I'm struggling with sin

[Touched by grace]

This is a very sensitive and difficult subject for me to discuss, simply because
I am a christian and I know that my actions have been wrong!!!!.......I have been struggling in the area of fornication for some time now....I have asked for God's forgiveness........and I believe in my heart that I will not sin again in this area........but I end up back on my knees in tears......I have read all the scripures regarding fornication and regarding those who continue to sin......it says that the love of the father is not in them.........I know that I love God, truly I do love him.....but I simply lack self-control or I don't quite know why I allow the flesh to overtake me in this area.....I just want to be free of this sin......I have prayed & fasted relentlessly regarding this........I don't know what else to do.....I know that God has to chastise me and prune me so that I bear "much fruit"......I just want this sin to go away, so that I can be effective in the kingdom of God...............TYJ (Thank you Jesus)[/FONT]

 

[Protestant Minister]

While I was trying to think of what to say to you,the Holy Spirit told ,me to go easy on you.Not easy for me because messages like yours normally make me angry.But I'll try real hard not to call you any names.I guess if there is a positive side to your situation,you certainly are in the majority.The problem is you're in the majority in THE most evil and sin-ridden society that has ever existed in the entire history of the world.It makes Jesus' warning,MANY WILL BE CALLED BUT FEW CHOSEN,really hit home doesn't it?Just one statistic should get your head screwed on righturing 2003,there was a seventy (YES 70) percent increase in American child inappropriate content internet sites.

Oh I have some more really positive news for you.While I've been trying to think of really nasty things to write,the Holy Spirit has repeatedly told me that God really loves you.PRAISE GOD FOR THAT! You're sure lucky that I'm not God.People like you really upset me.Ok I'll try to be nice,.

Let's try this one:IF YOUR RIGHT HAND CAUSES YOU TO SIN,CUT OFF YOUR RIGHT HAND. Those are Jesus' words.Whatever is causing you to sin just has to be removed from your life - COMPLETELY AND PERMANENTLY.There is a chain of behavior you go through before you get to the sin.I assume you get the desire in your mind,you stop what you're doing,you get in your car,you drive to some pervert,and only then does the sin occur.At any point along that behavior chain,you can stop and return to your previous non-sinful activities.So you need to learn a new habit:sexual desire is a cue to immediately engage in another behavior.(phone calling,writing letters,listening to Christian music or reading a good Christian book or the old stand-by - a very cold shower followed by sleep)If your sin is caused by a relationship with a sexual pervert who tempts you,then of course you need to completely end that relationship.The solution to your problem is to block yourself before you even get close to the place where the sin is committed.I certainly hope you don't frequent night clubs or have any inappropriate contentography you view.That has to be cut completely out of your life.if present.Any and all sexual temptations need to be removed or reduced as much as possible for you to overcome this beast..

If these behavioral techniques don't work,then assume that you do have a sexual addiction problem.SETTING CAPTIVES FREE offers free internet courses that can help you in that case.The most important information I can give you is that the Holy Spirit keeps telling me how much God loves you.It's really quite overwhelming in fact.GOD FORGIVES YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR CONTINUAL EFFORTS TO OVERCOME YOUR SIN AND BECAUSE OF YOUR REPEATED REPENTENCE.This isn't my opinion.This is what the Holy Spirit told me.Frankly,if it were up to me,I'd send you to hell but God's love for you is just astonishing.I'm starting to cry because of His mercy and forgiveness.I have to quit typing.God will get you out of this.JUST STAY CLOSE TO JESUS.tHANK YOU GOD.YOU'RE AMAZING!

 

[Evee]

WHY don't you marry her?
Problem solved.

 

[jay1_z]

Romans is an excellent resource for answering this question. I won't explain the whole book, but basically we sin because it's in our nature to do so. Sin is not justified but it is understandable. When temptations rise up we need to pray and think about God . As for fornicating the Bible says to FLEE fornication! There are some temptations that I can not avoid. I was in a situation at work where I was constantly flirting with this woman and if I didn't FLEE that environment I would have slept with her, but I'm already in a relationship. We need to realize what temptations are too strong for us to win against rightn now and pray about them. But until we get the strength to deal with them we need to run from those temptations.

 

[PottersClay]

TBG, I can hear the anguish and my heart really goes out to you. I had the same struggles when I was a young believer and experienced the same anguish, until the Lord showed me two things:

First, that He was not angry at me because I had committed a horrible sin, He showed me that His heart was broken because He knew what I was doing was destroying myself, and He couldnt bear to see me in pain. That love alone would have been enough for me to break free from that bondage. But He didnt stop there...

The second thing He showed me caused an enormous turning point as a Christian (get this, dont just skim over it) He told me this:

The reason He hates sin and commands us to resist and flee from it is because it causes separation between Him and us and He loves us so much, He cant bear that separation.

After that point, resisting sin took on an entirely different perspective. I was no longer resisting it because I should I was doing it because I loved the Lord and couldnt bear any separation from Him either!

I was never the same. Thank God!!

I pray earnestly that He gives you the same revelation.

 

[markmayer23]

All of us really struggles in different ways... I understand what you are feeling. In Rom. 12:1,2 says that we should live a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to Him because this is our act of worship. Do not conform any longer on the PATTERN OF THIS WORLD but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your MIND. How well do you know that you really love God. Jesus said in the 1st commanded that we shoud love the Lord our God with all our heart, with our soul, with all our strength and with all our mind. If we do love Him, we should learn and apply how to OBEY His commandments for us. Paul also said that if we are living in the flesh, the Spirit of the Lord is not with us.
But God is merciful and gracious to us. The only thing we could do is to confess all our sins to Him (that really matters when you're sincere) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. You also need to ask guidance and counsel from your pastors. Ask them to pray for you to help you deliver from those sins. Love God with all your life and seek Him first and all these things that you request from Him will be added unto to you... God bless you!

 

[Bro. Gabriel]

Just keep in mind what the Bible says about sexual immorality.. We are to FLEE IT!!!

Not only that, but sexual immorality is the only sin that we commit against our own body, the Bible teaches.

Make for yourself moral "margins" of error in your life. Don't get so close to the edge.

Imagine it like this: You're standing on a cliff, which if you fall off of it, you'll die obviously. The closer we are to the cliff depends on how close we are to committing sins. If you make your moral boundaries very deep, then you'll be very far away from the cliff's edge; shallow, and you'll be right on the edge of the cliff. Since we're all born into a sinful nature, we're going to slip up from time to time. However, if we set our boundaries so far back from the cliff's edge, when we do slip up a little, the consequences are much less than if we live life on the edge of that cliff. Live life on the edge, and you'll plunge to your death.

Grace and Peace be with you.

 

[Super Gnat]

After sorrow comes repentance. Repentance literally means to "turn away" from sin. You know that you're tempted in this area, and you know that you're falling. Obviously some behavior (or behaviors) need to change here. Something (more likely many things) are putting you in the way of temptation. You need to change those behaviors and avoid those things.

Who are you fornicating with? If it's one person, then you need to sit down with them (preferably in a public or semi-public place) and tell them that you two need to stop doing this. If that person is amenable, then you two need to set some boundaries. When is this happening? Where is it happening? If being with that person in private sets things off, then don't be with that person in private! Start interacting with that person only in public places. Bring a chaperone along, if you have to . If you know talking to that person on the phone usually ends up with one of you coming over to the other's place, then don't talk to them on the phone, or keep it short. If that person is an irresistible temptation to you no matter what, or if they don't want things to change, then you may have to break up with them. It may be tough, but it's not impossible.

This stuff applies even if it's not just one person. If you tend to fornicate at parties, then stop going to those parties. If your friends all fornicate and encourage you to do so also, then find new friends, preferably Christians. If you pick up prostitutes, then don't drive late at night. I don't know your particular situation, and you don't have to post it if you don't want to. But you need to evaluate what led up to your past experiences and figure out what you need to change. It may be something that's not a sin per se, like going on a date. But if that's what causes you to sin, then you need to get rid of it.

I wrote this post myself, but the main idea is taken from Josh Harris' book Not Even A Hint, which I highly recommend.

 

[DawnMarie]

I think we complicate things too much in life. We all struggle with sin. You're not the only one. I think maybe you just accent the sin too much. If you're busy working to find God, then you should'nt have too much time to get into trouble. Everyone thinks about sinning. That part isn't unique. The problem is that you're acting on what you're thinking about. If you're thinking about something else, you won't be thinking about the sin. Devote yourself to something good. Find something to occupy your mind. I wonder if you might have too much time on your hands??? I certainly don't know for sure...but I'll be praying for you.

 

[Rafael]

Grow in grace, forget that which is past, learn from it and move on toward the goal of holiness. If you burn, marry, as suggested earlier and as the Apostle Paul tells in 1 Corinthians. Self-control is fruit of the Spirit, so focus on God's will for you life as much as you can. I had the same problem when I was younger, and had to suffer greatly to finally get to the point where God took it out of my life the hard way. God is always longsuffering and full of grace towards us, but will not be mocked, as the scripture does say we will reap what we sow. So keep your heart right, confess your sins to God, ask and receive forgiveness, and then forget what is past and move on without hindrance. I encourage you to not be like me and have to learn the hard way.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.