How do you rid yourself of temptation?

[Goatee]

How do you know the way your church reads scripture is the right way lol?
But .
When I was nineteen I sat on the edge of my bed, deep in thought. There was roughly 2 billion people who professed the christian faith, and most were smarter than me. And among those two billion there were many disagreements-among Catholics too! I felt very small in the grand scheme of things. I hated the idea of following a wrong message.
So I did the only thing I could do. I got down on my knees and asked God to show me the truth as I read the bible through the holy spirit. I left it at that and trusted he would.
Does that make me infallible? Heck no, I don't know everything. But you have to exercise your faith and believe you get answers to prayer don't you

Thats a fair comment my friend. Who am i to argue with that.

I wish that God would lead me to all truth and understanding. I do read the bible every day and it is a minefield and i am very wary to try and interpret it on my own as i am without understanding.

 

[Galilee63]

Our Lord Jesus delivered His Holy Wound Chaplet to Saint Sister Marie Chambon in the early 1840's - 1907 among others and Jesus heals my heart and strengthens me against re-committing the same old sins tempted by satan with old sins blocked from re-occurring and many other Holy miracles (to me) that Jesus has Gifted within His Mercy and through our Heavenly Mother Mary, Mother of God. When one reads Jesus' Holy words on His Wounds delivered also to Saint Bridget, then prays His Holy Wound Chaplet a few times focussing on Jesus' Holy Cross, hearts open receiving Jesus and Jesus heals us which blocks satan in many temptations. I commenced repentance of my sins and most serious sins during 2011/12 to date to Jesus one on ONE and to Jesus through His Priests with Jesus Present including receiving His Holy Flesh and Blood. Fasting if healthy daily with Jesus Holy Wound Chaplet if you do not pray The Holy Rosary is the way to go against satan and his temptations.

O Jesus Divine Redeemer, be merciful to us and to the whole world Amen.
Strong God, Holy God, Holy Immortal God, have Mercy on us and on the whole world Amen.
Grace and Mercy, O My Jesus, during present dangers, cover us with Your Precious Blood Amen.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Blood of Jesus Christ Your only Son, grant us mercy we beseech You, Amen. Amen. Amen.

Eternal Father grant us Mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ Your Only Son, grant us mercy we beseech You, Amen. Amen. Amen.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the Wounds of our souls Amen, - ten times focussing on Jesus and His Holy Cross.

 

[Belarius]

Remove all things from your life that bring temptation and offer opportunity to sin.
I sold my PC, shot up my Smartphone, and installed the Internet Filter K9 on my wifes laptop, with her having the password.
Put any websites on a direct block list that may contain things that may lead you astray such as advertisement.
Use Adblock Pro, its free as an app from Firefox or Chrome.

 

[aiki]

But, i have told you my reason for believing what the passage means, as based on CATHOLIC interpretation!

Admit you got it wrong as it plainly says in that passage what it means! God bless you buddy

Yes, I know you've given me the official RC interpretation of the verse. But you haven't reconciled that interpretation with the total absence of any instance in Scripture where the apostles offer absolution. You haven't explained how the interpretation you're holding makes sense in light of our forgiveness being obtained from God through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Christ's atonement was perfect. He paid for all sin for all time totally and completely. (He. 7:26, 27; 9:12; Ro. 6:10; 1Ti. 2:5, 6; 1Pe. 1:18, 19, etc.) And because this is so, Christ has obtained God's forgiveness for us all. Consequently, no apostle or priest can, or even needs to, forgive us for sin. All sin has been forgiven because of what Christ did some 2000 years ago. It is for this reason that the apostle John commands believers to confess their sins rather than ask for forgiveness of them. (1Jn. 1:9) Upon our admission to God that our sin is sin (which is what "confession" means), God applies to us the forgiveness Christ obtained for us on the cross. In light of all this (and more I have not gone into) the RC view is nonsensical and unbiblical. When you understand the whole counsel of the Bible, it becomes clear that many of the teachings of the RC church are [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]-eyed. But you have made yourself a thought-slave of the RC church rather than a student of the Bible and so you cannot see the wrong teachings of the church when they confront you.

I'll continue to pray for you.

Selah.

 

[Goatee]

Yes, I know you've given me the official RC interpretation of the verse. But you haven't reconciled that interpretation with the total absence of any instance in Scripture where the apostles offer absolution. You haven't explained how the interpretation you're holding makes sense in light of our forgiveness being obtained from God through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Christ's atonement was perfect. He paid for all sin for all time totally and completely. (He. 7:26, 27; 9:12; Ro. 6:10; 1Ti. 2:5, 6; 1Pe. 1:18, 19, etc.) And because this is so, Christ has obtained God's forgiveness for us all. Consequently, no apostle or priest can, or even needs to, forgive us for sin. All sin has been forgiven because of what Christ did some 2000 years ago. It is for this reason that the apostle John commands believers to confess their sins rather than ask for forgiveness of them. (1Jn. 1:9) Upon our admission to God that our sin is sin (which is what "confession" means), God applies to us the forgiveness Christ obtained for us on the cross. In light of all this (and more I have not gone into) the RC view is nonsensical and unbiblical. When you understand the whole counsel of the Bible, it becomes clear that many of the teachings of the RC church are [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]-eyed. But you have made yourself a thought-slave of the RC church rather than a student of the Bible and so you cannot see the wrong teachings of the church when they confront you.

I'll continue to pray for you.

Selah.

If that was the case, Jesus would not have said:

John 20:22-23
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Why would he instruct the Apostles to go out and forgive sins if all sins now and in the future were forgiven?

It clearly states in the above passage 'Forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven'.

Remember, 'ALL' sin is sin against God.

The priest 'forgiving' sins, via Jesus is very much Biblical as it is exactly what 'JESUS' instructed the Apostles to do of which has been handed down through the years via Catholic Tradition and with the Holy Spirit!

You are just another Catholic hater who has to 'try' and shoot the church down and again, like many, you fail! God bless you buddy

 

[aiki]

Why would he instruct the Apostles to go out and forgive sins if all sins now and in the future were forgiven?

Why indeed? As I've been saying, the verses from John 20 simply can't be read literally. The Bible is crystal clear that Jesus paid for all sin for all time and through his atoning work we have forgiveness of sin:

Colossians 1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Ephesians 1:5-7
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

1 John 2:2
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Hebrews 7:26-27
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

Hebrews 9:12
12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:26-28
26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

And so on. The truth of Christ's full and perfect atonement for our sin and the forgiveness from God that this atonement obtains is a theme that runs all throughout the Bible. It is heavily foreshadowed and prophesied in the Old Testament (Isa. 53) and fulfilled in the New. And this truth confounds the interpretation you've given John 20:22-23.

You can plug your ears and refuse to allow Scripture to qualify and explain itself, or you can face the truth of Scripture open and unafraid of the threatenings of the RC church and understand it as it actually is for yourself. The RC church has not taught you how to defeat temptation in your life and it is not teaching you rightly about a great many other things, too. If you continue in this line, your experience with God will continue to be full of failure, and frustration, and fear.

You are just another Catholic hater who has to 'try' and shoot the church down and again, like many, you fail!

I don't hate Catholics. I married a Catholic (now a former Catholic). Some of what the RC church teaches is very good. But there is much that is totally off. I can tell the difference, though, between the good and bad teaching, but you've made yourself, by your blind allegiance to the RC institution, unable to do so. That's very sad.

Selah.

 

[Goatee]

Why indeed? As I've been saying, the verses from John 20 simply can't be read literally. The Bible is crystal clear that Jesus paid for all sin for all time and through his atoning work we have forgiveness of sin:


And so on. The truth of Christ's full and perfect atonement for our sin and the forgiveness from God that this atonement obtains is a theme that runs all throughout the Bible. It is heavily foreshadowed and prophesied in the Old Testament (Isa. 53) and fulfilled in the New. And this truth confounds the interpretation you've given John 20:22-23.

You can plug your ears and refuse to allow Scripture to qualify and explain itself, or you can face the truth of Scripture open and unafraid of the threatenings of the RC church and understand it as it actually is for yourself. The RC church has not taught you how to defeat temptation in your life and it is not teaching you rightly about a great many other things, too. If you continue in this line, your experience with God will continue to be full of failure, and frustration, and fear.



I don't hate Catholics. I married a Catholic (now a former Catholic). Some of what the RC church teaches is very good. But there is much that is totally off. I can tell the difference, though, between the good and bad teaching, but you've made yourself, by your blind allegiance to the RC institution, unable to do so. That's very sad.

Selah.

You cannot take the verse i quoted as literal but you take others as literal?!!

 

[aiki]

You cannot take the verse i quoted as literal but you take others as literal?!!

I let Scripture explain and qualify itself. You should, too. If two verses seem to contradict each other, I find a way that synthesizes them, not leaves them at odds. I can't deny the many verses all throughout the Bible that explain very clearly that my forgiveness is found in Christ and his work on the cross, not in the apostles, and certainly not in a priest. Christ's reconciliation of man to God is THE greatest theme of Scripture. So, I look at the two verses you've offered and I find a way to conform them to these many other verses. The only way I can do that is by understanding the verses in John 20 in a non-literal way. Whatever they may mean, they cannot mean that a sinful man who himself requires God's forgiveness has the power to forgive sins against God - or even needs to do so. I have suggested that what they are better understood to mean is that the apostles spoke with heavenly authority, for God, when they taught the Gospel and how God's forgiveness of our sins is obtained through the shed blood of Christ. The idea that they could actually forgive sins is just not borne out in any way in Scripture.

You have challenged me again and again to make sense of the verses from John 20 but you have not once tried to do the same with the verses and reasons I've offered that refute your interpretation. You're being pretty hypocritical in this, I think. Why shouldn't you have to show me how you reconcile your interpretation of the verses in John 20 with all the ones I've shown you that deny your interpretation? I think it is because you cannot. And this shows just how blindly - and wrongly - you've adopted RC doctrines.

Selah.

 

[Goatee]

I let Scripture explain and qualify itself. You should, too. If two verses seem to contradict each other, I find a way that synthesizes them, not leaves them at odds. I can't deny the many verses all throughout the Bible that explain very clearly that my forgiveness is found in Christ and his work on the cross, not in the apostles, and certainly not in a priest. Christ's reconciliation of man to God is THE greatest theme of Scripture. So, I look at the two verses you've offered and I find a way to conform them to these many other verses. The only way I can do that is by understanding the verses in John 20 in a non-literal way. Whatever they may mean, they cannot mean that a sinful man who himself requires God's forgiveness has the power to forgive sins against God - or even needs to do so. I have suggested that what they are better understood to mean is that the apostles spoke with heavenly authority, for God, when they taught the Gospel and how God's forgiveness of our sins is obtained through the shed blood of Christ. The idea that they could actually forgive sins is just not borne out in any way in Scripture.

You have challenged me again and again to make sense of the verses from John 20 but you have not once tried to do the same with the verses and reasons I've offered that refute your interpretation. You're being pretty hypocritical in this, I think. Why shouldn't you have to show me how you reconcile your interpretation of the verses in John 20 with all the ones I've shown you that deny your interpretation? I think it is because you cannot. And this shows just how blindly - and wrongly - you've adopted RC doctrines.

Selah.

See, you try your hardest to try and get out of what John 20 really means by coming up with your very 'own' ideas!

John 20 is very plain indeed:

John 20:22-23
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

We can only gain absolution / forgiveness through Our Lord. Only Jesus can forgive us. He is doing that 'through' his Apostles and his Priests. That is very 'plain' to see. He died to save us from our sins. It doesn't mean we can sin willy nilly thinking its ok as Jesus died for them and all will be hunky dory!

Jesus opened a door for us by his death. He gave us his Apostles / Priests as instruments to his forgiveness. He worked / works through them.

ALL sins are sins against God.

Jesus gave us these people to channel his Mercy here on earth. John 20 is VERY CLEAR TO CATHOLICS.

You are searching the Bible for ways to see fit your interpretation of John 20. But, on the other hand then, you plainly accept the 'literal' meaning of many other verses! You are contradicting yourself all over the place my dear friend.

God bless you buddy

 

[aiki]

We can only gain absolution / forgiveness through Our Lord. Only Jesus can forgive us. He is doing that 'through' his Apostles and his Priests. That is very 'plain' to see. He died to save us from our sins. It doesn't mean we can sin willy nilly thinking its ok as Jesus died for them and all will be hunky dory!

Jesus opened a door for us by his death. He gave us his Apostles / Priests as instruments to his forgiveness. He worked / works through them.

The verses don't teach that the apostles (or priests) are necessary to anyone's forgiveness. You will not find a single verse in all of Scripture that says we need the apostles or anyone else in order to obtain God's forgiveness. Instead, we find statements like:

1 Timothy 2:5
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 4:16
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

What need do we have of a confessional and priest when we have the One Great Mediator, Jesus Christ, between ourselves and God who makes it possible for us to come directly unto God's throne and obtain mercy and grace?

And I have never suggested that one can sin as they like and think its okay. Our love for God should make it quite difficult to sin against Him and a very bitter thing when we do. But when we do sin, we need only confess our sin and God will forgive us, not because we deserve to be forgiven but because Christ perfectly atoned for all our sin.

Selah.

 

[Goatee]

The verses don't teach that the apostles (or priests) are necessary to anyone's forgiveness. You will not find a single verse in all of Scripture that says we need the apostles or anyone else in order to obtain God's forgiveness. Instead, we find statements like:

And I have never suggested that one can sin as they like and think its okay. Our love for God should make it quite difficult to sin against Him and a very bitter thing when we do. But when we do sin, we need only confess our sin and God will forgive us, not because we deserve to be forgiven but because Christ perfectly atoned for all our sin.

Selah.

John 20:22-23
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus said the above for a reason not just for fun. He was instructing his Apostles to go out and Forgive sins or to retain them. Jesus could very well have stated that there was no reason to do this but he didn't.

We need the priests as they are vessels that Jesus acts through.

John 20 has very plain meaning in the Bible. You just dont want to admit that what it says is what it actually means my dear friend!

This is the beauty of the Catholic church where we can trace our roots right back to Jesus. Peter being the Rock, the first Pope, where Tradition and the Holy Spirit remain to this day, guiding the faithful.

God bless you buddy

 

[theniceiceman]

To rid yourself of temptation, you'd have to stop being human. Good luck with that.

(Unless God performs a miracle and takes it away from you.)

 

[Mark Wilson]

I want to be clean, I want to be without sin.. I like the feeling I get right after prayer, It's like a clean pure feeling, But it does not last, Sooner or later temptation happens..

My sins and desires offend me, And even though I try to resist, it's not so simple, The flesh is wicked and it desires what it does. Is there a way to make temptation go away and never come back. I dislike my temptations, I want them to stop completely, forever..There is no need to go into detail. And lest I be judged, No man is without sin. But, I am offended by my wickedness, it pulls at me like a chain coming straight from hell. To know the love of God, And then to feel the pull of Satan,, It's unfair, God deserves better then me, And I want to do better. But the devil knows my weakness.. And I am weak. How can someone make temptation stop? It's like a sickness that does not go away..

A never ending battle, And I just want peace,...Please note, I am not insane, I am just very spiritual,, I promise, My sins are not that different from any other male,, most likely..

But its not fair that Satan gets to try, over and over and over again,, it's like I am a stone and he is a stone cutter.. He picks at me until I am weak. And I fall to temptation..

It's not fair... I want it to stop...

Ok. now it's your turn to trade your sorrow's for the joy of the lord. Mathew 3:12 talks about the fan in the hand. Do that fan in the hand thing over and over, working out your salvation daily with fear and trembling. What it does is it lifts your spirit up and causes your spirit to inflate. When it comes to a full inflate you will either cry it out or spew it out. A spew is when you turn your lower lip downward and force air out. Doing this over and over daily will build you up with Christ's integrity. By doing this you are casting your cares upon the lord. Because the lord lives in your spirit. Over all goal is to be more loving and be humble. Because humility is beautiful!

 

[Truly1999]

What on earth? We will always be tempted. When we sin we should ask for God's forgiveness. We might commit the same sin 100 times or a thousand times. Each time we ask for God's forgiveness He gives us more grace. We might feel ashamed and not ask for His forgiveness for some time. The important thing to remember is that God loves us and that He is willing to forgive AND forget on the first occasion and on the 500th occasion.

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[Truly1999]

Furthermore - I may be repeating what someone has already written , but I think it's worth writing it again - there are some sins which we are going to nail fairly easily and other sins which are going to be hard to stop. The grace which God gives us - through His Son, Jesus - empowers us to resist temptation. We should ask Jesus for more help with the more difficult sins. Remember when Jesus resisted temptation? He was exhausted and needed help to recover. We shouldn't be too hard on ourselves.

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[theniceiceman]

Furthermore - I may be repeating what someone has already written , but I think it's worth writing it again - there are some sins which we are going to nail fairly easily and other sins which are going to be hard to stop. The grace which God gives us - through His Son, Jesus - empowers us to resist temptation. We should ask Jesus for more help with the more difficult sins. Remember when Jesus resisted temptation? He was exhausted and needed help to recover. We shouldn't be too hard on ourselves.

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Love everything you're saying, Truly. So many people--myself included--feel condemned and worthless when they struggle with sins. Some are easy to stop and some aren't, like you said. For me, it was easy to stop cussing, but it has been REALLY hard to stop looking at porn. It was easy for me to stop being so mean-spirited, but it's REALLY hard for me to stop overeating. Addictions are always going to be harder, and some of us are 'addicted' to things without even knowing it--being prideful, for example, or gossiping. I totally agree with what you're saying, and I want to commend you for being so encouraging and positive!

 

[Truly1999]

Love everything you're saying, Truly. So many people--myself included--feel condemned and worthless when they struggle with sins. Some are easy to stop and some aren't, like you said. For me, it was easy to stop cussing, but it has been REALLY hard to stop looking at porn. It was easy for me to stop being so mean-spirited, but it's REALLY hard for me to stop overeating. Addictions are always going to be harder, and some of us are 'addicted' to things without even knowing it--being prideful, for example, or gossiping. I totally agree with what you're saying, and I want to commend you for being so encouraging and positive!

Thanks for your kind words.

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[Sundown]

I want to be clean, I want to be without sin.. I like the feeling I get right after prayer, It's like a clean pure feeling, But it does not last, Sooner or later temptation happens..

My sins and desires offend me, And even though I try to resist, it's not so simple, The flesh is wicked and it desires what it does. Is there a way to make temptation go away and never come back. I dislike my temptations, I want them to stop completely, forever..There is no need to go into detail. And lest I be judged, No man is without sin. But, I am offended by my wickedness, it pulls at me like a chain coming straight from hell. To know the love of God, And then to feel the pull of Satan,, It's unfair, God deserves better then me, And I want to do better. But the devil knows my weakness.. And I am weak. How can someone make temptation stop? It's like a sickness that does not go away..

A never ending battle, And I just want peace,...Please note, I am not insane, I am just very spiritual,, I promise, My sins are not that different from any other male,, most likely..

But its not fair that Satan gets to try, over and over and over again,, it's like I am a stone and he is a stone cutter.. He picks at me until I am weak. And I fall to temptation..

It's not fair... I want it to stop...

Is that a poem that you wrote, or is it the expression of your heart? I wrote many poems and wrote expression of my heart as well, which is why I am asking.

Assuming it is the expression of your heart, I will answer you this way .... You are the one that decides how to live your life, either serving God or fulfill the lust of the flesh. We know the adversary days will come soon, and many rationalize their sinful behavior by blaming the adversary, but the adversary usually comes when you are truly serving God, he will not bother with the person that is already indulging in sin. One must give an account of their own behavior and stop blaming others.

If you truly seek God, allowing the Spirit to guide your heart and get on your knees, then you will truly see how the adversary will attack you, putting doubt and fear in one and that is. If you are truthfully serving God you will see that his grace is made perfect in your weaknesses. So, if you are being pulled away to the fulfillment of your flesh that is because you are not allowing yourself to truly seek God. Every man is weak, strength comes through a commitment and that commitment should be to God.

Under no circumstances am I judging you and though it might sound harsh the way I stated it, sometime one needs to hear it that way to be encourage to seek God so that they do not fall into their own lust that they love to indulge in.

 

[Shadowprophet]

Is that a poem that you wrote, or is it the expression of your heart? I wrote many poems and wrote expression of my heart as well, which is why I am asking.

Assuming it is the expression of your heart, I will answer you this way .... You are the one that decides how to live your life, either serving God or fulfill the lust of the flesh. We know the adversary days will come soon, and many rationalize their sinful behavior by blaming the adversary, but the adversary usually comes when you are truly serving God, he will not bother with the person that is already indulging in sin. One must give an account of their own behavior and stop blaming others.

If you truly seek God, allowing the Spirit to guide your heart and get on your knees, then you will truly see how the adversary will attack you, putting doubt and fear in one and that is. If you are truthfully serving God you will see that his grace is made perfect in your weaknesses. So, if you are being pulled away to the fulfillment of your flesh that is because you are not allowing yourself to truly seek God. Every man is weak, strength comes through a commitment and that commitment should be to God.

Under no circumstances am I judging you and though it might sound harsh the way I stated it, sometime one needs to hear it that way to be encourage to seek God so that they do not fall into their own lust that they love to indulge in.

Hi, um' I've written poems before, I have been accused of being (okay) with words.. But no, This was truly from my heart and my love for God. If it sounds at all like a poem, That's only a side effect of it being truly from my heart

 

[Sundown]

This is why I also asked if its the expression of your heart. I do not want to talk about it, but I will tell you a little about me, I wrote an expression of my heart .... "the difference between me and a dead man, I just refuse to lay down, though he was better off." Then I wrote .... "my pain I leave behind and my scars are my lessons, I will enter a knew life with a breath of fresh air."

I wrote the above because I had it all and I lost it all, I was close to dirt. So, think of what I told you, you need to truly commit to God and I am not judging you.