Is There Something Wrong With Me

[KM Richards]

A young man in today's society is going to get help from the enemy
to get into all kinds of trouble and Jesus said in Matthew 17:19-21
that the toughest devils must be cast out thru fasting and prayer.

In the Matthew 17:19-21 situation, ever notice how Jesus didn't
have to go off and spend time fasting and praying?

That's because He led a fasted life and a prayerful life where
He was consistantly fasting and praying on a regular basis...

 

[truthinmyheart]

Ten years ago I know that I know that I know that I was truly born again, but the last few years it seems i've been caught in this cycle.

My biggest problem is lust. It seems I fail God and sin in this area and then I thouroughly repent and God forgives me and I feel free and clean and dead to sin - and this usually last for a few weeks or a month maybe even two, but then it's like I wake up one day and my flesh feels so alive. I don't know if it's hormones or what - I'm a 21 year old male - but it's like these lustful urgers are there - and I try to fight them off as long as I can but eventually i give in to them. and fail again and sin again - then i'm usually stuck in this pit for a few days - then I repent and the the process starts all over again.

Is this normal Chrisitianity? What am I to do? I want my old man to die and stay dead forever and to never be resurrected again.

Everyone struggles with lust, men and women. Older saints often tell me it gets better with time. I'm a single pentecostal and gave up worldly dating after being baptized with the holy spirit and I was celibate long before that. I know how you feel.
The important part is to never give up, the lord will give you deliverance, you just have to hold onto that promise. Keep praying, it also helps to fast as well (either the daniel fast or just skipping breakfast is fine).
Don't dwell on self condemnation, our savior is a merciful , and patient too. Ask god to give you the desire not to indulge in your flesh, always ask the lord for help.
If you want victory then start by making a covenant with your eyes, promise the lord you will not look at images which incite lust. This doesn't only mean porn, sometimes looking at t.v which show partial nudity can get those thoughts going, so be careful what you watch. You may live or work in an environment where you encounter immodest women, make the best of it and try to look away. Take it one step at a time, sometimes trying to quit cold turkey can be too much, so start by not looking at any inappropriate images. Those images may dwell in your mind, but if you don't indulge your eyes then those images will fade with time. If you have looked at pornography in the past and images keep playing in you mind when your not viewing it, ask god to erase those memories.
You may come across women who try to entice you, the enemy is using them as a means for your downfall, don't give in. Ask the lord to bind up the works of the enemy(in Jesus name). If you keep fighting you will see victory. And you must because you won't be ready for a godly marriage if you have not mastered self control( I'm assuming you're single maybe I'm wrong) Doesn't matter how many times you have to tell the devil no, keep saying no.

In the meantime, ask the lord to show you that special woman who will be your future wife.

Hope this helps.

 

[KM Richards]

A neat thing the Holy Spirit taught me when I was a young guy who was severely tempted by all the cute girls running around in skimpy clothes, acting all flirty...and that is...witnessing!

Anytime I was around any girl that was acting or dressing "loose", I'd go over and tell her the Jesus Christ loved her and had big plans for her life, and whatever else I was being led to say by the Holy Ghost at the moment.

Once I got to where I was doing this on a regular basis...I learned something...these pretty babes were being sent into my path by satan himself and were winkin at me and other come ons.

Because once I started witnessing to girls like this....it didn't take long for these frequent opportunities to lust quit presenting themselves.

NEVER let the enemy see you sweat as once he knows a weakness...you will be given the opportunity to test your ability to stand against that weakness, only he's trying to destroy your faith

In the meantime, ask the lord to show you that special woman who will be your future wife

Might be better to ask the Lord to prepare you for marriage by changing you and helping you to grow in every area of life...and leave the show me my wife stuff on the back burner for awhile since you aren't ready yet to see and know that.

LoL...I went thru that and was positive God had pointed out this very cute babe that had just started going to our church at the time. I was seriously hurt, or so I thought at the time, when I asked that young lady if she wanted to go to lunch after church at a restaurant where many church members ate at (we would not have been alone)...and she said "I don't think that would be a good idea"

It's always better to concentrate on growing in the Lord...and let Him tell you when you are ready for different things in your life.

 

[Builder_Bob]

Ten years ago I know that I know that I know that I was truly born again, but the last few years it seems i've been caught in this cycle.

My biggest problem is lust. It seems I fail God and sin in this area and then I thouroughly repent and God forgives me and I feel free and clean and dead to sin - and this usually last for a few weeks or a month maybe even two, but then it's like I wake up one day and my flesh feels so alive. I don't know if it's hormones or what - I'm a 21 year old male - but it's like these lustful urgers are there - and I try to fight them off as long as I can but eventually i give in to them. and fail again and sin again - then i'm usually stuck in this pit for a few days - then I repent and the the process starts all over again.

Is this normal Chrisitianity? What am I to do? I want my old man to die and stay dead forever and to never be resurrected again.

The spirit does not always strive with man. There are times when we feel tempted in our flesh that God allows to happen to test us and strengthen us in our wills to do right, and sorry to say this we often are found missing the right mark, and the need to return to a repentent state of mind happens often. But it doesn't make you a back sliden person and without the blood covering of Christ. God the holy spirit knows the warfare between the flesh and the spirit much better than we could ever explain it, for we only see in part, a small part in conparision to the lord who sees far beyond our understanding. If this weren't true the disciples in all their mistakes would have made them totally unworthy of walking with Christ before and after he was crucified.
I myself have come to notice when my mind is in the flesh, I sence my spirit man always near by, in away almost feels to me at times like another person in the room with me. Has anyone ever felt that? It's a strange feeling to experence your spirit man standing quietly, watching to see how you deal with certain situations when it comes about in your daily walk.
We all don't experence all the same manifestations of the spirit, cause I on this manifestation, I don't think I've heard anyone speak of it. I find the spirit man within me very strong in will and stable in thought, where my fleshly side is always daughtful and weak in faith. But to feel the spirit man in the room like I explained above, feels like another person standing near by is the most oddest feeling I've ever experenced.How great a gulf there is between the fleshly man and the ways of the spirit man, I believe we are tested daily to walk after the spirit man.
I had a out of body experence once after preaching one sunday morning I had walked back to two ladys sitting in the back of the church, I began to plead with them to come forward and pray and as I did I felt my natural self gently pushed out of my body and I flouted up and behind myself and could see my body as the Holy Spirit spoke to these ladys but could not comprehend what was being said to them for I could not hear anything but a mumble. After all was said my natural man enterd again into my body as the two ladys began to cryout in prayer.
As paul said (whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell) A experence which shows the gulf between the fleshly side of man and the spirit man. We need to bring the fleshly man into obedence to follow the spirit man and as we do the spirit man will come forth in us and defend our fleshly side.

 

[Lisa1285]

Amen. You know what I feel you really see this as an issue between you and your relationship with God. I am proud of you first of all...for admitting to the issue of lust. I want you to know that you are not alone but as a girl, and a little older--my prayer to God is "Lord I surrender my mind, my will, and my emotions to you; because if I trust in myself--I will fail."
It's very natural to desire and want--we are human--it's part of our DNA. But the problem comes when we put our desires and wants above God--we can't trust ourselves--we are fallen people. Our only hope is in the One who created us-God. God desires for us to guard our eyes, our minds, and our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."

 

[ExampleOfGrace]

I finally got the help I needed, and I put all the information on one website so that it can help others

hungryforrighteousness

then you need to add the dot com

 

[Bob Carabbio]

"My biggest problem is lust."

ANd so it is with many of us.

"I try to fight them off as long as I can but eventually i give in to them."

Yup - this is completely common - at 21, I'd be surprised if it was any other way. YOU CAN'T FIGHT THEM OFF IN YOUR OWN STRENGTH, and trying to do so will INVARIABLY result in failure (guess how I know that).

"then i'm usually stuck in this pit for a few days"

And there's the real problem - you seem to think that you're LESS Perfect in God's eyes when you SIN, than you were before you sinned. And the Enemy is getting his jollies beating you up, and telling you how much of a FAILURE you are - and you're apparently believing him.

"Is this normal Chrisitianity?"

Sounds "normal" to me.

"What am I to do?"

REPENT of your sin - confess it to the Lord when you fall, then RISE UP and keep on keeping on. AS SOON as you repent of the sin - it's GONE.

Staying "in the dumps" about it is just YOU playing into the enemy's hands, and YOU listening to his accusations. Remind him (forcibly) that you're PERFECT in God's sight as a Christian, and ain't gonna be beaten up by his condemnations.

"I want my old man to die and stay dead forever and to never be resurrected again."

Sure you do - we ALL do. Your "Old Man WAS Crucified with Christ, and Paul's instructions are to "Crucify the Flesh". But the flesh is STILL THERE, and always will be.

And as you walk with the Lord year after year, and DON'T try to solve the issue in your OWN strength, and learn to walk in the Spirit - He'll make victory possible for you in HIS way, and the "Flesh" will lose it's power.

A Pastor of mine some years ago, who had a "Besetting SIN" (I don't know what it was), told the church one Evening service that he'd fallen into it again, and cried out to the Lord in repentance. And then he said to God "I'm so sorry that I Did it again!!" - and sensed the Lord asking him "Did WHAT again??"

When God says He removes SIN farther than the East is from the West - He's not kidding around. It's GONE.

No argument that we're supposed to Live "holy" - but also no WAY that we'll be "sinless" but there SHOULD be progress, if you're walking with Him, and Staying in the Word, Fellowship with the Church, and in prayer,

 

[stormdancer0]

One thing not brought up by others (I skimmed the posts, so if I missed you, sorry!)

When you try to remove sinful thoughts from your mind, it leaves an empty space. We have to replace those thoughts, or the evil thoughts slip right back in. This is a primary reason we need to memorize scripture. If the thoughts try to come back in, quote a memory verse, and it will flee. Find a verse about having pure thoughts. Keep it memorized. It truly does help.