I am at a loss for words... God delivered me from a inappropriate content habit nearly two years ago and I find myself back in inappropriate content for the first time in two years... does this show that I’m not truly saved? Why have I back slid?
first. let's look at what 'repent' means (it probably isn't what you've been taught):
(Mat 4:17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say,
Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(emphasis added by me)
same verse with Strong's numbers:
(Mat 4:17) FromG575 that timeG5119 JesusG2424 beganG756 to preach,G2784 andG2532 to say,G3004
Repent:G3340 forG1063 theG3588 kingdomG932 of heavenG3772 is at hand.G1448
(emphasis added by me)
Strong's definition of 'Repent' (G3340):
G3340
μετανοέω
metanoeō
met-an-o-eh'-o
From G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction): - repent.
Total KJV occurrences: 34
now from Thayer's:
G3340
μετανοέω
metanoeō
Thayer Definition:
1) to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent
2) to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G3326 and G3539
to repent is to change one's thinking; this
produces a change in actions; simply trying to 'stop that sinning' without this change in thinking is not repenting - but you have changed your thinking about this to match God's Word; you have already repented; now you're simply dealing with unnecessary exposure to temptation...
when you slip up and let your hormones get control, and you immediately go to God and receive forgiveness, He remembers that occurrence of sin no more - He isn't keeping a running tally of how many times you've messed up in this or any other area, so follow His lead and stop that - no matter how many times you slip up and
receive forgiveness for it, each time you're only dealing with what He sees as a single occurrence - the one you haven't yet
received forgiveness for - He made forgiveness available to you over 2000 years ago, before you were even born; but you have to
receive that forgiveness by faith when you mess up. when you keep a running tally of how many times you've messed up, you are magnifying the offense instead of magnifying the unlimited mercy and grace that God has for you as a reborn believer, and you're strengthening that temptation:
(1Co 15:56) The sting of death is sin;
and the strength of sin is the law.
(emphasis added by me)
as long as your focus is on the law of performance instead of the law of faith in His Grace, you are strengthening sin and making it harder to resist; so when you mess up, follow Jesse Duplantis' advice: 'admit it, quit it, and forget it (like God forgets it)'.
To God, sin is not the action, it's the heart thinking that produces the action - what we call 'sins' are actually the 'births' of the 'conception' of the one core sin, which is not believing God about something - so focus on what He's done to make you forever clean rather than what you might do to make yourself
technically unclean again (as He sees you as you are in Christ, not as you are in the flesh). if you go around thinking 'i will not look at inappropriate content, i will not look at inappropriate content, i will not look at inappropriate content...', then your focus is on inappropriate content, and what you focus on you magnify in your life.
put some 'road blocks' in between you and inappropriate content - set up a parental control that you'll have to take down in order to look at inappropriate content - the time it takes you to take down the control will give you extra time to get your hormones under control. if you have to, when you are tempted to look at inappropriate content, lock your computer in your car trunk - the time it takes to get it out gives you more time to exercise control.
look for triggers - activities that get your hormones going to begin with, such as a 'sexually-oriented' tv show or a place where 'sexually-oriented fashion' is predominant - and avoid exposure to those triggers. set up Godly activities for the times when you're most likely to be tempted to look at inappropriate content, such as reading your Bible or watching a sermon or attending a church service - you can
push those thoughts out with God-focused thoughts more easily than you can simply stop thinking about sex when your hormones are raging.
and remember that God has faith in you - that's why He chose you; always agree with Him!
