heartbroken after sin?

[Frank]

Is there any of you guy out there who decide from time to time to turn a new leaf, asking God to make you whole again and give you strength to face the world, but still end up commiting sin anyway? You feel you've dissapointed God and don't know if you'll last long in christianity? You aren't sure whether you've been forgiven or not and if you deserve the forgiveness in the first place?

How do you deal with it and how can you be be happy and enjoy God's presence after it all?

[Leonard]

No. That has never happened to me.

OOPS! There I go; lying again!!!!

[Dad Ernie]

Is there any of you guy out there who decide from time to time to turn a new leaf, asking God to make you whole again and give you strength to face the world, but still end up commiting sin anyway? You feel you've dissapointed God and don't know if you'll last long in christianity? You aren't sure whether you've been forgiven or not and if you deserve the forgiveness in the first place?

How do you deal with it and how can you be be happy and enjoy God's presence

Greetings Frank,

How do you think Peter felt when even after Jesus told him that he was going to deny Christ, not once but three times, and then Peter goes ahead and does it anyway? How do you think Paul felt after seeing numbers of Christians killed because of him and then the Lord forgiving him and making him one of the greatest Apostles?

Think back on King David, a man after God's own heart who had killed a friend and leading man in his army so that he could steal his wife?

Have you done anything to compare with any of these things? Well even if you did put your faith in God's Word:

Mark 3:28-29 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

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.

As long as you have breath, even thought, and are able to appeal to God to confess and repent of your sins, He is faithful to forgive you those sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[Christ's Free Servant]

Is there any of you guy out there who decide from time to time to turn a new leaf, asking God to make you whole again and give you strength to face the world, but still end up commiting sin anyway? You feel you've dissapointed God and don't know if you'll last long in christianity? You aren't sure whether you've been forgiven or not and if you deserve the forgiveness in the first place?

How do you deal with it and how can you be be happy and enjoy God's presence after it all?  

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry, I am not a guy, but I do know about what you are talking about from personal experience. Sin has a way of getting a grip on us, like a stronghold that is difficult to shake. The Bible teaches us much about how to shake these sin patterns of our lives.

1. Put off the sin and put on something to replace it - we go back to the sin many times because we have not replaced the sin with good habits. Ask God to show you what to put on in place of the sin, and begin putting on the new and putting off the old.

2. We have to put the armor of God on daily - this is the only thing we have with which to fight off Satan - we have to be in God's word and in prayer daily and we have to know the truth so the truth can set us free.

3. Scriptures teach us if our eye causes us to sin, gouge it out and if our hand causes us to sin, cut it off. What this means is that we must cut things out of our lives that are leading us to sin if we can not control them in any other way. For instance, if you can not control your time on the Internet or the TV or with video games, etc., then get rid of them. It is better to live life without TV or the Internet than to burn in hell or to live life in defeat.

4. Another reason we keep sinning is we don't realize Christ already won! He already defeated Satan's power over us when he died on the cross. So, it should not be a question of whether we are going to give in to the sin or not, because Christ made the way possible for us to be free. We just have to take his way, which is the cross. We have to daily die to our sinful desires and we have to take on Christ - clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to fight as though we already know the outcome of the battle, like David did when he fought Goliath.

5. Another thing is that we believe the lies of Satan. He whispers lies to us all the time, especially that we can not make it, etc., and we believe him. We have to start putting off his lies and we have to put on the truth. But first we must know what the lies are and what the truth is. So, make a list of all the lies you think you are believing. God will help you with this. Then, on the next column, make a list of the truth that contradicts those lies and find scriptures to go with the truth. Then, every time Satan comes at you with a lie, come back at him with the truth from God's word.

6. This is a spiritual battle, and we have to fight it like it is a battle, but one where we already know the end - we know Christ is the victor! Fight like you know the battle is already won and tell Satan that you are no longer going to believe his lies and begin putting on the truth of God's word.