquisite melody played within my chest.
God energized the Love within the nature and this is the divine nature. I now fully realize what Jesus has done for everyone.
The scriptures opened up to me and the Apostle Paul especially explains something very real.
The Spirit lead through this whole blessing. My job was to let my own life go let my self go and the Spirit did the rest.
Upvote
0
stuart lawrence
Well-Known Member
It is a biblical fact that if you have a righteousness before God apart from observing the law, you have a righteousness before God apart from your sin.
Only your own understanding can bring you to reject that truth. The holy spirit won't bring you to reject it
Upvote
0
AllanV
Newbie
All I am doing is relating an experience and it is not an understanding it is what actually occurred.
The experience could be expanded and then become and understanding when lined up against scriptures.
The scriptures are difficult and seem to be ambiguous in some places and even contradictory in others and this is why there are so many interpretations and even differing translations.
The Eternal God opened up my mind and it is better to be a witness from the source.
Upvote
0
Similar threads
